Today we had a very brief outing to get out and enjoy the sunshine! We took a quick ride up to Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island, and Goat Island on Niagara Falls, before it got dark..
A group of birds get ready to roost at dusk - Goat Island, Niagara Falls
Some wintertime berries on Goat Island
Common Goldeneye (Goat Island)Melissa had a friend in town, so we took her on a tour of the area, and up to see Niagara Falls! In the process, we got some nice photos. The first set of photos were taken from Goat Island, on the US side of the falls.
Above: The Skylon Tower, across the river on the Canadian side
Below: A shot of downtown Niagara Falls, Ontario
Above and below: Two shots of a Peregine Falcon that flew right by us over the gorge as we were enjoying the falls!
A shot of Niagara Falls, still with a lot of snow and ice built up around it
Fly-by gull
Below: Some cool shots of river ice...
Now, we headed further down the river, back home
Common Goldeneye and Common Merganser, from near the Power Intake station, along the Robert Moses Parkway south of Niagara Falls.
Male and Female Bufflehead, same location
Grand Island (West River Parkway): Some Canvasbacks on the ice
Beaver Island State Park, Grand Island, NY: Female Lesser Scaup
Also at Beaver Island ... This raccoon was out in the middle of the day looking for food. He dug up an old apple from beneath the deep snow and was munching on that!Today we went to Rock Point Provincial Park on Ontario's Lake Erie shoreline. The main reason for this was look for shorebirds migrating south for the winter. The beach here is also a very interesting place to visit. This trip was pretty productive. After this we found some productive ponds on the side of nearby Rymer Road, for a few more photos. Then, we crossed the border to Beaver Island State Park, in Grand Island, NY, where we got a few more bird photos before sunset!
A view of the beach on Rock Point
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpipers
Least Sandpiper (downcurve to the bill)
Lesser Yellowlegs
Shells on the beach
Semipalmated Plover and Killdeer
Left to Right: White-Rumped Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Flying peeps
A closeup of various fossils in the rocks here
Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers
Least and Semipalmated with one Dunlin on the right
White-Rumped Sandpiper (bulkier) with Semipalmated Sandpiper
Another White-Rumped Sandpiper (or Dunlin?) with a Semipalmated?
Least Sandpiper (above and below)
Semipalmated Plover
Spotted Sandpiper winter plumage
Black-Crowned Night Heron
Green Heron
Double-Crested Cormorant
Common Terns
Common Tern (above and below)
