A Pine Day

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

Eurasian Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, April 20, 2024

-Getting springier and springier

-One Golden-crowned and two Ruby-crowned Kinglets

-Still no White-throated or Chipping Sparrows

-20 species in 90 minutes

-Best of the day was a bright and flitty Pine Warbler (Personal first warbler (wobbler) of the spring, personal first for the site)

-A pair of Mallards near some big puddles

-A pair of Downy Woodpeckers chasing each other around and vocalizing

-Still two pairs of Eastern Phoebe in two different areas…one pair was singing loud and aggressively, seemingly where the two territories would overlap

A Sunday in Spring

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

Brown Creeper Certhia americana

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, April 14, 2024

-Great to see two pairs of Eastern Phoebe, which looked to be setting up territories. I saw the same behaviour this time last year with one pair, but they didn’t seem to end up nesting at the site.

-A chilly 9°C and windy, but there were some flying insects out.

-Several Northern Flickers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers around (but no Hairy/Downy Woodpeckers in evidence).

-No kinglets or White-throated Sparrows yet, which seemed odd, but they’ve been seen elsewhere on the island, so they’re on the way.

-Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were active and singing in most areas.

-I did my neck a mischief recently, which made looking up at tree birds a challenge.

-15 species in 90 minutes, in spite of missing a few basics.

-The last of the snow is gone.

Snowball snow, Juncos, and a sun gone dark

Totality from my front steps

3:27 pm

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Eurasian Starling Sturnus vulgaris
(through the window)

Current mood

April 4

April 7

  A few days ago we got one final snow dump – heavy snowball snow that knocked out power grids and sent everyone back to the Stone Age for a spell. It all melted quickly enough. Fun fun.

  I birded at my NDG patch on April 7, and spotted ten species in 90 minutes, as per usual. The Dark-eyed Juncos are back (they don’t overwinter there), and I’m betting White-throated Sparrows, phoebes, and kinglets will be around next weekend.

  In other news, the total solar eclipse (April 8) was pretty rad. Felt like a treat to be able to watch it from my front steps.

My NDG Patch

American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
(Note the nictitating membrane over the eye)

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa

Worm Moon from last week

  It’s that time of year, when the soil goes soft underfoot, and the Mourning Cloaks and whistling Groundhogs appear as if by magic. Yesterday’s Mourning Cloaks came at least a week earlier than any of my previous sightings. That may mean something, but I’ll leave it to the experts.

  Nothing fresh in, but definitely a spring-like feel to the air. No SOSPs in evidence this time. The thrushes and phoebes will be here soon, I can smell ‘em in the wind. Ended the day with ten species in 90 minutes.

  I’m surprised I’ve never encountered migrating American Woodcocks in my little NDG patch, as there’s some suitable habitat for them there. Maybe one day.

  I’ve never really seen any rare birds in my patch. I probably never will. But I like birding my patch. I don’t mind seeing the same Downy Woodpeckers and Northern Cardinals from year to year. I enjoy seeing how the scenery and cast of characters change there when the seasons thin out and collide with one another. I also enjoy my patch in the winter, when I see four birds all day, and the icy winds cut flesh. I very much enjoy never seeing a clot of photographers there surrounding a single bird, drawn in by eBird, and the clockwork maps inside of their smart phone’s brain. Maybe in a few weeks another warbler species will be added to my modest patch list. Perhaps one day I’ll see a Varied Thrush there, that will pose in perfect lighting, and I will keep it a secret forever. That’s patch birding. You never know.

SOSP Spot

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
(From last week, in NDG)

Workings of a Pileated Woodpecker

Old moon in the new moon’s arms, from last week

  Went birding, and it’s super quiet still, bird-wise, in a landscape re-covered by a late snow. I like snow.

  New in were two Song Sparrows, skulking in dense undergrowth, as SOSPs do so well. One was silent, and the other was making ‘chimp’ calls.

  Last night’s frosty final gasp of winter must have confused early migrants seen recently in the Montreal area, such as American Woodcock and even Chimney Swift.

Notes from the north

Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus

Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus

White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera

White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera

White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera

Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus

Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus

Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus

Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus

Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus

American Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Harry waiting to dig a hole

Harry digging a hole

Harry playing in a hole

“Hello, welcome to Harrycorp, how may I help you today?”

Intense fog in NDG

-Went up north with George, Anthony, and Harry yesterday.

-Way too hot for the time of year, especially in the boreal forest.

-We got a solid taste of boreal birds, with most expected finches encountered.

-A flock of 30-ish Bohemian Waxwings on mainstreet Saint-Donat was a pleasant surprise. They were spotted in a fruiting tree, then moved to a nearby conifer.

-White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins were spotted by roadside, getting after the salt and grit.

- Always a treat to clap peepers on Hawfinch-like Evening Grosbeaks, as they tend to stay up north.

-A Golden-crowned Kinglet heard near Tremblant.

-Three Wild Turkeys and a Ring-billed Gull spotted from the car near Prévost.

-20ish species on the day.

  It was foggy as all get-up last night ‘round midnight. I was monitoring a flight tracking app, commiserating with the poor bastards that were circling for 90 minutes, before having to divert to Québec City due to fuel issues. The pea soup fog and temperature hovering just above zero reminded me of a Gageo Island pre-dawn, in mid-April.