The other side of the pond

I'll soon be heading off for a week's trip to Ontario - visiting Toronto and Niagara. I'm looking forward to another winter trip to North America, just like when I went to New York in January 2009. It'll be good to get my eye in on some bits and bobs larid wise too before it kicks off over here, though the juvenile American Herring Gull at Baltimore, County Cork has already got me in the mood. There were an impressive dozen species of gulls at Niagara the other day, so hoping I'll get a look in with some of these bad boys - Kittiwake, Bonaparte's, Little, Franklin's, Ring-billed, American Herring, Thayer's, Kumlien's, Glaucous, LBB, GBB and a single Slaty-backed Gull.

It won't be a hardcore birding trip, and sometimes it's good to mix it up a little bit. In fact, it will just be nice to be in good health as when I was in NY a couple of years back I got a bit of a bug that had me done over for a day, and then feeling pretty grim shady for the rest of my days there. Anyway, here are a few I prepared earlier (New York, 2009).

American Herring Gull (photos 1 to 6)

Ring-billed Gull (1st winter)

Ring-billed Gull (adult)

Pale-bellied Brent

Snow Goose (1st-winter)

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

American Robin

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow