There was some incredibly hot weather last week, brought in with strong south wind blowing furnace air into southern Ontario. It was summer weather in early May bringing a sudden explosive leaf-out at Cabot Head, greening the trees in a …
Migratory birds are on the move and they are coming from far-flung places. Look at a map of the Western Hemisphere and wherever you look south of the Canada/US border, you are looking at a place that could harbour birds …
A web of connections or the importance of a messy garden. Read more »
The past week was very busy both with banding and observation. There were a lot of kinglets, with numbers seemingly piling up during the first half of the week, a time of cold and North wind. Many got banded during …
There is so much to do! Especially when you’re a bird in spring: you need to get back to your breeding ground, establish or reclaim a territory, find a mate, engage in some courtship, build a nest, lay eggs – …
Once again, I am at beautiful Cabot Head, ready to monitor the spring bird migration for 57 straight days, starting on April 15. The year 2022 marks BPBO’s 21st year of monitoring at the Cabot Head Research Station and my own …
Entering our 3rd decade: a new season has begun at Cabot Head! Read more »
The morning of October 29 dawned overcast and windy, conditions that did not change over the course of the day. The strong East wind blew relentlessly all day whipping Georgian Bay in a frothy fury. As in the previous days, …
We have banded an impressive total of 375 birds during the past week (October 18-24). It was a busy week with two days over 90 birds and three days over 40 birds banded, mostly Golden-crowned Kinglets and Dark-eyed Juncos. The …
Bird migration monitoring is done, day in, day out, every day from August 15 to October 31. Birds keep their own calendar, one without weekends or Holiday Mondays, but one that follows the stars and the moon and the slow …
Despite the calendar saying that it is October, the temperatures still feel very summer-like with daytime high around 20C. It is both pleasant and concerning. Leaves are changing colours and nights are certainly longer, so it must be autumn. Another …
Peregrination (noun): a journey, especially a long and meandering one. Almost any migratory bird could be said to go on peregrination but only one is specifically named after its extensive travels: the Peregrine Falcon! A magnificent bird on its own, …