These are all photos I have taken by the lakeshore in the last month or so.  I have taken all of them out the window of my car, as to not disturb the owls.   There are at least two owls down there.   One of them likes to hang out by the side of the road, so it can be pretty easy to spot.

Windy afternoon ‘do!

It is sometimes there in the middle of the day, sleeping!

noon nap

I often see it hunting from a fencepost in late afternoon.

Searching for prey as the sun goes down

Dive bomb!

I have seen Barred Owls catching voles in this field.   They will also eat any small or medium sized rodent, rabbits, crayfish, and frogs.

Where’s Waldo

The other owl is a lot harder to find, as it sleeps at the edges of the woods, far in from the road.   I think I have seen it flying around at dusk as well.

Barred owls will be courting and finding nests this month.   Perhaps these two will meet up!

All the best!

Leslie

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I have been the property steward for the past two years for the Lone Pine Marsh, which means I visit there once a month and monitor the wildlife.   There is a huge beaver dam on the property which has served as a wildlife highway for the past few months.   Even more fun than looking at footprints is seeing the animals themselves.   Enter the trail camera.   I went back there to retrieve the photos today and found out who has been hanging around.

I came home with hundreds of photos of otters! So adorable! They have been very busy the last few weeks, both day and night. I love how they play with each other in the snow and slide on their bellies.

Of course, other creatures have been traversing the marsh at the beaver dam as well. But so far, they all seem to be getting along just fine.

I think I need to reset the date and time on the remote camera, but other than that I am excited by how it can capture this active spot for wildlife without me even being there. I love these little otters so much and hopefully I can get to see them in person on one of my visits to the marsh.

Even though the snow was still deep today, the sun feels warmer and the birds are starting to sing. There is a bit of spring in the air! All the best! Leslie

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Pine Grosbeaks are infrequent visitors to our area – they only come down from the north when food supplies there are low. I think the last time I have seen one was 7 or 8 years ago. For me, it is always a treat to see a different bird species than the ones I am used to always seeing around.

These birds are very inconspicuous as they are mostly grey with some rusty or greenish markings. They are a little bigger than a robin. They seem obsessed with the crabapples and completely unfazed by the constant activity in the parking lot.

Nice to have a little surprise now and then.

After I grocery shop I always take a solo drive around the loop at Presqu’ile Park before I head home. My dog Winnie likes going for car rides and sticking her head out the open window to sniff out what’s around.

Recently there have been otters out on the ice on Brighton bay fishing. I watched this one dive under the ice 4 times, and come up with 4 fish. 100 percent accuracy. Pretty impressive.

Also on the Presqu’ile loop was this Barred Owl, hunting by the side of the road. Every once in awhile I get lucky.  Actually, I think I included a Barred Owl that I saw just west of Brighton in my last post.   It’s been a good owl month.

Even though winter is cold and it seems as if everything has gone to sleep or left for warmer climates, it can be the best time of year to find wildlife.

I hope wherever you are, you have a little window out on nature – whether it’s your kitchen window looking out on a bird feeder, or the window of your car as you drive your favourite roads close to home.

What animals and birds have you seen lately?

The post Grocery Store Birds, Otters, and an Owl appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Mallards at Cobourg Harbour

Cobourg Harbour January 2021

Reports of a Greater White Fronted Goose led me to Cobourg Harbour. This is a bird I have never seen before, and I thought I’d go try to find it. Turns out this is like finding a needle in a haystack.

A lot of Canada Geese and a couple of Mallards

There are literally thousands of Canada Geese in Cobourg Harbour, and the special goose hangs out with them most of the time. I have not found it, though I have visited the harbour more than once.   Despite missing the Greater White Fronted Goose, I got to see great numbers of other waterfowl.

Canada Geese resting on thin ice

I think this is a Greater Scaup with the geese. It might be a Lesser Scaup. Hmmm. Anyway, it’s a Scaup.

Common Goldeneye – gorgeous little guy!

On my way home from Cobourg Harbour (one of the times) I drove some backroads by the lakeshore and found my first Barred Owl in months. I just parked my car and watched it hunt.

Barred Owl hunting by the lakeshore

Who are you

Hunting in the ash forest

I have tried to get out to Gull Island at Presqu’ile recently but my attempts have been in vain. Once I turned around because I realized I needed ice cleats. The next time I tried I wore my ice cleats but there was a man over on the island letting his dog run all over the place (!!!). Finally yesterday afternoon I was able to get over to Gull Island. It was a really dark day with a light rain/snow mix coming down. A perfect time to sneak out on my own and see what I could see.

January 11 view out to Gull Island, Presqu’ile Park

The lake is still pretty much open on the way out to Gull Island but there are big ice chunks floating around that I had to kick out of the way. The waves did splash up inside my rubber boots but I figured I had gone all that way I might as well continue. Wet feet from soakers warm up eventually.

Common Redpolls

Common Redpolls

I heard a very faint chirping and found the source – a huge flock of Common Redpolls. There must have been 250 of them in the tall weeds. The flock moved around – popping up and then settling down.  I became very absorbed in watching them in their little world on this dark, wet island.

Off to my right, a white form flew out of nowhere and dove down towards the water. For a split second I got to see a Snowy Owl try to snatch a Long Tailed Duck from the water. It was so close to me and so sudden I didn’t get photos until after the fact.

Post hunting Snowy Owl

The owl soared out over the water, then came to land on the shore of the island.

The duck was ok. For now.

Long Tailed Duck

One of the reasons Snowy Owls hang around the shores of Lake Ontario in the winter is access to the abundant waterfowl. The owls will stick around by the shore and offshore islands until the lake freezes up, and then they will move further out onto the lake and ride around on the ice floes, hunting waterfowl in the cracks and channels between the ice.

Snowy Owl checking out the waterfowl

For now, this Snowy Owl is spending most of its time on the offshore islands by Presqu’ile Park, where it has access to the rodents as well as abundant waterfowl.

One of my favourite scenes

I left the owl perched on a very scenic piece of driftwood and headed back to shore through the ice chunks and waves. A few Herring Gulls circled in the air overhead and called out, but otherwise the beach was quiet.

Sometimes people ask me how I find all this awesome wildlife, and the answer is – I go out looking for it. Lots of times I don’t find what I set out to look for – like in the case of the elusive Greater White Fronted Goose. Sometimes I don’t see anything at all. But what makes it all worthwhile are the moments when I am surprised by something I did not even anticipate – like the Barred Owl at the side of the road by the lakeshore, or the Snowy Owl hunting over the lake so close I couldn’t even take a photo.

Next blog I will tell you about some otters I have found! All the best. Leslie

The post The Wilds of Winter appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

More smiles were soon to come. I found a parliament of Short Eared Owls!

After driving around the south shore of the island and seeing a Snowy Owl sitting up on an Osprey platform sleeping, about 20 Northern Harriers hunting, and some big Rough- Legged Hawks sitting on far away trees, I headed past the sheep farms and wind turbines on the north side of the island. Soon enough I saw a lone bird flying over the fields – light like a moth with long slender wings.

As I gazed east down the road I could see more owls swooping over the fields, and a line of hay bales. I just used my car as a blind, rolled my driver’s side window down far enough so I could rest my camera on it, and I started to record the action.

Look closely at the photos – there are owls flying, but also owls resting on poles and on the hay bales.

The owls even flew way up in the air, for some aerial acrobatics! These owls were hunting, fighting, trying to steal voles from each other in mid air. Once one owl had a successful hunt, the others would swoop all around it and try to get it to drop its prey.
You can see wind turbines in the background of some of these shots but the owls are nowhere near them. It’s just the turbines are huge and they dominate the little island.

Short Eared Owls are crepuscular, which means they are active at twilight. They roost in some dense cedars during the day, and come out as the sun is going down. There are abundant meadow voles on Amherst Island which make it a mecca for all kinds of raptors, including these medium sized, feisty Short Eared Owls. They live there all year round, and some nest there too. It seems to have been a good year for these Shorties, as this group had more than a dozen owls. I know people have found more Short Eared Owls in other places on the island, but I did not go looking – I stayed and enjoyed what I had found.

Fun fact: Short Eared Owls bark! Their vocalizations match the energy of their flight, and make me smile and laugh out loud. Click here to listen to their sounds.

Amherst Island is an small farming island on the north shore of Lake Ontario. To get there , take the Camden East exit off the 401 highway and head towards Millhaven. The ferry will take you from Millhaven to the town of Stella on Amherst Island. It leaves Millhaven every hour on the :30 and leaves Stella every hour on the :00

During the pandemic, the ferry is free. If you are reading this after the pandemic lucky you, but you will have to pay $9.00.

Thanks for coming on my trip to Amherst Island.

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Eastern coyote

Actually, it’s one of my neighbours!

Hello there and Happy 2021! Bring on the new year! I have to say that being out in nature and finding neat stuff was one of the things that kept me sane during 2020. But – I can’t be out all the time (especially at night) so I have a remote camera that has provided me with hours of entertainment. I set up my “spy camera” in the field across from my house. It is unbelievable to see all the action that goes on over there when I am not around.

Beautiful buck

Red Fox

Remote cameras are cheap and easy fun. They cost about $125. They are motion activated, even at night, so I just set it up and leave it. Almost every day I walk my dogs in the field and switch up the data cards – then come home, open up my computer, put the card in, and see all the action from the night before. Sure, the photos are not super good quality, but I love spying on the activity in my neighbourhood.

Most of the time there is a pattern of night photos like so: bunny, bunny, bunny, fox, fox, bunny, bunny, bunny, fox, fox, and then a morning photo of my dogs running past the camera and setting it off.

But some nights: the motherlode!!!
Here is the best day/ night ever: the night of November 18/19 In the order they showed up!

Ruffed Grouse

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (“Lucky”)

Red Fox

Red Fox

Black Bear

Black Bear

Eastern Coyote

White Tailed Deer

Can you believe all those critters live right across the street? (!)

So not every night is as exciting as that one, for sure. I did decide to name that bunny “Lucky” awhile ago. But recently I got this photo:

So maybe that bunny is not so lucky after all – and there are multiples.

To finish off this post I will include the photo my spy camera got last night:

That’s a Coyote

And then this morning:

That’s my dog Walter

Sending an honourable mention out now to some other individuals that my spy camera has captured in that field in the last couple of months:
Red Squirrel
Grey Squirrel
Black Squirrel
Our neighbour’s cat
Our neighbours walking their dogs
Raccoons
Mice
Blue Jays
me – over and over again

All the best as we launch into 2021! Next blog will be about a parliament of Short Eared Owls I found on Amherst Island.

Thanks for visiting! Leslie

The post Fun with a Spy Camera appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

My trips down to Presqu’ile Park never disappoint.   I have taken a few hikes out to Gull Island this fall.  The water is really low between the mainland and the island, just above the ankle, so it is a pretty easy trip these days.

The beautiful buck below was in the field by the parking lot when I first arrived at the park early one morning.   A lot of deer are being seen at the park this fall, with lots of people making the trip around the park at dawn or dusk to look for them.

When I got to Gull Island I found a great little group of Purple Sandpipers. Yes they are actually purple! These interesting looking little shorebirds are a bit of a Presqu’ile specialty, as they make it a regular stopover on their southern migration late each fall.

Snow Buntings fly all over the place on Gull Island in loose soaring flocks that look like snowflakes. When they land they can be quite hard to see because they blend in with the surroundings so well. Their movements and vocalizations give them away.

November is also when the first Snowy Owls return to Presqu’ile. Here is my shot this year. The owl was very very far away! Hint: It is sitting on the ground on the centre left of the island. To be honest, a lot of my shots of wildlife look like this. It is wild, after all.

The post 2020 – November at Gull Island appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Mute Swan family

Red breasted nuthatch baby begging for food

anemone in my garden

Ambush bug on a black eyed Susan

Hummingbird moth on a butterfly bush in my garden

Great Blue Heron taking off! Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park

And the landing!

The last two photos are from a canoe trip we took- the heron was more cooperative than most of the ones I have come across, and I was able to capture its beautiful feather patterns as it flew around the marsh.

Thanks for following along in my 2020 wanderings! More to come. Leslie

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Pied Billed Grebes at sunset on Brighton Bay

Pied Billed Grebe with some kind of spiky fish

The same Grebe with another fish, racing across the water

Pied Billed Grebe family

Look how different the sizes of the babies are! This is quite common in the bird world.

Family feeding in the cattails

One evening while observing the Grebes, I got a chance to see a Least Bittern take flight. I love the beautiful colours in its wing feathers.

Least Bittern

Another local spot I visited twice in May was the Murray Marsh, about 20 minutes north east of where I live. I was treated to a great show.

Common Yellowthroat

American Bittern

Yellow Warbler

Murray Marsh

Back at home on my corner there was still lots of action, including a Belted Kingfisher hunting on my pond, and a rare Lawrence’s Warbler singing on the corner.

Belted Kingfisher

Lawrence’s Warbler 

On Victoria Day weekend, the third week in May, Ontario Parks including Presqu’ile Park opened back up to the public. I headed down there and walked down the road by the lighthouse, one of the best places to see migratory birds in May. All the local birders I know were on the exact same road, enjoying the show.

I didn’t take any photos that day. I just watched and listened to the birds all around me, and chatted a bit with folks I hadn’t seen for awhile. It all seemed almost normal. And it was.

The post 2020 Wanderings – Late May appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

These first 5 photos are from the beaver dam across the street. May is when all the different types of herons and egrets return. They are so shy! I saw them almost every day but it is really hard to get a picture of them.

Highlights from the beaver pond also included lots of blackbirds setting up territories, and the Canada Geese and beavers getting along splendidly!

Green Heron

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Female Red Winged Blackbird

Canada Goose swimming right by a beaver

With most parks still closed in early May this year, I spent quite a bit of time right in my own neighbourhood. One other place I could visit was Lone Pine Marsh, a beautiful marsh about 20 minutes southwest of my house. Lone Pine Marsh is fun in the spring! Here’s some of the action:

Muskrat

Tree swallow getting material for its nest

All tucked in and waiting

Welcoming committee

Otter

I also had a lot of fun looking for birds at the Brighton Constructed Wetlands, which did not have any restrictions on entry. It seemed weird to go down to Brighton in May and not go to Presqu’ile Park, but I got to see some real characters at the wetland, regardless.

Greater Yellowlegs

The ever elusive Virginia Rail

I usually do my big birding marathon the second week of May, and this year was no exception! I went out for a whole day and tried to find as many different species of birds as I could.

I really wondered how it would go this year, since  I could not go to Presqu’ile Park due to the pandemic.   Interestingly, I was able to find almost as many species by going out in my local area, to Lone Pine Marsh, and to the Brighton Constructed Wetlands as I do on a normal year.  The average number of species I usually find on my annual birding marathons is about 98, and this year I found 89.   Regardless, it’s all about the challenge, and I always find something very cool each year.   Of course I do – spending an entire day outside.

Thanks for walking along with me, we will continue through the year until I catch up to the present.

All the best!  Leslie

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