SHRIKE BIRDING

As we begin to get into the winter months, the number of rarities begins to decrease. However, this is also somewhat exciting, as often the rarities that are found are much more unique. This was very true this week, as there were a couple of very significant birds found. For our waterfowl, numbers have begun to decrease fairly substantially as inland lakes are starting to ice over and many of our wetlands are closing up rapidly. There were a few WOOD DUCK earlier in the week and a GADWALL and GREEN-WINGED TEAL stuck around the Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons for much of the week. The continuing rare LONG-TAILED DUCK and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER have also been seen at Muskoka Wharf. The star of the gulls was the continuing SLATY-BACKED GULL refound on Monday by Aaron Rusak. Originally found by Regan and David Goodyear, the gull may stick around until the Christmas Bird Count and would be a great pick up there. ICELAND, GREAT BLACK-BACKED, and GLAUCOUS GULLS also made appearances across Muskoka. Checking the Gravenhurst Wharf or the Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons has yielded several of those birds and continues to prove to be a good location for finding them. The absolute all-star of the week though, was the TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE found by Dale Wenger at Hutcheson Beach Road. The bird was originally found Tuesday morning and stuck around until about noon until disappearing. There were several great views of the bird before it disappeared and although it was not refound, there is definitely a chance for it to be lingering somewhere around Huntsville.

Winter is coming soon, but this past week offered potentially the last snow-free days of birding until the spring. Several lingering birds are still around and a few rarities are also popping up.  Although waterfowl numbers are decreasing, there are still quite a number of continuing birds. There are still some lingering GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GADWALL, WOOD DUCK, and LONG-TAILED DUCK. There are also a few RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS on various lakes throughout Muskoka. Many of our lingering birds have begun to move on, so opportunities for waterfowl viewing are going to become limited. A pretty exciting bird was seen in the raptor family as well. One of the few GOLDEN EAGLES reported this year was seen up near Huntsville. It was seen early in the morning and offered some good views while migrating. Beatrice Townline Road has once again produced some ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS which are becoming somewhat of a regular visitor in the spring and fall. Once the snow hits in earnest, our raptor watching is going to become quite limited, so these were a last few good sightings to round out the year. Gulls are the highlight of this week, with several different rarities being seen out on the larger lakes at dawn or dusk. Once ice begins to set in, checking the iced edges of lakes might turn up a few additional rarities. The highlight of this week was the SLATY-BACKED GULL found, a Muskoka first and a rare bird across all of Ontario. There’s also been ICELAND, GLAUCOUS, GREAT BLACK-BACKED , and LESSER BLACK-BACKED seen this week in various locations, so be sure to check all gull flocks you see for some odd looking ones. A few lingering rarities are still being seen throughout Muskoka, with the continuing RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS being seen well in Georgian Bay. Two CAROLINA WRENS have also continued into this week, with the Bowyer’s Beach bird being fairly regular in the area. As for our warblers and sparrows, there aren’t too many of them around anymore. There was a single YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER in downtown Bracebridge near some feeders this week, the latest date for that species in Muskoka. Another late bird, a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET , was seen in Georgian Bay as well, the second latest date for that species. The warmer fall we’ve been having seems to have kept around a few birds that may normally be much further south at this point. As for finches, well it’s continuing to be a banner year for them. You can’t seem to throw a rock without hitting a PINE GROSBEAK and EVENING GROSBEAKS are frequently feeders across Muskoka. Spruces are a great place to find either of your CROSSBILL species and REDPOLLS are being seen in all manner of locations in Muskoka. Be sure to be scanning REDPOLL flocks for that elusive HOARY REDPOLL. They can be difficult to differentiate from the Commons, but clean undertail coverts and a frosty appearance help make that ID a bit easier. What to Look out from this Week As mentioned above and last week, gulls are a pretty big highlight of this time of year. Lakes and open fields are great places to check for them. Make sure you’re taking your time and really looking closely at every gull you can. There are several similar looking species and sometimes the extra time looking is all you need to find that one rarity. As it appears there will be plenty of snow this week, boreal birds may begin to expand their range southward. Look for BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS in spruce swamps or conifer islands in forests. CANADA JAYS and maybe even a SPRUCE GROUSE are possibilities up in Huntsville and northern sections of the county. Be sure to dress warm and prepare for seeing way less species than you’re used to! Got a rare sighting of your own? Feel free to send it to aaron@shrikebirding.com and it may be used in our next weekly report. We’re hoping to add additional information in our future weekly reports, so unusual sightings within Muskoka are hugely appreciated. Happy birding!