Trip Report from Amherst/Quebec - Sun, 21 Jan 2001
Hi Gord,
Here is a report for your sight if you are interested. It only covers
48 hours and two sites, so maybe not enough information to post.
Good birding,
Peter
-----------------
Amherst Island, Ontario and Quebec 13 15 January 2001
Peter G. Saenger and Kevin F. Crilley
13 January
Kevin had to work during the day on the 13th and I lead a birding trip for
the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, so we did not leave until 18:45 (9,345).
Crossed the New York State border at 20:55 (9,476). The weather
deteriorated as we headed north and in the Watertown, NY area it started to
sleet heavily and the temperature dropped to 33 degrees. This was one of
those times were the outside temperature reading on the Jeep was very
useful and watched. The road crews were out in force and the driving was
fine, though we kept the speed down. We later found out the roads had been
very bad a few hours earlier.
Canadian Border at 00:15. The Duty-Free Shop was closed; meaning no
supplies or money exchange. At the hotel, The Country Squire in Gananoque
at 00:45. The room was OK, but not nearly a nice as the previous two
visits- must remember to ask for the rooms on the lower east-side and not
in the "pink" section. We had trouble sleeping. Finally turning the lights
out at 02:45 and slept until 05:00.
14 January
Left the hotel at 06:22; 35 degrees and totally overcast sky. Drove to the Tim Horton's next to the hotel and had a light breakfast and coffee. A note
for future reference that the cash registers have a US/Canadian conversion
button and no worries about not having Canadian money.
Arrived at the ferry to Amherst in time for the 07:30 crossing.
DIRECTIONS: Amherst Island is 20km west of Kingston; see MapArt "Ontario
Road Atlas" [page 36, grid E54]. From Hwy.401 take exit #593 and proceed
south on CR#4 to Millhaven; the ferry is 200m west.
A round trip costs $3.50, (free for walk-ons). The first ferry is at
6:20AM, the next at 7:30AM, and thereafter on the half-hour all day and
evening. It returns every hour on the hour from Stella. Crossings take 15
minutes. The ferry has washrooms; as there are no public washrooms on the
island, remember that this washroom can be used between 46 and 58 minutes
after the hour when the ferry is docked on Amherst Island.
The village of Stella has a General Store for drinks & snacks. Meals
& accommodations are available in nearby Kingston.
To get to the "Owl Woods": drive straight off the ferry due south 4km to
Lake Ontario. Turn east (left) onto the South Shore Road and drive 4km to
civic address #2090 at the corner of Marshall Road (Marshall has no sign).
Marshall Road is not plowed in winter, so park at this corner and walk
north 1km to a jog in the road; wear suitable footwear. Later when snow is
not a factor, just drive north and park at the jog.
From this jog, a footpath leads north 250m then turns east into the
deciduous part of the Owl Woods. Status: birders are welcome. For small
owls, carefully search the random Cedars along this path. Bring sunflower
seeds to hand feed the Chickadees! After 500m, the path eventually curves
south 100m, exiting the deciduous woods, and crosses a small semi-open area
of Jack Pines & Cedars that can also have Saw-whets. Ahead 100m lies the
Pine Plantation which is the best part. Within this dense 3 acre
plantation stay on the network of paths, move slowly and quietly, and look
up. Long-eared Owls are the most common and sit highest, Saw-whets and Boreals,
when present, tend to sit lower. The open fields to the south also have
Short-eared Owls which may fly up if you walk out there a bit.
A number of other birders were gathered, waiting to load the ferry. No luck on the Ivory Gull on the crossing. We parked at the bathroom on the island
side and scanned the channel and surrounding ice for the Ivory Gull, hoping
it would show-up. After a half-hour Kevin and I decided to head for Owl
Woods and another target species- Boreal Owl. With 4 or 5 other groups of
birders, we did not want to be last there and have birds flushed and miss them.
In the open fields just south of the "town" of Stella, we saw two very
darkly marked Snowy Owls. Incredible birds to see well and one perched on a
tree and called (screamed) repeatedly. We watched this bird chase a huge
European Varying Hare (introduced) around the field, obviously not sure if
it wanted to attempt such large prey. The second bird joined in, but not
sure if it was chasing the hare or the other bird. What a show!
On to Owl Woods. The road was unplowed and we were glad to be in a
high-clearance four-wheel drive. Walking in, we quickly were wondering
which trail to take, since it was our first visit and the footpaths went
every which way. The snow was as hard as a sidewalk on the "main" trail and
this is what we followed. We stopped to hand-feed sunflower seeds to some
of the bold Black-capped Chickadees which appeared around you calling, as
if asking for food (apparently they were!).
Two gentlemen passed us and we followed in their direction. We want to
thank them, as they were from the Kingston Field Naturalists doing an owl
survey and were incredible kind to backtrack and find us and take us to a
Boreal Owl that they had found- very thoughtful and we appreciate this. We
had great looks at the Boreal Owl as it sat perched about 8 feet off the
trail in a small Cedar tree. We also saw two Saw-Whet Owls and Kevin saw a
Long-eared Owl. The Long-eared Owls were being pushed around by other
birders, so we did not pursue additional looks, not wanting to add to the
pressure being put upon them.
We decided to head back to the ferry and try for the Ivory Gull again,
since this was one of the two target species for the trip. As we walked
toward the well-stocked feeding station in Owl Woods, the chickadee numbers
grew and even with feeders nearby, they seemed to prefer being hand fed! We
took turns taking photos of the other feeding the chickadees; what a
feeling it is to have these little birds standing in your hand! Kevin and I
agreed that our daughters would simply love to do this and maybe another
trip was in order, now that we knew the lay of the land.
Short-eared Owls were being seen along the approach road to the woods, but
again, we made no attempt due to not wanting to add to the pressure of
daytime disturbance. The drive back to the Ferry produced a good number of
Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks, as well a Kestrel and another look at
one of the Snowy Owls. Surely a place to spend a day or two enjoying the
concentration of raptors.
Back to the ferry and our second crossing, leaving the Jeep on the island
side. The ferry operators were very nice to allow birders to leave their
cars on the island and to recross multiple times without paying. A big
thanks to them! (actually, walk-on passengers are free).
About half way out the Ivory Gull was seen hunched down on the ice with
only its black facial markings giving away its location. Most birders did
not get on the bird, but it sure raised the excitement level!
The trip back to the island (our third crossing) gave most people a good
look at the Ivory Gull standing on the ice; relieving many of us that it
was still alive and able to stand (it did not move the first time we saw it
and stayed in an almost prone position). Beautiful bird. One of the birders
had timed the distance from the first sighting, back to the dock, so on the
way back to the island, we knew about when to start looking for it again.
It was really difficult to spot an off-white bird on the ice.
During the crossings, a man from Quebec informed us of a Great Gray Owl
being seen in Quebec, near Ottawa and gave us detailed directions,
including the house number where the owl had been seen regularly for about
a month. The group on the ferry was really fun and interacted more than
most groups of birders.
While getting the Jeep and getting ready to head back to the mainland, we
ran into Allan from the Audubon House in Pennsylvania. He told Kevin that
they'd hit ice driving up the evening before and had stayed in Watertown,
NY. Apparently the driving was worse earlier and we were lucky to have left
late.
The fourth and final crossing for us had the Ivory Gull almost under the
ferry and was seen only at the last moment before it flew to get out of the
way of the ferry. The captain(?) slowed the boat long enough to allow most
people to get on the bird as it flew around and behind the boat. A BIG
thanks to HIM! The last I saw of the bird was it standing on the ice along
the channel behind us. I unfortunately did not see it as it flew around the
boat.
As the ferry approached the mainland, Kevin and I discussed the possibility
of going after the Great Gray Owl in Quebec with the man from Quebec. He
assured us that the bird was regular and that it was only about a three
hour drive. It would be close, since the sun would be down by 16:30 and
dark by 17:00. We decided to go for it!
At 13:30 we headed off to find the Great Gray Owl in Quebec. A stop at the
first Tim Horton's along Route 401 for some much needed food, where we ran
into a couple from New Jersey that had been on the ferry. We happen to hit
at a peak time and this stop took a bit longer than planned or needed with
our tight time schedule.
As we drove toward Ottawa the temperature began dropping; going from the
low 30's, into the 20's. I had been staying just above the speed limit most
of the drive, with most other vehicles passing us. But as we entered Ottawa
and it appeared that we were loosing our light, I joined everyone else and
we went through Ottawa and into Quebec at 110 Km an hour. Knowing that just
one wrong turn or delay could cost us our remaining daylight, Kevin kept
the directions flowing, rereading them and double-checking the map. The
directions were perfect and in the fading light, at 16:25, we pulled off
the road in front of house number 647, not caring much that we may have
difficulty getting back on the road, since there was about two feet of snow
and little shoulder to park on.
Kevin was out first and began scanning the open meadow on his side where
the owl was most often seen. As I got out, I heard a woodpecker calling
from the woods on my side of the road and looked to see if was a
black-backed. It was only a Hairy Woodpecker, BUT is was scolding the Great
Gray Owl, sitting about 75 feet down the road in a large tree! We had made
it! WOW, what a bird!
DIRECTIONS: From Ottawa, take MacDonald-Cartier bridge, then Highway 50
towards Gatineau. Exit at Montée Paiement and drive north for about one
Km. Take Ch. St-Thomas and drive slowy looking at your right. The bird is
usually seen in the field across from street number 647 (check mail box for
number), either at top of a deciduous tree or on a fence post; the fence
run across the field about diagonally.
We both took photos and had great looks at this incredible bird. After a
few minutes, the bird flew away, down the road and out of sight. After a
few "high-five's" we got back in the jeep and went down the road to see if
we could find it again before total darkness. We only went about 50 yards
and around a small corner and there was a local homeowner taking a picture
of the owl in a small birch tree and we pulled in behind him, and
apparently too far off the road on a sloping shoulder, with deep snow.
Kevin jumped out to sink past his knees in snow and with untied boots
quickly filled them with snow.
As we talked with the homeowner, two other birders joined us, then a
passing motorist stopped to talk, and then a couple we had met in the
morning on the Amherst Ferry showed up. Turns out that they live in the
Ottawa area and that they had been had given directions also. As we all
watched the bird moving from perch to perch through the spotting scope in
the now much fading light, Kevin and I both realized how cold we were. Here
we had been watching the bird for about a half hour in 20 degree temps and
in our excitement, had never put on coats, hats or gloves. When it was too
dark to see the bird, we said our good-byes to new friends and headed back
toward Ottawa. Missing a turn in Ottawa we had the opportunity to see
downtown and the beautiful center square and government buildings. Going
around and around, we finally just used the compass and headed west through
town. This actually worked out perfectly, since we found an open Beer
Store, where we got supplies and found that we were only a block from the
highway and right on track. Luck was sure on our side today!
Heading southwest out of Ottawa on Route 416, it became apparent that my
decision not to get gas in Ottawa was a dangerous mistake, since the
low-gas warning light came on and there was almost nothing ahead of us. We
took an exit that was signed to have a gas station and after 5 Km finally
found it. Filling up with gas, we decided to follow the side highway back
the 14 Km toward Ottawa to the same hotel (The Monterey Inn) we had stayed
at in December. Checked in, had a good meal, and had a good night's sleep
after an incredible day!
15 January
A leisurely start and left the hotel at 08:30, at 15 degrees F. Arrived at
the US border and the duty-free shop at 10:00, where we did some shopping
and headed south.
We spent a few hours at Cape Vincent trying for the Grey Partridge, without
any luck, but did see a number of Rough-legged Hawks. Had lunch in
Watertown, NY and left there at 13:55.
Home at 19:18 (10,384)
So, 48 ½ hours total trip time; 1,039 miles, 20 hours and 48 minutes of
engine-run time, and three incredible life birds. A great trip!
Species List-34
(first number for Ontario, second number for NY & south, then total for trip)
Black Duck 10/0 10
Mallard 150/0 150
C. Goldeneye 2/8 10
C. Merganser 40/15 55
Red-br. Merg 1/0 1
N. Harrier 2/0 2
Red-tailed Hawk 30/15 45
Rough-legged Hawk 10/5 15
Kestrel 1/2 3
Pheasant 0/1 1
Ring-billed Gull 5/0 5
Herring Gull 35/0 35
Glaucous Gull 1/0 1
Black-backed Gull 25/10 35
IVORY GULL 1/0 1
Rock Dove X/X X
Mourning Dove 2/2 4
Snowy Owl 2/0 2
GREAT GRAY OWL 1
Long-eared Owl 1/0 1
BOREAL OWL 1/0 1
N. Saw-Whet Owl 2/0 2
Hairy Woodpecker 2/0 2
Northern Shrike 3/2 5
Blue Jay 10/X 10+
Am. Crow 30/X 30+
Horned Lark 0/15 15
Black-capped Chick. 50/X 50+
Wh.-br. Nuthatch 2/0 2
Starling X/X X
Am. Tree Sparrow 50/X 50+
Snow Buntings 25/100 125
House Finch 25/0 25
House Sparrow 8/0 8
--
Peter G. Saenger
Alburtis, PA
crex@early.com
