It was a long drive to Hullett Marsh, so a 6:30 am start for us after packing up and checking out of the hotel. So, another muffin and lobby coffee breakfast for us! Our friends, BarbC and Tamara decided to sleep in and have breakfast at 7am at the hotel and then go to the West Perth Wetlands guided hike. From there, they drove straight home, with stops for recharging Tamara’s EV.
It was a quiet, uneventful drive for us as far as Clinton. After a bit of confusion, we made our way to Wildlife Line and Conservation Road where we arrived at an empty parking lot – obviously not the meetup spot. After reviewing convention docs on his phone, Bill found the meetup spot to be on Burns Line several minutes away. Off they went to another obscure parking lot, but this one had a Jeep with our leaders – Dana and Quinten. Thank goodness. We were the only ones until another lady joined us – that was it.
We checked out the parking lot, since Quinten has a fantastic ear and could hear Pipits and other birds passing overhead. We then hiked along a berm of the Ducks Unlimited-managed marsh.
We flushed 13 Great Egrets which flew up to a tree leaning on a 45-degree angle – most unusual. There were also Great Blue Herons and distant Common Gallinules. A Belted Kingfisher rattled and flew across the back of the marsh. We got a close-up view of an American Black Duck.
We moved on to the viewing stands on Summerhill Road, but there was nothing of note.
Finally, we drove to the Conservation Road lot (where we had first gone). Right by the vehicles, we saw two Dekay’s Brownsnakes. Quinten picked up the small one for our photo ops.
We hiked down an old road where Quinten pished in a Black-throated Green Warbler for us.
There was an old bridge that had interesting views on both sides. Barbara photographed a Cedar Waxwing.
We hiked around a mud hole, then up a hill to the main marsh. There were many Pied-billed Grebes and two Trumpeter Swans seen. We were happy about the latter, because Mike Burrell had announced at the banquet that they were still missing from the convention checklists.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew over close enough for photos.
Hiking back out by the bridge, Dana spotted a flycatcher, which on examination, was a late Olive-sided. Some Broad-winged Hawks flew right over our heads high in the sky at the parking lot.
It was noon, and our leaders had to hurry to Exeter Lagoons for their next hike at 1 pm.
We were not pressed, so had our lunch at the lot before heading to Mount Forest & Durham to check family locations and cemetery memorials.
Then, it was on to Orillia for an overnight stay at the Knights Inn.