Salamanders and Such

The migrants are still steadily arriving here in the Peterborough area. The meltwater ponds were re-filled after all of the thunderstorms last week, keeping some good spots full of birds awhile longer. A pond that formed at Mather's Corners has had good numbers of Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, American Black Ducks, Mallards and Canada Geese. There have also been some American Wigeon present at times as well as the odd Gadwall and Northern Shoveler, both of which I haven't had the luck or persistance to see. A Snow Goose was reported there and actually stayed around for a few days, not a common sight in the county.

Yes, that really is a Snow Goose

I had a Wilson's Snipe fly over the Peterborough Airport doing a winnowing display the other day and there were at least three American Woodcocks near Trent University a couple of nights ago. Two were doing the "peent-ing" thing while one circled overhead doing the twittering display.

The amphibians are also in full swing. Spring Peepers have been calling for a while now along with the Chorus Frogs and Wood Frogs. Leopard Frogs are all over the roads in places with some Green Frogs mixed in. I haven't heard any Gray Treefrogs yet, but I'm sure the time is coming.

A couple of nights ago just when the seasonably cold weather hit, Abby and I spent the evening in prime salamander territory. The salamanders were on the move. We spent about an hour and a half slowly driving around during which time we found more than 30 Blue-spotted Salamanders and a single pool that had around 30 Spotted Salamanders in it.

Blue-spotted Salamander

Spotted Salamander

And finally, some Wild Turkeys.

Female turkey:  you're going to want to watch your back

Hawk and another Goose -- Peterborough March 16 2012

Mike Burrell reported a Greater White-fronted Goose south of Peterborough today.

Abby and I drove the area yesterday evening and came up with 48 Wild Turkeys, 13 Northern Pintail, 2 Green-winged Teal, a Wood Duck, a Turkey Vulture, Eastern Meadowlarks, Song Sparrows and a Great Blue Heron among other things, but nothing special hiding in all the Canada Geese. Anyway, I arrived a couple of hours after Mike's report and it was still there. It was a bit distant for the 300mm but as a record shot, I'm more than happy.

Greater White-fronted Goose -- Briar Hill Wetland, Peterborough

In other news, there was a male Long-tailed Duck on Little Lake (the first I've seen in Peterborough County although one overwintered in Hastings less than a kilometer into Northumberland) and the Horned Grebe is still hanging around.

On the morning of the 14th I checked the Lakefield Sewage Lagoons and finally saw a flock of Snow Buntings locally. Shortly after that, a Red-shouldered Hawk soared over while being harrassed by an American Crow.

Red-shouldered Hawk

I rarely see these guys so it was a really nice surprise.

Cackling Goose -- Peterborough, March 11 2012

After scanning through many thousands of Canada Geese over the last few months, I finally found something different!

I dropped by Little Lake at 1:30pm and was surprised to see a lone Horned Grebe off of "the point" in Little Lake Cemetery.

Horned Grebe

There were also 57 Hooded Mergansers, 78 Ring-necked Duck, 5 American Wigeon and a Redhead among other things.

American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck and friends

There were also a pair of Merlins flying over the cemetery calling incessantly. At least three Iceland Gulls were loafing with the usual crowd of Ring-billeds and Herrings.

Iceland Gull

Abby and I returned in the evening for a quick look through the remaining ducks. I scanned through a smallish flock of Canada Geese on the water and spotted one that was much smaller than the rest. After scrutinizing so many small Canada Geese, there was no mistaking an actual Cackling Goose.

Cackling Goose

In other Peterborough news, many migrants are back in full force. Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds are becoming more common every day. The city is getting close to bursting with American Robins. During one of the warmer days last week I saw more than 50 gathered on a small patch of exposed grass.

I found another flock of Bohemian Waxwings on March 4th, this one a bit more substantial.

Bohemian Waxwings

It can be funny how easy it is to find things when you stop looking for them.

In even more other news, I made it down to see the Cranberry Marsh "Oregon" Junco on February 28 2012. As I looked through a group of Dark-eyed Juncos I heard something behind me and turned to see the Oregon about six feet away on the path. If only it was always this easy!

The Cranberry Marsh "Oregon"

It was a pretty good day. I made a bunch of stops and went as far as the Scarborough Bluffs to follow up a tip on an Eastern Screech Owl. At Lynde Shores Conservation Area I saw a Song Sparrow, Winter Wren and Red-bellied Woodpecker (and a flock of six White-throated Sparrows the following day.) In the late evening at Thickson Woods I saw a Northern Mockingbird and a Northern Harrier and heard the resident Great-horned Owl.

Eastern Screech Owl

Algonquin Provincial Park -- March 9 2012

Abby and I drove up to Algonquin on March 9th. We endured whiteout conditions at times and a fun drive home, but managed to see a few specialties.

As we drove into the park from the east gate, we saw a Rock Pigeon just sitting on the shoulder of Highway 60. It didn't seem to be injured. It was probably the most unusual sighting of the day!

Our first stop at Opeongo Road produced a flock of Evening Grosbeaks and a few Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees and Pine Siskens. There was also a Pine Marten at the gate that we managed to get a couple of looks at before a group of photographers got too close and scared it away.

The Visitor's Center had a few birds around including more Evening Grosbeaks, a Hairy Woodpecker and some Blue Jays.

Evening Grosbeak at the Visitor's Center

We did the Spruce Bog Boardwalk next as the snow became increasingly heavy. A bunch of White-winged Crossbills flew over during the hike but none were cooperative enough to land in sight. We saw the Pine Marten on the suet feeder but it was gone before I got my camera out of its bag. A couple of Boreal Chickadees were calling around the suet feeder. We managed to briefly get a good look at one of them. There was also a single Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker and Brown Creeper. While on the boardwalk, a pair of Gray Jays silently glided down to examine us. They were surprisingly reserved for Gray Jays and would only take peanuts off of the ground.

Gray Jay

Gray Jays are great. They're usually so bold and on top of that they're really fluffy. What's not to love?

Gray Jay showing off fluffiness

We also saw a pair of Common Redpolls sitting in an Aspen above the parking lot before we left. These were the first that I've seen this year.