© Lora Denis
Louisiana waterthrush © Kelly Colgan Azar
It’s not often that birding becomes an adventure sport, but some birds are worth chasing. And by chasing, I mean sliding through mud, crossing creeks and coming home slightly battered and dirty. But there’s a pride to showing-off the scrapes and bruises acquired in the pursuit of an elusive bird.
Tundra swans and red-winged blackbirds © Noah Cole
As our cold long winter finally came to an end, the bird sounds outside my window enticed me to get outside and observe the early spring migration. On-line bird forums informed me that spring migrants such as red-winged blackbirds, white-throated sparrows, tundra swans and sandhill cranes were beginning to arrive. At the end of March, ...
Red-winged blackbird © Shutterstock, BG Smith
Spring has, technically, arrived in Ontario, though below-freezing temperatures would suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, robins and cardinals are singing, killdeer are flying overhead, and the red-winged blackbirds’ unmistakable trilling song has returned.
I recently did something I never imagined I would do. I went to bird camp. Last month, I spent a week studying fall migration at Hog Island Audubon bird camp on the coast of Maine. Led by renowned naturalist and writer Scott Weidensaul, the week in Maine made me rethink my relationship with birds.
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority