They're back!

I've been very remiss with posting to my blog but I can tell you that the London Osprey nest and Clarke and Fanshawe Roads is occupied again this year.  We choose to still call the residents Lois and Clarke even though we don't know if it's still the original pair.

And there's another nest north of Woodstock on Highway 59!  This pair is Harold and Maude.  This is Harold posing in this photo.

Solar Eclipse Woodstock ON Canada - The view from here

A view of the Solar Eclipse at 2:07 p.m. local time through a bizarre rose coloured double-paned window we have in our office building here in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.  Very cool!

Serenity on the pond

Part one of a great birding day - we drove past the osprey nest site in London and lo and behold, both Lois and Clarke were close by. Lois is in the first photo next to the nest - I was able to confirm ID by her numbered leg band. Clarke was a short distance south on Clarke Road on the top of a hydro tower. This is gives us hope that they will be back to the nest next spring even though they didn't raise any chicks this year.

The last time we saw this pair was on May 21st so we'd pretty much given up hope of seeing them again this year. This was a nice surprise.

Part two of a great birding day - we spotted five Great White Egrets at the southeast end of the Brick Ponds on Springbank Road here in Woodstock. Beautiful!

Great Blue Heron

Southside Park

Woodstock, ON

August 2, 2016

Osprey nest

We're disappointed to find that after an on-time return to the nest at Clarke and Fanshawe Roads in London, our Osprey friends have gone AWOL.  We're guessing that their eggs weren't viable for some reason and they abandoned the nest for this year.  The other possibility is that one of the pair was killed and the other wasn't able to continue incubating the eggs.  We'll eagerly await spring next year to see if one or both of them return to this site. 

Recent sightings

Goats, because....well, because they're goats, for crying out loud!  Where's your sense of cute?!

Clarke dropping in to visit Lois at the nest. 

American Robin hanging out in our neighbour's tree.

Eastern Kingbird, Veteran's Parkway, London

"I'll check east, you check west.  Try to look nonchalant."

Saturday in the Park

It was a lovely morning for a visit to Southside Park.  I was hoping to see if the pair of swans had set up a nest but there was no visible sign of one.  I was also hoping to see Barn Swallows that nest under the Parkinson Street bridge - and I was in luck.

This little one was giving me a good stare down.

I was lucky enough to see a Belted Kingfisher as well and, unlike most encounters I've had with these birds, it stayed in one place long enough for me to take a few shots.  Here's one -

A good way to start the weekend!

A new lifer!

At least I think it's a Life List bird for me.....

This Brown Headed Cow Bird was on a light standard outside my office window.  Sorry for the grainy shot, but it works for ID purposes.  

Skywatch Friday

This was the view from my office window here in Woodstock, Ontario one afternoon this week. It reminds me of wave patterns left on the sand as the water ebbs out.  Happy Skywatch Friday everyone!