Time Is Running Out To Observe Overwintering Birds

With March now here and spring on the horizon, many of the birds that overwinter in our area will soon be heading north to their breeding grounds. 

In a recent post Returning To Greenway Park After A Lengthy Hiatus From Photography, I mentioned easing myself back into things while dealing with a recurring and nagging back issue that saw me take a break from photography while on the mend.  I am happy to report things continue to improve and I am getting out with my camera more frequently, albeit for shorter durations and distances. Over the past couple of weeks, I took advantage of the cold weather and remaining days of winter to search for some overwintering birds before they vacate the area. 

I started my search at Fanshawe Conservation Area where several sightings of an Evening Grosbeak have been reported on eBird. According to the observations of others, this bird has been frequenting the start of the Tamarack Trail right next to the parking lot. Admission to this conservation area is free during the winter months and well worth a visit.

Arriving at my destination, I immediately noticed an abundance of birds feeding on black-oil sunflower seeds someone had spread at the start of the trail. I watched for a few minutes and counted a few overwintering species including Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows. A few more minutes passed when suddenly appearing in one of the lower branches of a large spruce tree was the Evening Grosbeak. The bird quickly dropped to the ground and began feeding among the other birds. 

Evening Grosbeaks are infrequent visitors to our area during the winter months and are not present every year. It is only during years when coniferous and deciduous seed production to our north is poor that these birds venture this far south in search of food. In fact, I had not seen an Evening Grosbeak in our area since I was a child. On August 1, 2018, the Evening Grosbeak was added to Ontario’s Species at Risk list due to their declining numbers. With this in mind, I was very pleased to see and photograph this bird.   

Next, I visited Springbank Park in the city’s west end. An abundance of birds and paths that are plowed daily by park staff make this one of my favourite winter birding hot spots. Each year during the winter months, the small pond adjacent to Storybook Gardens provides great looks of some interesting waterfowl, for those who sort through the hundreds of Mallards to find something different. This winter alone, striking views of a Ring-necked Duck, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Pintails have been had from this small pond.

On my visit, I enjoyed watching a male Redhead make repeated dives as it fed on submerged vegetation. 

As I admired this beautiful duck, I could hear the calls of Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins. In this area, alder trees grow along the bank of the Thames River and the seed pods found on their branches are a favourite food of these finches during the winter months. Hoping this was where the calls were coming from, I turned around and approached the bank. 

To my delight, I found several redpolls and siskins feeding at eye level within the branches of the alders. Getting a clear shot through the maze of limbs from the various trees lining the bank proved to be a challenge, but I was able to find a few openings where unobstructed views were achieved. 

Finally, my last destination took me just outside the city in search of Snowy Owls. A well-known annual overwintering area for these owls is only a 30-minute drive away. I don’t always make a point of finding and photographing these birds each winter, but on this day I was meeting my good friends from Swift Care Ontario in Komoka for coffee and decided to head out a bit early as the area supporting these owls is only 10 minutes further down the road. As I drove along the two lane highway heading west I could see a large white object sitting on a hydro pole. I pulled off to the side of the road and snapped a couple of pictures of this beautiful Snowy Owl as it perched motionless in the morning light. Continuing west along the same road I came across another Snowy Owl and then another. Great views were had from my car as I slowly and safely pulled over onto the shoulder at each owl. Turning north onto one of the county roads I quickly came across a fourth Snowy Owl. 

I photographed all four of these Snowy Owls from my vehicle, as I always do so as not to stress or disturb the bird. While the images captured were not overly exciting or scenic, I never get out of my vehicle and approach these birds. I live by the adage if my behaviour changes their behavior than I am too close and never flush birds from a perch in hopes of capturing a flight shot. I left these owls exactly how I found them, perched calm and comfortably for others who pass by to enjoy. 

With the first day of spring now only two weeks away, time is running out to observe these overwintering species in our area. These birds will soon be heading north to their breeding grounds not returning to Southwestern Ontario until late fall or winter. If you wish to see any of these birds in the near future and you have the chance, I recommend visiting one of the aforementioned locations sooner than later.

Good birding,
Paul