Winter News

We haven’t done a post in quite some time.  But today we gathered several random but newsworthy or at least interesting items from the last month.

Lots of Birds Around

Experienced birders Mike and Ken Burrell turned up 64 species of birds on a visit to the area this past Sunday (January 15th.)  This is a pretty impressive total in the often dreary month.

At Old Cut they saw a Tufted Titmouse among others, the Turkey Point Marina offered a rare “female-type” Surf Scoter and Port Rowan Inner Bay Overlook featured a Greater White Fronted Goose.  You can find the Port Rowan results at e-bird

http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/view/checklist/S33686747

Smith’s Longspur Lingers Near Port Rowan

The December 17th Christmas count for the area included a Smith’s Longspur, an Arctic breeding ground bird that has strayed far north and east of its usual Great Plains winter habitat.  The bird continued in the area at least until January 8th usually visible feeding at the side of a Concession Road.

Smith's Longspur- Near Port Rowan December 17, 2016

Short on TVO

Amateur birders are going to be the first to see the impacts of climate change.  That is the perspective of a five minute video being shown on TVO along with other Climate Watch shorts.
This particular video caused some amusement at our house.  We first saw it accidentally after watching a PVR of a British murder mystery we had taped.  Reaching for the remote we were about to erase the recording but the short looked interesting and to our amusement was showing the interior of a house that had articles a lot like ours.

A Lloyd’s alarm clock with a small decorative loon beside it, an outside thermometer with a bird motif, backyard bird feeders…. – hey hold on aren’t those our backyard birdfeeders?

We scratch our heads and then a bookshelf with the same bird and nature books as ours appears on screen.

Now we are catching on.  A Bed and Breakfast guest from this past year had been involved with Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) Jody Allair at putting together this video.  You can watch it here.    
http://tvo.org/video/programs/climate-watch-shorts/climate-watch-shorts-the-birders-view


Stories in Norfolk News

There have been some birding stories in the local media of late.  Here is one from the Norfolk News which talks about the Motus Tracking system that will be revolutionizing bordering and is already providing incredible new information on bird migration.

http://www.norfolknews.ca/news-story/7060939-tracking-birds-bats-and-bugs-in-real-time/