In order to break 200 this year I thought it best I attend as many OFO trips as possible. The first was the Fisherville Area field trip on February 6. No lifers but 6 species were added to the year list. Unfortunately, Jean and I missed out on the Short-eared Owls observed at the end of the day. Hopefully we are not sitting at 199 on December 31.
The next scheduled trip was to the Long Point Area. Jean and I had good results on this trip in 2009 and we were hoping for a repeat Sandhill Crane observation. The Long Point peninsula (sandspit) is 40 kilometres in length and is recognized as a biosphere reserve by the United Nations. To birders, it is an excellent spot for observing migrating birds in the spring and fall. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) and celebrations are planned for the weekend of May 14-16.
We set out on the morning of March 13 with rain forecasted for the entire weekend. Additions occurred along the way. We had hardly left St. Catharines when we observed a Great Blue Heron in flight as we crossed Lake Gibson. Blackbirds seem to appear like magic this time of year. Travelling south through West Lincoln, (along a road the St. Catharines CC rides regularly) we ticked Common Grackle. Red-winged Blackbirds were also spotted but a female, yes a female, was ticked earlier in the year while at Dufferin Islands.
At the St. Williams Forestry Station we joined 30+ birders ready to explore the Long Point area in the cold and rain with trip leaders Jim Heslop, George Pond and Bob Stamp. Our carpooling friends, Anne and Bev, were unable to attend this year's trip so it would just be Jean and I in our car as the line travelled to spots we became familiar with in 2009.
Not much was seen at the St. Williams Marina.
At the St. Williams Forestry Station we joined 30+ birders ready to explore the Long Point area in the cold and rain with trip leaders Jim Heslop, George Pond and Bob Stamp. Our carpooling friends, Anne and Bev, were unable to attend this year's trip so it would just be Jean and I in our car as the line travelled to spots we became familiar with in 2009.
Not much was seen at the St. Williams Marina.
So on we went to Port Rowan. From the overlook, the group of die-hard birders did well to identify the waterfowl on the lake below. I would usually do my best to count the ducks or at least estimate their number but the cold rain had me simply noting some species with an 'x'. American Wigeon was added to the year list as well as Killdeer as one flew over the group. Looking westward towards the marina, Bald Eagles were seen on the ice and in the air.
We descended to lake level to examine the bay west of the marina. There was a considerable amount of ice in the lake and waterfowl were few and far between. Last year we observed an estimated 1500 Tundra Swans and a small flock of Snow Geese (blue and white morphs) at this location. This trip, we counted only 6 Tundra Swans mixed in with Buffleheads and Canada Geese. A large number of American Coot were assembled by the pier.
At the Lee Brown Waterfowl Management Area, we found our third target species. The group observed a pair of Sandhill Cranes in the field across the road (the same location as last year). The coolest thing during our time here was sharing the view of the cranes with a young birder. I believe he was on the trip with his granddad and Jean pointed him in the right direction so he could see them through his binoculars. I had been sharing views through our scope when the young boy approached me and I could tell by the look on his face he wanted to have a view as well but the angled eyepiece was to high for him to look through. No worries there. I rotated the scope 90 degrees so that the eyepiece was now at his level (as well as some of the shorter ladies), allowing him a closer view of his life bird. One can only hope that this moment will keep him birding for years to come. Which reminds me, Jean and I should take our nephew and niece birding soon.
We stopped at a couple of spots along Big Creek, including the closed section of Concession Road A. Sunny blue skies and hundreds of Tundra Swans in flight were absent on this year's walk along the road. Eastern Bluebirds, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Blue Jay were ticked during the short walk.
At the Old Cut we had our lunch break in the former bird banding station. To mark the 50th anniversary of the LPBO, a hook rug depicting a scene of the point, its lighthouse and the bird banding station, was hanging from the wall. The material used to create this wall hanging was from the clothing worn by volunteers that assisted at the LPBO over the past 50 years. It took 2 years to complete the work of art.
After lunch, Jean and I explored the Old Cut area adding Black-capped Chickadee and Common Grackle to our trip list.
Due to the weather, we had only one stop remaining. A local birder on the trip allowed the group to view the avian activity at feeders spread throughout her property. In the morning, she had observed a total of 23 species in her yard. It rained during our time here which most likely contributed to Jean and I observing only 14 species.
Despite the cold and rain, it was a successful trip. No point (or ticks gained) being a fair-weather birder. We're on par with last year's Ontario list and if we continue to repeat observations like Sandhill Crane, Jean and I just might have a record year (personal best). Now, if we can only tick some rarities.
