2021 Birding Year in Review

January 05, 2022

2021 Birding Year in Review

Another year has passed. This will mark the 4th year I've been living on the Bruce Peninsula, and the 4th year since I discovered birds and photography! And this year was by far the best birding year I've had! I finished with a total of 213 species seen in all Ontario (I don't travel outside of Bruce often), 208 species seen in Bruce County, and 190 yard birds this year, my highest total yet! Next year I'll have to try for 200 yard birds, which would probably be a Canadian birding record!

Now I'll go on to list a few rarities and highlights from this year...

Barrow's Goldeneye

Date: January 20 & Dec 3

Location: Owen Sound Harbour

Notes: The continuing rarity that has returned to Owen Sound for 5 winters straight. It literally swam right up to me, giving me some spectacular views and photos!

Horned Grebe

Date: Dec 9

Location: Owen Sound Harbour

Notes: An overdue lifer for me. It was hanging out in the Owen Sound harbour.

American Coot

Date: November 9

Location: Owen Sound Harbour

Notes: Once again, another overdue lifer (30 of them in a flock) that were at the Owen Sound harbour.

Dunlin

Date: October 19

Location: Around Home

Notes: A lifer and my 190th yard bird of the this year!

Black Vulture

Date: May 1 & 7

Location: Around Home

Notes: WOW. For the 4th straight year this bird has not failed to return! As usual, it never gave close views, but still a nice bird to get nevertheless!

Northern Goshawk

Date: April 28, Oct 15, & Dec 9

Location: 2 Around Home and 1 near Wiarton

Notes: 2 seen in my yard, and one in Southern Bruce Peninsula in December.

Northern Hawk Owl

Date: January 7

Location: Somewhere in Northern Bruce Peninsula...

Notes: One of the coolest birds I've ever observed! It was an amazing experience just being there and watching the owl sit on its tree perch and scanning for rodents below. A fearless bird too, it just let me snap away photo after photo.

Short-eared Owl

Date: April 15

Location: Around Home

Notes: Flushed from the forest by a flock of jays. It flew right over me, and I managed to get a decent photo.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Date: Jan 6, A few times in March, May 16, and Oct 30

Location: Around Home

Notes: Same bird from last December found roosting near my yard, and a few others I heard at night a few times throughout the year.

Northern Mockingbird

Date: December 30 & 31

Location: McNair Rd, Miller Lake area

Notes: A self-found bird I spotted during the Christmas bird count! I missed out on them in the yard this year, so it was nice to see this one before the end of the year.

Townsend's Solitaire

Date: December 28

Location: Tobermory

Notes: The continuing bird found a few weeks earlier. Views weren't terrific, but it was just nice to add this to my yearlist!

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Date: September 15 & 16

Location: Around Home

Notes: A lifer and new yard bird, I had 15+ fly over one early morning!

Northern Wheatear

Date: September 16

Location: Annan (Owen Sound area)

Notes: Another rarity that was hanging out near Owen Sound. The rarest bird that I saw in 2021! Was pretty neat being able to watch this bird for the 45 minutes I was there!

Lark Sparrow

Date: August 22

Location: Around Home

Notes: Hatch year bird flew up from a cornfield, totally surprising me! One of the only summer records of this species in Ontario.

Leconte's Sparrow

Date: April 19

Location: Around Home

Notes: Probably my rarest yard bird of the year, it popped out off the bush one morning, and gave me some spectacular views! Due to shock and excitement of finding this bird, my hands were shaking throughout the whole shootout with the sparrow, so I'm surprised I managed to get some good shots!

Golden-winged Warbler

Date: All summer

Location: Around Home

Notes: A lifer, this single individual appeared on and off during the summer, allowing me to get some great shots of it!

Cerulean Warbler

Date: May 19

Location: Millers Family Camp

Notes: Found while finishing up work at the camp. Sang multiple times from high up in the forest canopy. A sweet lifer!

Dickcissel

Date: June 28 - July 26

Location: Around Home

Notes: As mentioned on previous posts, I found this bird singing in my neighbours field one late June morning! It gave great views and photos during its month-long stay! Another awesome lifer!

I got a total of 12 new yard lifers this year which brought my yard lifelist to a total of 207 birds! I'll list the new editions below:

Trumpeter Swan

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Northern Pintail

Redhead

Dunlin

Chimney Swift

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Leconte's Sparrow

Golden-winged Warbler

Dickcissel

So all in all a good year of birding! But of course I can't end this post without some photos! So here are a few photos taken this year that I probably haven't posted here before...