Mar. 19 2025

March 19, 2025 Hike Report

Leaders: James and Simon Turland
Participants: Bill Hatten, Fred Jazvac, James Turland, Marilyn Ohler, Barbara Palmer, Eloise Jantzi, Judy Duncan, Bruce Edmunds, Carole Lupton, Gayle Schaus, Judy Wyatt, Liz Cartier, Margaret Anderton, Nancy McHardy, Simon Turland, Jim Duncan

We gathered as planned on the 8th Concession, and after a brief greeting, the BBC made its way toward the lake. Our first stop revealed two Bald Eagle nests, one of which was clearly occupied. A white head was visible above the large stick nest. A little further down the road, we spotted a massive raptor perched in a tree—it turned out to be a Golden Eagle. As it took flight, its size was evident, with slow, powerful wingbeats. The juvenile eagle treated us to a few graceful circles before disappearing beyond the valley's edge.

Juvenile Golden with distinctive white in wing and base of tail

Photo by Bruce Edmunds

 Baie du Dore was packed with large rafts of ducks, including Scaup, mergansers, and some dabbling species. The birds around the bay were feeding on Gizzard Shad that had washed up along the shore. These dead fish are likely contributing to the large number of eagles in the area during the winter months. Gizzard Shad, which are not well-adapted to cold water, and struggle when temperatures drop below 4°C, causing significant die-offs. The warm waters from the nearby Nuclear Plant likely attract these fish, and as winter sets in, the resulting die-offs create a food source that supports the large eagle population. Other species such as gulls also profit from the die-offs and I’ve even seen Mute Swans feeding on the decomposing fish.

We spent a good amount of time observing the birds around the bay before heading to the visitor center. Fortunately, the observation deck was open, providing an excellent view of the areas we had just visited. Afterward, we caravanned through some backroads and spotted some Tundra Swans, which were our target bird of the day. The fields were flooded with spring runoff, creating numerous ponds and birds were scattered throughout. At Brown's Pond, we had great views of Ring-necked Ducks, though we didn’t find any unusual geese hanging out with the Canada Geese.

At the Kings Pearl Restaurant in Tiverton, they seated us in our own private room—ideal for conversation (and the food was good). We only needed a drive-by at Chalmers Pond and the Kincardine Landfill, as both sites were quiet. Our final walk of the day was at the Kincardine Lagoons, which, unfortunately, were also quiet. The pleasant weather made up for the lack of birds and no one was in a rush to finish.

In total, we recorded 50 species for the day. A big thank you to everyone who joined us! Special thanks to Marilyn Ohler for once again compiling our eBird checklists and providing the Trip Report. To view past BBC hike reports, visit the BBC website: https://sites.google.com/site/brucebirdingclub/home. Below is the complete list of birds we observed. For a more detailed itinerary and map of where the birds were seen, please refer to Marilyn’s Trip Report.

https://ebird.org/tripreport/342565

Cheers James

Kincardine, Bruce, Ontario, CA
Mar 19, 2025 8:15 AM - 2:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
100.0 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments:     BBC Outing lead by James and Simon Turland
50 species

Cackling Goose  X
Canada Goose  X
Mute Swan  X
Tundra Swan  X
Blue-winged Teal  X     Photo
Gadwall  X
American Wigeon  X
Mallard  X
American Black Duck  X
Northern Pintail  X
Green-winged Teal  X
Redhead  X
Ring-necked Duck  X
Greater Scaup  X
Lesser Scaup  X
Bufflehead  X
Common Goldeneye  X
Common Merganser  X
Red-breasted Merganser  X

Rock Pigeon X

Mourning Dove  X

Sandhill Crane  X

Killdeer  X
Ring-billed Gull  X
American Herring Gull  X
Great Black-backed Gull  X
Iceland Gull  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X     Photo
Turkey Vulture  X
Golden Eagle  X
Northern Harrier  X
Bald Eagle  X
Hairy Woodpecker  X
Merlin  X
Blue Jay  X
American Crow  X
Common Raven  X
Horned Lark  X
Golden-crowned Kinglet  X
Brown Creeper  X
European Starling  X
American Robin  X
Purple Finch  X
American Goldfinch  X
Snow Bunting  X
Dark-eyed Junco  X
Song Sparrow  X
Eastern Meadowlark  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Common Grackle  X