Quick index to Provincial SitesAlberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | Newfoundland | Nova Scotia
Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Yukon
Alberta
British ColumbiaChatters looking to do so pelagic birding next year may be interested in two new 2-day pelagic trips next May: one from TOFINO and the other CAMPBELL RIVER, British Columbia. The cost, including two nights accommodation is $299US / $399CDN. For further information contact Eagle-Eye Tours Inc. at : birdtours@eagle-eye.com or visit their Web Page at http://www.eagle-eye.com/birdtours/. [This is an advertisement for Eagle Eye Tours.]
Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland
SeabirdsArticle written by David A. Snow from Wildland Tours, in St. John's, NewfoundlandThis guide is designed to introduce the seabirds and major colonies of Newfoundland and Labrador. There are at least 311 known seabird breeding sites around the Island of Newfoundland. Most are small with a few dozen or few hundred nesting birds. A few colonies are of world significance and number among the planet's largest and most easily accessed colonies. The Labrador coast is less studied, but there are over 1000 breeding sites, including the world's largest razorbill colony.
Nova ScotiaEast Coast Birds - Bird Watching Sites in Nova ScotiaWe've joined forces with some of Nova Scotia's bird enthusiasts to bring you a collection of sites around the province that capture the essence of the East Coast's avifauna. From the wilds of northern Cape Breton to the surprisingly biodiverse sewer outlets of Halifax County, we take you on a tour of Nova Scotia's finest birding sites!
Ontario
Rondeau is a pleasant alternative to Pelee in the busy month of May. Birders will be interested to know that there is a 20 page site guide, "A Birder's Guide to the Rondeau Provincial Park Area", by P. Allen Woodliffe in the latest issue of ONTARIO BIRDS. The guide includes 7 maps, detailed directions to the best birding areas, an annotated list of Rondeau specialties, plus a full checklist of all species recorded at Rondeau. The December 1995 issue of ONTARIO BIRDS containing the 20 page Rondeau guide is available from: Sid Hadlington, Ontario Field Ornithologists, RR 1, Box 27, Bramhall Park, Midland, Ontario, L4R 4K3 for $6.00 Canadian or US (includes postage). Please make cheque payable to the Ontario Field Ornithologists.Jean Iron
President, Ontario Field Ornithologists
Toronto, Ontario
jeaniron@globedirect.com
Beamer MemorialThis is out of season but most of us like to plan our trips ahead and besides I thought it would be a nice reminder that Spring will come and so will all these lovely birds.
An excellent trip. No life birds, no real rare birds but the amazing experience of a full blown reverse migration on May 10th at the tip. We stood in one place for more than three hours and it still continued after we left (we missed a Mourning and Black Poll). We didn't move more than a foot or two for the whole time. We saw 26 species of warbler (counting Brewster's as a separate sp) and about 90 species of birds in that time. We've never seen anything like it. Large numbers and a great variety. So much so the rest of the trip we only picked up a couple of new trip birds each day. The warblers were so close as they alighted for only a few seconds and then were off. Many just kept flying without stopping. Right through us and off the tip (not toward us as is usual). It makes you wonder what we missed! A few stayed around feeding for a few minutes such as one very tired and bedraggled Cerulean Warbler.The next best experience was the trip to Lake St. Clair, Ruscome Shores with the American Bittern and Least Bittern and several feeding Brown Thrashers. The NWR was wonderful with the colony of Yellow-Headed Blackbirds in the marsh.
We heard a Screech Owl at the camp, in fact Wheatly Provincial Park (where we camped) had about as many species of warbler as we saw anywhere. Northern Parulas, cape mays and others right in the trees in our campsite. We were exhausted as we were up at 4:15 each morning and at the tip at 6. Then the long walk back to the Visitor's Center, trying to keep track of so many birds.
We were surprised at no Meadowlarks or Kestrels out in the countryside. Not as many Great Egrets about. Not as many Orchard Orioles. But there were many Swainson's Thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, more of the usually harder to find warblers. We saw more Cerulean Warblers on this trip than we usually see in several years. Also more Hooded, Northern Parula and Blue and Golden-Wing Warblers.
The Weather was cold in the beginning, then a south wind came and it got a bit warmer. The trip to St. Clair was quite warm, we actually shed our coats and sweaters!
BIRD LIST
COMMON LOON PIED-BILL GREBE D-C CORMORANT AMER. BITTERN LEAST BITTERN G-B HERON GREAT EGRET GREEN HERON CANADA GOOSE WOOD DUCK GREEN-WING TEAL MALLARD BLUE-WING TEAL GADWALL AM. WIGEON RING-NECKED DUCK HOODED MERGANSER RUDDY DUCK TURKEY VULTURE RED-BREAST. MERGANSER OSPREY BALD EAGLE MERLIN R-N PHEASANT VIRGINIA RAIL SORA COMMON MOORHEN AMERICAN COOT BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER SEMIPAL. PLOVER KILLDEER GREATER YELLOWLEGS LESSER YELLOWLEGS SOLITARY SANDPIPER WILLET SPOTTED SANDPIPER PECTORAL SANDPIPER RUDDY TURNSTONE LEAST SANDPIPER DUNLIN STILT SANDPIPER SH-BILL DOWITCHER AMER. WOODCOCK BONAPARTE'S GULL RING-BILL GULL HERRING GULL GR. BLACK-BACK GULL CASPIAN TERN FORSTER'S TERN BLACK TERN ROCK DOVE MOURNING DOVE BLK.BILLED CUCKOO EAST. SCREECH-OWL COMMON NIGHTHAWK CHIMNEY SWIFT RUBY-THROAT. HUM. BIRD RED-HEADED WOODPECKER DOWNY WOODPECKER HAIRY WOODPECKER NORTHERN FLICKER EAST. WOOD-PEEWEE LEAST FLYCATCHER YEL-BELLY FLYCATCHER GR. CRESTED FLYCATCHER EAST. KINGBIRD HORNED LARK TREE SWALLOW N.ROUGH-WING SWALLOW BANK SWALLOW BARN SWALLOW BLUE JAY AMER. CROW BLK-CAP CHICKADEE BROWN CREEPER CAROLINA WREN HOUSE WREN MARSH WREN RUBY-CR. KINGLET BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER VEERY GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH SWAINSON'S THRUSH WOOD THRUSH AMER. ROBIN GRAY CATBIRD BROWN THRASHER CEDAR WAXWING STARLING WHITE-EYE VIREO SOLITARY VIREO YEL. THROATED VIREO WARBLING VIREO PHILADELPHIA VIREO RED-EYED VIREO BLUE-WING WARBLER GOLDEN-WING WARBLER TENNESSEE WARB. ORANGE-CR WARBLER NASHVILLE WARBLER NORTHERN PARULA YELLOW WARBLER CHESTNUT-SIDED WARB. MAGNOLIA WARBLER CAPE MAY WARBLER BLK-THROATED BLUE W. YELLOW-RUMP WARBLER BLK-THR. GREEN W. BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER PALM WARBLER BAY-BREASTED W. CERULEAN WARBLER BLK & WHITE WARBLER AMER. REDSTART NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH OVENBIRD COMMON YELLOWTHROAT HOODED WARBLER WILSON'S WARBLER YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT SCARLET TANAGER NORTHERN CARDINAL ROSE-BREAST. GROSBEAK INDIGO BUNTING CHIPPING SPARROW RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE CLAY-COLOR SPARROW FIELD SPARROW SAVANNAH SPARROW GRASSHOPPER SPARROW SONG SPARROW LINCOLN'S SPARROW SWAMP SPARROW WHITE-TH SPARROW WHITE-CROWN SPARROW BOBOLINK RED-WING BLK BIRD YEL. HEADED BLK BIRD COMMON GRACKLE BR-HEADED COWBIRD ORCHARD ORIOLE NORTHERN ORIOLE HOUSE FINCH AMER. GOLDFINCH HOUSE SPARROW147 Species
note: the Hairy Woodpecker was seen at Wheatly Prov. Park. They are not very common around the Pelee area.Rose Petersen : Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
3 1/2 hour drive from Hamilton to Huntsville.One of the best Algonquin trips yet. The woodpeckers were wonderfully close. The two Gray Jays on Opeongo Rd. were lots of fun. The Boreal Chickadees were hard to find but satisfying when we did. The Spruce Grouse is as close as we've ever been. One right in a tree at arms length. The flocks of Red and White-wing Crossbills were great to see and hear. The weather was cold in the morning but warmer in afternoon. We could have even camped had we known.
Stayed in Huntsville at the Huntsville Motor Court Motel ($36. plus tax Cdn) and a motel in Whitney (44.95 +tax)
Only bird expected but missed was Evening Grosbeak.
Ring-necked Duck Red-breasted Nuthatch Hooded Merganser Brown Creeper Spruce Grouse Golden-crown Kinglet Three-Toed Woodpecker American Robin Black-backed Woodpecker Snow Bunting Gray Jay Pine Grosbeak Blue Jay Purple Finch Common Raven Red Crossbill Black-capped Chickadee White-winged Crosbill Boreal Chickadee Common Redpoll Pine Siskin American Goldfinch22 species.
I'm posting this because I know there is only one Ontario trip on Lisa Bryan's trip page and I would like to see more. I am preparing my Pt. Pelee trip from the spring as well. Anyone else out there with Ontario trips I hope will post theirs.Rose Petersen rapids@sprint.ca