B-April 20

Trip Leader: Bonnie 

.Hi  Everyone,

A big thanks go to Bonnie and Wayne for having us over and hosting what has turned into our annual potluck which starts at 7:30 AM and ends when the American Woodcock does his mating call and flight after 8:00 PM.   Thank you, Bonnie and Wayne, for your great hospitality, your welcoming friendliness,  your work and effort in having us there today.  Breakfast, lunch, supper and a couple of breaks in between is no ordinary potluck.

Today's hike had 24 of us participating and seeing 71 species of birds.  We had great looks at an early migrant Pine Warbler, Brown Thrasher and American Woodcock.  We also had a good array of raptors and ducks to fill in our day.  We saw a multitude of American Tree Sparrow flocks who came here and other southern areas for the winter and were heading back to the Boreal Forest to breed.  Some late over wintering birds like Snow Buntings, Common Redpoll and a Rough-legged hawk were seen before they too would head north for the summer.

The bird of the day was an Icelandic Gull which we saw in a field with some Ring-billed Gulls on the J/I line.  He gave us great looks and fine goodbye fly past as he headed out.  The BBC sees this bird regularly when it goes to Niagara in late November but we were not used to seeing this bird relatively close in a field.

The weather was cool,  - 1 Degree Celsius and we were rained upon in the morning and in the afternoon the wind was brisk to keep the day on the cold side.

We had a great social time, experienced some excellent birding, were subjected to some incredible food, and of course we ate too much.

Places Visited,

1 - Bonnie's on Brucedale Road just off 10th Concession near Underwood

2 - Brucedale Road to Brucedale Conservation area returning along the water front,  back along 10th Concession and on to Bonnie's

3 - The J/I Line

4 - Baie Du Dore

5 - Scott Point

6 - Ducks Unlimited Pond, MacGregor Point Provincial Park

7 - En route to these places.

       • Double-crested Cormorant - 2, 4

       • Great Blue Heron - 7

       • Great Egret - 2

       • Canada Goose

       • Wood Duck - 1, 6

       • Mallard

       • Gadwall - 3

       • American Wigeon - 5

       • Blue-winged Teal - 1

       • American Green-winged Teal -6

       • Ring-necked Duck -1

       • Long-tailed Duck -1

       • Common Goldeneye -2,4

       • Bufflehead -1,2,4

       • Hooded Merganser -6,1

       • Common Merganser -2, 4

       • Red-breasted Merganser 2,4

       • Turkey Vulture -7

       • Northern Harrier - 3, 7

       • Sharp-shinned Hawk - 7

       • Cooper's Hawk -7

       • Red-tailed Hawk -7

       • Rough-legged Hawk -7

       • Bald Eagle -4

       • Merlin -1. 2

       • American Kestrel -7

       • Wild Turkey -7

       • Killdeer

       • Greater Yellowlegs - 3

       • American Woodcock -1

       • Wison's Snipe - 2, 3

       • Ring-billed Gull

       • Herring Gull

       • Iceland Gull - 3 between 6 and 8th concession.

       • Great Black-backed Gull -2

       • Caspian Tern - 4

       • Mourning Dove

       • Belted Kingfisher -6

       • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -2

       • Downy Woodpecker -1,2

       • Hairy Woodpecker -1,2

       • Northern Flicker -1,2 7

       • Pileated Woodpecker - 3

       • Blue Jay

       • American Crow

       • Horned Lark -7

       • Black-capped Chickadee -1

       • Red-breasted Nuthatch -1

       • White-breasted Nuthatch -1

       • Brown Creeper -1

       • Winter Wren -2

       • Golden-crowned Kinglet -6

       • American Robin

       • Brown Thrasher -1

       • European Starling

       • Pine Warbler -1

       • Northern Cardinal -1

       • American Tree Sparrow -1, 3

       • Savannah Sparrow -3

       • White-throated Sparrow -1

       • Fox Sparrow -1

       • Song Sparrow -1,3,7

       • Dark-eyed Junco -1

       • Snow Bunting -3

       • Eastern Meadowlark -3

       • Brown-headed Cowbird - 3

       • Red-winged Blackbird

       • Common Grackle

       • Purple Finch -1

       • Common Redpoll -1

       • American Goldfinch -1

71 species seen

            A Pine Warbler was a special visitor this day. It also was attracted by the suet.