Huron Fringe Birding Festival:

DAY 4 Sunday, May 24, 2015

A Big Day on the Bruce

Bird of the day: Red-headed Woodpecker



This was indeed a Big Day. Binoculars and scopes were busy at several stops as we drove north up to the top of the Bruce Peninsula.

The four of us set out with our group right at 6am - a very early start for us after the banquet last night.



We began the day birding in Port Elgin on the lake. Yes - we did see a Piping Plover!



We drove to a pond behind the Independent store in Southampton and were pleased to find a Tundra Swan spotlighted by the sun. As well, we saw Purple Martins, A Herring Gull and a Lesser Scaup. Right behind the store, we saw a Vesper Sparrow after hearing him sing.



At a roadstop by the shore, it was interesting to see a Great Egret stroll by a beaver lodge with a beaver on top. We could look across a bay to a lighthouse surrounded by Cormorant nests. We also found a Short-billed Dowitcher and a Belted Kingfisher.



After a long drive, we stopped near Lion's Head where there were ponds and an old pasture. There were a few Blue-winged Teals plus a distant Red-headed Woodpecker and two Upland Sandpipers, also distant. A brown-headed Cowbird was more cooperative.

The next stop was at another marshy field. There was an amazing array of birds here! We had great views of an Ameican Bittern and two Sandhill Cranes plus brief views of a Wilson's Snipe. We heard both Sora and Virginia Rail. The bittern played hide and seek in the field.



At our next stop, near Bruce Peninsula National Park, we could hear a Field Sparrow singing as we got out of the cars. Michael said we would take a walk down a country road. We had no idea it would turn into a LONG hot walk but we did see several species - Broad-winged Hawk, Brown Thrasher, American Goldfinch, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird,Indigo Bunting, Eastern Towhee, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Great Crested Flycatcher, Ruby-throated Hummingbird. American Redsstart and Wilson's Warbler. Finally, our patience was rewarded with a Golden-winged Warbler.



Our group was ready for lunch. We stopped at Miller Lake Lodge, a camping site where a local restaurant welcomed us on their deck (even if we only ordered a drink or ice cream). Michael did not spot any birds on the lake, so we began our car odyssey again after lunch.



Mid-afternoon we made some stops along backcountry roads for Black Tern. A surprise - a Bald Eagle flew in quite close.



The highlight at a roadside stop was a Red-headed Woodpecker, originally spotted on the ground, but soon up in a tree, leading us on to tree after tree for the perfect shot.



We birded along the road into early evening. We came upon a mixed flock of migrating warblers - Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler and Canada Warbler.



We had not brought any dinner (we were working from the registration description of the outing and not the updated web site) and were tired after a long day of driving. At 6:00pm we were at a trailer park by the lake where we had a bathroom break and saw a striking pair of Common Mergansers. It was a good time to head back - a few others decided to return also. We were about an hour from Port Elgin.



Thank you GPS for getting us back just as the sun set. We had dinner with Colin and Hilda in Port Elgin. As it was threatening rain overnight we wanted to be sure we had everything under cover at our campsite. Colin and Hilda were considering driving home on Monday morning to avoid birding in bad weather.

As we drove back to the park, we remembered how lucky we were to see so many birds. As well, we thought about the landscapes we had explored today and the profusion of spring flowers.