Seemingly our lifestyles are turning into that of nightowls. We were up late at The Apollo in Thunder Bay – thanks to Sheila for feeding us, and providing a place to stay and play! Yesterday we drove through the north of Ontario and made our way to Winnipeg. The drive was winding and scenic, before flattening out as we began to enter the prairies. Van Der Bird is holding up so far (let’s see how the rest of the trip fares.)

Last night in Winnipeg the trials of being a touring band were alive. The show went late and we closed the evening for those that stuck around after two great local acts, to hear the calls of morning doves. Dave’s friend Heidi has been more than hospitable, giving us room, beds and a view of the Assiniboine river. Was that a loon? Perhaps just a duck.

Today is a long, flat, eight hour drive to Saskatoon where we’re playing tonight at Lydias. Caw Caw.

Location, just west of Kenora, Northern Ontario

Hey birders,

We’ve been camping for the last two nights and haven’t had chance to update the blog, so here are some highlights of the last few days:

Sunday night in Windsor was a fun/eventful night, thank you James O L for all you help with the show and letting us crash at “The Mansion”. After a few hours sleep, we made it over the border to Michigan and spent the night camping at Burt Lake State Park. Many hours of driving, the friendliest Canadian border agent ever, a sub-zero night in the tent in Northern Ontario and a few dozen coffees later, we made it safely to Thunder Bay – currently being hosted by a friendly neighbourhood co-op yet to open.

Happy to report we’ve been getting some love from CBC 3 over the last few days. We’ve also spotted a few birds to take note to, including a Northern Loon, some Turkey Vultures, a red-taled hawk, a Great Blue Heron (which almost flew into the van while driving), our first Bluejay in Windsor, and this particularly interesting goose while passing through WaWa:

Location: Wawa, On

Tonight we’re playing in Thunder Bay at The Apollo. The city is in an official state of emergency due to flooding, but we’re hoping to give people something to smile about despite what’s going on right now. Next stop Winnipeg and many more stories and pictures to come!

Last night we played at The Cornerstone in Guelph, with our good friend Nicholas Lafebvre, aka Birdsacrosswater. It was good to see Nick again, who is both a great guy and talented musician. We’re looking forward to catching up again this August at the annual Duckstock festival. The show last night was an intimate coffee-shop affair, and those in attendance seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves.

This morning we saw that we’ve been reviewed on a German website. Google Translate does an excellent job at turning what I’m sure is a well-written review into a piece of surrealism, and as none of us speak the language of Kraftwerk we’re not too sure if it’s good or bad. If anyone out there cares to provide an accurate translation, you can email us the results!

Tonight we’re moving on to Windsor and the Birdwatching expedition continues. We can hear the chickadee above, and see the woodpecker make its mark. In case you’ve ever wondered how to keep squirrels away from your birdfeed, here’s Dan with an instructional video:

Hey birders,

Yesterday was a long and fun day – several hours packed in the van like sardines, stuck in Toronto traffic, before making it just in time for a radio interview with THE RICK TAYLOR. Our road weary selves then made it out to The Casbah, where a change in plans meant that we were playing the main room and not the lounge. By around midnight we hit the stage and told the crowd about Dave being hit in the next by a starling (true story).

Today is a leisure day. We’re chilling at the Kiely homestead – just saw a yellow finch, and a male and female cardinal. Here’s a video of Marc singing pretty.

We also got the good news that we were added to the CBC Radio 3 rotation yesterday, and we’ve been seeing some CBC Radio One plays for the last week of so. Some glowing reviews and articles are starting to come in too – here’s da links:

Argue Job review

Greyowl Point review

The Link interview

View Magazine interview

Walleye Interview

Thank you to everyone that came out to Raw Sugar in Ottawa last night and made the show a success. There was even a verified birder in the crowd, educating us on different species. Here is a link to a few pictures from the show – Ming Wu was in da birdhouse! http://photogmusic.com/?p=21531

We are heading out to Hamilton now for our show at the Casbah Lounge. We’ll be stopping by for an interview at CFMU 93.3 with Rick Taylor. See ya in a bit.

The new release can be purchased from Bandcamp and Itunes. Here’s the Bandcamp player – payment is through Paypal. Hope it get’s the juices flowin’

The moment has arrived folks. Bird Eyes is out, and can be purchased from our Bandcamp site as well as Itunes. Please lend your support and head to either of these destinations to download yourself a copy. Alternatively, you can come check us out on tour, as of tonight! First stop is Ottawa at Raw Sugar Cafe, followed by a swift foray through the entire country. Regular updates, rare bird sightings, and picture postcards to come. Stay tuned!

Despite the rarity of such a sighting, this is not an endangered species.

Location: Montreal, QC

While the tour/bird-watching expedition doesn’t officially kick off until tomorrow, who could pass up the opportunity to showcase the illusive one-legged pigeon.

What better way to venture off on this expedition than in a ’99 GMC Safari (check out them rims)

That’s right, we’re heading off on a little jaunt across the country. We’ll be playing shows from coast to coast, with a stop in Toronto for NXNE. Many more amazing details forthcoming. The proof is in the poster!