Saturday 30 April 2011

30th April 2011 Dufferin Islands & Wheatley

Walked Dufferin Islands NR adjacent to Niagara Falls and then drove to Wheatley arriving in the late afternoon. We were welcomed by Donna & Scott Makey and moved-in to Erie Side, our superb lakeside cottage on Lake Erie, where we were staying for the next three weeks. The weather was sunny and calm but with a strong easterly wind late afternoon.

Double-crested Cormorant c.50
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Mute Swan 7
Canada Goose c.35
Wood Duck 1
Mallard 4
Gadwall 7
Green-winged Teal 30W
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Ruddy Duck 1
Turkey Vulture c.30
Red-tailed Hawk 6
Bald Eagle 1
Merlin 1
Bonaparte's Gull 50W
Ring-billed Gull c.1,000
American Herring Gull c.10
Mourning Dove c.50
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 20
Purple Martin 10
Tree Swallow 15
Barn Swallow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 1
American Robin c.60
Grey Catbird 2
Brown Thrasher 1
Starling c.100
Cardinal 2
Yellow Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 3 males
Myrtle Warbler c.10
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Eastern Towhee 1
Field Sparrow 1
Chipping Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 5
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird c.500
Common Grackle c.500
Baltimore Oriole 1
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 4
House Sparrow c.50






Field Sparrow at Dufferin Islands NR










Male Black-throated Blue Warblers at Dufferin Islands NR


Black-capped Chickadee at Dufferin Islands NR









American Robin at Dufferin Islands NR







Female Belted Kingfisher at Dufferin Islands NR




White-breasted Nuthatch at Dufferin Islands NR










Myrtle Warblers at Dufferin Islands NR
















Presumed first-summer male House Finch at Wheatley

Friday 29 April 2011

29th April 2011 Toronto to Niagara Falls

We arrived at Toronto at 3.15pm. Collected our Avis rent-a-car and left the Lester Pearson airport at 4.30pm and drove to Niagara Falls. We saw the floodlit falls and a raccoon patrolling the nearby lawns.

Double-crested Cormorant c.200
Canada Goose 6
Mallard 2
Turkey Vulture 2
Ring-billed Gull c.1,000
American Herring Gull 1
Mourning Dove 10
American Crow 6
American Robin 10
Red-winged Blackbird c.50
House Sparrow 2

Niagara Falls at night

Raccoon at Niagara Falls

Monday 25 April 2011

25th April 2011 Birling Gap Seawatch 6am - 6.30am N4-5 Clear

Ditchling Common
Nightingale h

Birling Gap
Gannet 50E
Scoter 14E
Red Kite 3 including a leucistic individual
Common Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Guillemot 1E
Stone Curlew 1 ex. inadvertently flushed unfortunately flying off east
Collared Dove 1
Wheatear 10
Swallow 30
House Martin 3
Whitethroat c.30
Lesser Whitethroat 3
Blackcap h
Willow Warbler 1

Migrant Stone Curlew departing east!

Wheatear at Belle Tout

Leucistic wing-tagged Red Kite over Beachy Head

Goldfinch at Belle Tout

Hairy Dragonfly at Belle Tout

Sunday 24 April 2011

24th April 2011 Birling Gap Seawatch 6am - 6.30am NW1 Clear

Diver sp. 2
Manx Shearwater 1E ex. at 6.04am
Eider 8 on sea
Red Kite 4 ex. in air together
Mediterranean Gull 4E
Sandwich Tern 2E
Whimbrel h
Stock Dove 1
Swallow 7
House Martin 1
Yellow Wagtail 2h
Tree Pipit 1
Wheatear 10
Pied Wagtail 1
Alba Wagtail 1
Rock Pipit 1
Whitethroat c.50
Lesser Whitethroat 4
Willow Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 3
Raven 1

Stoat 1

Comma 1
Dingy Skipper 1
Grizzled Skipper 3

Belle Tout Lighthouse from Crowlink

Sardin Valley

Goldfinch at Belle Tout



Orange-tip at Belle Tout

Wheatear at Belle Tout

Red Kites at Beachy Head

Cowslips in Cow Gap

Wallflowers in Whitbread Hollow

Forget-me-not at Whitbreah Hollow

Dingy Skipper at Whitbread Hollow

West Rise Marsh
Merlin 1 felt unseasonal in hot temperatures!

Green-veined Whites at West Rise Marsh

Reed Bunting at West Rise Marsh

Merlin at West Rise Marsh