Boreal Chickadee

It has been way to long time since my last post on this blog....but things have been very quiet for birding this Winter in Algonquin Park, in fact from what i hear all over southern Ontario.

However for landscape photogrhhpy its a Winter wonderland with picture postcard images everywhere,

One of my Nemesis Birds has been the Boreal Chickadee, being small and dark, with a tendancy to hang back in the shadows of trees i have never been able to get a good clean shot. This Winter the Park staff have placed a suet feeder on the Spruce bog trail which is opposite the park visitors center (handy for warm drinks and food on weekends) located only hundred feet into the trail from the parking lot just before the sign book post on the left high in a tree.

The suet feeder this year has attracted a single Boreal Chickadee along with some Blue Jays and Black capped Chickadees, i have to wait about two hours to finally get the shot that i wanted . happy at last.....

The feeders at Algonquin Inn have been very disappointing this winter so far, but everyday we have a about a dozen wild Turkeys that make the rounds, hopefully we will see the return of the Evening Grosbeaks again soon.

e-mail stay@algonquininn.com

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GUEST PHOTO AT THE ALGONQUIN INN

This last week Rick Dobson stayed with use for a couple of days at the Algonquin Inn , he stayed with us as his base as he was here for wildlife photography in Algonquin Park.

Whilst here Rick took advantage of our bird feeders on the grounds and of our blind that we have set up for guests and visitors to use.

Rick has generously sent me some of his pictures that he had taken at the Inn feeders,

many thanks Rick for sharing

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BLACK BEAR PAYS A VISIT

Just had to post this one,yesterday i had to run into town Huntsville doing some local chores,
when as i past the local Tim Hortons coffee shop i could see three large black blobs high in the trees behind the store,as i pulled in to get a better view , there was a large female and two cubs high up in the tree taking a nap....after spending the night in the dumpsters eating their fill of old donuts...

one of the two cubs

mum taking a midday nap............

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Algonquin Park bird report

Three new Birding reports out today for Algonquin Park today, also of note i did spot yesterday a Red Tailed Hawk and a Snow Bunting first one this year just along from the West Gate.

Snow Bunting

A single Bohemian Waxwing was seen at the top of a tree at the West Gate on
Saturday (October 16) by Brete Griffin and his group. Two Bohemian Waxwings
were observed by Doug and Ron Tozer on Sunday (October 17) between posts 14
and 15 on the Mew Lake extension of the Track and Tower Trail. These two
waxwings were feeding on winterberry holly (Ilex) berries, along with
several robins. Some of these berries are present along the Two Rivers
Campground (now closed) side of the Airfield Marsh and could be a good place
to look for other Bohemian Waxwings.

Ron Tozer
Algonquin Park Naturalist (retired)

My wife and I spent the day in Algonquin Park, birding at the old airfield and along Mizzy Lake Trail. Activity at the airfield was low, but we did see a single male EVENING GROSBEAK near the parking area. Mizzy Lake Trail had a little more to offer, with about five GRAY JAYS near the gate off of Arowhon Road. Just south of West Rose Lake we had excellent views of a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, and on the return leg near Wolf Hollow Pond was a nearly tame male PURPLE FINCH which almost ate from our hands, and did actually land on my jacket for a few seconds. As we left, at the gate were two BOREAL CHICKADEES within a group of several BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES. A single full-grown bull MOOSE also crossed the Mizzy Lake Trail, sporting a large rack of antlers.
pat.

Yesterday, October 17th, spent the day birding various sites along Hwy. 60 in Algonquin Park. Overall, somewhat quiet, but a few interesting birds. At Wolf Howl Pond area along Mizzy Lake Trail we had 2 Bohemian Waxwing fly over calling and 1 female Black-backed Woodpecker near West Rose Lake. Finches were scarce, we had 3 Evening Grosbeak and 7 Purple Finch at the Visitor Centre along with distant views of 2 Moose. At the Spruce Bog Boardwalk, 1 Boreal Chickadee was heard calling. Gray Jays were easy to find at Spruce Bog Boardwalk parking lot, Opeongo Lake Road and Wolf Howl Pond.
Good Birding, Bruce
Di Labio Birding Website
Courses and Field Trips
http://www.dilabiobirding.ca
http://www.brucedilabio.blogspot.com

OTTERS AT ALGONQUIN INN

We just had an e-mail from James and Lea who stayed with us over the Thanksgiving weekend,
they sent us the following e-mail with photo's.

Hi Gary.

Lea and I had a great Thanksgiving weekend at Algonquin Inn. Perfect weather the whole time. On Monday morning I was down by the dock photographing the morning fog. A group of otters swam towards me then climbed up onto the floating dock to get a look at me. They put on a good show. I managed some photos - I thought I'd share them with you.

A great end to the long weekend.
Tried out your blind, too, on Saturday. Great setup! Got some good blue jay shots.
Hopefully we'll be up again next Thanksgiving.
All the best
James

thank you James..............great photo thanks for sharing....these guys make you smile

every time :-)))))))

The docks are just in front of our waterfront rooms,

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A re post from ethan meleg

copy below is a repost from the blog of Ethan Meleg. on his recent visit to Algonquin Park and the Algonquin Inn.

Photo 1 (above): Algonquin Park fall colors detail. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & drop-in polarizer, ISO 200, 1/80s @ f/8; mirror lock-up and cable release.

Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been on the road visiting family for Canadian Thanksgiving and had some internet issues... the server would not let me upload photos to blogger. All better now that I am back home and I can share more photos from my recent shoot in Algonquin Park.

Sigma Canada (distributed by Gentec International) has recently added me as one of their pro shooters and hooked me up with some great lenses. Check out their brand new website http://www.sigmacanada.ca/ and be sure to click on the Pro Gallery to see me along with fellow Canadian photographers Darwin Wiggett and Crombie McNeil.

So far, I've got two Sigma lenses in my bag: the 12-24mm wide-angle zoom and the 300mm f/2.8 telephoto. Actually, let me clarify that.... I accidentally dropped the 12-24mm into Oxtongue River Rapids during my recent fall colors shoot. It completedly submerged for a few minutes before I perilously fished it out and sent it back to see if it can be salvaged... cross your fingers for me! In case you're counting (I am), that's two lenses I've dropped this summer/fall..... damn!

A 300/2.8 lens has been on my must-get list for some time, so this is a welcome addition to my system (in good time for my upcoming Africa trip). The Sigma 300/2.8 is razor sharp and has very fast autofocus. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it comes standard with a drop-in polarizer (and the design is better than Canon's drop in filter system). I'll be calling Singh-Ray soon to see if they have an LB warming polarizer that will fit!

And now to some photos.....


Photo 2 (above): Algonquin Park fall colors forest edge. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & drop-in polarizer, ISO 200, 1/15s @ f/11; mirror lock-up and cable release. I like compressed landscapes with telephoto lenses. This is a classic situation to use a polarizer... to help improve contrast and saturation in the misty conditions.

Photo 3: Algonquin Park fall colors. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 300/2.8 lens & drop-in polarizer, ISO 400, 1/640s @ f/7.1; mirror lock-up and cable release. Even in very dull, overcast light I was pleased with the rich contrast of this lens.

While I was in the Algonquin area, I dropped in to visit my friend Gary Schultz, owner of the Algonquin Lakeside Inn (just west of the park). The feeders at the Inn were busy with activity so Gary and I caught up while shooting. I highly recommend a trip to stay at the Inn and enjoy the great shooting at the blind/feeders!


Photo 4 (above): The photo blind at Algonquin Lakeside Inn, with ower Gary Schultz on the right.



Photo 5 (above): Rusty Blackbird. Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, EF 500mm f/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor. ISO 640, 1/125s @ f/5.6. Rusty Blackbird is an elusive and rarely photographed species... this was only my second time photographing them.


Photo 6 (above): Eastern Chipmunk with cheeks full of seeds.Canon EOS 1Ds mark III, EF 500mm f/4 lens & 1.4x teleconvertor. ISO 640, 1/400s @ f/5.6.

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Algonquin Park Area bird report

SELECTED SITES AND SOME SPECIES REPORTED THIS WEEK:

Wolf Howl Pond area on Mizzy Lake Trail (accessible via Arowhon Road at km
15.4): Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker (three seen one day), Boreal
Chickadee

Old Airfield (south from km 30.6): Merlin, Horned Lark, American Pipit,
American Tree Sparrow (first of fall on October 3), Rusty Blackbird

Spruce Bog Boardwalk (km 42.5): Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray
Jay

Visitor Centre (km 43): Horned Lark, American Pipit, Purple Finch

Opeongo Road: (km 46.3) Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Orange-crowned Warbler
(October 3)


FINCHES:

Purple Finch: a few being seen at Visitor Centre feeders and flying over.

Pine Siskin: a flock of 25 was at Odenback on Radiant Lake (not accessible
by public road) on October 5.

Red Crossbill: Very small numbers are being heard calling in flight
occasionally, perhaps passing through to areas with a better cone crop.

American Goldfinch: a few heard calling in flight.

Evening Grosbeak: Six were reported at the feeder of the Algonquin Lakeside
Inn at Oxtongue Lake (on Highway 60 west of Algonquin Park) on October 1,
and may still be around.


SPARROWS:

Despite several searches, there have been no reports to date of Le Conte's
Sparrow from the Old Airfield or Nelson's Sparrow from favoured marsh and
beaver meadow sites, including the Lake Travers Marsh (end of Barron Canyon
Road on the East Side). This is the peak migration period in Algonquin for
both of these rarely observed species.




We would appreciate receiving your bird observations for our Visitor
Centre records.

Ron Tozer
Algonquin Park Naturalist (retired)
Dwight, ON

Directions:
Algonquin Park is three hours north of Toronto, via Highways 400, 11 and 60.
Follow the signs, which start in Toronto on Highway 400. From Ottawa, take
Highway 17 to Renfrew, then follow Highway 60 to the park. Kilometre markers
along Highway 60 in the Park go from the West Gate (km 0) to near the East
Gate (km 56). Get your park permit and the park tabloid (with a map of
birding locations mentioned here) at the gates.

The Visitor Centre at km 43 has recent bird sightings, feeders, and
information. The centre is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm until October 11,
and daily from 9 am to 5 pm for the rest of the month.

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FALL COLOURS WITH ANDREW COLLETT

Andrew Collett, is here today conducting a three day photography Fall colour workshop. Every year Andrew visits Algonquin Park for his workshop. As he states this one of his favorite locations to capture the best of the Fall colours in landscapes.

Andrew will be back with us at the Algonquin Inn next year again conducting two three day workshops, click on his link for details.

I asked Andrew, 'so how are the colours today?', by way of an answer check out the photo below

taken by Andrew Collett today .......you be the judge.




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RUSTY BLACKBIRDS AND MORE

Had a great afternoon out in the yard at the Algonquin inn around the Bird feeders,
Ethan Meleg drop in as well, and between us we had a great parade at the feeders.
4 Rusty Blackbirds have been here for over a week,and gave us great views as you can see below along with the fall colours which are now peaking.
feel free to drop in,



Rusty Blackbird

Imature White Crowned Sparrow


White Crowned Sparrow

Blue Jay

Rusty Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

Chipmonk


Red Breasted Nuthatch



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FALL COLOUR NEAR PEAK

Updated: Friday September 24, 2010
See the detailed fall foliage report below, plus links on how to plan your own visit to Algonquin.

NEAR PEAK
Report Details: A growing amount of red, orange and yellow can be observed in the Sugar Maple canopy in Algonquin Park. Fall colours are quickly strengthening with shortening daylight length, recent near freezing night-time temperatures, and the observation of several frosty mornings. The peak fall colour in the Sugar Maple canopy in Algonquin Park is expected in the next 7 to 14 days. During the past 35+ years, the earliest fall colour peak recorded was September 15, 1982, and the latest October 9, 1996. The average peak of the Sugar Maple canopy in the western portion of the Highway 60 Corridor is September 27. Learn more about the history of Algonquin's fall colour peak.

At the current time, the best fall colour viewing along the Highway 60 Corridor is from the Park's West Gate (km 0.0) to about the Track and Tower Trail (km 25.0). This high elevation, Sugar Maple dominated area, within the western portion of the Highway 60 Corridor, traditionally changes colour earlier than the eastern portion [for example, the Rock Lake Road (km 40.3), Opeongo Road (km 46.3), Brewer Lake (km 48.6) and the East Gate (km 56)].

See the most recent fall colour images on The Friends of Algonquin Park's Facebook page in the Fall 2010 album.

Leaf fall continues to remain low, with the exception of White Birch trees which changed colour early as a result of a wide-spread Birch Skeletonizer outbreak. Many visitors have observed the early colour change and leaf fall of the White Birch (Betula papyrifera). The yellow-brown colour observed throughout the Highway 60 Corridor and over wide areas of the Park is likely caused by the Birch Skeletonizer (Bucculatrix canadensisella). The Birch Skeletonizer is native species of moth and is part of a natural cycle of insect outbreaks. This premature leaf fall of White Birch leaves can result in the slower growth for the trees affected but essentially no mortality is observed. The last large outbreak of Birch Skeletonizer in Algonquin Park was in September 2003.

Plan now for your trip to Algonquin Park to observe the amazing fall colours.

Check back frequently for updates on the progress of Algonquin Park's fall colour change