As I arrived on the beach, stylishly outfitted with ice cleats and 2 pairs of pants, wrapped up from head to toe, I was immediately rewarded with spectacular sunrise light on the ice formations that are starting to form at the shore.

Two mute swans quietly fed in the shallow water.   Swans live just off the ice edge each winter, and I wonder how they can manage such a harsh existence and still look so calm and graceful.

At this point the ice volcanoes that Presqu’ile are famous for are just beginning to form.   It will take successive days of wind and waves to gradually build them up to the spectacular heights they have achieved in previous years.

Looking south from Owen Point, Gull Island lies across an area of rough ice, frozen absolutely solid and pretty easy to cross with the ice cleats.   Often this time of year one can see thick lake effect clouds hanging to the south as well even though it remains sunny in Brighton.

Here’s what some of the ice formations looked like on my crossing to Gull Island.

Same rock, different light.   There was steam coming off the water as it was still much warmer than the air.

Small flocks of waterfowl feed in the shallow waters around the island and fly away instantly when I approach.  Lots of waterfowl means good eating for Snowy Owls.   And of course you know that is why I was really walking out there in the first place.

As I rounded the bend on the island there was the unmistakeable form of a snowy owl, sitting up on a wooden frame of an old duck blind.   This is the first Snowy Owl I have seen this winter.   This year has not been a big year for snowies coming south from the arctic, but some usually do.  I just had to wait a little bit longer than usual this winter.

What a beauty!  This is a young one, based on all the dark barring.   This photo is cropped heavily, as I gave the owl lots of space as not to disturb it.   When I am photographing owls I usually sit down on the ground a distance away from them and stay as still as possible.   Then I get to watch them behave naturally.   This owl barely even looked my way, even when the log I was sitting on started to slip down the little hill I was sitting on, causing me to tumble towards the shore.

Eventually the owl preened its feet a bit, pooped, and then flew off to spend some time on the ice.   Once the lake freezes over more it will be increasingly hard to spot the owls.

Can you believe it, just sitting out on the ice like that?   Well that is where I left this beauty, and I was back in my car by 9:00 AM.   Great start to the morning.

Happy winter!

Thanks for visiting.

The post Good Morning Gull Island appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

3 chicks with dad

All 3 chicks are alive and well.  They have had  lot of changes in their lives over the past couple of weeks.

Right leg orange, left leg yellow

When the chicks were a couple of weeks old,  they received identification leg bands.   All three have the same colour combination- orange on right leg and yellow on left leg.   Then they each have a silver band with its own unique ID number.

Dad brooding chick

Another big change is that they are being looked after by just the dad now.   Mom left when they were about a week and a half old.  We thought she had taken off for Florida but she has been seen at Darlington beach to the west of here.  She also returned to Presqu’ile last Wednesday but was chased off by the dad, who is claiming sole custody of the chicks at this point.

Chick getting ready to fly

Dad has a lot on his plate, as the chicks are starting to take short flights up and down the beach, and running all over the place.

Watching for flying predators

When he perceives a threat, dad calls in his distinctive “piping” call, and rushes to collect the babies near him.

Can you find 3 Plovers in this picture?

Last Saturday evening I was babysitting the plovers, and everything started out pretty quietly.  All 4 family members were resting on the beach.

Preening

A little preening, a little wing stretching and flapping, but pretty mellow.

Ahhh – nice stretch

Look at those beautiful primary feathers.

nap time

Two of the chicks stayed together, pretty sleepy. Sometimes it’s really hard to find all 3, they are so well hidden.

Perfect spot for a nap

There’s number 3.   I love this scene.  What perfect camouflage.

AH there you are

stepping out

While dad and the other chicks slept, one of the chicks ran down to the water’s edge and started to feed.    It stayed down there for about 40 minutes on its own.   This was the first time I had seen one of the chicks at the water- they usually stayed further up on the beach.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Dad did not seem too concerned.

I’m awake!

Eventually around 8:00 pm dad and the other two chicks woke up and joined the first chick down at the water’s edge.

Sundown on Presqu’lie Beach

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the 4 Piping Plovers were still feeding at the water’s edge.   In another week or so the chicks will be flying well enough to go wherever they like.   Then at some point in August, our Piping Plover family will begin to head for their winter home in Florida.

Presqu’ile Piping Plover Chick

With help from the Park staff and over 50 volunteers, the Piping Plovers have had a very successful nesting season here in Brighton.

Next May when migration is in full swing, we will all be keeping our eyes open for newly arrived Piping Plovers. Especially three young adults with an orange band on the left leg, and yellow band on the right leg.   Bon voyage little chicks!   Hope to see you in the spring.

If you are like me and can’t get enough about Piping Plovers, Check out these links:

-Watch this cute video by Anja showing the chicks at a couple of weeks old!  They are so funny!   Anja has done a great job capturing them as they scoot all over the place. More videos of the plovers on her Youtube channel: Brighton Events

-Hear an interview with Presqu’ile’s David Bree and Elizabeth Steadman on CBC Radio Morning:

– Revisit Protecting Piping Plovers :  my blog from when they were just a few days old.

The post Presqu’ile Piping Plover Update: Flapping and Napping! appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Who have we here?  Someone pretty special, that’s for sure.

Piping Plover chick at one week old

We have great news here in Brighton.  Piping Plovers, an endangered species of shorebird, are raising a family on the beach at Presqu’ile Provincial Park for the first time in 100 years.

Two day old chick and parent

Protection Plans in the US and Canada have been working to increase the population of Piping Plovers since 1986.   Action steps include protecting sandy habitats that Plovers need to nest, and public education programs.  Biologists have also installed enclosures over Piping Plover nests to protect them from predators.  This consists of a cage that has spaces large enough for the plovers to move freely in and out, but small enough to keep out predators like gulls and raccoons. Without the predator enclosures, about 37% of the eggs laid will hatch, but with the enclosures the success rate is 72%, almost a 100% increase.

Look out world, I’m here!

Here at Presqu’ile, a contingent of over 60 volunteers is keeping an eye on the plover family, taking shifts from early morning until sundown.  The idea is to observe the plovers and record their activity, as well as educate the public on this busy beach about the Piping Plovers, and really, just make sure these little ones don’t get stepped on.

Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth putting out a driftwood shelter she made for the plovers

Funding has also allowed for the hiring of a Volunteer Coordinator, to oversee the scheduling of volunteers and helping in a major way with the public education aspect of the Piping Plover monitoring.

Trying out those wings! It will take four weeks for the chicks to learn to fly.

So of course I signed up to volunteer to monitor the little Piping Plover family.   I look forward to my shifts so much!   And all the other volunteers I have met out there feel exactly the same way.   We are privileged to be able to spend time with these rare and beautiful birds.

Shift change

It has been fascinating watching the family and their behaviour.  Here are Mom and Dad.  Mom is on the right, with a plain band on her left leg.   Dad is on the left, and has a yellow/orange/yellow striped band on the bottom of his left leg.    Both parents are one year old birds, born on Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay last summer.

Dad and two chicks. Third is underneath…

Mom and Dad switch off chick rearing duties.   Even though the chicks start to eat on their own right from when they start walking around, the parents still keep an eye out for them.  They like to keep the chicks fairly close to them, and call out with gentle peeps when the chicks go too far.

Hurry hurry

This doesn’t always work.  The chicks are little speed demons, tearing all over the place like cotton balls on toothpicks.  Especially when they first hatched it was really hard for us humans to keep track of them, even armed with binoculars and a spotting scope.

Dad brooding chicks

One of the neatest behaviours I have observed while spending time with the Piping Plovers is how the parents brood the chicks.  Here’s a little sequence to show you how it all progresses.

Let me in

Dad is already brooding one chick (hence the multi-legged look) when number two comes along.

Move over

Number two just shoves itself in underneath, head first.  As the chicks get bigger, this becomes more and more comical.

me too

So now as number 3 arrives, it checks out the possibilities.

This is pretty good

For now it decides to snuggle up to its multi-legged dad and wait for a spot. This all happens quite quickly.  Once one chick dives underneath, the others are right behind.

Full.

Here’s dad brooding all 3 chicks in another spot on the beach.   Look at all those legs!  I hope he is enjoying himself because apparently mom will be migrating back to down to Florida soon after the chicks turn a week old!  Then dad will be on his own with them until they learn to fly, in about 3 more weeks.

Woo hoo!

Just as quickly as the chicks shove their way under, they pop right back out again!  Great stretching and wing flapping ensues.

Off I go again

Then more running around on the beach 3 different directions eating, eating, then running some more.

I took 600 shots in one evening. Maybe you can see why…

How cute is that?  Really?   I had the hardest time writing this blog because I couldn’t  choose the  photos.   Blogs can’t have 600 photos in them.  But I whittled it down.  Eventually.

Preparing for nighttime

As the sun was setting yesterday evening and my volunteer shift with the Piping Plovers was coming to a close, I watched as the little chicks gathered around the mother.

Safe for the night

All tucked in, right in the middle of a huge beach, you would hardly know they were there.  After watching them so closely it was hard to turn and walk away.

I’ve got the early shift tomorrow morning.   Can’t wait!

The post Protecting Piping Plovers appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

This morning I got up early and headed down to Presqu’ile Park for a hike out to Gull Island.

Right now, Gull Island looks like this.  Required footwear for the hike varies, but today it consisted of tall rubber boots with ice cleats strapped on to them.    A very fashionable ensemble.

Hiking out the the island I am never alone, as the lake is teeming with waterfowl such as these little Long Tailed Ducks.

And mallards….woah, look out behind you!!!!

Each year, a female Snowy makes Gull Island her home.   I don’t really know if it is always the same one.    But I do know that many Snowy Owls enjoy winter territories around the Great Lakes each year.    It’s the easy access to waterfowl that keeps them coming back.

Today I initially found the Queen sitting on a duck blind.   Isn’t it nice of the park staff to set these up for her?    She checked me out, then fell back to sleep.

Snowy Owls are wild, and do not tolerate people if we get too close.   I have learned to stay far back, stay still, and then the owl will just go about its business instead of flying away.    My long lens helps, as does heavily cropping photos when I get home.

I always take a plastic garbage bag in my backpack so I can sit down on it and wait, and watch, without soaking my pants.   Eventually the owl took off right over me to go hunt over the lake.

She flew back to the island and landed on the “Access Prohibited” sign, then gave me a little wink.   OK, I am anthropomorphizing here.   Again.

After swooping down over the island looking for rodents she landed back up on a post.  I love how her feathers were blowing in the wind, and how I can see the fuzz on her face when she turns sideways.  Once again, I waited to see what would happen.

Off she flew, right over me! What a beauty! New Year’s Eve is always kind of like Thanksgiving for me.   I look back on the year, and think about all the things I am thankful for.

I am so fortunate that I live in such a beautiful part of the world, where I can visit wild creatures like the Snowy Owl who fill me with such awe.   I can’t think of a better way to spend the last day of 2015.

Thank you for sharing my journey with me, and Happy New Year!

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The post Queen of the Island: My Favourite Snowy Owl appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Good Morning Presqu’ile!   Oh how I love you!

There are so many reasons to love Presqu’ile Park, no matter when you visit.You can show up early on a hazy fall morning, and observe as Presqu’ile’s beaches and offshore islands start to come alive with sound and activity.

Migrating shorebirds start to wake up, and begin their daily search for food.

If you sit or lie down very still, the shorebirds will walk right past you as they are feeding.   It is endlessly entertaining to watch them.

A fall drive around the park may reveal a Ruffed Grouse, foraging at the side of the road for breakfast.  Look at those gorgeous feather patterns!

As seasons change and the weather turns colder, the park becomes very quiet.    I think winter is when Presqu’ile really shows its magic.

Little by little the lake freezes over.   Depending on the wind and the waves, the lakeshore looks different every time I visit in the winter, and each time is spectacular.Presqu’ile is famous for its ice volcanoes.   When the wind is just right, water from the waves will spray up through these holes in the ice.  I like them best at sunset, when they are lit up like some alien landscape.   Snowy owls love to use the offshore islands to hunt. Even in the dead of winter there is so much beauty to be found at Presqu’ile.Spring comes to Presqu’ile, and with it, the busiest time of year.A walk along the boardwalk in Jobes Woods reveals little sprouts of green, and some unexpected company.Look who’s watching you now!Early spring also brings the arrival of waterfowl, who are great show-offs for their potential mates.   What characters. As the ice moves out of Presqu’ile Bay, huge “rafts” of waterfowl can be seen feeding along the ice edge.Spring also brings bugs- lots of them!   But isn’t that perfect timing? The migratory birds are on their way back north.

Lots and lots and lots of them!.   How exciting to be at the park when the trees and bushes are just full of colourful birds singing and eating and flying about.  I am very grateful to have met some very experienced and knowledgeable birders at the park, who can help me learn about all these birds, their names, and their habits.     The diversity of species at Presqu’ile is amazing!

One day I got stuck out in a thunderstorm down by the lighthouse so went into the duck viewing shelter to get out of the rain.   In the tree next to me were so many different kinds of little birds I could barely keep track of them.   Above is a little Yellow Warbler shaking off the rain.Oh, and “fallouts!”   A fallout is when weather or wind conditions cause many thousands of birds to come to the same area all at once.   I will never forget being at Owen Point early on a May morning this year, and experiencing a fallout of shorebirds.   They were everywhere the eye could see, in flocks in the hundreds, soaring around, and feeding on the beaches.

I think I took over 1000 photographs that day!    It was so great because the Ontario Field Ornithologists Young Birders were at Owen Point that morning too, and this enthusiastic group of young people got to experience this spectacle as well. I don’t think any of us will ever forget it.

Did I mention you could see a fox at Presqu’ile?   And if that’s not enough for you…How about watching a fox walk down the road and then having a deer cross right in front of it, say “Good Morning” and carry on.   Is this the Bambi movie? I don’t know.    Presqu’ile is so cool.On the first hot hazy days of the year, the momma snapping turtles will come out of the mud and start to lay their eggs at the side of the roads.     A couple of years I have been down there on just the right day and seen 4 or 5 of these beauties all in the same trip.  I love their long sharp claws!Of course, Presqu’ile is for recreation too!   Walter loves to swim and run on the rocky beach.    The sandy beach is for the shorebirds, and of course all the campers and day trippers that flock to Presqu’ile in the summer.No matter when I visit, Presqu’ile always has something beautiful to offer.    I’m never disappointed.

Presqu’ile Provincial Park is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, just south of Brighton.   Check it out!

The post Why I Love Presqu’ile! appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Hey hey boys and girls!

No.  Not that.  Not him!

What I mean is, I did a  birding “Big Day” on May 9.

So, what is a “Big Day?”

“Woo hoo! A Big Day!”

A Big Day is when you go out searching all day long and try to find and record as many different species of birds as you can.  You may ask, “Why do people do this?”

I can only speak for myself.   I read that Cornell University Lab of Ornithology was having their inaugural Global Birding Big Day on May 9, where people would be birding all over the world and reporting their findings to the eBird online database. They were trying to find as many species of birds worldwide as they could.  I immediately took this on as a personal challenge.  I’ve been working really hard on my bird ID skills, especially identifying bird calls.  Bring it on!

One of the first birds calling every morning- the Eastern Phoebe. “Feebee, Feebee”

So, last Saturday, May 9,  I was up by 0400 to start my marathon quest for birds. My faithful dog Walter helped me for the first part of the day: a pre-dawn walk down our road.  A lot of birding has to be done by ear, since birds can call before the sun comes up, or from hidden places in the woods.   You can report either seeing or hearing a bird, as long as you are positive of the ID.   I heard and identified a surprising twenty-five different kinds of birds on this dawn walk, including Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, and Wood Ducks.     The woods were absolutely alive with song by about 5:30, which made me feel like I should get up early every day.   But I know I won’t.  But I should.

Morning at the Marsh Boardwalk

Next up: Presqu’ile Park.  Coffee and camera in hand, I set off in the car to continue my day at the Marsh Boardwalk.   As well as being treated to a spectacular sunrise, I also had the chance to see and hear many marsh birds as they started their days.

American Bitterns sound like a water pump.

There were at least 5 American Bitterns in the marsh.  This one flew to an open area where it could actually be seen, which was a real treat.   These birds, despite their loud pumping call, are masters of camouflage and very difficult to see.

Great Blue Herons will eat anything they can poke with that pointy beak.

Great Blue Herons live at the marsh too.

Loudmouth Common Tern.

Next stop on my list was the sandy beach.   By this time the sun was up and the day was growing warm, and I still had a nice buzz from the inordinate amount of coffee I had consumed earlier in the morning.   A good number of birds could be seen and heard at the Presqu’ile beach, including this Common Tern.

Copycat- the Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrashers were seemingly everywhere on the road and paths down to the beach.   These birds are incredible mimics, and can imitate the calls of many other birds.   Hearing a large number of them vocalizing all at once was really fun!

Magnolia Warbler. Does he know how much attention he is attracting?

For the next part of the day I joined up with a friend and we headed to the Lighthouse Woods.   This area at the very tip of Presqu’ile Park is known as a real hotspot for migrating warblers and other birds, and was full of human birders as well!

Faces have been blurred so I can remain friendly with these people.

When I see a big group of birders all looking intently at something I am always torn – on the one hand I don’t want to be in a big crowd like that, but on the other hand, I am so curious- what is it that is so special to be holding all their attention like that?   Of course I casually walk over and listen and look- not like I’m really into it or anything.  Perhaps I am still in denial about this whole bird addiction thing.

Orange on Orange: Baltimore Oriole in my garden

My next stop was home sweet home, after a brief non- birding interval at the senior’s home down the street.   While teaching yoga to ladies in their nineties (and you think YOU are too old to do yoga?)  I briefly mentioned what I was up to, with the whole birding “big day” and all that.    They politely nodded, but I could tell it was time to get back to their yoga as they could not understand at all why someone would do something like that.   OK.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak visiting my feeders

I headed home to see my gorgeous feeder birds, and then surveyed my neighbourhood.

Look how nicely I am posing for you

I visited a local pond where lots of wildlife hangs out.    The old dead trees around it are great habitat for woodpeckers, owls, flycatchers,  and ducks.   Notable was this little groundhog, who, though not a bird, was posing really nicely on a woodpile instead of flying away like his bird neighbours, so I agreed to include him in this blog as well.

Mama Osprey keeps an eye on me. I steer clear.

Later in the afternoon I headed down to the Brighton Constructed wetlands.   AKA the sewage lagoons.    My friends tease me that all the birds that live there must like corn.  Ha ha.   All I know is that it does not smell, and there is a great marsh habitat there that a wide variety of birds like to use.   Ospreys use a nesting platform that has been set up at the edge of the wetlands.

Common Gallinule and a million midges

There must have been at least 30 Common Gallinules there.   I can’t wait until they have their babies.  Speaking of babies, there was no shortage of nesting Canada Geese there.

Muskrat homes make great nest platforms.

I had a bag of chips and a litre of chocolate milk for dinner, mmmmm mmmmm, then carried on to my last stop of the day- Owen Point.   My hope was to see some migrating shorebirds, and I was not disappointed.

Owen Point – Spotted Sandpiper

Shorebirds are superstars, travelling thousands of miles on their incredible migrations.   I am always so awed to see these little birds resting and feeding at Owen Point.   I imagine where they have been, and where they are going.    For more on shorebirds, see my blog from the fall, Spectacular Shorebirds.

Semipalmated Plover Cuteness

Owen Point was a pretty great place to end my day.   There are literally tens of thousands of birds like gulls, terns, and herons that nest on the offshore islands there.   The air is just full of movement and sound.

So, how did the Global Big Day go?  Check this out: On May 9, participants from more than 100 countries tallied 5989 different species of birds, which is more than half the world’s bird species.

Little Warbling Vireo hiding in the bushes, as so many birds do!

For my part, I positively identified and reported 92 species of birds for the day.

More than one person has asked “Are you going for 100 next year?”

Of course I am!

The post My Big Bird Day appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Barred Owl 2010

The sighting of that little Barred Owl started a love affair with Barred Owls that continues to this day.   I have studied them extensively, know their local hangouts, and have (who knows how many) photographs of them.   Today’s blog will be a photo showcase of some of the beautiful Barred Owls I have had the pleasure to find.     These owls are not exotic or far away.   They are right in our local area.

Fluffed up on a cold day.

Barred Owls have beautiful striped feather patterns, that help them blend in with their surroundings in the woods.

On the Lookout

The Hunter- Brighton, Ontario

They will hunt rodents from an exposed perch such as a dead tree or an overhanging branch.

Owl Woods, Amherst Island, Ontario

Barred Owls are basically nocturnal.  Generally speaking when you come across a Barred Owl it will be roosting.   Though it will check you out and follow you with its eyes, it really does not want to move- it is resting.  If you move quietly and slowly, the owl may stay put.

Vision- Barred Owl in Jobes Woods- October 2013

This owl was only 7 feet up a tree, right next to the path I was on.   I would have had to walk right under it if I were to continue on down the path.   I just sat down quietly and watched it.   It watched me too.   Look at those eyes. Oh boy.

Barred Owl in the early morning light- Presqu’ile Park

Early morning is a great time to find Barred Owls.   This little owl was hunting, then settled in to roost.

My local sugar bush owl

Barred Owls are famous for their wonderful vocalizations.   “Who Cooks for you?  Who cooks for you-all?”   Once you have heard it you will never forget it.

Listen to the Barred Owl’s call here.

The highlight of my week this week was when I heard a Barred Owl calling in the woods near where I was walking.   Nobody else was around, so just for the fun of it I tried imitating it and calling back.    The owl flew over me, and with a big “whoooo-ahhh” settled into a tree just above my head. (!!!!!!)    Here it is:

October 2014- Barred Owl in the Dappled Shade

Love it.

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The post Where it all began: My love affair with Barred Owls appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.

Presqu’ile Provincial Park is located south of Brighton, Ontario, Canada.   Birding there is spectacular, because Presqu’ile lies in a major migratory bird route, and has a variety of habitats such as forest, marsh, fields, beaches, and islands.

There are wonderful things to see in the park no matter what time of year, but here’s what Presqu’ile has to offer in August.

Mute Swan Family

Many birds breed in Presqu’ile Park, and it’s not unusual to find a variety of birds raising their families in the summertime.

A walk on  the marsh boardwalk will allow you to see a number of birds and their babies, such as this Mute Swan family.

The Ugly Duckling was really a Beautiful Swan

Eastern Kingbird families can be found all over the park in August, with the young birds chasing their parents screeching for food.  Kingbirds are fascinating to watch as they perch on an exposed branch, then swoop out for insects.  I caught this young Kingbird sitting still for a second!

Juvenile Eastern Kingbird

Cedar Waxwing Eating Berries

If you like Cedar Waxwings, Presqu’ile is the place to be.   Flocks of them are everywhere!   They easily can be found eating berries from bushes.   Yesterday I also found a flock with a large group of young birds, begging for food.   They can eat by themselves, but that does not stop them from begging.

Juvenile Cedar Waxwing Waiting for Berries

Two berries may not be enough!

Presqu’ile may be most famous for its shorebird migrations.  Migratory shorebirds are true wonders of the natural world. Each year, they undertake grueling migrations from their wintering grounds in South America to their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic, and back again. 

Shorebirds in Flight

Along the way, they stop at various staging points to rest and refuel.  Presqu’ile is one of these important staging areas.  At any given time in late summer into autumn, you can see dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of shorebirds feeding along the beaches.

Last week, a couple of days of windy weather washed up huge piles of algae onto the beaches at Presqu’ile.   Not so great for swimming, but great for the shorebirds. This mat of decaying algae is full of fly (Diptera) larvae which shorebirds find irresistible.  Eat up!

Windy day at the beach

Juvenile Spotted Sandpiper on Mountains of Algae

Resting and Preening

I am still learning how to identify shorebirds.   Many of them are very small, and have very subtle differences in markings.   For example, there is a Greater Yellowlegs and a Lesser Yellowlegs.  Virtually identical, except the Lesser Yellowlegs is smaller.   So…if I am only seeing one bird, then what?

Ask someone.

Lesser Yellowlegs it is…

Looking for Larvae

The best place to look for shorebirds is at Owen Point.   A trail of less than 1 km will take you to a viewing area where you can get up close and personal with the birds.   They are so busy feeding they don’t pay much attention to humans.  Of course the normal rules for success apply- be still, and be quiet.

Sandpipers are also known as “Peeps” It’s the noise they make.

Juvenile Semipalmated Plover

Sandpiper Having a Beach Buffet

So, Presqu’ile in August is a place to go to really appreciate nature’s marvels, from the busy activity of birds raising their families, to the appearance of travelling shorebirds. The shorebird migration will continue on at least into November, with various species making their appearances.

I, for one, plan on going back.

Watching Shorebirds at Owen Point (Photo by Allie)

For weekly reports on what birds have been seen at the park, see Fred Helleiner’s Presqu’ile Birding Report, published each Thursday evening.

One great source of shorebird information: Ontario Field Ornithologists article on Southbound Shorebirds 

The post Baby Birds and Shorebirds: Presqu’ile in August appeared first on Leslie Abram Photography.