Bonaparte's Gull at Quidi Vidi Lake

 In recent years, it has become more and more difficult to get a really good look at a Bonaparte's Gull.

Pier 17 is the usual "haunt" of the Black-headed Gulls and the periodic visiting Bonaparte's Gull. Since the security fence went up around the pier a couple of years back, viewing them can be tricky.

 For some reason, a Bonaparte's Gull and a small flock of Black-headed Gulls have taken a liking to Quidi Vidi Lake. Maybe it is the temporary fence erected around "The Rower" that provides the extra safety they seek.

 While Bonaparte's have been seen at this lake before, it is not an everyday occurrence.  So taking advantage of this turn of events, I spent some time at the lake on the last warm/no-wind day we had.

 I was able to really study this small gull and note how different it is from the Black-headed Gulls.

 Having said that, I must say how much I also enjoyed the Black-headed Gulls, both immature and mature.

These birds are very active and are staying close to shore. While the light of the day was dull, these photos suffice to show just how engaging they really are.

King of Rennie's River Trail

 About two weeks ago when the temps were mild, the winds were low, the river was raging from a recent deluge and the tree's were dressed in their fall color, I went for a stroll along the Rennie's River trail.

While nature was at its wildest and at its calmest, I found scant birds. Only one Black-capped Chickadee stepped up to greet me.

 The rushing waters had jammed a tethered boat up against a rock, and the waters roared as they rushed to Quidi Vidi Lake.

 Moving away from the noise of the river was a welcome break from the deafening noise.

 The palette of colors from the different deciduous trees provided moving scenery as I meandered back to my car. Without a puff of wind, the colorful leaves draped naturally from each and every tree, each one catching the sun in its own delightful way.

I was glad to have this last look before the onslaught of the crazy-high winds that followed over the next few days. Now, it is a double whammy! No birds and no leaves..., just colder temperatures and steady, gusting winds! Time to buy a book!

Cattle Egret: A Curiosity

 While the struggle to identify which species of Meadowlark has landed in our midst continues, I will share my observations of the Cattle Egret in Bay Bulls.

 Upon Chris Ryan's report of a Cattle Egret at a farm in Bay Bulls, I decided to go straight away to see it.

 When I arrived, I found the Cattle Egret exactly where it was reported. It was practically hugging the wall of a building on the fenced-in property.

 I'm sure this egret has seen many varieties of livestock, but it is not likely the sheep, cows or horses of Newfoundland have seen even one Cattle Egret.

 It appeared to be a real curiosity to these sheep, and it seemed they really didn't want to share their space with this small, white creature.

 They watched it from afar, and they moved in closer to get a better look..

 The egret didn't seem to like all of the attention and moved several times in an effort to get away.

 Persistently, the sheep pursued it.

 It was quite interesting to watch as one-by-one the sheep tried to figure out what this two-legged creature was.

 It became a game as they would flush it, it would circle and return to the grounds.

 The egret was really white and really healthy. There were no signs of wear or tear on it after its long journey that brought it to us.

 When the bird returned to the field after one flush, it seemed to appeal to this docile sheep for help. Getting nowhere and receiving yet-another nudge, it lifted off.

 This time, it went high, circled around a time or two and then apparently decided it needed to move on.

Flying south, it headed back up to the larger farm where it was later seen by several other birders later in the day. What a thrill it was to watch all of this unfold. The wonder of bird watching never grows old.

Meadowlark!!!

 While moseying around White Hills and enjoying a little Orange-crowned Warbler, The bird alert "tweet" on my phone went off.

 Eager to see what had been found, I checked the screen and got a great surprise: Alvan Buckley found a Meadowlark in a field in St. John's east, and he was only 5 minutes away.

 Rushing like crazy, I headed to Kenny's Pond. Alvan was patiently standing in the field waiting for others to arrive before moving toward the bird.

 Within minutes the bird flew from one end of the field to another. Wow! It flew by so quickly, it was hard to see the details of this great bird.

 Alvan suggested I try to get some good pictures as this just might be a Western Meadowlark. I took my job seriously and kept adjusting my camera to try to get the best color and stop-action of a bird in flight. While I didn't get any amazingly clear, crisp shots, I did get some record shots.

 It took a while, but I finally got enough detailed record shots to allow for identification. Curious about the difference between the Eastern and the Western Meadowlark, I went to my car to check the guide. In the "Birds of North America" that I carry in my car, I found the outer tail feathers were different on Eastern and Western. That was my starting point. I flipped through a few pictures I had and there, plain as day, was the extended brown markings all the way down the P.3. I headed back to the field to try to get more shots.

 I managed a few more and headed home to check other guides. The Western shows with a yellow malar while the Eastern has a white one. I couldn't see any white malar on this bird. I was becoming more and more excited that this might be a Western Meadowlark. What an amazing find by Alvan!!

This shot probably shows the tail marking better than any other. I am still waiting on the final word on whether or not this is a Western or Eastern, but my money goes on the rarest of all, first-time record-for-Newfoundland....Western Meadowlark.