Winter Bird Duties Recommence

It took a lot of organisation to ensure that the first snowfall of the winter came yesterday, just one day before our first weekly duty session at the MBO (bird banding station). Along with a couple of friends who do the same on another day of the week, we will be regularly visiting the MBO to fill the bird feeders and then walk the trails to make note of what birds are around. We seem to have been doing this very pleasant task annually for almost as many years as we can remember and it is something that we eagerly look forward to … and not only because it gets us out of the house. Usually we continue through to the end of March.

And so – snow yesterday but not too much, and temperatures this morning around zero to -2C with a light breeze and some sunshine. It will get a LOT colder going forward into winter but today gloves could be taken off to manipulate camera and binoculars when needed while recording birds seen on the eBird app was possible in real time – as it gets colder we try to remember in spurts and then upload the sightings in batches before fingers lose all feeling.

Sixteen species in an hour and a half. Many American Goldfinch, quite a few Robins and Mourning Doves, a single Fox Sparrow, House Finches, Juncoes and a ceremonial flypast by two splendid Red-tailed Hawks in search of a packed luncheon.

Photographs follow – click any one to enlarge it. Meanwhile here is the list of species observed:

Observatoire d’oiseaux McGill (accès restreint), Montréal, Quebec, CA
17-Nov-2022 10:26 AM – 11:53 AM – 2.298 kilometer(s)
16 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 5

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 17

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 7

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 3

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 15

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 14