Red-breasted Mergansers
Adult Male American Robin CourtingToday at 12:00pm, my dad took me to "Tim Hortons". We got 10 "Sour Cream Glazed Timbits" and ate them on the way to a grand river trail. We got out and a European Starling was mimicking various other birds. Notice that they open their beak when they mimic, but they only move their throat feathers when they sing their own calls. Anyway next Canada Geese flew over us honking, followed by robins preparing to court by the male chasing the female robin until she decides to stop. Although I don't know the purpose of flying away. Well, next my dad and I saw our first Song Sparrow and Mallard for 2009. We then went to another part of the trail but there wasn't many birds there so we turned around. Chickadees and goldfinches were fluttering about in a nearby brush pile, and a hawk soaring by the roadside, but what really stunned me was mergansers! Finally, mergansers have come, I've been waiting for a long time. I took a few pictures and just as my dad was about to view them with his binoculars, they dived. I showed him my pictures. Next we discussed the Western Bluebirds we previously saw in Sedona. It was a very exciting moment for both of us. The same year we also saw another new bird for our life list, Eastern Bluebirds. Then we left to pick up Jesse from a friend's house.
Total Species of Birds Seen:
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Cardinal
Black-capped Chickadee
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown Creeper (Check for 2009)
Mourning Dove
Long-billed Dowitcher (Check for Life List)
House Finch (Check for 2009)
American Goldfinch
Canada Goose
Common Grackle
Ring-billed Gull
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Mallard (Check for 2009)
Song Sparrow
European Starling
Total:17 Birds
