Birding/ Bird watching in Canada - Day 2

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

Birding Ontario, Canada - Day 2

Presquile Provincial Park for waders

I visited Presquile Provincial Park yesterday. So, I will drive to Algonquin Park as I can leave my hotel early.

Boreal

adjective of the North or northern regions, in particular:

• Ecology of, relating to, or characteristic of the climatic zone south of the Arctic, especially the cold temperate region dominated by taiga and forests of birch, poplar, and conifers: northern boreal forest.

• (Boreal) Botany of, relating to, or denoting a phytogeographical kingdom comprising the arctic and temperate regions of Eurasia and North America.

• (Boreal) Geology relating to or denoting the second climatic stage of the postglacial period in northern Europe, between the Preboreal and Atlantic stages (about 9,000 to 7,500 years ago).

ORIGIN late Middle English: from late Latin borealis, from Latin Boreas, denoting the god of the north wind, from Greek.

Thursday 27 ^th of April 2023 and my alarm went off at 4 but I was not out of bed until 6. I had my tea and cheese, and I brought half the cheese to eat for lunch when in the park.

I leave Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn at 7 thirty and it is cold, only +3° C but the sun is shining and I hope that it will be warmer as the day progress.

It is very boring to drive, beautiful scenery and good roads. But MAXIMUM 80 km/h and I am a little bit scared to drive to fast. Leaving the airport coming up on the highway and there was aroad sign:
10.000 Dollar fine
Road side suspension

And the road side suspension is for sure nothing I want to experience. So, I was cruising along in 80 km/h using the cruise control. I stop to fill up gas but I did not bother to go in to the shop risking to buy some snacks. But I really wanted to speak with someone regarding the speed limits.

I cruise along in 80 and everyone over taking me, even the trucks. I reach a town and I stop to buy kitchen towels for my picnic lunch. The guy tells me to go next door. He asked me where I came from and I said Denmark.

I asked about the speed limit and he told me 10 km/h over and if you do 100 on the 80 road it will not be a problem The police won’t bother, and if you put on that Danish accent they will not bother. I asked about the “road side suspension”

This is if you drive 50 km/h or more over the speed limit. I said thank you and I went next door and I ended up in a real “cow boy” shop. Just as you would imagine it to have looked 100 years ago. It was a very nice lady running the shop and we had a chat about this and that.

I left with my kitchen towel and I passed a swamp with a lot of dead trees and I spotted a bird in one of the trees and I made a U-turn to go back to try to get a picture.

Belted Kingfisher

Driving towards Belted Kingfisher

Driving towards Belted Kingfisher

Driving towards Belted Kingfisher

Driving towards Belted Kingfisher

Reaching the gate to Algonquin Park

Turned out that it was a Belted Kingfisher and I tried to get some pictures even though it was very far away. I made another U-turn and I continued towards Algonquin Park. I left my hotel at 7 thirty and I passed the gate to the Algonquin Park 3 hours later.

I bought a summer pass yesterday but I decided to stop at the visitor center to check-in, just to make sure I would not end up in jail. And I expected all my information to have been added to the card when I bought it.

But I ended up in an interrogation and I regrated to have stopped to show my “park pass”

But she was friendly and she gave me a map and she marked some of the bird watching spots on the map. I said thank you and I left for my first stop, the Costello Creek / Costello Lake. I drove down the road and there were not many birds to be seen.

Four Goosanders and one Canada Goose and I was actually disappointed, the ponds and lakes and I had expected many birds, but nothing. I continued to the Spruce Bog Boardwalk.

Goosander

I expect a lot of wildlife in Algonquin Park

Spruce Bog Boardwalk

Several boardwalk sections in the looped trail give you an excellent close-up look of two typical northern black spruce bogs. The trail is located right off of the Highway 60 corridor, making it very accessible for bird watching.

Spruce Bog Boardwalk offers 1mile (1.5 km) of easy boardwalk hiking, through typical northern spruce bogs. This two-hour walk will yield some good birdwatching.

Small, sheltered ponds and lakes will slowly be overgrown by a floating mat of vegetation, consisting of sedges, mosses, and other plants, eventually becoming thick and strong enough to stand on. The floating layer of peat with its resulting acidic conditions creates harsh conditions for plants and animals that reside in Algonquin's spruce bogs. Many species have adapted to these conditions and survive the harsh conditions.

In winter it is not uncommon to find non-migratory birds such as the Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, and Gray Jay living in this major Algonquin habitat type. Very few people ever venture out onto the spongy, acidic ground of a spruce bog. If you haven't been to a spruce bog before, be sure to click on the link below and keep your feet dry while visiting one of Algonquin's five major habitat types.

I get out on the Spruce Bog Boardwalk

Snow and ice on the track

Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin Park

Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin Park

Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin Park

Osprey soaring over the bog

I run in to an onslaught of adorableness

I run in to an onslaught of adorableness

I came out on the board walk over the swamp and I heard birds in the swamp but not seen them. I flushed one American Bittern and I only got to see the back of the bird when it took off

Across the swamp and back in the forest and I run in to an onslaught of adorableness, a small squirrel was eating on the board walk and I did not see it until the squirrel took cover under the boardwalk. I step back and the squirrel is soon back to eat.

I get a few pictures and when I approach the squirrel came to check me out and I thought it was going to run up on my legs. I could hear a few birds but nothing seen and I was back in my car after 45 minutes on the trail.

Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin Park

eBird Report

Algonquin Provincial Park--Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Nipissing, Ontario, CA
Apr 27, 2023 11:29 - 12:16
Protocol: Traveling
1.56 kilometer(s)
3 species

American Bittern 1   Flushed when I walk by on the board walk
Osprey 1   Soaring over the bog
American Crow 3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S135183228

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Spruce Bog Boardwalk

I continue through the park

I leave the main road and I explore the eBird hotspot: Algonquin Provincial Park--Mew Lake Campground and I am a little surprised to see that there are people camping. It is cold during the night and there are still snow on the ground.

Dark-eyed Junco

Ring-necked Duck

I drove around 250 km north to come to the Algonquin Provincial Park and I think I am 1 or 2 weeks early. Here are not many birds to see, but now I have seen the park.

eBird Report

Algonquin Provincial Park--Mew Lake Campground, Nipissing, Ontario, CA
Apr 27, 2023 12:41 - 13:06
Protocol: Traveling
3.19 kilometer(s)
5 species

Ring-necked Duck 3   Two males and one female
Mourning Dove 1
American Robin 3
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Common Grackle 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S135188979

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Algonquin Provincial Park--Mew Lake Campground

I leave the camp site and I continue towards west and my goal is to reach the western entrance with stops on the way. You can drive through the Algonquin Provincial Park using the main road, Ontario Highway 60 without paying the park fee.

But if you leave Ontario Highway 60 you need to have paid the park fee. Many roads were closed with gates and I think it is because it is off season.

Ontario Highway 60

King's Highway 60, commonly referred to as Highway 60, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 255.8-kilometre highway serves as the primary corridor through Algonquin Provincial Park, where it is dedicated as the Frank McDougall Parkway.

East of Algonquin Park, the route serves east–west traffic in the highlands of central Ontario. It begins at Highway 11 in Huntsville and ends at Highway 17 near Renfrew.

Going west on Ontario Highway 60

Going west on Ontario Highway 60

Going west on Ontario Highway 60

Going west on Ontario Highway 60

I leave Ontario Highway 60 to explore a gravel road

I leave Ontario Highway 60 to explore a gravel road going to a lake used for canoeing. It is a very beautiful park and I enjoyed the drive along the gravel road. But no birds, the ponds and lakes were empty and I had expected a lot of ducks and things in the water.

I reach the lake and I turn around to drive back to Ontario Highway 60 and I had not seen one single bird by the time I was back on the highway.

It is a gorgeous day

It is a gorgeous day

I continue towards west and when I reach the western entrance I turn around and I drive back towards the eastern entrance and I will continue back to my hotel, Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn. 3 hours to get back and I don't want to be too late.

And I am getting hungry so tea and a snack will be nice when I am back at the hotel.

Back on Ontario Highway 60

Going west on Ontario Highway 60

I turn around when I reach the western entrance and I make one more stop before I leave Algonquin Provincial Park at the eastern entrance. I pass the Lake of Two Rivers campground and I leave the highway to explore the area.

I am alone as the campsite is closed so I drive around and again, no birds. I pass two Ravens and I get out of the car to tr to get some pictures.

There are three Canade Geese on the beach and I get some pictures, there have for sure not been many bird pictures during the day.

Raven

Raven

Raven

Raven

Canada Goose

Canada Goose

eBird Report

Algonquin Provincial Park--Lake of Two Rivers campground, Nipissing, Ontario, CA
Apr 27, 2023 14:47 - 15:04
Protocol: Traveling
1.78 kilometer(s)
2 species

Canada Goose 3
Common Raven 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S135201817

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track at Algonquin Provincial Park--Lake of Two Rivers campground

I leave the eastern gate behind bound for my hotel in Peterborough. I drive along the Ontario Highway 60 and I spot a bird of prey on the wire 10 minutes after having left Algonquin Provincial Park. I make a U-turn and I go back to try to get some pictures.

We took a lot of pictures of raptors sitting along the road in USA and I noticed a difference from Sweden. In Sweden the birds take off immediately when you stop the car. But most of the time the bird stays here in North America.

Broad-winged Hawk

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

Broad-winged Hawk

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

Broad-winged Hawk

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

I continue towards my hotel in Peterborough and after a little more than one hour I pass a swamp with a lot of dead trees. I think I see an owl and I make a U-turn to try to get in a good position. And coming back and I confirm that it is a bird sitting on top of the dead tree.

I have to make 2 more U-turns and the position is very bad for taking pictures. I am hanging out of the window taking pictures behind me as there is trees between the road and the bird. The bird takes off and I only get two very poor pictures and I have not a clue what bird it is.

But based on the back and the black stripe around the wing edges I have ID this bird as a Broad-winged Hawk. Only based on the wing pattern, but this is a stab in the dark.

I sent the pictures to www.birdforum.net and I started the thread: https://www.birdforum.net/threads/three-birds-of-prey-in-ontario-canada-today.439695/

Broad-winged Hawk

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

Broad-winged Hawk

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

Thirty minutes later and I am about this piss my pants. Too many MAX while driving around in the Algonquin Provincial Park. So, I need to stop behind a tree and I leave the highway to get up on a gravel road.

I flush a bird from the road side and the bird is fling next to the car and I am luck, the bird landed in a tree. I opened the sunroof in the car and I could get a few pictures of the bird.

Merlin

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

Merlin

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

Merlin

Thanks to THE_FERN at birdforum for helping me confirm the ID

I reach my hotel at 6 o'clock and I check the parking lot for birds before going to my room. I would like to have a picture of a Common Grackle, there are three of them but I did not get any good picture.

There are two House Sparrows in the tree outside the entrance door and I get some pictures.

House Sparrow / Gråsparv

House Sparrow / Gråsparv

Common Grackle

I will check-out Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn and I will leave for Best Western Plus Travel Hotel Toronto Airport and I will drive via the Lynde Shores Conservation in Whitby and further south along the coast of Lake Ontario.

Check out if I see any exciting birds tomorrow by clicking HERE .

eBird Trip Report

Since April 2023 eBird offer a new feature, to create Trip Reports. At least this is when I first heard of this feature and I have decided to make the eBird Trip Reports instead of my list of OBSERVED birds.

And of course, this also means that I will HAVE TO go back and do the same for my old birding adventures, WHEN I HAVE THE TIME!

Today's Trip Report: Bird watching in Canada - Day 2 | Click HERE

Download | PDF

Lifers
Icons for lifers used in the eBird trip reports

Species lifer:First time that someone observes a species in their life

Photo lifer:First time that someone photographs a species in their life

Audio lifer:First time that someone audio records a species in their life

Exotic species
Exotic species flags differentiate locally introduced species from native species.

Naturalized:Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).

Provisional:Either: 1)member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2)rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.

When applicable, eBird generally defers to bird records committees for records formally considered to be of "uncertain provenance". Provisional species count in official eBird totals.

Escapee:Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have
bred but don't yet fulfill the criteria for Provisional. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals.

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