Finch Me I’m Dreaming

Finch numbers in central Ontario have been pretty impressive this winter. I recently had the opportunity to experience this finch bonanza around Algonquin Park. When a house-sitting opportunity for friends who live in the area presented itself, I jumped at it.

Not only would I be spending several days 15 minutes from the park, my friend’s property of 20-plus acres is home to an abundance of birds and wildlife not limited to the dog, chickens, and rabbits I’d be tending to.

IMG 0106 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **This Going Green platform feeder by Woodlink filled with black oil sunflower seeds was a real hit with the finches.**

My friends feed the birds in winter but I wasn’t sure what type of feeders they’d have out. I decided to pack a few of my favourites I knew would attract the wide variety of birds certain to be around their property. I took a hanging tray feeder, a No/No mesh seed ball, and a large tube feeder. As far as seed goes, black oil sunflower and peanut halves would be on the menu.

Hanging these feeders was easy thanks to the abundance of Maple Trees. I used bungee cords looped over low branches to hang all three. The feeders were placed strategically in front of the large living room window so I could keep an eye on them while enjoying my morning coffee.

The sounds of chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and goldfinches echoed from the treetops. I anticipated it wouldn’t be long until something found one of my feeders. What happened over the ensuing days was incredible.

IMG 3761 2 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **The No/No seed ball is so simple yet so effective.**

The next morning, I poured a cup of coffee and sat looking out the large window. It was just getting daylight as the birds started to arrive. First, it was the goldfinches. Soon after Purple Finches followed and then Pine Siskins. The number of finches present at the feeders and surrounding trees was truly incredible.

I have never seen so many Purple Finches in my life. I can’t hazard a guess at how many of each species there were, but the total of the 3 varieties of finches was in the 100s! This continued for the duration of my stay and by the time I left was almost out of sunflower seed.

IMG 8050 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **Evening Grosbeaks at the visitor’s centre feeder in Algonquin Provincial Park.**

With so much finch activity happening right at my doorstep, I was a bit hesitant to venture into Algonquin Park. After all, I was afraid of missing out on the action. On this trip, I was hoping to see Evening Grosbeaks and crossbills. Since I hadn’t seen or heard any around the property where I was staying I figured the park was my best bet.

The feeders around the visitor’s centre are a great place to see beautiful Evening Grosbeaks and decided to make this my first stop. Before visiting the park feeders, I always look at the Algonquin Park Wild Bird Cam. Not only is this entertaining, by scrolling through the footage I can see when activity at the feeders is greatest. By doing this, I determined grosbeak activity at the feeders is best late morning and mid to late afternoon so timed my arrival accordingly. Sure enough after only a few minutes of waiting the colourful Evening Grosbeaks arrived.

IMG 3971 Edit 2 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **Female Red Crossbill. Note how the upper and lower portion of the bill crosses, hence the name crossbill.**

Next, I was off to Opeongo Road in search of crossbills. I had never photographed a crossbill before. In fact, I had only seen them at a distance through my binoculars so never appreciated their beauty and uniqueness. These birds are interesting in that their bill’s top and bottom portion cross, hence the name crossbill. This allows crossbills to open spruce, pine, and other cones to access the seeds, whereas other birds must wait for the cone to open naturally making the seed accessible.

As I drove along Opeongo Road I could hear crossbills calling from the spruce trees on the far side of Costello Creek. To my delight, a pair of Red Crossbills were on the ground pecking at the road. Birds consume sand and grit from roadways to aid with digestion. Safely pulling over, I got out of my car and managed several images of these amazing birds. Despite not having finch in their names, Evening Grosbeaks and crossbills are large members of the finch family.

IMG 4072 2 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **Male Red Crossbill**

Opeongo Road is also a great location to observe a non-finch species, the Canada Jay. At the closed gate where the logging road starts there is a parking lot. Exiting my car here, I prepared to walk down Opeongo Road. I planned to go as far as the bridge over Costello Creek at Turtle Rock. After exiting the car, I noticed a Pine Marten in a tree.

Martens are in the same family as weasels and mink and are similar in appearance. However, Pine Martens tend to spend a considerable amount of time in trees making them more elusive. Parkgoers often feed the birds here and I’ve seen martens in the area before as they are accustomed to handouts. Happy with the images I captured of the marten, I carried on down the road.

IMG 4328 Edit - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **Pine Marten**

As I walked along, Purple Fiches, Pine Siskins, and Red Crossbills could be heard high in the trees. Purple Finches were by far the most abundant on this trip and were everywhere! Arriving at the bridge, I was greeted by several Canada Jays. These birds at this time of year are quite curious and often find you. I watched as these birds flitted among the trees and managed a few images when they paused briefly.

It was getting late in the day, and with an hour’s drive ahead of me it was time to get going. I needed to get back before sunset to close the chicken coop as keeping the livestock alive was most important.

IMG 4401 Edit 2 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **Portrait of a Canada Jay taken on Opeongo Road.**

If you are heading to Algonquin Park for the Family Day long weekend, Algonquin Park’s Winter in the Wild Festival is happening on Saturday, February 17 with indoor and outdoor events taking place throughout the park.

IMG 7180 - Finch Me I'm Dreaming — **Opeongo Road is a great place to observe the Canada Jay.**

This trip to Algonquin Park and the surrounding area was the best finch activity I have ever experienced. Despite this winter’s weather not feeling overly wintry, winter finches in this part of the province have been abundant.

If you are thinking of visiting this area to take in all the finch action don’t leave it too long. Finch numbers will slowly decrease as the breeding season approaches and the birds spread out. Many will migrate back north to the boreal forest to breed. That said, there’s never a bad time to visit Algonquin.

Good birding,
Paul

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A Winter Getaway With A New Lens

It’s been a busy fall and winter that hasn’t left me much time for birding or photography. Almost all of my free time over the past few months has been committed to helping family, so when the opportunity came up to take a few days off work and go birding I jumped at the chance. I was incredibly excited for this trip as not only was surrounding myself in nature going to clear my head of all that has been going on lately, but I also acquired a new lens only days before leaving. What lens would I be wielding on this adventure? The Sigma 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3.

IMG 7150 2 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Many of the Canada Jays in Algonquin Park have colourful bands on their legs. These bands not only help researchers determine the bird’s age and range but can also identify a mating pair.**

For this getaway, I made my way up to Algonquin Provincial Park in hopes of seeing some of the many winter finches that call the park home from late fall to early spring. My first stop upon entering the park was at the West Gate to purchase an annual day-use permit. I highly recommend this to anyone who uses any of Ontario’s provincial parks regularly as this is by far the most economical option. For $111.87 (including HST), this pass allows the holder unlimited day-use access to any provincial park in Ontario. For comparison, a daily vehicle permit allowing only one day of admission costs $21.00 (including HST) so if you are planning 6 or more trips to a provincial park over the year, get the annual pass. Again, this pass is valid at any provincial park and I get my money’s worth not only at Algonquin but also at Komoka Provincial Park, Rondeau, and the Pinery.

IMG 7184 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Black-capped Chickadees were abundant in many areas of the park.**

After obtaining my pass, I continued west along highway 60 to the Spruce Bog Trail. This easy, 1.5 km loop is one of my favourites in the park as not only is the scenery breathtaking, there is always an abundance of birds and wildlife no matter the time of year. Stepping out of the car, I donned my Cotton Carrier and attached my Canon 7D and Sigma 150-600mm lens while slinging my binoculars over my shoulder.

An older couple in the parking lot was looking high up in the spruce trees and seemed quite excited about what they had just seen. I walked over and asked what they saw and the woman told me a Boreal Chickadee. Having never seen this bird, I too began scanning the treetops with my binoculars, and mixed in with the dozens of Black-capped Chickadees I saw the distinct brown cap and cinnamon flanks of the Boreal Chickadee. I watched as the bird flitted from tree to tree and had some great views of this lifer but the bird never did drop low enough or present an opportunity for a photo. Excited and satisfied by this observation, I made my way to the trailhead.

IMG 8082 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Red-breasted Nuthatch photographed along the Spruce Bog Trail.**

It was evident the Spruce Bog Trail had been well traveled in recent days as the snow was hard packed which made for easy walking. The sound of Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches filled the tree tops. As I made my way out of the forest and onto the snow-covered boardwalk two larger birds passed by overhead. I could tell by their shape they were jays but was unsure if they were Blue or Canada Jays. Scanning the tops of the spruce trees I was able to positively identify these birds as Canada Jays.

The Canada Jay was recently named by Canadian Geographic as our national bird and was formerly known as the Gray Jay. Many also refer to them as the Whisky Jack which comes from Wiskedjak, Wisagatcak, and Wisekejack, taken from Indigenous languages which means a mischievous, transforming spirit who likes to play tricks on people. Regardless of what you call them these birds are absolutely beautiful and a treat to observe.

IMG 7133 Edit 2 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens

By this time, I had already fired off dozens of photos and was impressed with this new lens. Autofocus was fast and accurate and from what I could see on the LCD screen on the back of my camera the lens was also very sharp. Equally impressive was how well this lens performed shooting wide open at f/6.3 in low-light conditions in the dense forest. Expect a full review of this lens to come in a future blog post.

After finishing up at Spruce Bog which ended up taking several hours as there was lots of pausing for photos, I made my way over to the Visitor Centre. Here, several feeders are set up, and this is where sightings of Evening and Pine Grosbeaks had been reported. Arriving in the early afternoon, activity around the feeders consisted of chickadees, nuthatches, and Downy Woodpeckers. Unfortunately, there were no grosbeaks or finches around, and talking to other birders, late morning was apparently the best time to observe these species at this location. Armed with this information I decided to make my way to Opeongo Road and return the following day to the Visitor Centre in hopes of seeing the grosbeaks.

IMG 7074 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Even with slower shutter speeds and a wide open aperture, I was very impressed with the sharpness of the Sigma 150-600mm. Canada Jay 1/160 f/6.3 ISO 1250.**

Driving along Opeongo Road I could see an otter out on Costello Lake. I watched as it would run two steps then slide along the ice on its belly. This was quite comical and entertaining to see and I watched for several minutes as the otter zig-zagged its way across the ice. Too far for a photo, I was happy to enjoy the experience through my binoculars.

Further down Opeongo Road closer views of otters were achieved as they poked their heads up through holes in the ice on Costello Creek. Seeing this reminded me of the game whack-a-mole. Observing otters is always fun as their behaviour is truly unique and so playful, unlike any other species I’ve observed. One otter made repeated dives through a hole in the ice and emerged with what I think was a clam. After finishing its meal the otter proceeded to rub its face along the ice presumably to clean its fur. Just more of the comical and unique behaviour of this amazing species.

IMG 7119 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Properly exposing the whites is always important especially in the snow to avoid images that appear gray. I overexposed this image by one full stop to preserve the white snow.**

Carrying on down Opeongo Road I parked just off to the side of the seasonal gate and took a look around. More Black-capped Chickadees were present and so too were more Canada Jays. Not long after arriving, movement on the forest floor caught my attention. As I looked through the maze of branches I saw a Pine Marten. This was very exciting for me as I had never seen this species and was one I was hoping to encounter on this trip. This particular marten was incredibly photogenic and provided me the opportunity to capture several images.

IMG 8352 2 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **This curious raven was obviously accustomed to handouts by park visitors as it landed next to my car seconds after pulling into a parking lot.**

For this trip, I didn’t camp in my hot tent as I wanted to focus my time on the high percentage areas along highway 60 and not setting up and breaking camp or hiking in and out of the backcountry each day. Rather I decided to book an area motel and was very pleased with this decision. On day two after eating breakfast and having my morning coffee in a warm room, I made my way to the Visitor Centre in search of grosbeaks.

Driving down highway 60 the hoar frost in the trees was absolutely stunning. In retrospect, I wished I stopped to take some landscape images but I was too excited to get to the feeders in hopes of seeing the grosbeaks as I much prefer wildlife photography over landscapes.

IMG 8004 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Pine Marten in a pine tree.**

Arriving at the Visitor Centre at 10:00 a.m. I could hear Evening Grosbeaks calling from down in the valley along Sunday Creek but none were visible. I ended up waiting over an hour for the grosbeaks to appear. Sitting still is not easy for me and is something I struggle to do. I often get questions from people asking me how long I had to wait to get a certain photo. The truth is I rarely wait more than a few minutes for a photo. If it isn’t happening I’m on the move to find something that is. Fortunately, two Pine Martens were present which gave me ample photo opportunities and took the pain out of the long wait.

IMG 8015 Edit - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Male Evening Grosbeak photographed at the Visitor Centre.**

Sure enough, as others the previous day had suggested, by late morning Evening Grosbeaks emerged from the valley and appeared in the trees adjacent to the feeders. The morning sun was hitting them beautifully showing off their radiant yellow plumage and white wing patches. The feeders were filled with black-oil sunflower seeds and enjoyed by a variety of birds.

IMG 7212 - A Winter Getaway With A New Lens — **Canada Jay photographed with my new Sigma 150-600 mm lens. I’m looking forward to taking many more images with this lens.**

Surrounding myself in nature on this getaway was the perfect way to reset after what has been an arduous few months of dealing with, well life. I can’t emphasize enough the mental and physical benefits of time in nature. I feel completely refreshed and can focus better on work and other tasks that need completing. This trip also inspired me to pick up my camera more and get back to what I love. If you find yourself needing to reset or recharge, I highly recommend spending time in nature. Whether it’s a few days in Algonquin Park or a few minutes or hours in your backyard or local park, the rewards of immersing yourself in nature are immeasurable.

Good birding,
Paul

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Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario

In birding, an irruption is a large movement of birds from one area to another. Currently, in Southwestern Ontario, we are experiencing an irruption of finches. Finch irruptions occur when there is a poor cone crop to our north resulting in a lack of food. This lack of food can occur for many reasons including disease, parasites, forest fires, and drought. Consequently, huge numbers of finches move south in search of food. Irruptions are cyclical and occur every few years.

IMG 1922 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **Common Redpoll feeding on alder catkins.**

Common Redpolls are small finches that have irrupted and can be found across our area in large numbers. Redpolls are identified by their heavily streaked bodies, yellow bills with the males having a red crown and pink chest while the females though very similar in appearance lack the pink chest.

IMG 0397 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **This female Common Redpoll (note the lack of pink chest) was found feeding in a patch of goldenrod.**

Finding redpolls can be quite easy by finding their food. Like other finches, repolls are seed eaters and are often found feeding on birch, spruce, pine, or where I typically find them, alder. Redpolls will also consume the seeds of grasses and wildflowers and are regularly found in patches of goldenrod.

IMG 1619 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **Huge flocks of Common Redpolls can currently be found in our area.**

It’s easy to overlook huge flocks of redpolls as often times they are high overhead in tall trees. Using my ears and listening for their calls helps me find these colorful birds. Due to the fact that redpolls are often so high up photographing them often proves challenging.

IMG 1970 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **Male Common Redpoll with a female in the upper right corner.**

As mentioned previously, I have the greatest success locating redpolls in large patches of alder trees. Alders grow in wet or moist conditions and can be found along riverbanks, ditches, sloughs, floodplain, and other low lying areas.

IMG 3914 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **Common Redpolls feeding on Alder catkins.**

Alder catkins are tiny cone-like fruit that becomes woody and opens up releasing their seeds (similar to pine or spruce cones). It is these seeds that redpolls can be found feeding on. So far this winter, everywhere I’ve found alder trees, I’ve found redpolls.

IMG 1605 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **Watching redpolls dangle from alder branches is always enjoyable.**

Redpolls will visit backyard feeders and prefer nyjer seed and black-oil or hulled sunflower seed. At a quick glance, redpolls could be confused with a House Finch so be sure to pay close attention if you have finches at your feeder. House Finches are larger and have larger dark bills, with males having more red on their heads than just the red crown of the redpoll. Female House Finches completely lack any red.

IMG 1989 2 - Irruption Brings Huge Numbers Of Redpolls To Southwestern Ontario — **Time is running out to observe redpolls in Southwestern Ontario.**

During this irruption year, the chances of finding redpolls are quite good. If you are out and about this winter keep an eye and an ear out for redpolls. Be sure to scan patches of alder trees and fields of goldenrod while listening for their calls. It will likely be a few more years before we experience another irruption and these huge numbers of redpolls again in our area.

Good birding,
Paul