Port Perry's Osprey Family

One of the Osprey chicks

Until a few years ago I hadn’t had many encounters with Osprey, and the first time I saw a nesting pair was in Port Perry, Ontario.

Since then I’ve gone back each year to visit them.

You might imagine an Osprey pair might build their nest at the top of a large tree near water, but this pair seems to like baseball, and nests smack-dab in the middle of four diamonds at the sports complex in Port Perry.  I had read somewhere that the first Osprey nesting attempt at this location didn’t exactly go well - the birds were not too impressed with all the ballplayers and spectators but eventaully everyone learned to get along.  There is a marsh nearby, and Lake Scugog is a short flight away.

Dad spends his days fishing for the family and refurbishing the nest.  He made three trips to the marsh and the forest to find suitable twigs and other material.  I was surprised by this because the chicks are very large and are ready to leave the nest.  But on this particular day the wind was gusty and a second nest was losing some twigs.  Maybe he was just providing a bit of insurance from the gusts.

Dad's day was made trickier because of the Eastern Kingbirds, who were not impressed with him flying back and forth over their fledgling.  I found this photo interesting because you can see the Kingbird's red patch on the top of his head (click on the photos to enlarge).  I had no idea they even had this patch, but the sun was hitting him just right (thanks for confirming ID, Janice!). 

Mom spends her days taking care of the young - she rarely leaves the nest or a nearby light fixture.  She also calls for dad to come back, and if you have never heard an Osprey vocalize before, it is surprising because it is a very soft call.  Click here to listen:  http://soundbible.com/1241-Osprey-Call.html

Mom is on top here, she had been in the nest and was taking off.  Looks like baby helped her get some height!  The adult's eyes are yellow and the chicks' eyes are an orangy colour.

My favourite moment was the quieter chick suddenly started to hover above the nest!  He had waited for a strong wind gust and jumped up into the air and flapped for ten seconds.   The wind held him in position above the nest and he had a risk-free opportunity to exercise his wings.  As the gust died down he slowed his flapping and safely landed back in the nest.  He did this several times and the second chick started as well.  You can see the chick doing this in the photo below.

If they haven't fledged yet, they will be doing so any day.  Let's hope they wait until after the 9th inning!

Up in the sky

Nope, not a bird this time. 

We live near the waterfront and periodically kite clubs meet up for the day to fly their kites.  These aren't the little diamond-shaped kites from yesteryear, these are kites that are half a football field long.  Okay, not quite but not too far off!

I'm not much of a kite person but have to admit these are pretty cool.  But what's not cool is having these flying directly over our house with two panicked dogs wondering if we're being attacked!

And there are 15-20 flying at once. 

Kite day is never quiet at our house.

A Wild World

Almost everyone who sees my photos for the first time says “Where on earth do you find these creatures?”. They think I live in some enchanted Disney-like place where animals nicely pose, just hoping a photographer will appear to take their picture.. The truth is that wildlife is absolutely everywhere in the city and suburbs - you just have to look.

There isn’t a park in the city that doesn’t have at least one raccoon (and likely several) peering down at joggers and picnickers from a tree as they have a mid-day rest.

Ashbridges Bay

Rosetta McClain Gardens

Owls are also common city residents, particularly Eastern Screech Owls, but they are tricky to spot because of their great camouflage.



Both Red and Grey Morph Eastern Screech Owls blend in with tree bark and are difficult to see.



Fox, Deer and Coyotes are also abundant throughout the city’s parks and ravines, and even in industrial areas where fields have been left to go natural. Sadly these mammals are losing more and more habitat as each day goes by.

Red Fox, Ajax Waterfront

White-Tailed Deer, South Whitby

Of course, waterfowl can be found at any marina or pond but there was a time when I used to think we only had a single species of duck (called "ducks"!) on Lake Ontario.  In recent years I've learned just how many unique and amazing duck species we have around us every day.

Long-Tailed Duck, Ashbridges Bay

On most Autumn days when you look up you will see migrating raptors - Hawks, Falcons and even the occasional Eagle - drifting through, especially along the waterfront. On a good day you can see hundreds or even thousands of these magnificent birds.  Learn more about hawk watching hot spots in Ontario:  http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/hawkwatching.php.

Most of my wildlife friends and I spend more time looking in the clouds and scanning tree lines than we do looking straight ahead (we try not to do this while driving!). Click on a few of the links on my Blog Roll to see some of their great wildlife sightings and photos, most of which aren’t taken too far from home.

Marsh Madness

I love marshes. As long as I pack the insect repellent and my patience I'm never disappointed because just when I decide it’s time to pack it in, something wonderful and unexpected makes an appearance.

Earlier this summer I was at Rouge Park Beach watching a mom Red-Winged Blackbird who had successfully rounded up some grub (literally, grub). I figured she had a fledgling nearby so I waited to see if I could catch a glimpse. She was very vocal and I figured she was calling her baby but afterwards realized that she was trying to lure me to follow her (similar to a mama Killdeer when babies are in the area).

I let her lure me and when I got far enough away she flew around me, over a bridge and landed in the marsh! What I hadn’t seen was that she had a nest in the reeds...the smallest Red-Winged Blackbirds I’d ever seen were waiting for their lunch.

Dad feeding hungry nestlings

Very young baby Blackbird

Mom Red-Winged Blackbird with food for her babies. 

Second Marsh in Oshawa is one of my favourite places because it is always teeming with life. My favourite summer bird, the Belted Kingfisher, is a summer resident, in fact there are often 3 or 4 present and often they are engaging in mid-air acrobatics. Night Herons (adult and juvenile), Hummingbirds, Orioles, Beaver, Wood Ducks, Sandpipers, and of course numerous Great Blue Herons are everywhere (to name a few). I’ve never been to a marsh that has more life - expected and unexpected. Last year a juvenile bald eagle flew past me out of nowhere and that was such a thrill. Perhaps the most unexpected visitor is the White Pelican who stops by the marsh every year (I guess that makes him an expected visitor now!).

Belted Kingfisher

Juvenile Night Heron with Wood Ducks

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Pelican who thinks he's a Cormorant!

Unfortunately, water levels this summer are low to non-existent at most marshes. A mom wood duck and her little ones in Kinsale Marsh were half running, half swimming across the marsh bottom, which is typically several inches deep. Turtles are no longer basking and the usually noisy frogs have gone quiet.

We need rain!

Painted Turtles basking at Kinsale Marsh (2010 Summer)