G Apr 3

Trip Leader: James Turland

Participants: Fred, Judy, James Turland, Carole , Norma, Arlene, Norah, Doug , Liz, Bruce, Jim, Mike, Vickie Cooper, Bob Droin

Hi Everyone,

I would like to thank James Turland for his great effort in leading us in today's bird hike. He led us to some excellent birds. The only flaw in his well scouted plan was the weather. Arriving in Kincardine in the morning was like entering a different world. It appeared that winter was still at its peak. Snow covered highways, high winds and snow everywhere. For those of us who came from other areas, it was a surprise to discover what was happening in Kincardine. As the morning progressed the snow stopped and except for the high winds the world appeared normal again.

Our journey for the day started at Kincardine birding the sewage lagoons, the waterfront from Point Clarke to Kincardine, the harbour, lunch at the Erie Belle and from there to the southern boundary of Inverhuron Park and finishing at Baie Du Dor. In spite of the weather, James provided an enjoyable day for us. Thank you again, James and especially for filling in for Judith who broke a bone in her foot on a Caribbean Holiday. Our best wishes go to Judith on her operation tomorrow in Owen Sound.

Fourteen of us got to share some nice surprises. The winds and the cold provided an atmosphere that made our highlights of the day even more enjoyable when we saw the birds coping with the weather. The delights included the Fox Sparrows who gave us good looks at the lagoons, our first Eastern Phoebe of the year struggling while foraging in a stream and the Killdeer who near the waterfront also struggled. Many Great Black-backed Gulls and the Golden- crowned KInglets were the few birds that didn't seem to mind the conditions.

The weather varied from snow squalls in the early morning, to overcast, to mixed sun and cloud. The winds were high varying from 20 to 40 K. The temperatures ranged from minus 5 to minus 1 C.

We saw 47 species of birds and surprisingly, the wind and the cold made our laughs even more enjoyable.

• Double-crested Cormorant (DCCO)

• American Coot (AMCO)

• Wild Turkey (WITU)

• Mute Swan (MUSW)

• Tundra Swan (TUSW)

• Canada Goose -(CANG)

• Mallard (MALL)

• American Black Duck (ABDU)

• American Wigeon (AMWI)

• Northern Shoveler (NOSH)

• Greater Scaup (GRSC)

• Lesser Scaup (LESC)

• Ring-necked Duck (RNDU)

• Bufflehead (BUFF)

• Common Goldeneye (COGO)

• Hooded Merganser (HOME)

• Common Merganser (COME)

• Red-breasted Merganser (RBME)

• Turkey Vulture (TUVU)

• Sharp-shinned Hawk (SSHA)

• Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA)

• Bald Eagle (BAEA)

• American Kestrel (AMKE)

• Mourning Dove (MODO)

• Rock Pigeon (ROPI)

• Killdeer (KILL)

• Ring-billed Gull (RBGU)

• Herring Gull (HEGU)

• Great Black-backed Gull (GBBG)

• Downy Woodpecker (DOWO)

• Hairy Woodpecker (HAWO)

• Blue Jay (BLJA)

• American Crow (AMCR)

• Eastern Phoebe (EAPH)

• Black-capped Chickadee (BCCH)

• Red-breasted Nuthatch (RBNU)

• White-breasted Nuthatch (WBNU)

• Golden-crowned Kinglet (GCKI)

• Dark-eyed Junco (DEJU)

• White-throated Sparrow (WTSP)

• Fox Sparrow (FOSP)

• Song Sparrow (SOSP)

• House Sparrow (HOSP)

• Northern Cardinal (NOCA)

• European Starling (EUST)

• Red-winged Blackbird (RWBL)

• Common Grackle (COGR)

Number of species seen - 47

Any errors or omissions, please contact sender