Last Tuesday Ann and I showed Chris what total idiots we are on our road trips as we went back for Bald Eagles in the Nanticoke area. The roads were clear and dry, a welcome change from the whiteout conditions we suffered through the last time we were there.
It was an excellent trip, despite not having many photos to show for it, but the target bird was succesfully viewed a few times, here's an adult Bald Eagle:
It would appear that a lot of the eagles that over-winter here had already left the area, as they certainly were not as plentiful as last time, but we were thrilled that Chris was able to get good views of them.
Turkey Vultures were migrating through in good numbers, and we saw them on the wing, roosting in trees, or on the ground in fields. One thing I just learned about Turkey Vultures from last night's Durham Region Field Naturalists' meeting with Wild Ontario is interesting. They will gorge themselves so much on carrion that at times they're unable to fly until their digestive system works its magic, so it's possible that when they're at rest on the ground, they're in fact unable to fly! So their defense mechanism against any possible predators that stumble upon them is to projectile vomit. Yeah, that would certainly stop a coyote in its tracks, dontcha think??!! To put this in better perspective, and I paraphrase loosely here, Turkey Vulture vomit makes skunk stench seem like Chanel No. 5 by comparison, so you figure it out! Let's just hope that I never have a first-hand experience with this when volunteering at the Toronto Wildlife Centre, yikes!
A Great Horned Owl was being mobbed by Crows...
...but safely returned to its nest, the head can be seen on the left, with a huge wing to its right:
We also saw lots of deer, including this one on a berm:
We then went to Fisherville and en route were shocked by a mid-day R.I.D.E. check in Selkirk, which I passed with flying colours, despite Ann's protests to linger longer so she could spend more time with the uniformed officers.
Of course the "it's-only-ten-minutes-to-Fisherville" trip took twice that (perhaps due to my driving skills that have been under fire recently??), but it was all worthwhile in the end to see more bird porn. Yes, ladies and gentleman, we have a new species to add to our collection, Kildeer, yippeee!!!
...getting in the mood:
...and they're off, there was lots of vocalizations to begin with...
...and then it was over before they knew it!
So it was a great day in the end, although I have my doubts if Chris will venture out with us again together anytime soon!
Thanks for a great day, ladies!
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