rip Leaders: Doug P, Mike P
Participants: Fred, Margaret A, James, Ralph and Mary Anne, Norma, Stewart Judith B, Doug P, Liz A, Bruce, Jim P, Mike P, Kerry, Melitta, Christine, Bob and Anne Marie, Joan, Linda, Kirsten and Grace
Thank you Doug and Mike for co-leading our winter hike today. It is a difficult time of year to lead a hike, and we are grateful to our intrepid leaders who took us out in temperatures of - 5 to - 7 C. Our collective thoughts initially were, it is going to be hard to find birds today. The weather seemed to laugh at us, increasing bird finding difficulty by sending out stiff winds that blew on shore, bringing in ice flows that flooded the shoreline to eliminate the waterfowl that were easily seen just the day before. Never-the-less, our leaders had a plan, and by the end of the outing, we saw a total of 34 species including, seen only in the winter birds, like Pine Siskin, American Tree Sparrow, Northern Shrike, Snow Bunting and Snowy Owl. The show off local, lingering Pileated Woodpecker provided us with a great photo op, and a feeling that it was our lucky day. Thank you, Doug and Mike for a great day making the winter, a season to enjoy.
Also, thank you to Doug, Carole, Norma, Barb, Pat, Kerry and Melitta for letting us visit your properties.
And yet again, another thanks to Mike for providing the list of birds and their locations as seen below.
Places visited
1. Doll Side Road
2. Doug's feeders
3. Southampton Landfill
4. Denny's Dam
5. Carol & Norma's feeders
6. Stu's feeders
7. Barb & Pat's feeders
8. Kerry & Melita's feeders
9. Southampton Harbour
10. Hwy. 21
11. Baie Du Dore
12. Bruce Rd. 33
13. Conc. 10
14. Conc. 12
Birds seen
Herring Gull 1, 3, 9, 10
Black-backed Gull 1
Re-tailed Hawk 1
American Crow. 1, 4, 6, 8, 13
Blue Jay 2
American Tree Sparrow 2, 7, 11
Downy Woodpecker 2, 7,
Pine Siskin 2, 6
American Goldfinch 2, 6, 7, 8
Black-capped Chickadee. 2, 8, 11
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
European Starling 2,3
Red-breasted Merganser. 4
Mourning Dove 5, 7
Rock Pigeon 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 6, 7
Dark-eyed Junco 7
Wild Turkey 7
Northern Cardinal 7
Hairy Woodpecker 7
Pileated Woodpecker 8
Red-bellied woodpecker 8
Common Goldeneye 9, 11
Common Merganser 9
Snow Bunting 10
Redhead 11
Mallard 11
Greater Scaup 11
Bald Eagle 11 (1 adult, 3 juvenile), 12 ( 2 juvenile), 13 (1 Adult, 1 juvenile)
Mute Swan 11
Bonaparte's Gull 11
Bufflehead 11
Northern Shrike 12
Snowy Owl 14
34 species total