Watching the Birders

I was going to post some scenery pictures from Point Pelee this week, but as I was going through my pictures, I saw some that I had taken of some birders and thought that I would put them up this week, and the scenery next week.

Sometimes it got a bit crowded when we were going around Point Pelee, but I realize everyone was wanting to see birds too. Many of these people were serious birders, and I enjoyed watching them. 

This first picture is at the Tip of Point Pelee, which is the farthest southern point of Canada mainland. People were lined up taking photos. And of course, I got into the line and took pictures too.

Sometimes there were large crowds like this next picture. I believe this group had come from the U.K. as a tour group. They were also at the Tip, and were looking at seagulls and terns, and probably some other kind of bird that I didn't recognize.

The group got quite upset with the guy in this next picture. He had moved farther down the Tip, and was taking pictures of the birds from a closer view. They yelled at him to get out of there, but I had enjoyed including him in the picture when the birds were flying around.

When we were walking back up the east shore, these photographers in the next photo were taking pictures of the red-headed woodpecker. You can see the size of some of the lenses, which made mine look pretty small. There were a lot of different kinds of cameras. Some people were using their smartphone cameras, and others had point-and-shoot cameras, and they looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as those with high-end cameras.

Others had binoculars and no camera or a video camera. It didn't matter what type of camera you had. You could enjoy watching the birds no matter what. I wondered what the birds thought when they saw people staring at them so much. Maybe they were enjoying the view just as much as we were.

There were other people who, like us, looked for the quiet areas. This man was enjoying watching terns and looking at the scenery. I don't think he even noticed us go by.

I think people watching was just as interesting as looking for the birds, so that probably means that I'm not a serious birder. But that's okay, because there are so many things for us to enjoy.

The LORD is my strength and song, 

and He has become my salvation...

Exodus 15:2

Our Trip to Point Pelee, Ontario

About a week ago, we had the opportunity to go to Point Pelee, Ontario, to see some of the bird migration. We had never been there before, and enjoyed the trip to the Leamington area. The weather was great when we were there, and we weren't bothered by bugs. 

The birding festival was on and there were a lot of birders. I enjoy watching and taking pictures of birds, but I wouldn't classify myself as a birder. I found that my 70-300 mm lens was not long enough, which really didn't surprise me. Some of the photographers had lenses so big, that it looked like a real effort to carry them.

It was difficult to focus on the birds when they were at such a distance, so some of my photos are not as sharp as I wish. I cropped some of these so that we can see the bird easier. I am still going through my pictures, but thought I would put some of them up this week. Hopefully I identify these correctly - some are common, but I don't usually get to take a picture of them.

This first one is a female red-winged blackbird. It took us awhile to figure out what it was. Most of the time we only notice the males.

There is such a difference when you look at the male red-winged blackbird. He is much brighter coloured. They are very timid in our area and it is difficult to take photos of them. We saw a lot more of them up close than we would have at home.

The next one is a black and white warbler. It may have come as far as from Colombia or Venezuela in its migration. 

The baltimore oriole is a bird that is sometimes in our area. We have seen one or two in the time that we have lived here, so it was nice to be able to see one.

Another bird that is common in our area now is the wild turkey. Usually they run away so that you can't get their picture. This one was quite used to people walking around, and it wasn't too hard to get his picture. I do think they are ugly though, and we are getting so many that you have to watch for them when you are driving.

I believe the next is a barn swallow. We saw lots of them flying around. This one looks like it's trying to figure out which twig to take to its nest.

One of the birds that caused a lot of flurry and excitement for the birders was the red-headed woodpecker. It was still quite a distance away when I took the photo. I'd never seen one before in the wild.

Another bird I had never seen was the yellow warbler. This one flitted around the trees for quite awhile.

God has made quite an assortment of birds for us to enjoy. I'm glad we were able to go. If I've identified any of the birds incorrectly, please let me know.

Pileated Woodpecker

We went to Point Pelee last week with the hopes of seeing the migrating birds. We did see some, which I will post about next week. However, the best sighting we had was here at home. The day before going, we were visited by a pileated woodpecker. It was very accommodating, and let me have enough time to go into the house to get my camera. 

We don't see the pileated woodpecker very often, so this was a special sighting for us. We see the results of their work quite often, as they make a lot of holes in the trees around here while looking for bugs. Usually they are dead trees, and some holes can be used by other birds for their nests. However, some of the trees really look damaged.

They are the largest of the woodpeckers in North America and are about the size of a crow. We often hear the loud drumming as they pound on the trees, and sometimes hear their distinctive call, but don't see them too often. It's always a treat when we see them.

Black-capped Chicadees

When you want to practice taking photos of birds, one of the easiest places to do this could be in your own back yard near the bird feeder. Once your seeds are in the feeders, you can set up to catch some photos. Often the birds will fly into the area and sit on nearby trees or bushes while they wait for a turn at the feeders. This gives you time to focus on them to take their photos.

I've been wanting to do some practice because we are hoping to go to Point Pelee, Ontario to see the migration of the birds. We've never been there before, so it should be interesting, even if I don't get wonderful photos.

We have several kinds of birds coming to our feeders right now, but the black-capped chicadee is the tamest, and will let you get fairly close. 

It is nearly time for them to have their nesting season. They often nest in an old woodpecker's hole in a tree about one to seven metres above the ground, or the pair will excavate a hole together. I had the opportunity to watch this process a few years ago. It was quite interesting watching the chicadee go into the hole and bring material out of it.

The nest is built by the female and the eggs are incubated by her. Then both birds feed the young ones. The young ones leave the nest within 16 days, and continue to be fed by the adults for several more weeks. Apparently some chicadees have lived for 12 years. I didn't realize they could live that long. One thing that is amazing about them is that they can hide all kinds of seeds in different places and remember where they put them.

And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, 

and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”

Genesis 1:20