I'm Still Here

Yes. It has been while since my last post. A little prodding seems to have done the trick and I have awoken from my slumber.

A few birds were added to the year list since posting my last tale, including a lifer on April 7. For now it's best to inform you all of a recent addition (prior to the OFO Carden Alvar trip) to the year list since it is still fresh in my memory. Though I don't think the 2012 lifers have faded just yet. Do any of them?

It was Victoria Day and it was a perfect day to go chasing a reported bird. A Snowy Egret was observed near the Grand River on the Saturday and any wish we had to add this bird to the Ontario list would have to wait until the holiday Monday. So after a long day of counting birds for the BOS May count, I checked the reports Sunday evening. The egret was still hunting in the same small pond in Dunnville.

Jean and I have birded this pond a few times so there were no worries we would not find its location. It is one of the stops during the OFO Rock Point trip and you can usually find Great Egrets and herons wading in the shallow waters.

When we first arrived, we could not see any wading birds in the pond. No splash of white amongst the green reeds led me to believe that the egret had left the area. Jean and I stepped out of the car and crossed the road to scan the pond from behind the chain-link fence. The Snowy Egret was there. It was hidden on the north side of the pond and as we approached the fence, we flushed the egret from the reeds. Its trailing black legs with yellow feet were easily seen as it flew to the south side of the pond.

Views of the Snowy would have to be distant. We were without our spotting scope. Yes, no scope to get a closer look at #266 on our Ontario list. I'm relieved to say the glass is fine. The scope was sent to the U.S. for repairs to the mounting foot and we'll be without it for approximately 4 to 6 weeks. Ouch! "Scopeless in the Carden Alvar" sounds like a fine title for a future blog post.

We watched the Snowy Egret as it continued to hunt on the far side of the pond. The movement of a small rail-car at the nearby factory did not disturb the egret. I was hoping it would fly back to the south side and allow us a closer look.

A few friends arrived and the small egret was a lifer for one of them.

Before leaving the Dunnville area, we tried looking for a reported adult blue morph Snow Goose at the Mosaic ponds down the road. It was observed with a group of Canada Geese and though one of our friends had seen it the previous day, we could not find it.

Jean and I have visited the Mosaic ponds during OFO trips and we have observed our lifer Stilt Sand Piper and Marsh Wren at this Haldimand County hot spot.


View Larger Map

During the trips, the gates are opened by an employee of the company that owns the property and OFO members are allowed to explore a large area of the wetland. This day, our views were limited to a few spots along the roads, north and south of the ponds. If the Snow Goose was there, it was hidden.

No worries. I left Dunnville satisfied with the Snowy Egret tick. In a few days, Jean and I would be travelling to the Kawartha Lakes. Hopefully we would have a repeat of last year's observations while birding the Carden Alvar.

Our Own "Big Year" Review, Ticks Not Yet Posted

2011 is quickly coming to an end and year lists will soon reset to zero. Though Jean and I had some misses this year, 2011 turned out to be better than I anticipated. Currently the list stands at 216 species, 8 more than last year's personal best. No where near Barb Charlton's amazing run of 322 species, but beating a personal best is always sweet. Ticking 300+ species in one year for the provincial list will have to wait until time is more readily available (retirement).

Speaking of time. I never did get the chance to post the late summer and fall ticks. Not sure what happened. There were some really good birds during these weeks. A few required some work (hiking along a trail and climbing over fallen Willows for example) and some simply fell into my lap. Whatever the case, there was never an outing that I did not enjoy.

Looking for Orchard Oriole:


July 30


Over 30 species were observed while walking along the Dofasco Trail 2000 in Stoney Creek and only one of them was added to the year list. We were looking for Orchard Oriole and like last year, there was no sign of North America's smallest oriole. As a consolation, we spotted our first of the year Field Sparrow (#184). I should change my plans for next year. Jean and I will go looking for Field Sparrow and we'll end up finding Orchard Oriole.

August 1


It's been over two years since we last observed Orchard Oriole, even longer when specifically looking over my Glenridge Naturalization Site list. In May of 2007, Jean and I watched a female Orchard Oriole weave a nest while we were birding in the former quarry/municipal dump.

We walked 2.0 km of trails and ticked 25 species.

Still no Orchard Oriole. It's another year without this bird.


 August 7: OFO Rock Point Trip


Thankfully, it was an overcast day. Birding at Rock Point and the surrounding area can be uncomfortable when the sun is blazing down on Haldimand County. I was looking for shorebirds and Rock Point Provincial Park in August is worth your time and energy.

The group spent an hour exploring the shoreline of the park. Jean and I added Semipalmated Plover, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Lesser Yellowlegs to the year list. Oddly, we found no Ruddy Turnstone. We've observed this species the last 4 years when birding at Rock Point. Can I really afford to miss this one in 2011?

At the evaporation ponds north of the park, 4 more ticks for the year list. Additional shorebirds added included, Solitary Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Greater Yellowlegs. In the waterfowl category, we observed a Green-winged Teal. The list stood at 194 species and we had yet to scan the sod farms for Black-bellied Plover.

John Black and Dan Salisbury (trip leaders) scouted the sod farms the previous day and found nothing. The day of the trip produced the same result. No Black-bellied Plover. Two shorebirds missed.

Cottage Bound

In mid-August, Jean and I headed up to the cottage my brother-in-law was renting for a week of relaxing on the sands of Inverhuron.

Repeating last year's route, we stopped off at the Luther Marsh in Dufferin County before continuing on to the cottage. In 2010, we purposely stopped at the marsh with the intent to tick a lifer bird. Thanks to the appearance of a lost Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, the Luther Marsh is now a planned stop when travelling to the Kincardine and Inverhuron area.

One day was set aside to act as birding guides for friends and family (as per the kids' request). We hiked the Tower Trail in MacGregor Point Provincial Park and found a good selection for the aspiring birders (we can only hope).

What really caught our undivided attention (at least Jean and I) was the announcement of a future bird blind. As stated in the sign, we should be able to access a bird blind when visiting next year. Do I sense a Pileated Woodpecker tick?

There were no avian additions to the year list in Bruce County, but Jean did some good spotting on the Tower Trail when she found this Spring Peeper. The kids enjoyed seeing this amphibian up close and snapped a few pics themselves.

Heading home last year, we drove through the town of Mitchell and unknowingly let two lifers (possibly three) slip through our fingers. Godwits! This year, I was not about to let that happen again. So, we stopped in the small town that is the "Home of Howie Morenz" to see exactly what all the fuss is about these former sewage lagoons.

Tell a non-birder you visited a sewage lagoon while on vacation and they look at you as if it was a total waste of a good vacation. Tell a birder and they'll ask you, "what you get?".

Waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds and gulls abound.

Including 3 Black-bellied Plover (#195), a shorebird species missed at the sod farms in Dunnville. The lagoons were a worthwhile stop on a late summer afternoon.

In late August, we stopped by another former sewage lagoon, The Wetland Ridge Trail in Niagara-on-the-Lake, after a family picnic. We were there to look or should I say hear our annual Common Nighthawk tick. I could still see my hand in front of my face, but there was not enough light to see any of the 8 Common Nighthawks that were hidden in the trees.

September 5


No luck finding Ruddy Turnstone when revisiting Rock Point for my father-in-law's birthday in early September. There were no tricks involved. He really wanted to go there!

September 17 & 18: OFO Annual Convention


The annual OFO convention is held every other year at Point Pelee. Jean and I have still to visit the national park during the height of spring migration and until then, we'll continue with the biannual autumn sojourn. Being a birder that cannot take a week's vacation in May really does smart.

On Saturday morning, we hiked along the Tip. There was a moment of excitement when I heard someone call out Olive-sided Flycatcher. Jean and I have not seen this bird for over three years. It turned out to be a pewee.

After birding the Tip, the North-West Beach, and Sanctuary Pond, Northern Parula was the only FOY tick.

We travelled along Old #3 early Sunday morning for a day of birding in Chatham-Kent with trip leader Blake Mann. At Rondeau Provincial Park, every effort was made to find a warbler not seen this year. You had to be in the right spot at the right time. Prairie Warbler (a lifer tick) and Blackburnian Warbler were missed.

In Blenheim, we had a great afternoon of birding at the sewage lagoons.

Added to the 2011 Ontario list, Red-necked Phalarope.

....walking toward the sprinkler cell (our backs to the lagoon containing the phalarope) Blake turned around to see a large flock of Bonaparte's and quickly called out Little Gull. The moment Jean and I turned around, we were both on the Little Gull at the same time. #199 for the year.

A good selection of shorebirds in the shallows of the sprinkler cell, including a somewhat shy Stilt Sandpiper.

I always enjoy the convention and we're looking forward to next year's at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. An area of Ontario we have never birded.

October 8: OFO Hamilton Trip


Our last FOY ticks before the "Thanksgiving Purple Gallinule" occurred on the OFO trip in the Hamilton area.

The Windermere Basin has undergone a drastic change since the last visit.

The mounds of earth made observing shorebirds quite difficult. Luck was on our side and we ticked a FOY Dunlin. Needless to say, waterfowl were in short supply.

We hiked in the Dundas Marsh in search of a fall visitor. When we last observed this species (lifer tick), the Emberizid was known as Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. This time, the FOY tick is listed as a Nelson's Sparrow.

We continued our walk as far as we could along the creek and reached the mud flats of Cootes Paradise. Here we were treated to our lifer Hudsonian Godwit (#309 and #203 for 2011). Even after noting the size of  the shorebird in our field guide, it was still surprising to see that is smaller than the gulls it was keeping company with.

Overall, it was an exciting year. 2011 is practically over and done with. Our total for the year stands at 216 species, barring any last minute additions today. Although perhaps not a huge number with compared to some others out there, we achieved this total while working full time and staying mainly within Southern Ontario. Let the 2012 madness begin!

Happy New Year and Good Birding!

Rock Point

On Sunday August 8, Jean and I attended the OFO Rock Point Provincial Park and Lake Erie Shore trip in search of migratory shorebirds. We met John Black at the entrance to the provincial park and shortly after 8:00 AM, a group of 31 birders headed for Lake Erie shoreline. Assisting John on the trip were Jim Heslop and Kevin McLaughlin (the shorebird expert).


Stepping down the stairs to the limestone shelf on the south-eastern edge of the park, we spotted a male Red-breasted Merganser in the water. One can usually find a few shorebirds in the pools as you walk towards the south shoreline but on this day, the birds were absent. Strong south-west winds created high waves on Lake Erie, reducing the beach as well as the number of shorebirds we encountered.


The high winds also made birding difficult when looking through the scope. Tilley hats not fastened down were soon flying off with birders in chase. I mimicked Jim Heslop and turned my OFO cap backwards to ensure it remained on my head.

Shorebirds added to the year list included, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover and Ruddy Turnstone. No dowitchers this time. No yellowlegs either. I spotted a peep with yellow legs before it disappeared behind some tall grass and informed Kevin that we may have a Least Sandpiper with the Semipalmated Sandpipers and Sanderlings. Though a Sanderling was determined to keep the smaller shorebirds away from the small area of mud, the bird returned and was identified as an adult Least Sandpiper. This was the only Least we found at Rock Point. Adult migration through southern Ontario started in late June and will soon end.

Since the beach was reduced, the group did not continue walking westward along the shoreline as we did on previous trips. We retraced our steps back to the parking area to leave the park and found this moth on the door of a restroom facility. Any educated guesses on what species this may be?

The Mozaic Evaporation Ponds north of Rock Point were the next planned stop. Normally the gates to the ponds are locked and views of the large pond are limited through a fence from the north side of Rymer Road. But being a member of the OFO has its privileges and during field trips birders are granted access to some of the finest evaporation ponds and sewage lagoons in Ontario. South of Rymer Road, the group walked along the dike that separates two ponds. Jean and I added Greater Yellowlegs to the year list at these ponds.

Reflecting on previous visits, the large pond north of the road is better for shorebirds. Lifers seen here include Stilt Sandpiper (#207) and Marsh Wren (#241). A raised laneway separates the pond into smaller pools and on a hot sunny day it can be quite grueling when walking from one end of the pond to the other. This day was pleasingly comfortable.

At the entrance, a Marsh Wren was singing in the reeds. Great Blue Heron were numerous and a very rough looking juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron was seen flying over the pond. Shorebirds found here that were seen earlier, included Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Jean and I added 2 more shorebirds to the year list while at this pond. 5 Short-billed Dowitchers were using their identifiable sewing-machine motion while foraging in the mud. There were 2 Pectoral Sandpipers present but only a select few (may be even less than that) were lucky enough to observe them before they disappeared. Though I needed Pectoral Sandpiper for the year list, the sting of the miss was soothed by the observation of another shorebird. A species that Jean and I observed for the first and only time in the fall of 2007 under the most unfavourable conditions of a thunderstorm. This day, the observation of a Red-necked Phalarope was a lot sweeter. All in the group had great views of the juvenile bird for at least 30 minutes. We left the phalarope still swimming in the shallows of the evaporation pond.

Our next stop was the local sod farms to observe plovers and hopefully, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. At the first farm, no plovers. But the second was more fruitful. Among a large number of Killdeer, we observed 11 Black-bellied Plovers. Scanning the green of another farm produced an additional 6 Black-bellied. No Buff-breasted Sandpiper this trip. Even a distant Mourning Dove could not be transformed into the sought after shorebird.

After lunch, only 4 birders remained. Jean and I along with John Black and a birder from the Toronto area continued along the Erie shore into the western edge of the Niagara Region.

Morgan's Point was washed out and the quarry in Wainfleet produced Short-billed Dowitcher (5) and a Lesser Yellowlegs but no new shorebirds were added to the day's list.

During the Rock Point trip, 8 species were added to the year list. Only 23 ticks are now needed to reach 200. The week after the OFO trip, we had vacation plans in Bruce County. Not only was I looking forward to spending some time on the beach of Inverhuron with my brother-in-law's family, I was preparing to add ticks to the counties Jean and I travelled through. Yes, eBird Canada can now break down your provincial list into counties. So on August 15, Jean and I set out for the shores of Lake Huron. But before we could relax at the cottage, there was a bird we had to chase. A bird that has appeared on Ontbirds for the last few weeks and was conveniently located along our route to Inverhuron. There was no way I was letting this one slip by.

Shorebirding at Rock Point

August 12

Due to prior commitments, Jean and I could not attend this year's Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) trip on Sunday August 9 so a visit to Rock Point Provincial Park later in the week was planned. It was the first week of our 2 weeks of vacation and our calendar was empty. The Weather Channel would determine the day of our visit and Wednesday's forecast was the most appealing.

Shorebirds observed during Sunday's OFO trip included, Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Short-billed Dowitcher, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover and Black-bellied Plover. In total, 56 bird species were observed. Our trip looked promising. We invited my parents to join us for the day with a plan to follow the annual OFO trip route.

Rock Point Provincial Park is on the shores of Lake Erie and provides great viewing of shorebirds that have stopped to refuel while migrating to their winter homes. We started our hike on the limestone shelf, an excellent area for observing corals, bryozoans, crinoids and other reef organisms from the Devonian period.








We crossed paths with a family returning from their morning of exploring the park's shoreline. A young boy in the group observed my scope and binoculars and asked if we were birding. He then informed us he spotted a Ruddy Turnstone and that the action was that way as he pointed towards the bend in the shoreline.

It was not long before we encountered our first shorebirds. In a small shallow pond, 8 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 1 Semipalmated Plover (#167) and 1 Spotted Sandpiper were observed.

Yes, another juvenile Spotted Sandpiper (we have yet to see an adult this year). The Semipalmated Sandpipers were startled by our (and 2 additional birders) presence. As the birds took flight, Jean spotted a White-Rumped Sandpiper amongst the small group of peeps.

Avian activity was also occurring in the Willows behind us. Flitting in the trees were Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (3), Song Sparrow (1) and Tennessee Warbler (1). Rounding the bend we were greeted by a large number of shorebirds. John Black's trip report informed 200+ Semipalmated Sandpipers were found on Sunday. It appeared that this species was still the majority. I counted 160 while walking along the beach. My dad was the first to find a Ruddy Turnstone (#168) through his binoculars (the pair dad trustingly allowed my brothers and I to use on our family vacations). Dad was lucky enough to observe the bird turning stones. "Good spotting dad." I would say as I finally observed the Ruddy Turnstone (no longer turning stones).

As mentioned, there were many Semiplamated Sandpiper and as encountered on the OFO trip we found 5 Short-billed Dowitcher (#169) searching through the mud in a sewing machine-like motion.

A "croc" waiting silently for prey to come within reach.

Additional shorebirds found included 6 Sanderling (#170) and 2 Least Sandpiper. One bird had us guessing a couple of days later. Looking through digiscoped images we found a bird we could not identify confidently. Wishful thinking was leaning towards Baird's Sandpiper but all was not right with that identification. It could be a White-rumped Sandpiper but its primaries did not extend beyond its tail. Posting an i.d. confirmation on the Birder's World forum had a response suggesting Sanderling. Oh, yeah. That fits. The only Sanderling we have come across have been juveniles. We have no experience with other plumage of this species. I now think we have a "moulting adult" Sanderling.

Waterfowl spotted on the lake included, Mallard (females with many young), Canada Goose, Common Merganser (1) and Red-breasted Merganser (1 male).

Hey! How did that red coloured rock get here?

In addition to the fossilized sea creatures, there are lines (Glacial Striations) on the limestone shoreline. They were caused by glaciers 11 to 12 thousand years ago. The red rock is Grimsby Sandstone and was most likely deposited by the advancing and retreating glaciers.

Returning to our car we walked along the wooded trail above the beach and spotted a Ruby-throated Hummingbird as it zipped past us on its way to the next flowering plant. We reached the boardwalk for the observation deck, my dad leading the way. His interest in why things are there and how they work has yet to falter.

Standing on the wooden deck atop the sand dunes my dad was laughing (while shaking his head). A sign beneath the deck read, "Sensitive Area. Sand Dune Stabilization Project. Do Not Enter.". My dad remarked, "look at all the footprints on the slope of the sand dune!". It is unfortunate that there are some people that will ignore requests such as this.

After a break we checked out the beach area used for swimming and my dad searched for the perfect skipping stone. Jean's grandmother asked my father what it was like being retired shortly after his retirement. He replied, "like I'm 10 again.". 15 years later, he is still that 10 year old. I can only hope that my retirement will be as enjoyable.

Our next stop was the evaporating ponds north of the park. On the OFO trip an employee from the company that owns the ponds would open the gate allowing the group access to the entire area. We would simply scan the waters from the outside of the chain link fence. We spotted 2 Great Egrets and 3 Great Blue Heron in the reeds and 6 Caspian Terns resting on the sandbanks. Another birder came along (I had seen him on previous OFO trips) and he picked out some Hooded Mergansers sunning on a rock. Wow! Good spotting! Even with our scope it was difficult to identify the birds as mergansers. The gentleman informed us that he had seen a Baird's and Stilt Sandpiper while at Rock Point. It appears timing is everything. I highly doubt that the Stilt Sandpiper was present while we were on the shoreline. Interestingly enough, our lifer Stilt Sandpiper was observed at the evaporation ponds on the 2007 OFO trip. The long-legged sandpiper with a slightly down curved bill would not have been overlooked by Jean and I if it was there (at least I hope we're better than that).

Further down the road was another pond but the water levels were to high for shorebirds. We stopped at the nearby feeder canal to check out a lock once used by barges travelling between Welland and Port Maitland (I knew my dad would like this spot).

Our last attempt at birding this day was exploring the sod farms (from the road side) for Black-bellied Plover. During this year's OFO trip, the plovers were observed at the Poth Road farms. We found none. Only a couple of humans with a remote control model airplane and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs in a flooded field further down the road. Travelling north along Townline Road we came across a harvested section of a sod farm. In the dirt we found what we were looking for, 20 Black-bellied Plover (#171) along with 24 Killdeer.

Our day of birding completed, we stopped at Hippo's in Lowbanks on the Lake Erie shore for a delicious Lake Erie perch dinner.

Shorebirds and a perch dinner. A fantastic way to spend a day, especially with my mom and dad. During our birding adventures it has been great having both our parents tag along and to know when they're with us that they are enjoying the day just as much as Jean and I. We have yet to hear a groan from the back seat of the car, "A sod farm?" or "Are you serious? A sewage lagoon? You're stopping here?". If our parents had not taught us to be interested in our surroundings when we were young I don't think we would be birding today. Many thanks to them all for showing us the way.

My parents & I, Rock Point, August 2009

Jean with her dad and his wife, Fort Erie, July 2009

Jean and her mum, Crawford Bay Wetlands, June 2009