T.O. Backyard – Vacation

Saw many of my favorite warbler while on vacation, the Canada Warbler.                                                                                                 

Rob and I have been taking two weeks off in May for many years to be able to enjoy Spring migration. It gives us ample opportunity to enjoy the many great birding spots close to home, and also a little further away.

This year, on our first week off we did a day trip to the Carden Alvar area, about two hours north east of Toronto. During our second week, we spent four days, and 3 nights in the Port Rowan/Long Point area, about two hours south of Toronto, where excellent birding spots like Backus Woods are located. Visiting these areas gives us a chance to see some birds that we might not see anywhere else during our time off, and most of the species we see only in May.

The singing Carden Alvar birds;

 

During our second week, we enjoyed the many great bird sightings in the Port Rowan/Long Point area of southern Ontario.

 

On our last day there we were in for a real treat! We were meeting up with someone who works for Bird Studies Canada, and he had just had a report of a female Kirtland’s Warbler. These birds are rare to the area, last report of one was four years ago, and the time before that was ten years ago! It was our second time seeing one (first time at Point Pelee 2016), but it was our best viewing of one, and a “Lifer” for many that day.

Female Kirtland’s Warbler – Port Rowan, Ontario, May 16, 2018                                                                                     

This bird sighting was a great way to end our trip on, but the birding vacation surprises weren’t done yet!

 

TWO WEEK VACATION RECAP;

* 124 Species seen, including 2 rarities (Le Conte’s Sparrow and Kirtland’s Warbler)
*  4 Lifers for Rob and I ( Blue-winged Teal, Common Moorehen, Le Conte’s Sparrowand Yellow-throated Vireo) 
* 6 New Yard Birds ( Brown Thrasher, Indigo Bunting, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, and an Eastern Towhee)

If you would like to read more about our two weeks off and the birds we saw, please visit my personal blog. Week one of May vacation and week two.

Til next month, good birding! ~Angie