A Bird in the Hand

An original painting by Caroline

Niagara lifers!

There are about 50 gull species on Earth, and 21 of them have been observed in Niagara. Tens of thousands of gulls flock the river throughout the winter, and this gives birders the once in a lifetime chance to see rare species coming from all over North America. This December, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Niagara, and see some of the area's specialties.

I started out at the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric plant. From the platform overlooking the reservoir, one sees so many gulls, it's almost impossible to see the water. The highlight was two Iceland Gulls, but I wasn't able to pick out much else from there. Next, I followed the river upstream to Dufferin Islands Park, which is located just west of the Falls. It wasn't a long walk to the water from there, and I had astounding luck to see the Red Phalarope and the late Purple Sandpiper that have been hanging around there that week!

The sandpiper was difficult to see in the distance, but the phalarope gave us amazing looks - it must have been only a few metres away from the lookout! I have only ever seen phalaropes on pelagic trips before, however it is completely different to be able to study them this closely. The phalarope proved to be quite the agitated bird always darting about and constantly fluttering everywhere.

My Red Phalarope drawing

As I was enjoying the snow-covered scenery, a fellow birder pointed out a pair of beautiful Black-legged Kittiwakes that were circling in and out of the mist just below the Falls. I was so thrilled.... This trip to Niagara certainly taught me there is a more beautiful side to the harsh Canadian winter that I am all too familiar with!

Drawing inspiration from bird specimens

Dark-eyed Junco closed wing (above) and spread tail (below)

Junco's wing - upper-side (above) and underside (below)

Common Nighthawk specimen

Gull's skull

Hog Island Nature

Intertidal zone discovery: Crab claw

A lavender-coloured wildflower - yet to be identified

Periwinkle snail - delicious when roasted just right!

Pitcher plants

Maine Seabird Sketches

Atlantic Puffin

Atlantic Puffin

flying

Common Tern

Common Tern profile

Bee

Last week during a walk with my dog, I found a poor little bumblebee lying on the sidewalk. Under close examination I realized it must have died just before I had come upon it. My curiosity took over me and I decided to sketch the cute pollinator.

Meeting Bird Artist and Author David Sibley

I had the wonderful opportunity to witness bird artist David Sibley speak today at Point Pelee National Park. Known for his nature field guides, he is a keen observer and masterful with the paint brush. I always cherished his Sibley Guide to Birds as an essential tool for my tricky bird identifications, and I was very enthusiastic to finally meet him. In his presentation, Sibley demonstrated the development of his skill as an artist from age eight to the present. He explained that sketching from life is an important way to familiarize yourself with birds and to improve your drawing abilities. He admitted that keeping a field notebook requires much time, repetition, and patience; however, it comes with many rewards. I found Sibley’s Northern Hawk-Owl drawings especially memorable, which beautifully conveyed how practice allows you to progress as an artist. David Sibley certainly inspired me to be sketch birds more and to allow my drawing and observation skills to soar. I sincerely hope that one day my sketches and paintings will attain David Sibley’s level of proficiency.

Above is my sketch of a very cooperative Pine Warbler. I observed it on the DeLaurier Trail at Point Pelee National Park.