Friday, May 08, 2009

May 7, 2009 - Day 5 - The longest day

Yesterday was epic. So epic, in fact, that by the time I got home, I was too tired to write my daily post. I left my house at 6:15am and didn't get home until 10:00pm. If it sounds like I'm bragging at all, well, I kind of am. I mean, that's like, a 14 hour day! And guess what? It was awesome.

The day started with Marianne and I making the great decision to bypass the tip area (which was rumoured to be completely dead) and heading to Sanctuary. It was quite birdy in the trail and we picked up three really good species: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bobolink (my nemesis bird from last year...I never did get it!), and Sedge Wren.

Incredibly, I almost left for home at 3pm due to the rain that lasted for two hours but instead of quitting early, I decided to go for an early supper in Wheatley (3 pieces of greasy pizza) and then head back out to do some evening birding. It's a good thing I did, because I added a number of species to my May list that I may not get any other days during my trip home.

I got really lucky on County Road 21. On my way to Hillman after supper, I heard Vesper Sparrows in the fields adjacent to the road and I also picked up a Kestrel at this location. Oh, and that Snow Goose I was waiting for the other day? Got it at 6pm. At this point, I also almost got my dad's truck stuck in the ditch. Ron Tozer and Mike Tate met me at the location of the Snow Goose to tick it off their May lists. While they played things safe and turned their vehicles around in the closest laneway on the road, I had the brilliant idea of doing a 3-point turn (it sadly turned into a 4-point turn) to get my truck going the other way. Next thing I know, my back tires are squeeling in the grass off the road and I'm not moving. I had this horrible image of Ron and Mike having to push my truck while I stepped on the gas (red-faced with embarrassment) but fortunately, I was finally able to turn the front wheels enough to get myself out. They rightfully made fun of me for this adventure.

Next up was a late evening stop at the Pelee Marsh. It's a necessary part of a lister's trip to Pelee if you want to get those few extra ticks. It was beautiful to walk the boardwalk at this time of night with the sun setting in the west and flock of Sandhill Cranes flying past the moon in the east. Here, our large group picked up Black Tern and Marsh Wren. We then made a stop at Delaurier to get American Woodcock and American Bittern. A final trip in the moonlight to the Visitor Center parking lot was in vain. Not a single Whip-poor-will or Nighthawk was calling. Not even a Chuck-will's-widow.....what? I can be hopeful!

All in all, an exhausting, but fully satisfying day.

Day list:

Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Dunlin
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspain Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Golden-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Canada Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Total Species: 110 - my highest for the trip so far

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