June 18 2025

Leaders; Doug Pedwell & Mindy Buckton

Participants; Anne-Marie Benedict, Barbara Palmer, Bill Hatten, BJ Martin, Bob Taylor, Carole Lupton, Cathy Bailey, Cindy McGregor, Dan Bieman, Doug Pedwell, Fred Jazvac, James Turland, John Dickson, Judy Duncan, Margaret Anderton, Marilyn Ohler, Mindy Buckton, Miriam Oudejans, Norah Toth, Norma Nanni, Yvonne Bieman, Pam Kinchen

Bruce Birding Club Outing – June 18

On June 18, the Bruce Birding Club met in Tobermory at 9:00 a.m. for a day of birding led by Doug Pedwell. Doug, has a deep fondness for the Bruce Peninsula, and scouted a route that included several stops along Cape Hurd Road, highlighting the area's natural beauty.

Our first stop was at a property recently donated to the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy (EBC). The site is undeveloped, with an old laneway trail leading to the former site of a cottage. Just beyond that we reached the Lake Huron shoreline, where the bedrock slopes so gradually into the water that it's difficult to wade in deeper than your knees.The lake was calm, and there was lots of bird activity. A variety of species, including cormorants and mergansers were diving for food, while Common Terns patrolled overhead, calling sharply as they plunge-dived for minnows.

At the Shining Rainbow Deer Nature Preserve, we walked a short distance along a boardwalk to an observation deck. A highlight happened at a roadside fen, when a Sedge Wren emerged just a few meters away, singing loudly from a bush. It gave excellent views for everyone and even stayed long enough to set up a scope.

Barbara and Mr. Palmer kindly hosted lunch and provided coffee, tea and homemade cake. Although the weather threatened rain, it only sprinkled briefly. We set up our chairs on the flat pavement like dolomite rock beach.

After lunch, we visited the Singing Sands, exploring the boardwalk and nearby trails. Because of the cool weather early spring flowers were still in bloom, Yellow Lady’s Slippers, in particular, lined many roads and trails. Mindy, a plant expert and co-leader for the day, pointed out several botanical highlights.

We continued on to Dyers Bay Road and the “sparrow fields,” A Sora called out and was seen by a lucky few close to the road, Cedar Waxwings perched close by preening after a recent bath. New bird sightings continued right up to our final stop. 

It was a wonderful day filled with camaraderie and great birding. Many thanks to Doug and Mindy for leading. Also a thank you to all who've led hikes this season. Sharing the leadership keeps the diversity in the outings.

A special thanks to Marilyn for handling the eBird checklists and preparing the trip reports for so many of the hikes. Thanks to everyone who participated in this season’s outings. Hope your summer is going well and look forward to seeing you again in September. Be aware there are reports of returning shorebirds already. Sorry about the delay in this report. It has been a busy few weeks. Cheers James

Here is a list of birds seen on June 18th. For a more detailed checklist of where the birds were seen visit Marilyn's Trip Report. https://ebird.org/tripreport/386344

Bruce Peninsula, Bruce, Ontario, CA
Jun 18, 2025 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
100.0 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments:     BBC hike led by Doug Pedwell and Mindy Buckton
64 species

Canada Goose  X
Common Merganser  X
Mourning Dove  X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  X
Sora  X
Sandhill Crane  X
Ring-billed Gull  X
Caspian Tern  X
Common Tern  XCommon Loon  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Green Heron  X
Great Blue Heron  X
Turkey Vulture  X
Bald Eagle  X
Belted Kingfisher  X
Hairy Woodpecker  X
Northern Flicker  X
Alder Flycatcher  X
Least Flycatcher  X
Eastern Phoebe  X
Great Crested Flycatcher  X
Eastern Kingbird  X
Red-eyed Vireo  X
Blue Jay  X
American Crow  X
Common Raven  X
Black-capped Chickadee  X
Tree Swallow  X
Barn Swallow  X
Ruby-crowned Kinglet X
Northern House Wren  X
Winter Wren  X
Sedge Wren X
European Starling  X
Gray Catbird  X
Eastern Bluebird  X
Veery  X
American Robin  X
Cedar Waxwing  X
Chipping Sparrow  X
Field Sparrow  X
White-throated Sparrow  X
Song Sparrow  X
Swamp Sparrow  X
Eastern Towhee X
Bobolink  X
Eastern Meadowlark  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Common Grackle  X
Ovenbird  X
Northern Waterthrush  X
Black-and-white Warbler  X
Common Yellowthroat  X
American Redstart  X
Yellow Warbler  X
Chestnut-sided Warbler  X
Yellow-rumped Warbler  X
Black-throated Green Warbler  X
Northern Cardinal  X
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  X
Indigo Bunting  X