SEVEN SNOWY SUNDAY

First Snowy Owl of the day.

February has been a rough month for me, and I am looking forward to turning the calendar page tomorrow morning, and putting it behind me.

The month wasn't all bad though, and the highlight day was Sunday, February 17th, when Rob and I met up with a couple other bird nerds, Michele and Andrea. It had been ages since we'd all seen each other, and it was spirit lifting to get together for an outing. Michele's two sons also joined us and I think they enjoyed the "Owl Adventure" very much.

Our target bird was the Snowy Owl, Michele had never seen one before, or any wild owl for that matter. Rob and I were hoping to see some Snow Buntings, which we did, and we even had a lifer with our first ever Lapland Longspur. I believe these two birds were also lifers for Michele and Andrea. We had a fun and memorable outing.

(Rob took a pic of every Snowy we saw, whether near or far. Click on the images to enlarge)

Snowy Owl number 2

Snowy Owl number 3

Snowy Owl number 4

Snowy Owl number 5

We ran into a few other birders while driving around, and were given a good tip on where to see some Snow Buntings. This made me very excited, as I hadn't seen any in a couple years, and we ended up having fantastic views, and adding a new bird to our life lists.

Flying Snowy Buntings!

Snow Buntings and one Lapland Longspur.

Do you see the Lapland Longspur?

Michele spotted this beauty when leaving the Snow Bunting spot. Snowy Owl number 6

It's easy to just want to remain inside when it's winter, but outings like this make getting out during the colder months worth it.

While we were driving home we took a little detour and added Snowy Owl number 7 to our list. Unfortunately we'd already parted ways with Michele and her boys, but I think she was pretty thrilled to see half a dozen on her first Snowy outing!

Snowy Owl number 7 is there.....

PAYING IT FORWARD

This Great Gray Owl was the highlight of the trip this past Saturday.

Rob and I have been birding for almost a decade now, and sometimes we forget what it's like to be "newbies". Please don't get me wrong, we are in no way experts, but we have picked up a bit of knowledge over the past ten years, and we are just learning how rewarding it can be to share that knowledge with others.

A couple of weeks ago we both volunteered at the Bird Studies Canada booth at the "Outdoor Adventure Show". We talked nothing but birds and the various programs run by BSC for 4 hours straight! It was awesome! I know more about birds than I thought I did! I told Emily, the organizer, that we'd do an 8 hour shift next year!

Rob waiting to share his knowledge.

Emily in deep conversation about birds.

This past Saturday we went on a "Toronto Nature Lovers" trip to Amherst Island. We've been there a few times with the group and it's always a good trip. You never know what to expect, and we sure weren't disappointed on this trip.

Some in the group were very experienced birders, while others were very new. It was a good feeling to share some bird seed so people could hand feed Chickadees for the first time. It was enjoyable for me to explain the difference between Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and how to tell the difference between the sexes. There is so much to learn when it comes to birding, I still have plenty to learn, but it felt to good to share what I know.

We had quite the walk into Owl Woods. The road wasn't plowed and up to my knees in places, but what we experienced when we got there made it all worth it.   

The "fellowship" walking to Owl Woods. Photo by Jim Psilhogies.

I have never found an owl on my own in my years of birding. Jo-Anne, not only spotted the beautiful Great Gray Owl, but it was her first wild owl ever! Way to go Jo-Anne!

What a beauty!

Taking pictures, but being respectful of the owls space. Photo by Debbie Shields

A couple of people were not able to do the walk in, it was a tough one, so the next sighting we had after leaving Owl Woods was all the more special.

A gorgeous male Snowy Owl put on quite the flying show for us!

I was THRILLED to see some Snow Buntings! First time this winter.

It was a great and memorable day with a great group of people, and I look forward to our next trip.

This was Rob's and mines second Great Gray Owl. Our first sighting was in Oct. 2012, and came courtesy of Lev Frid. You can read all about that adventure here. It's one of my favorite blog posts.

Lev and I after making the return trip from Owl Woods.

Lev was my first exciting sighting of the day, in the parking lot before we left, I didn't know he was joining us, a surprise from Murray. Read the other blog to understand why I have such fondness for him. He payed it forward in a big way to Rob and I, and we will never forget it. 

You can find Toronto Nature Lovers on Facebook and Meetup.

HOLIDAY BIRDING PICTURE BLOG

My favorite bird, the Snowy Owl - January 1, 2014.

I didn't get out to do much birding this past fall, so I was really looking forward to getting out to see some of my feathered friends while I was off for two weeks over Christmas. We went out on Dec. 28th with our friends, Jim and Lynda, and had some good sightings at LaSalle Park and Bronte Harbour in Burlington. Rob and I ventured out on New Years Day alone in search of Snowy Owls and ended up seeing six!

Here are a few of my favorite shots of our outings, all pics taken by Rob, I'm the bins carrying spotter!

The first bird of our Dec. 28th outing, a Snowy Owl! My first of the season.

I loved this pic of the Trumpeter Swans, it made me laugh. Dec. 28th

In case your wondering how these birds got their name, they do sound just like Trumpets! Imagine the ruckus hearing loads of them at one time, deafening!

This juvenile Bald-headed Eagle flying over caused lots of excitement! Dec. 28th.

Bald Eagles heads don't turn white until they are fully mature, between 4 and 5 years old.

We had good looks at a couple White-winged Scoters. Dec. 28th.

The smallest raptor of them all, American Kestrel.  Jan. 1st.

Might as well end with another Snowy! Jan. 1st.

I'm looking forward to doing some more winter birding, still lots of different winter visitors to see before they leave us; Snow Buntings, Evening Grosbeaks, Horned Larks, to name a few.