A new lifer at the tip of Canada!

Chris Ho on her first birding trip

With sleep restored I woke up for yet another sunrise in Southern Canada.  Today I went down to the tip to be rewarded with a new lifer bird for myself. The eared grebe was a great first bird of the day and I watched it for a long time as I eat my breakfast at the tip. Again at the tip there were foresters, greater scaup, double crested cormorants and common mergansers. Chris Law, Chris Ho and I walked the west beach footpath back to the visitor centre.

We saw:
House wren (1)
Brown thrasher (3)

Brown thrasher

Surf scooters (20+)

Surf scooters

 Common mergansers

My lifer was the eared grebe that was hanging around and fishing down by the tip around 7-8ish in the morning. The bright red eye contrasts well against the light yellow 'ear' behind it. I watched quite contently as this bird had it's breakfast by diving underneath those chilly waves. The fish it caught that morning were usually longer than it's head but easily slipped down the throat.

Eared grebe

 

 Ruby-crowned kinglet

Ruby crowned kinglet

 

Yellow rumped warbler (+18)

Yellow rumped warbler

Nashville warbler (1)*
Red-winged blackbirds
Common grackles
American robins
Herring gull
Foresters terns
Greater scaup (60)

Greater scaup

Mallard ducks (2)
Mourning doves
Tree swallows (4)

Tree swallows

Hermit thrush (6)
White-throated sparrow (3)
Brown headed cowbird (3)

Brown headed cowbird

Canada goose
Great blue heron
Great horned owl (2)

Great horned owl juv

Yellow rumped warblers (18+)

Yellow-rumped warbler

*heard only
Also seen was a slow moving five-lined skink. The chilly morning made it very easy to catch photos of this cold-blooded creature.
At the owl nest we saw more yellow rumped warblers heard two nashville. I suspect there were other warblers around but couldn't positively I.D any in the short time we spent there.

Trillium

Five-lined skink