Back To Birding In Southwestern Ontario

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I was back birding in Southwestern Ontario this week after five months up north. On my first outing close to home Great Blue Herons were readily observed. 

Having been back in Southwestern Ontario for a little over a week I finally found time to get out for some birding. With so many options close to home I decided on Pinery Provincial Park. Why the Pinery? Easy, I wanted somewhere I could bird from my pack boat as well as on foot and the Pinery seemed like a logical choice based on the success I had there last year at this time. One of the best ways to be successful birding is to repeat what works. If I had great birding in late October there last year chances are (under similar conditions) the birding would be fantastic again this October. I like to bird with the adage in mind if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.   

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The leaves have not changed much at Pinery Provincial Park; however, the subtle yellows and browns provided a nice backdrop for this heron.

Loading up my gear I left home just after 8 a.m. As I headed north I could see the clear blue sky in the direction of the park. With sunny skies and classic rock playing on the radio, I could feel my excitement building. Arriving at the park just over an hour later, I put my boat in the water and was heading down the Old Ausable Channel by 9:30 a.m. Several Canada Geese that were hanging around the launch area began to honk as I slipped through the water. Looking into the emergent vegetation along the shoreline I could see a Great Blue Heron standing motionless with its head tucked in and feathers puffed out. This is typical behavior of a bird trying to keep warm as it was a chilly start to the morning. 

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Downy Woodpecker

Continuing down the river a pair of Wood Ducks took flight. These birds are extremely skittish and I only managed a brief look as they disappeared out of sight while their high-pitched whistles softened. Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were all seen and heard in the large trees lining the banks as I paddled along. It is here where I often see the less common Red-headed Woodpecker but unfortunately, on this day there was none present. At least none that I saw or heard anyway. Given this bird’s current status in the province (special concern) and that they are a short-distance migrant not seeing any wasn’t too surprising.  

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This Pileated Woodpecker was observed high above the Old Ausable Channel preening.

Glancing up into a large tree, I could see the silhouette of a Pileated Woodpecker. As I admired this crow-sized bird another Pileated flew into a nearby tree. Raising my camera I snapped a few photos of the bird that was busy preening while the second bird flew across the river. 

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Great Blue Heron flying down the river.

As I paddled my way to the far end of the park I had some incredible views of Great Blue Herons. Three in total were present along the river and fortunately were posed in some pretty amazing positions and scenes. One bird, in particular, repeatedly flew short distances ahead of me as I paddled providing ample opportunities for flight shots.

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This Fox Sparrow was observed near the visitor centre.

After my paddle, I made my way to the Cedar Trail behind the visitor centre. The feeders were not out at the visitor centre my guess is due to COVID-19 and the park not wanting people congregating in this area. That didn’t mean there weren’t birds present as I quickly located two Fox Sparrows and could hear the calls of a Tufted Titmouse. 

Making my way down the trail bird sound filled the air. The most predominant sound was that of the Golden-crowned Kinglet a bird I saw hundreds of this day. As it tried unsuccessfully to photograph the kinglets (mostly bum shots and obstructed views) a female Eastern Towhee flew over the trail landing on the ground in the thick brush. As this bird scratched up food from the ground with its feet in true towhee fashion I failed to capture a clear image through all the branches. Arriving back at the car I heard the call of Sandhill Cranes but never laid eyes on the birds. I’m not sure if these birds were flying over or perhaps calling from the vegetation in the southern section of the river.   

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Blue Jay

Now it was time to check out the Heritage Trail. This is one of my favourites in the park. Beautiful habitat and a nice lookout over the river are why this trail is so appealing to me. This trail has been a good one in the past for seeing deer, turkeys, and several woodpecker species. On this day, Blue Jays were moving through the woods in good numbers presumably migrating and likely feeding on acorns as this trail has several mature oak trees. 

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Be sure to take peanuts halves or black oil sunflower seed to the Pinery if you go as many of the birds including chickadees will feed from your hand.

Finally, it was off to the beach 9 picnic area. This area always has lots of birds present and today was no different. Park visitors regularly feed the birds by hand here and it’s not uncommon to have chickadees land on you looking for a handout even if you aren’t toting seed. Other birds can be fed by hand in the beach 9 picnic area including the Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, and even Downy Woodpecker. This is also a great location to achieve views of some of the park’s cute rodents including chipmunks and Red Squirrels. 

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Pinery Provincial Park is my favourite place to get close views of the Tufted Titmouse.

All in all, it was a great day getting back to birding in Southwestern Ontario after so many months away. I know throughout the remainder of fall and winter I will make several trips back to Pinery Provincial Park as it is a fantastic place to bird, hike, paddle, and picnic. 

Good birding,
Paul  

*Earlier this year I launched my vlog from Pinery Provincial Park. You can watch that inaugural video here.*  

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Launching My Video Blog From Pinery Provincial Park

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While at the Pinery working on my first video blog, this Tufted Titmouse was one of the many birds photographed.

Something new I decided to launch in 2020 is a video blog, commonly referred to as a vlog. The purpose of my new vlog is to bring you out in the field with me on my adventures and hopefully better show you some of the areas I visit and the wildlife I encounter while there. 

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The cloudy morning skies and low light conditions presented a nice opportunity for some black and white landscapes.

I have to admit shooting video is pretty new to me, but I am going to do my best to put together something that is both entertaining and educational. It is my hope that in each episode I can share more information on how I go about finding subjects to photograph and the camera settings and techniques I use in each situation to capture the images. I plan on including plenty of video footage of the wildlife encountered while adding still photos captured into each vlog as well. For those of you loyal blog subscribers, I will still be doing my written blog as well. 

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This Black-capped Chickadee preferred to be on the camera rather than in front of it.

Last week I visited Pinery Provincial Park for a day of birding and to shoot my first vlog episode. All in all, I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out considering my lack of video experience and learning how to use new software to piece the video and photo segments together. I realize I need to make a few tweaks for episode two. For instance, I left the still frames up too long which makes it appear the video is over. In the future, I plan on shortening this and adding voiceover explaining what camera settings I used and why given the situation. 

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This Opossum was a pleasant surprise under the feeders at the visitor centre.

I invite you to watch my first vlog episode below titled Winter Birding and Photography at Pinery Provincial Park. If you enjoy it, please subscribe on YouTube and be sure to click the bell to be notified when new episodes are published. Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion of what you would like to see in future episodes.

Good birding,
Paul 

 

  

Fall Birding And Paddling At Pinery Provincial Park

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Pinery Provincial Park is currently displaying some beautiful fall colours.

Wanting somewhere to bird and paddle close to home, Pinery Provincial Park seemed like the perfect destination. After strapping my 14′ Prospector pack boat by Swift Canoe and Kayak to the top of my car, loading my camera and lenses, and packing a lunch, I hit the road. Having not visited the Pinery in roughly 25 years, I was excited about the possibilities of exploring somewhere new. 

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Among the waterfowl present was this Hooded Merganser.

Arriving at the park just after 9 a.m. I was greeted by blue skies. I glanced down at the dash thermometer which read 3 degrees Celcius. A cool start to the day no doubt but that was okay as I brought plenty of layers to choose from. After showing my Ontario Parks annual vehicle permit at the gatehouse, I slowly made my way into the park. Immediately on my left, a male Eastern Towhee flitted through the thick shrubs lining the road while two Hermit Thrushes scattered to my right. I was pretty excited about the towhee sighting and was hoping this was a sign of things to come.  

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If not for its revealing call, this Gray Catbird likely would have gone unnoticed. 

I meandered through the park and came to the canoe launch. As I exited my vehicle, Blue Jays could be heard calling while several White-throated Sparrows moved along the forest floor adjacent to the river bank. A lone Gray Catbird disclosed its location in a dogwood by letting out its cat-like meow call. After getting my boat off the car and all my gear loaded on board I was ready to start paddling. Heading north along the Old Ausable Channel I decided to stick the west side. Not only would this provide the best light for photos, paddling in the sunshine was much more comfortable on this chilly morning.  

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Large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers were observed throughout the park.

Making my way along, several more songbirds could be heard including White-breasted Nuthatches, American Goldfinches, and Black-capped Chickadees. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were abundant as they moved through the trees along the water’s edge. Hearing a splash, I looked to my left to see four Wood Ducks taking flight from underneath an oak tree; not surprising considering acorns are a favourite food of this waterfowl. 

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Red-headed Woodpeckers were certainly a highlight of my recent visit to Pinery Provincial Park.

As I continued to paddle, I remembered my Dad taking me canoeing at the Pinery as a kid and seeing a Red-headed Woodpecker. The dead trees on the west side of the river looked just as I remembered them so many years ago. I scanned up and down them as this is where I had seen the rare woodpecker more than two decades earlier. Not alerted by sound or movement, I noticed what looked like the large white wing patches of a Red-headed Woodpecker high up on a broken-off tree trunk. Resting my paddle across the gunwales I coasted along fixated on the tree. Sure enough, it was a Red-headed Woodpecker. Raising my camera I captured several images of this bird. I watched as the bird flew back and forth between the dead tree and live oaks returning with what appeared to be acorns. From what I could tell the bird was caching the nuts in the loose bark and crevices of the deceased tree. Making my way further north, another one of these beautiful woodpeckers came into view, this time a juvenile bird lacking the red head. 

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This Osprey was one of several birds of prey observed while paddling at Pinery Provincial Park.

Happy with this observation I continued north. Up ahead, an Osprey took flight and was coming straight at me. I managed to capture several images as the bird passed by. Other birds of prey present on this day were several Cooper’s Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Turkey Vultures all clearly migrating as they made their way south through the park. 

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Wood Ducks were prevalent on this day; however, getting close enough for a quality shot was impossible.

As I rounded the next bend another small group of Wood Ducks was seen resting on a fallen log. I managed to capture a distant shot before they took flight. On this day I saw more Wood Ducks than I have anywhere else in a long time but getting close enough to these skittish birds for a quality shot was impossible. 

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Great Blue Heron

Next, a Great Blue Heron preening on a dead branch caught my eye. Having paddled this 2.5-mile section of the river, I reached the culvert at the end of the channel. A Red Squirrel chattered as it moved through the fallen leaves and jumped up into the cedars while the chuck, chuck, chuck call of an Eastern Chipmunk could also be heard.  

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Painted Turtle basking on a fallen log. 

Now afternoon, a strong south breeze had picked up as predicted. Battling a headwind on the way back I was happy to have my 5 lb folding anchorir?t=paulroeddin00 20&l=am2&o=15&a=B000LC7LIQ - Fall Birding And Paddling At Pinery Provincial Park on board so I could quietly slip this over this side and continue to take pictures without losing ground. Despite a rather cool wind, the afternoon sun was warm enough to draw Painted Turtles out of the water as I saw several basking on fallen logs. 

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Wild Turkey

Continuing south in the direction of my car, three Wild Turkeys made their way through the tall grasses of the shoreline. Pausing to take pictures, the south breeze was quite appreciated as it pushed me along at the same rate of travel as the turkeys affording me the opportunity to capture several images.

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I was rather excited to capture images of this Tufted Titmouse, a species I had yet to photograph.

With my paddling complete and my pack boat secured to the top of my car, I decided to hike a couple of the trails Pinery Provincial Park has to offer. I started at the Cedar Trail behind the Visitor Centre. Here I was delighted to see several Tufted Titmice. This is a bird I don’t see too often but I know is regularly observed by others within the park. Even more exciting, one of the birds perched nearby allowing me to capture several images of this species I had not previously photographed. Golden-crowned Kinglets and Hermit Thrushes were also readily seen from the Cedar Trail.  

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Eastern Phoebe

Having completed the 2.3 km Cedar Trail, I made my way over to the Heritage Trail. Immediately upon entering the trail I could see an abundance of Hermit Thrushes and a less common Wood Thrush. Winter Wrens, Blue Jays, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were also seen as I navigated my way through the forest. What I really enjoyed about this trail is the wooden observation platform looking out over the Old Ausable Channel. From here, I located two Eastern Phoebes as they moved from limb to limb just above the surface of the water. Higher up in the treetops were more Yellow-rumped Warblers. As I was heading back to my car passing through a section of small White Pine trees, I flushed a Roughed Grouse.   

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Tufted Titmouse

With daylight and my energy level dwindling, it was time to call it a day. Incredibly satisfied with the birding, paddling, and hiking within Pinery Provincial Park, I could only wonder to myself why I waited so long to return. One thing is certain, it won’t be long before I return again. I have already made plans to visit this amazing park again this fall. If you have never visited Pinery Provincial Park, I highly recommend checking it out. Whether birding, paddling, hiking, cycling, or camping this great park offers something for everyone. 

Good birding,
Paul

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