Chronicles of an Ontario Birder: Some Unexpected Grey Birding

Some Unexpected Grey Birding

I didn't start out yesterday with a plan to go birding, but when I walked outside in the morning and discovered a sunny, spring-like day (3°C) I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go for a drive.

I did not really have destination in mind as I drove down the Sauble Parkway, just the usual birding spots around South Bruce. First I checked the Southampton Harbor, which was quite picturesque with the crashing waves and floating ice.... though there were not many birds to be found. I then drove up to the dump just outside of town and spent some time scanning through gulls. I wasn't able to pick out anything amoung the 150ish Herring Gulls, but I did hear a Northern Flicker ~ a new bird for the year.

At this point I checked my phone and saw some chatter on the "Ontario Bird Alert" Discord server about a grebe in Grey County near Owen Sound. It was seen on February 5th and reported as a Horned Grebe, however the photo on eBird looked rather convincing for Eared Grebe. Since it would be a nice addition to the year list and I was was under an hour away, I decided to take a drive over and look for it.

On the way there I spotted a large raptor flying beside the road, a Golden Eagle! I slammed on the breaks and jumped out with the camera just as it cruised overhead, giving me gorgeous views. It was a yearbird for me as well, so that didn't hurt ;) I'll see more Golden Eagles this year, but I always enjoy seeing the species, especially with such close views like this.

- Golden Eagle

I arrived at Presquile Road (northwest of Owen Sound) just after 1pm and began my grebe search. This area is always a good spot to look for loons and grebes in the winter months, as these species stay around the bay yere as long as the water is open. There was a nice assortment of diving birds out on the water, including; Long-tailed Ducks, Horned Grebes, a Red-necked Grebe and a Common Loon. Small whitecaps made the search more difficult, as birds would only appear for a second or two before being lost in the chop again. The distance didn't help either, everything was out near the horizon line. After being there close to an hour, a small dark grebe swam across my scope view... Eared Grebe, check.

I birded the area for the next hour as I waited for Ezra and a few other birders to arrive, enjoying some breathtakingly awful views of the distant grebe. Luckily it stuck around for everyone to see, although it did not come any closer. Photographing it was quite the challenge at that distance, so this was the best I could manage.

- Eared Grebe

Eared Grebe is a code 3 species in Ontario, with a few birds showing up every year, especially around the southwestern part of the province. It's a good bird to get out of the way early though, so I don't have to worry about chasing one later on. This was a first record for Grey County too, which is rather surprising as Bruce has a number of records. Nice find Peter : )

On my way home I stopped briefly to scan the bay by Owen Sound. A Barrow's Goldeneye had been there this winter (returning for the 5th year in a row), however it had not been seen in a few weeks. I was already in the area though, so I figured I might as well check for it. Luck seemed to be on my side, as I located the bird swimming along the shoreline after a few minutes. Again a bit far for photos, but you can tell what it is....