Huron Fringe 2019. June 2

BIRDING THE TOWER TRAIL – Justin Peter

June 2, 2019

We had a 6:45 am start, so were up early and had a cold breakfast. Barbara discovered some birds, including our towhee, across the road.



We drove quickly to the Visitor Centre and were the last to arrive. Hilda assured Justin that we would not be late! Justin is an exceptional birder and a great guide. We were pleased to be out with him again.
After a few introductions, we convoyed to the Tower Trail, which started on the road beyond our campsite. At the trailhead, a Great Crested Flycatcher was singing.



Justin led us through the forest, often walking backwards pointing out the sounds that he was hearing and most of us weren’t. We saw resident warblers including Black and White, Yellow and American Redstart. A Hairy Woodpecker was at its nest hole which we could not see at the back of a tree. A Red-eyed Vireo uncharacteristically came by for a photo.



After awhile, we reached the viewing tower where we spent quite a bit of time. We saw Common Grackles, a Cedar Waxwing, a Great Egret, a Swamp Sparrow, an Eastern Phoebe and a Pied-billed Grebe. Some saw a couple of Virginia Rails.



We carried on around the rest of the pond and saw a Gray Catbird, a Sora and a Hooded Merganser.



When we arrived back at the cars, Justin could hear a Canada Warbler. So, we walked down the road until it popped out for a photo or two.



With some time left, Justin decided we would return to the Visitor Centre and bird on the boardwalk trails there. In the pond we saw a number of adult Eastern Newts swimming around, which was a lifer! We also saw a Midland Painted Turtle and a Snapping Turtle.



It was lunch time, so we decided to get something from the BBQ put on by the Friends. At the registration tent, they were giving away walking sticks, so we all took one. Then it was off to the Park Store for ice cream before Colin and Hilda hit the road for Toronto.




SHRUB & TREE ID – Jim Coles

After the ice cream, it was time for a final workshop with Jim Coles who had been on our Greenock Swamp Nature Ramble. The purpose of this outing was to be able to identify trees and shrubs using botanical keys. We began in the big tent studying our keys and the branches he had prepared for us. Then, we visited several specimens nearby and used the keys to identify them.



This event finished about 4 pm, so we returned to the end of the Tower Trail by the Townline Road. We saw lots of goslings, another Sora, another Virginia Rail, a Porcupine, a Common Yellowthroat, a Gray Catbird and an Alder Flycatcher.



Very tired, we returned to our campsite and had an early night. It was windy… so not good for birding but fine for a deep sleep to prepare us for our trip home.