Bird day

[vaneramos]

Getting ready for work, I was eating breakfast and checking email when a migraine suddenly hit. This happens about once a year, doesn't involve much of a headache, just partial blindness, so there's no question of driving or working with tools for the rest of today. I called in sick for the first time. Now the visual shimmering effects have partially abated, so I'll recount some of Saturday's activities.

It was International Migratory Bird Day, and I celebrated by getting up very early and heading on an excursion. I had originally planned on Leslie Street Spit, however on the spur of the morning steered my car toward Long Point instead.

This turned out to be a bit of a mistake. A cowl of chilly, breezy weather scuffed across Ontario that morning, but at Long Point it actually rained, unlike anywhere else. Long Point juts into Lake Erie and is normally one of the better places for observing bird migration. Its diversity of woods and wetland habitats has earned a designation in the 1980s as a World Biosphere Reserve. Saturday there were a few birds about, but the wind kept them hanging low in vegetation, and the cold and wet made it unpleasant to step out of the car for more than a few minutes.

I wandered around the provincial park there for a little while, but didn't see much of interest, so headed inland. Passing a marshy area, I stopped at Big Creek National Wildlife Area, and this turned out more productive. Approaching the observation deck, I was surprised by a flock of American Coots. They hustled into the water, but didn't go far, so I had a good chance to observe them. I haven't seen these many times before. Strolling along the boardwalk, I was delighted to hear a Marsh Wren in the cattails. When I stopped to look for him, he co-operatively popped up to the top of the stems and poked around in front of me for a few minutes, singing repeatedly. He seemed to be collecting cattail fluff for a nest. It was probably the best observation I've ever had of one of these charming little birds.

Driving further, I saw a cluster of birders outside their van, peering into a big willow right at the point where the road reaches the mainland. I got out to see what had attracted their attention, but didn't even have to ask because I heard a Northern Parula singing. He stayed right there so I got a good look at him, though not long because the wind became uncomfortable. This was a highlight of the day: my first visual observation of one of these gorgeous warblers. I had several on my Breeding Bird Survey route last June, but only heard them.

Then the morning turned to misadventure. I tried to visit Backus Woods, one of Ontario's most outstanding remnants of native Carolinian Forest. Turning down a sideroad, I ignored the "Road Not Maintained" sign, and immediately encountered dried ruts a half metre deep. By the time I realized my predicament, I was already in the middle of it and decided the best course was to continue forward at a crawl. I managed to keep the Sunfire on top, and navigated safely to the other side. But further down the road I approached a mess of rutted wet mud. Crossing this seemed a better choice than returning the way I had come, but my estimation proved wrong. Soon my right front tire was sunk up to the frame of the car. So there I was, stranded in the middle of Backus Woods, with no patience for birds or wildflowers. After a 20 minute hike I encountered a couple farmers who kindly brought their tractor and pulled me out. I was the eighth person they had rescued this spring. The road forward presented more hazards, so they hauled me out backwards, and I had to escape by the dry rutted route.

I visited Port Rowan, explored the harbour with rows of picturesque boathouses, then headed for home. By then it was nearly noon and the day had started to turn more pleasant, so I explored a scenic route. So I took a scenic route home by way of Delhi, Paris (one of Ontario's prettiest small towns) and East River Road. I stopped one more time in Glen Morris, where a hiking and bicycle trail follows an old railway line along the Grand River. On a hill above the trail I heard a repeated rolling chrrr, which I thought might be a Red-Headed Woodpecker. That would have been exciting enough, but I caught enough just enough of a glimpse—streaked black and white back, scarlet nape, white face—to identify a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. Technically a Red-Headed would have been a better sighting, as they are considered a threatened species in Ontario, but we had them nesting every year on our property where I grew up. The Red-Bellied is not designated "at risk", just rare, but I had only seen one once before, so this was better for me, another highlight of the trip.

So considering the good birds I saw against the crumby weather and road mishap, it was a worthwhile adventure. Here is a complete list of the species (33) I observed on Saturday, counting first observation only:

• Long Point Provincial Park (7-8 a.m.): Canada Goose, Mallard, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Tree Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch
• Big Creek (8:30-9 a.m.): Mute Swan, American Coot, Barn Swallow, Marsh Wren, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat
• Backus Woods (9:30-10:30 a.m.): Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Ovenbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Glen Morris (1-1:30 p.m.): Red-bellied Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee

Back in Guelph I stopped at Wild Birds Unlimited and purchased Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region, a 3 CD boxed set with recordings of 372 species. This will be a more convenient tool (than surfing the internet for audio files) to hone my skills for the BBS next month.

Back home I ordered Birdbase from Santa Barbara Software. This is purely self-indulgent, a database program to organize all my bird data. I used to use Datahawk, but it hasn't functioned properly since Y2K. It will take a lot of work to transfer all the records I've kept since childhood, but it will be worthwhile as my hiatus of several years from energy and interest for birding seems to have ended. This is an inexpensive hobby, but much more interesting with a car and a little gas money.

Now the migraine has abated, but perhaps I should obey the warning sign and go back to bed for a while.

Here are a couple Tree Swallows hunkering down above the windy beach at Long Point, and the flock of American Coots at Big Creek.

Comments

[bearfinch.livejournal.com]

I have seen a Red-headed woodpecked at Rondeau Provincial Park. There a spots along some of the trails where there's much deadwood which is like they like to neat and feed from.

Red-bellied woodpeckers seem to be more common. I routinely see one in the park near my place.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Yes, they are more common, and the recent mild winters have allowed them to increase in Ontario. But it was a more interesting sighting for me, because I've only seen one before, whereas red-headed woodpeckers nested in a dead tree near the house where I grew up.

[bixie.livejournal.com]

sounds like a great day in the end, mud and tractor-pull aside. I remain jealous (and impressed!) that swans make it onto your lists.

I can relate to being excited about the technically more common birds: I react that way still with catbirds and cowbirds. they're common out here, but I didn't see one until moving to this region so they still seem unusual/exotic.

I'm excited to hear your reports of ontario birding; it reminds me of going to point pelee as a kid, when seeing redwinged blackbirds and muskrats was exciting stuff. :>

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Yes, I would like to have visited Point Pelee this year, but didn't have time, so Long Point seemed like a fair compromise.

I've been observing catbirds all my life, and they're still one of my favourites. The one at Long Point hopped right towards me as if to say, "Happy spring," and I watched him at leisure. Their plumage is so simple and elegant, and their vocalizations amusing. Last week I heard one imitating a Swainson's Thrush, which was simply lovely.

I'm afraid I can't share your enthusiasm for cowbirds. Every time I see one I can't help thinking it must have supplanted a baby warbler to come into this world. And their populations increase in abundance as we subdivide the forests, increasing the transitional habitats they favour.

[bixie.livejournal.com]

ah, I didn't realize cowbirds were nest invaders, that's a shame.