In 2015, we had gone on a birding hike to the Brant Tract with Judith King as part of the festival. We remember well how the whole trail was loaded with Mourning Warblers. So, with time to spare, we drove over to the Brant Tract. But on the way, we came to the bridge over the Saugeen where Cliff Swallows have their nests. Well, this year, the nests were there, but the swallows were not. That’s a puzzle. Barbara did at least spot an Eastern Phoebe under the bridge.
At the Brant Tract, as soon as we got out of the car we heard singing Mourning Warblers. But they would not show themselves, so we hiked a short way down the trail.
We were distracted by the sounds of crows mobbing an owl. We tried to look for it, but it suddenly flew with the crows in hot pursuit. It was most likely a Barred Owl. Bill played the Mourning Warbler song, and got an immediate response. Success!
Back at the parking lot, an Indigo Bunting was singing up a storm and we got a Cedar Waxwing as well.
Then, it was on to Angus and the Packard Tract. We did a short hike just to check it out.
We drove down McKinnon Road as far as we could, following Colin’s suggestion to check out the Minesing Swamp. It is indeed a worthy destination, but we would need more time to hike the trail beyond the parking turn around. We did get some ducks and Turkey Vultures plus a bonus Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
Satisfied, we returned to Angus to find our hotel, The Borden Inn & Suites. The friendly manager actually upgraded our room and recommended Chuck’s Roadhouse across the street for dinner.
Our upgraded room had a few quirks. The main thing was that the microwave had no place to plug in, so we moved the cart into the bathroom to heat up Bill’s coffee. Also, the TV did not work and a drawer underneath kept opening on its own. These are little things and we had a good night’s rest.