This post is a bit late but I got it up before 2014 so that's something.
Many thanks to all who made my 2012 Big Year possible. There were countless people across Ontario who either alerted me to birds I still needed for the year, encouraged me along the way, inspired me w/ their own Big Years, gave me tips and advice for where I should visit and in what month to reach my goal of 300, or simply listened to me gripe about the birds I was missing without punching me in the face. Thanks to each and every one of you.
I have to especially thank 3 people:
Mark Field, who was my traveling partner, co-conspirator, and confidant throughout the year...well, until I left Toronto and only got to 305 while he made it 311 and moved 1 place ahead of me in the eBird final standings...but who's keeping track? But seriously, the year would have sucked without you, Mark.
Matt Timpf (Mr. Canada Big Year 2013!), who helped me find many of my early year birds and continuously boosted my confidence along the way, which is actually quite a feat considering my confidence is usually somewhere between 0.01 and flatline...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
And Marianne, who always texted or called me to see how my year was going while I was away and eventually helped me get to 305 once I returned to Leamington even though I was ready to call it a day when I hit 300 (so happy you were there to share the experience of me reaching my goal with Red Phalarope).
Here is my final list for 2012 in Ontario, more or less in chronological order (unfortunately I did not keep track of when I saw each individual species on a specific day so the numbers do not always correspond with the exact order in which I saw each species, but rather in taxonomic order on the date I first saw them):
January 1 - family farm, Staples
1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Ring-billed Gull
January 2 - train from Chatham to Toronto (story here)
3. Tundra Swan
4. Wild Turkey
5. Rock Pigeon
6. American Kestrel
7. American Crow
8. Horned Lark
9. European Starling
10. House Sparrow
January 10 - Concession 1 - Puslinch
11. Canada Goose
12. Mourning Dove
13. Red-bellied Woodpecker
14. Hairy Woodpecker
15. Blue Jay
16. Black-capped Chickadee
17. White-breasted Nuthatch
18. Mountain Bluebird (lifer)
19. Dark-eyed Junco
20. House Finch
21. American Goldfinch
22. American Robin
January 10 - Mounstberg Conservation Area, Hamilton
23. Rough-legged Hawk
24. Downy Woodpecker
25. American Tree Sparrow
26. Northern Cardinal
27. Pine Siskin
January 10 - Marilynn Bell Park, Toronto
28. Mute Swan
29. Gadwall
30. American Wigeon
31. American Black Duck
32. Mallard
33. Redhead
34. Bufflehead
35. Common Merganser
36. Red-breasted Merganser
37. Herring Gull
January 25 - High Park, Toronto
38. Northern Pintail
39. Cooper's Hawk
40. Red-breasted Nuthatch
41. Gray Catbird
42. Common Grackle
January 25 - Sunnyside Beach, Toronto
43. Greater Scaup
44. Long-tailed Duck
45. Common Goldeneye
46. Ruddy Duck
47. American Coot
48. Glaucous Gull
49. Great Black-backed Gull
January 31 - Point Pelee National Park
50. Northern Harrier
51. Sharp-shinned Hawk
52. Bald Eagle
53. Bonaparte's Gull
54. Eastern Screech-Owl
55. Northern Shrike
February 1 - Onion Fields, Leamington (story here)
56. Great Horned Owl
57. Snowy Owl
58. Long-eared Owl
59. Red-winged Blackbird
60. Rusty Blackbird
61. Brown-headed Cowbird
February 2 - family farm, Staples
62. Ring-necked Pheasant
February 7 - Thunder Bay
63. Common Raven
64. Brown Creeper
65. Harris's Sparrow
66. Common Redpoll
67. Pine Grosbeak (lifer)
68. Golden Eagle
69. Pileated Woodpecker
70. Red Crossbill (lifer)
February 8 - Longlac
71. Spotted Towhee
72. White-winged Crossbill
73. Evening Grosbeak (lifer)
74. Hoary Redpoll (lifer)
February 8 - Beardmore
75. Common Redpoll
February 8 - Everard Road, Thunder Bay
76. Ruffed Grouse
February 9 - Rocky Bay
77. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (lifer)
78. Purple Finch
February 9 - Wishart Conservation Area, Thunder Bay
79. American Three-toed Woodpecker (lifer)
February 14 - Whitby Harbour
80. Trumpeter Swan
81. Hooded Merganser
82. Northern Mockingbird
February 15 - Adam Beck, Niagara
83. Thayer's Gull
84. Iceland Gull
February 15 - Fort Erie
85. Canvasback
86. White-winged Scoter
87. Fish Crow (Ontario lifer)
88. American Pipit
February 15 - Niagara Falls - upper falls
89. Lesser Black-backed Gull
February 15 - Queenston Heights overlook, Niagara
90. Double-crested Cormorant
91. Black Vulture
92. Turkey Vulture
93. Little Gull
94. Tufted Titmouse
February 15 - LaSalle Marina, Burlington
95. Lesser Scaup
96. King Eider
February 16 - Whitby Harbour
97. Greater White-fronted Goose (story here)
February 16 - Oshawa Second Marsh
98. Northern Saw-whet Owl
February 16 - Professor's Lake, Brampton
99. Wood Duck
100. Merlin
February 17 - Toronto
101. Peregrine Falcon
February 23 - Spencer Smith Park, Burlington
102. Surf Scoter
February 23 - 10th Road East, Stoney Creek
103. Short-eared Owl
February 28 - Elgin County
104. Eastern Bluebird
February 28 - Port Burwell
105. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
106. Field Sparrow
107. Song Sparrow
February 28 - Norfolk County
108. Northern Flicker
February 28 - Long Point area
109. Ring-necked Duck
110. Sandhill Crane
111. Swamp Sparrow
112. Great Blue Heron
113. Belted Kingfisher
March 7 - Leamington
114. Eastern Meadowlark
115. Killdeer
March 10 - Point Pelee National Park
116. Northern Shoveler
117. Green-winged Teal
118. Eastern Phoebe
119. Hermit Thrush
120. Yellow-rumped Warbler
121. Eastern Towhee
122. Fox Sparrow
March 10 - Onion Fields, Leamington
123. Ross's Goose (lifer)
March 17 - Long Point area
124. Horned Grebe
125. Golden-crowned Kinglet
126. Tree Swallow
127. Pied-billed Grebe
128. American Woodcock
March 18 - Long Point area
129. Winter Wren
130. White-throated Sparrow
March 18 - Townsend Sewage Lagoons
131. Snow Goose
March 22 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
132. Red-necked Grebe
March 22 - Rattray March, Mississauga
133. Carolina Wren
March 22 - High Park, Toronto
134. Virginia Rail
March 26 - Prince Edward Park
135. Bohemian Waxwing (lifer)
136. Cedar Waxwing
March 26 - Russel Road, Bourget
137. Cackling Goose
March 26 - Ottawa area
138. Wilson's Snipe
March 27 - Algonquin Provincial Park
139. Spruce Grouse (lifer)
140. Black-backed Woodpecker (lifer)
141. Boreal Chickadee
March 27 - Carden Alvar
142. Loggerhead Shrike
March 27 - Townsend Sewage Lagoon
143. Eurasian Wigeon
144. Greater Yellowlegs
March 31 - High Park, Toronto
145. Black-crowned Night-Heron
146. Chipping Sparrow
April 6 - Leslie Street Spit, Toronto
147. Great Egret
148. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
149. Barn Swallow
150. Pine Warbler
April 7 - Norfolk County
151. Common Loon
152. Vesper Sparrow
153. Savannah Sparrow
154. Lesser Yellowlegs
April 7 - Long Point area
155. Purple Martin
156. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
157. Forster's Tern
April 7 - Cootes Paradise, Hamilton
158. Caspian Tern
April 7 - Peterborough
159. Osprey
April 14 - Gairloch Gardens, Oakville
160. Harlequin Duck
April 16 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
161. Blue-winged Teal
162. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
April 17 - Everard Road, Thunder Bay
163. Sharp-tailed Grouse (lifer)
April 17 - Hurkett Cove Conservation Area, Thunder Bay
164. American White Pelican
April 17 - Thunder Bay
165. Lapland Longspur
April 22 - Rondeau Provincial Park
166. Chimney Swift
167. White-eyed Vireo
168. House Wren
169. Brown Thrasher
170. Blackburnian Warbler
171. Yellow-throated Warbler
April 22 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
172. Sora
173. Pectoral Sandpiper
174. Dunlin
April 27 - High Park, Toronto
175. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
176. Nashville Warbler
177. Palm Warbler
April 28 - Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
178. Piping Plover
April 28 - Bruce Peninsula
179. Western Tanager (lifer)
180. Brewer's Blackbird (lifer)
April 30 - Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
181. Cerulean Warbler
May 5 - Toronto Islands
182. Spotted Sandpiper
183. Common Tern
184. Great Crested Flycatcher
185. Eastern Kingbird
186. Blue-headed Vireo
187. Warbling Vireo
188. Bank Swallow
189. Cliff Swallow
190. Northern Waterthrush
191. Black-and-white Warbler
192. Cape May Warbler
193. Northern Parula
194. Magnolia Warbler
195. Yellow Warbler
196. Chestnut-sided Warbler
197. Black-throated Blue Warbler
198. Black-throated Green Warbler
199. White-crowned Sparrow
200. Orchard Oriole
201. Baltimore Oriole
May 7 - Rattray March, Mississauga
202. Least Flycatcher
May 7 - Townsed Sewage Lagoon
203. Semipalmated Plover
204. Least Sandpiper
May 7 - Aylmer Sewage Lagoons
205. Bobolink
May 7 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
206. Black-bellied Plover
207. American Avocet
208. Short-billed Dowitcher
209. Common Yellowthroat
May 8 - Point Pelee National Park
210. Eastern Whip-poor-will
211. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
212. Red-headed Woodpecker
213. Eastern Wood-Pewee
214. Yellow-throated Vireo
215. Red-eyed Vireo
216. Sedge Wren
217. Veery
218. Swainson's Thrush
219. Wood Thrush
220. Ovenbird
221. Golden-winged Warbler
222. Tennessee Warbler
223. American Redstart
224. Bay-breasted Warbler
225. Wilson's Warbler
226. Lincoln's Sparrow
227. Scarlet Tanager
228. Indigo Bunting
May 9 - Point Pelee National Park
229. Black Tern
230. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
231. Marsh Wren
232. Prothonotary Warbler
233. Canada Warbler
May 10 - Point Pelee National Park
234. Broad-winged Hawk
235. Black-billed Cuckoo
May 10 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
236. Cattle Egret
237. Marbled Godwit
238. Ruddy Turnstone
May 10 - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge
239. Common Gallinule
May 11 - Point Pelee National Park
240. Gray-cheeked Thrush
241. Worm-eating Warbler
242. Blackpoll Warbler
May 11 - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge
243. American Bittern
244. Least Bittern
245. Green Heron
246. White-faced Ibis
247. Yellow-headed Blackbird
May 12 - Point Pelee National Park
248. Black Scoter
May 12 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
249. American Golden-Plover
250. Willow Flycatcher
May 13 - Point Pelee National Park
251. Red-throated Loon (lifer)
May 14 - Rondeau Provincial Park
252. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
May 14 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
253. Stilt Sandpiper
May 15 - Point Pelee National Park
254. Hooded Warbler
May 15 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
255. Semipalmated Sanpdiper
May 16 - Point Pelee National Park
256. Mourning Warbler
May 16 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
257. Clay-colored Sparrow
May 16 - Wheatley Provincial Park
258. Solitary Sandpiper
May 17 - Point Pelee National Park
259. Olive-sided Flycatcher
260. Philadelphia Vireo
261. Blue-winged Warbler
262. Orange-crowned Warbler
263. Connecticut Warbler
May 18 - Pelee Island
264. Yellow-breasted Chat
May 19 - Point Pelee National Park
265. California Gull (lifer)
May 19 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
266. Red-necked Phalarope
May 20 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington
267. White-rumped Sandpiper
May 21 - Backus Wood Conservation Area, Long Point area
268. Acadian Flycatcher
269. Louisiana Waterthrush
May 21 - East Quarter Line, Norfolk
270. Grasshopper Sparrow
May 21 - St. Williams Forest, Long Point area
271. Northern Goshawk
May 21 -Haldimand County
272. Snowy Egret
273. Laughing Gull
May 22 - Carden Alvar
274. Upland Sandpiper
275. Common Nighthawk
May 24 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
276. Whimbrel
May 26 - Carden Alvar
277. Alder Flycatcher
May 31 - Presqu'ile Provincial Park
278. Brant
279. Barred Owl
June 4 - Westover Tract, Flamborough
280. Prairie Warbler
June 6 - Parry Sound
281. Red-shoulder Hawk
June 8 - Rainy River District (story here and here)
282. Black-billed Magpie (lifer)
283. Le Conte's Sparrow
June 9 - Rainy River Sewage Lagoon
284. Wilson's Phalarope
June 9 - Rainy River District
285. Western Meadowlark
June 9 - Lake of the Woods - Windy Point, Rainy River District
286. Franklin's Gull (lifer)
June 11 - Rainy River District
287. Dickcissel
June 13 - Wawa Sewage Lagoons
288. Eared Grebe
July 3 - Rondeau Provincial Park area
289. Magnificent Frigatebird (lifer)
July 25 - Rock Point Provincial Park
290. Sanderling
291. Baird's Sandpiper
July 25 - Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Amherstburg
292. Little Blue Heron
July 26 - Walpole Island
293. King Rail
August 12 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons
294. Long-billed Dowitcher (story here)
August 25 - Onion Fields, Leamington
295. Buff-breasted Sandpiper
August 29 - Presqu'ile Provincial Park
296. Thick-billed Kingbird (lifer)
August 31 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay (story here)
297. Red Knot
September 1 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay
298. Hudsonian Godwit
September 2 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay
299. Nelson's Sparrow
September 23 - Point Pelee National Park
300. Red Phalarope (story here)
October 30 - Point Edward Lighthouse, Sarnia (story here)
301. Black-legged Kittiwake
302. Sabine's Gull (lifer)
November 1 - Pelee Days Inn / Sturgeon Creek, Leamington
303. Snow Bunting (story here)
November 24 - Point Pelee National Park
304. Cave Swallow (lifer) (story here)
December 31 - Point Pelee National Park
305. Purple Sandpiper (story here)
Showing posts with label Rainy River. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rainy River. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2013
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Photos from Rainy River - Part 1
I rarely post photos on my blog and a big part of this comes from the fact that I don't own a proper camera. I've absolutely given thought to purchasing a good camera as I'm learning how important they are for identification and documenting your experiences in the field. However, the first major purchase on my radar is a new pair of binoculars. Dragging around an old pair of Bushnells has made me a bit self-conscious but they do get the job done. I own a spotting scope I'm happy with now but it's time I upgrade my bins.
Anyway, right now I'm restricted to using my iPhone for wildlife photography, which is surprisingly efficient if you're not looking to get stellar shots but rather are using the photos for identification or submission to the OBRC. iPhone-scoping and iPhone-binoscoping have allowed me to get records photos that were never possible before. Supporting photo evidence always makes writing a report easier.
For all of my iPhone photos, you can visit my Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyhatt/
A warning to be prepared for some silly friends photos on my Flickr page. I have my photos broken into sets.
Some of these photos have been altered with Instagram as well. More to come!
Anyway, right now I'm restricted to using my iPhone for wildlife photography, which is surprisingly efficient if you're not looking to get stellar shots but rather are using the photos for identification or submission to the OBRC. iPhone-scoping and iPhone-binoscoping have allowed me to get records photos that were never possible before. Supporting photo evidence always makes writing a report easier.
For all of my iPhone photos, you can visit my Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyhatt/
A warning to be prepared for some silly friends photos on my Flickr page. I have my photos broken into sets.
Some of these photos have been altered with Instagram as well. More to come!
This Cattle Egret was our first stop in Keswick. My second of the year. First was at the Hillman Marsh Shorebird Cell in May.
We saw this gorgeous double rainbow over the Trans-Canada Highway. I loved how the highway actually went to the end of the rainbow.
Sunset over Pumpkin Point Marsh, Sault Ste. Marie. This is where we photographed the region's first-recorded Common Gallinule, a sighting we were quite proud of.
In the north, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is replaced with the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, abundant along the Trans-Canada and along Everard Road, Thunder Bay County, pictured here. These butterflies were getting nutrients from dung on the road.
We rescued this Painted Turtle off the highway. There are 4 subspecies of Painted Turtle in North America: Western, Eastern, Midland, and Southern. In Ontario, any Painted Turtle seen south of Lake Superior is the Midland subspecies. In Northwestern Ontario, we get the Western subspecies, pictured here. The darkly-marked plastron and range identify this subspecies.
Emo Sewage Lagoons. One of many locations we checked multiple times for Eared Grebe.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Rainy River Lists
A'ight, everyone.
I'm finally getting around to sharing my complete lists for the trip to Rainy River that Mark Field and I took.
We left on June 6th from Toronto and returned on the 11th.
Here is our rough itinerary:
We first drove to Keswick to get a Cattle Egret, which Mark needed for his year list. Success. We then drove the 400 north, which eventually turns into 69, the Trans-Canada-Highway. This we followed through Sudbury and eventually ended the day at Pumpkin Point Marsh, Sault Ste. Marie. We camped over night in the Sault and then got back on the Trans-Canada (here the 17). We drove to Thunder Bay, that night camping once again on Everard Road. The following day we finished the drive to Rainy River along the Trans-Canada (here it's 11). We stayed in Rainy River until the 11th. During our stay, we visited most hotspots in the area, camped at Harris Hill Resort, and on one night, visited Baudette, Minnesota, to have dinner. This wasn't our only travel into the U.S. We decided to drive back through Michigan to get back to Southern Ontario. We stayed a night in Wawa before this drive. We took the 75 to the breeding grounds of the Kirtland's Warbler near Gaylord, Michigan, then continued driving down to Highway 69, taking this east to Sarnia. We stayed at Walpole Island that night and on our last day, traveled south to visit my family in Leamington, visited the Onion Fields and Hillman Marsh for Dickcissel, and then drove north on the 401 to get back to Toronto. An amazing cross-province trip.
Birding hotspots visited (from start of trip to finish):
Pumpkin Point Marsh, Sault Ste. Marie
- highlight included the first record of a Common Gallinule for the Sault Ste. Marie birding area, which Mark iPhone-scoped a photo of. We were very proud of this record. Here we ran into Tyler Hoar who gave us many helpful tips for the area as well as what we could expect in our visit to Rainy River.
Echo Bay, Sault Ste. Marie
- highlight was 43 Black Terns.
Lake Superior Provincial Park
- a short visit only. Did not enter the gates.
Wawa Sewage Lagoons, Wawa
- We visited this location twice, once at the beginning of the trip and once more at the end of the trip (and camped nearby). Highlights were a hunting Bald Eagle over the ponds, our first Northern River Otters for the trip (2nd visit), our first-of-year Eared Grebe (OBRC-report submitted, 2nd visit), Lesser Scaup in numbers, and our first Common Goldeneye chicks, which are adorable. Tyler had warned us we would be sick of them by the end of the trip.
Everard Road/Black Bay Fen, Thunder Bay County
- highlight was a good selection of breeding warblers, including many Mourning Warblers singing, and our only Gray Jay on the trip (a juvenile, which neither of us had seen before...lifer plumage!). It was here that we encountered the worst of the mosquitoes on the trip at the end of Everard Road where the Black Bay Fen begins. We could not stay in the area long. We tried for owls here but to no avail. Earlier in the year, however, we did get Sharp-tailed Grouse at this location on our first trip to Thunder Bay with Andrew Keaveney.
Rainy River Sewage Lagoons
- highlights included 3 Wilson's Phalarope, many American White Pelicans, and Marbled Godwit. We tried this hotspot many times for Eared Grebe but the individual in Wawa was our only sighting.
Emo Sewage Lagoons, Rainy River
- highlights included a Sora collecting nesting material giving excellent views, Ruddy Duck, 1 Yellow-headed Blackbird male, and a wide selection of waterfowl.
Fred's Road Marsh, Rainy River
- the best spot to listen for Yellow Rail, which we did not hear anywhere we visited during the trip. This was by far our biggest miss and the species we put in the most effort for. However, we did hear Le Conte's Sparrow here and it was quite a journey to throw on boots and wade out into the middle of the marsh. A tough but worthwhile experience as it was quite dramatic with a thunder storm rolling in and seeing lightning in the distance.
Harris Hill Resort/Windy Point
- a wonderful place to camp and very helpful staff. Highlights here were many but the best was my lifer Franklin's Gull, some of the first individuals to return in 2012. We had planned to take a boat out to get a closer look but weather and time did not permit.
Wilson Creek Road, Rainy River
- we tried here a few times for Eared Grebe but highlights ended up being Yellow-throated Vireo and Red-bellied Woodpecker, our only occurrences of each species on the trip.
Hurkett Cove Conservation Area
- not too much around but we did get a single Tundra Swan at this location, our only one for the trip.
Pukaskwa National Park, Thunder Bay County
- a beautiful national park that we spent a decent amount of time in, taking in the incredible scenery while searching for Black-backed or Three-toed Woodpeckers, and Spruce Grouse. We didn't get any of those species but we did luck out with a Lesser Black-backed Gull (OBRC report being written), as well as our first Black Bear. Just outside the park we had our only Moose on the trip, a huge male.
Aguasabon Gorge, Thunder Bay County
- an absolutely gorgeous waterfall off the Trans-Canada. Well worth the visit. Not too much in the way of birds but some of the most dramatic landscape we saw on the trip.
Guide's Rest, Michigan, United States
- it was an absolute wonder to be able to visit the last remaining stronghold of the Kirtland's Warbler on their breeding grounds. To see a male singing was unbelievably special and although these birds didn't count for my big year, it was a pleasure to see and hear them.
Walpole Island
- we tried Walpole for King Rail but did not have any luck. We did, however, get Least Bittern here, our only one for the trip.
Our final hotspots we visited were the Onion Fields, Leamington, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, and Blenheim Sewage Lagoons.
The Trip List:
Thanks to Mark for putting this together.
Species in italics were not seen within Rainy River County.
Bolded species were lifers
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ruffed Grouse
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Marbled Godwit
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Dunlin
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson's Phalarope
Bonaparte's Gull
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Common Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Gray Jay
Blue Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Golden-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Kirtland's Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Le Conte's Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species in Rainy River County: 121 (from 3,181 individual birds counted)
Total Species on Trip: 157 (5,165 individual birds counted)
We submitted 35 checklists from Rainy River to eBird and 75 lists from the overall trip.
United States List (includes Minnesota and Michigan)
Common Goldeneye
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Kirtland's Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Sparrow
Total: 38
Mammal List
Black Bear
Moose
White-tailed Deer
North American Porcupine
Red Fox
American Beaver
Common Muskrat
Snowshoe Hare
Eastern Chipmunk
Red Squirrel
Striped Skunk
Northern Raccoon
Northern River Otter
bat sp.
rabbit sp.
Butterfly list to come.
I'm finally getting around to sharing my complete lists for the trip to Rainy River that Mark Field and I took.
We left on June 6th from Toronto and returned on the 11th.
Here is our rough itinerary:
We first drove to Keswick to get a Cattle Egret, which Mark needed for his year list. Success. We then drove the 400 north, which eventually turns into 69, the Trans-Canada-Highway. This we followed through Sudbury and eventually ended the day at Pumpkin Point Marsh, Sault Ste. Marie. We camped over night in the Sault and then got back on the Trans-Canada (here the 17). We drove to Thunder Bay, that night camping once again on Everard Road. The following day we finished the drive to Rainy River along the Trans-Canada (here it's 11). We stayed in Rainy River until the 11th. During our stay, we visited most hotspots in the area, camped at Harris Hill Resort, and on one night, visited Baudette, Minnesota, to have dinner. This wasn't our only travel into the U.S. We decided to drive back through Michigan to get back to Southern Ontario. We stayed a night in Wawa before this drive. We took the 75 to the breeding grounds of the Kirtland's Warbler near Gaylord, Michigan, then continued driving down to Highway 69, taking this east to Sarnia. We stayed at Walpole Island that night and on our last day, traveled south to visit my family in Leamington, visited the Onion Fields and Hillman Marsh for Dickcissel, and then drove north on the 401 to get back to Toronto. An amazing cross-province trip.
Birding hotspots visited (from start of trip to finish):
Pumpkin Point Marsh, Sault Ste. Marie
- highlight included the first record of a Common Gallinule for the Sault Ste. Marie birding area, which Mark iPhone-scoped a photo of. We were very proud of this record. Here we ran into Tyler Hoar who gave us many helpful tips for the area as well as what we could expect in our visit to Rainy River.
Echo Bay, Sault Ste. Marie
- highlight was 43 Black Terns.
Lake Superior Provincial Park
- a short visit only. Did not enter the gates.
Wawa Sewage Lagoons, Wawa
- We visited this location twice, once at the beginning of the trip and once more at the end of the trip (and camped nearby). Highlights were a hunting Bald Eagle over the ponds, our first Northern River Otters for the trip (2nd visit), our first-of-year Eared Grebe (OBRC-report submitted, 2nd visit), Lesser Scaup in numbers, and our first Common Goldeneye chicks, which are adorable. Tyler had warned us we would be sick of them by the end of the trip.
Everard Road/Black Bay Fen, Thunder Bay County
- highlight was a good selection of breeding warblers, including many Mourning Warblers singing, and our only Gray Jay on the trip (a juvenile, which neither of us had seen before...lifer plumage!). It was here that we encountered the worst of the mosquitoes on the trip at the end of Everard Road where the Black Bay Fen begins. We could not stay in the area long. We tried for owls here but to no avail. Earlier in the year, however, we did get Sharp-tailed Grouse at this location on our first trip to Thunder Bay with Andrew Keaveney.
Rainy River Sewage Lagoons
- highlights included 3 Wilson's Phalarope, many American White Pelicans, and Marbled Godwit. We tried this hotspot many times for Eared Grebe but the individual in Wawa was our only sighting.
Emo Sewage Lagoons, Rainy River
- highlights included a Sora collecting nesting material giving excellent views, Ruddy Duck, 1 Yellow-headed Blackbird male, and a wide selection of waterfowl.
Fred's Road Marsh, Rainy River
- the best spot to listen for Yellow Rail, which we did not hear anywhere we visited during the trip. This was by far our biggest miss and the species we put in the most effort for. However, we did hear Le Conte's Sparrow here and it was quite a journey to throw on boots and wade out into the middle of the marsh. A tough but worthwhile experience as it was quite dramatic with a thunder storm rolling in and seeing lightning in the distance.
Harris Hill Resort/Windy Point
- a wonderful place to camp and very helpful staff. Highlights here were many but the best was my lifer Franklin's Gull, some of the first individuals to return in 2012. We had planned to take a boat out to get a closer look but weather and time did not permit.
Wilson Creek Road, Rainy River
- we tried here a few times for Eared Grebe but highlights ended up being Yellow-throated Vireo and Red-bellied Woodpecker, our only occurrences of each species on the trip.
Hurkett Cove Conservation Area
- not too much around but we did get a single Tundra Swan at this location, our only one for the trip.
Pukaskwa National Park, Thunder Bay County
- a beautiful national park that we spent a decent amount of time in, taking in the incredible scenery while searching for Black-backed or Three-toed Woodpeckers, and Spruce Grouse. We didn't get any of those species but we did luck out with a Lesser Black-backed Gull (OBRC report being written), as well as our first Black Bear. Just outside the park we had our only Moose on the trip, a huge male.
Aguasabon Gorge, Thunder Bay County
- an absolutely gorgeous waterfall off the Trans-Canada. Well worth the visit. Not too much in the way of birds but some of the most dramatic landscape we saw on the trip.
Guide's Rest, Michigan, United States
- it was an absolute wonder to be able to visit the last remaining stronghold of the Kirtland's Warbler on their breeding grounds. To see a male singing was unbelievably special and although these birds didn't count for my big year, it was a pleasure to see and hear them.
Walpole Island
- we tried Walpole for King Rail but did not have any luck. We did, however, get Least Bittern here, our only one for the trip.
Our final hotspots we visited were the Onion Fields, Leamington, Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, and Blenheim Sewage Lagoons.
The Trip List:
Thanks to Mark for putting this together.
Species in italics were not seen within Rainy River County.
Bolded species were lifers
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ruffed Grouse
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Marbled Godwit
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Dunlin
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson's Phalarope
Bonaparte's Gull
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Black Tern
Common Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Gray Jay
Blue Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Golden-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Kirtland's Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Le Conte's Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species in Rainy River County: 121 (from 3,181 individual birds counted)
Total Species on Trip: 157 (5,165 individual birds counted)
We submitted 35 checklists from Rainy River to eBird and 75 lists from the overall trip.
United States List (includes Minnesota and Michigan)
Common Goldeneye
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Northern Flicker
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Nashville Warbler
Kirtland's Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Sparrow
Total: 38
Mammal List
Black Bear
Moose
White-tailed Deer
North American Porcupine
Red Fox
American Beaver
Common Muskrat
Snowshoe Hare
Eastern Chipmunk
Red Squirrel
Striped Skunk
Northern Raccoon
Northern River Otter
bat sp.
rabbit sp.
Butterfly list to come.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Rainy River
Until this year, Rainy River has only been a place of stories for me. Birders telling me how much I'd love it, how some of their best time birding has been spent there, the great birds you see and the great looks you get. It's always intrigued me, but until this year, I didn't really know when I would have a chance to get up there.
Well, then my big year started and I knew this was a trip I had to do...and thank Quetzalcoatl, I managed to fit it into my year.
For reasons not blogged, my work and I parted ways so I was free to roam the North for the third time this year. Thankfully, I limited my H&M spring shopping sprees, so I had just enough money to eek by one more trip (and ruined a few H&M shirts on the trip as well).
Mark Field and I had discussed it a bit but it was always in a "yeah, maybe" approach so as to not get our hopes up too high that it would actually work. As June approached, however, and with our respective year lists ballooning after spring migration in Point Pelee, we made a final decision. We were going to Rainy River. And we were driving. And camping. And we were going to get Yellow Rail.
Let me tell you, I loved the area. Loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. It's an experience every Ontario birder has to have at least once. The area is beautiful, the weather unpredictable, the people helpful, the birds spectacular, and the chance for something truly special to show up always on your mind.
Thanks to Mark for a spectacular time. In total from leaving Toronto to return, we had 157 species, I tallied 8 Ontario year birds and 2 lifers, and Mark got a number of lifers (including Kirtland's Warbler in Michigan).
I'm going to break up this post in the order of new year birds on the trip and then cover our misses.
Red-shouldered Hawk - surprisingly, I missed this species in the spring despite making a number of trips to Norfolk County and sharing days of birding with Matt Timpf who has the best set of eyes and ears a birder can have. So it was to my delight (and endangerment) when a Red-shouldered Hawk flew over our car along Highway 401 near Perry Sound. I squealed in delight along with the tires of our car as I careened around on the highway. An ashy-faced Mark congratulated me on my first year bird of the trip (we were tied now...he got Cattle Egret in Keswick earlier that day on a detour before our long-distance travel. I remarked to him that this bird was garbage to me since I saw one at Hillman earlier in the spring. I'm getting used to Mark's unimpressed face).
Black-billed Magpie - our second year bird on the trip was also along a highway but this time, it wasn't the 401 so we were actually able to stop and look at the bird. A pair of magpies were hanging out on a front lawn next to a garage. A bit anti-climatic for our first Rainy River bird since it was so easy but we weren't complaining. The trip was starting off grand.
Wilson's Phalarope - even though seemingly hundreds of phalaropes were appearing in every sewage lagoon in southern Ontario except when I was visiting them, it took traveling all the way to Rainy River to see this species. It was one of the first birds I spotted and it was in flight. I followed it in my binoculars w/ relief as it flew with a flock of unidentified peeps. Another visit to the lagoons produced a much better look at a bird in the water. We ended up getting 3 total at the Rainy River Sewage Lagoons.
Western Meadowlark - we had (literally) breathtaking views of our first Western Meadowlark. I gasped and held my breath when one perched on a fence-post next to our car, its black-banded, sunburst yellow throat bubbling as it belted out its beautiful song. Up to this point, it was one of the highlights of my year and I had to lie to Mark that I had got some dust in my eyes.
Le Conte's Sparrow - After hearing a few in the preceding days, we finally got a stunning look at a Le Conte's that flew to roadside and landed on a fence near our car. Before this individual, I had only seen a fleeting glimpses of this species at Point Pelee, which, let's be honest, could have been a Chipping Sparrow with the looks that I got, so it was an absolute pleasure to have one close, in the open, and vocalizing. Another highlight of the trip.
Franklin's Gull - a relief that we saw this bird at a time that is considered too early for them to arrive but at Harris Hill Resort where we camped, we scoped the distant shores in Windy Bay, and by golly, we got 1 Franklin's Gull. The field marks we needed: black hood, dark mantle, and white spots on the wingtips were all visible. One of the owners of the campground offered to go out on a boat one of the following days to see them closer but weather and time did not permit unfortunately. We did look the following morning after the day we saw the first individual gull and had 2 together. Wish I could have had closer looks seeing as this was a lifer for me, but it was just a relief to get the bird. There was no way I was going to get to Rainy River again this year to try again.
Dickcissel - fortune was on my side w/ this one. We were driving a road names Wilson Creek, which I was starting to get a bit bored of since we drove it so many times in our effort to get Eared Grebe along River Road (which it connects to). The road finally delivered when I glanced over and saw a Dickcissel sitting right on a fencepost next to the road singing its heart out. I jammed on the breaks and sent Mark through the windshield but he was able to get some pictures of the bird during his aerial maneuvering. Heart-stopping looks at one of Ontario's most beautiful species.
Eared Grebe - we drove hours looking for this bird. We tried every sewage lagoon multiple times until we knew every bird we'd see at the lagoon and how many of each species we'd count. We were frustrated and disappointed and finally gave up on this species altogether. So it was to our complete surprise that we were rewarded for bad birding behaviour on one of our last days of the trip. We didn't drive as far as we should have. We camped near a sewage lagoon (H&M shirt ruined). Our alarm went off in the morning and we went back to sleep for two more hours. When we woke up, I strolled over to the nearby pond and lo and behold, it held a grebe. I screamed to the car with my arms flailing like Macaulay Culkin through the hallway in Home Alone and got my scope. Next thing we knew, we were getting excellent looks and horrible iPhone photos of an Eared Grebe in breeding plumage. Phew. On our drive home from Rainy River, we probably said about 500 times that we couldn't believe we got this bird. Another highlight of the trip.
The misses.
Yellow Rail - we didn't spend more time on any other species than we did w/ Yellow Rail. We traipsed through Fred's Marsh until it was pitch black smacking rocks together, crying, and pleading to the skies, but we didn't hear anything. We emailed Tyler Hoar, who had them the week previous, about a million times and he graciously responded to every question w/ another location to try. We kept hearing single ticks but they would turn out to be a Sedge Wren or some mystery sound that was never heard again. This species remains elusive to me and although I'm sure I won't get it this year, it is my number 1 target species for Ontario in the years to come.
Connecticut Warbler - although these are a guarantee in the area, we put the effort in and never even heard a single Connecticut. We heard a single bird singing on Woodland Nature Trail, Pelee, in the spring but I wanted to see one on their breeding grounds! No such luck.
Western Kingbird - although we did try a few locations the species had been found in previous years, while we were in Rainy River, we had no knowledge of a resident W. Kingbird. We only found out once we got home that there was a reliable spot for one! A crushing blow, but I felt good that we at least tried for the species.
Sharp-tailed Grouse - everyone who visits Rainy River has at least one encounter w/ this species. Whether it be in the middle of a short-grass field, or nearly picking one off w/ your car, it's a reliable Rainy River bird. Oh how we tried. I still have yet to see this darn species. I've only heard them on Everard Road near Thunder Bay earlier in the year. We thought we got lucky when we saw a grouse on the road ahead in a pouring rainstorm. We jumped out into the rain and soaked ourselves silly setting up the scope on it, only for Mark to point out that this bird had a black tail. And a high crest...and it was a Ruffed Grouse. He slapped the suicide pill from my hand and convinced me to enjoy the bird in front of us even though it was the wrong grouse. In the end, he got spectacular pictures of the bird despite the rain since it was tame as can be (there's a reason people are not allowed to hunt from cars). After batting my hands away from the steering wheel enough times, Mark said we'd stayed long enough and that it went against birding ethics to run over a bird. We drove on, Sharp-tailed Grouse-less.
Nelson's Sparrow - though one was reported singing earlier in the month, we were not fortunate enough to get this species. It's one I can still get in the year but boy, it would have been nice to get out of the way in June! I think sometimes we were so focused on hearing Yellow Rail that we forgot we should be listening for Nelson's Sparrow as well.
To see my photos from the trip, you can visit my new Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyhatt/, which includes captions on many of the photos. I took all of them with my iPhone.
Well, then my big year started and I knew this was a trip I had to do...and thank Quetzalcoatl, I managed to fit it into my year.
For reasons not blogged, my work and I parted ways so I was free to roam the North for the third time this year. Thankfully, I limited my H&M spring shopping sprees, so I had just enough money to eek by one more trip (and ruined a few H&M shirts on the trip as well).
Mark Field and I had discussed it a bit but it was always in a "yeah, maybe" approach so as to not get our hopes up too high that it would actually work. As June approached, however, and with our respective year lists ballooning after spring migration in Point Pelee, we made a final decision. We were going to Rainy River. And we were driving. And camping. And we were going to get Yellow Rail.
Let me tell you, I loved the area. Loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. It's an experience every Ontario birder has to have at least once. The area is beautiful, the weather unpredictable, the people helpful, the birds spectacular, and the chance for something truly special to show up always on your mind.
Thanks to Mark for a spectacular time. In total from leaving Toronto to return, we had 157 species, I tallied 8 Ontario year birds and 2 lifers, and Mark got a number of lifers (including Kirtland's Warbler in Michigan).
I'm going to break up this post in the order of new year birds on the trip and then cover our misses.
Red-shouldered Hawk - surprisingly, I missed this species in the spring despite making a number of trips to Norfolk County and sharing days of birding with Matt Timpf who has the best set of eyes and ears a birder can have. So it was to my delight (and endangerment) when a Red-shouldered Hawk flew over our car along Highway 401 near Perry Sound. I squealed in delight along with the tires of our car as I careened around on the highway. An ashy-faced Mark congratulated me on my first year bird of the trip (we were tied now...he got Cattle Egret in Keswick earlier that day on a detour before our long-distance travel. I remarked to him that this bird was garbage to me since I saw one at Hillman earlier in the spring. I'm getting used to Mark's unimpressed face).
Black-billed Magpie - our second year bird on the trip was also along a highway but this time, it wasn't the 401 so we were actually able to stop and look at the bird. A pair of magpies were hanging out on a front lawn next to a garage. A bit anti-climatic for our first Rainy River bird since it was so easy but we weren't complaining. The trip was starting off grand.
Wilson's Phalarope - even though seemingly hundreds of phalaropes were appearing in every sewage lagoon in southern Ontario except when I was visiting them, it took traveling all the way to Rainy River to see this species. It was one of the first birds I spotted and it was in flight. I followed it in my binoculars w/ relief as it flew with a flock of unidentified peeps. Another visit to the lagoons produced a much better look at a bird in the water. We ended up getting 3 total at the Rainy River Sewage Lagoons.
Western Meadowlark - we had (literally) breathtaking views of our first Western Meadowlark. I gasped and held my breath when one perched on a fence-post next to our car, its black-banded, sunburst yellow throat bubbling as it belted out its beautiful song. Up to this point, it was one of the highlights of my year and I had to lie to Mark that I had got some dust in my eyes.
Le Conte's Sparrow - After hearing a few in the preceding days, we finally got a stunning look at a Le Conte's that flew to roadside and landed on a fence near our car. Before this individual, I had only seen a fleeting glimpses of this species at Point Pelee, which, let's be honest, could have been a Chipping Sparrow with the looks that I got, so it was an absolute pleasure to have one close, in the open, and vocalizing. Another highlight of the trip.
Franklin's Gull - a relief that we saw this bird at a time that is considered too early for them to arrive but at Harris Hill Resort where we camped, we scoped the distant shores in Windy Bay, and by golly, we got 1 Franklin's Gull. The field marks we needed: black hood, dark mantle, and white spots on the wingtips were all visible. One of the owners of the campground offered to go out on a boat one of the following days to see them closer but weather and time did not permit unfortunately. We did look the following morning after the day we saw the first individual gull and had 2 together. Wish I could have had closer looks seeing as this was a lifer for me, but it was just a relief to get the bird. There was no way I was going to get to Rainy River again this year to try again.
Dickcissel - fortune was on my side w/ this one. We were driving a road names Wilson Creek, which I was starting to get a bit bored of since we drove it so many times in our effort to get Eared Grebe along River Road (which it connects to). The road finally delivered when I glanced over and saw a Dickcissel sitting right on a fencepost next to the road singing its heart out. I jammed on the breaks and sent Mark through the windshield but he was able to get some pictures of the bird during his aerial maneuvering. Heart-stopping looks at one of Ontario's most beautiful species.
Eared Grebe - we drove hours looking for this bird. We tried every sewage lagoon multiple times until we knew every bird we'd see at the lagoon and how many of each species we'd count. We were frustrated and disappointed and finally gave up on this species altogether. So it was to our complete surprise that we were rewarded for bad birding behaviour on one of our last days of the trip. We didn't drive as far as we should have. We camped near a sewage lagoon (H&M shirt ruined). Our alarm went off in the morning and we went back to sleep for two more hours. When we woke up, I strolled over to the nearby pond and lo and behold, it held a grebe. I screamed to the car with my arms flailing like Macaulay Culkin through the hallway in Home Alone and got my scope. Next thing we knew, we were getting excellent looks and horrible iPhone photos of an Eared Grebe in breeding plumage. Phew. On our drive home from Rainy River, we probably said about 500 times that we couldn't believe we got this bird. Another highlight of the trip.
The misses.
Yellow Rail - we didn't spend more time on any other species than we did w/ Yellow Rail. We traipsed through Fred's Marsh until it was pitch black smacking rocks together, crying, and pleading to the skies, but we didn't hear anything. We emailed Tyler Hoar, who had them the week previous, about a million times and he graciously responded to every question w/ another location to try. We kept hearing single ticks but they would turn out to be a Sedge Wren or some mystery sound that was never heard again. This species remains elusive to me and although I'm sure I won't get it this year, it is my number 1 target species for Ontario in the years to come.
Connecticut Warbler - although these are a guarantee in the area, we put the effort in and never even heard a single Connecticut. We heard a single bird singing on Woodland Nature Trail, Pelee, in the spring but I wanted to see one on their breeding grounds! No such luck.
Western Kingbird - although we did try a few locations the species had been found in previous years, while we were in Rainy River, we had no knowledge of a resident W. Kingbird. We only found out once we got home that there was a reliable spot for one! A crushing blow, but I felt good that we at least tried for the species.
Sharp-tailed Grouse - everyone who visits Rainy River has at least one encounter w/ this species. Whether it be in the middle of a short-grass field, or nearly picking one off w/ your car, it's a reliable Rainy River bird. Oh how we tried. I still have yet to see this darn species. I've only heard them on Everard Road near Thunder Bay earlier in the year. We thought we got lucky when we saw a grouse on the road ahead in a pouring rainstorm. We jumped out into the rain and soaked ourselves silly setting up the scope on it, only for Mark to point out that this bird had a black tail. And a high crest...and it was a Ruffed Grouse. He slapped the suicide pill from my hand and convinced me to enjoy the bird in front of us even though it was the wrong grouse. In the end, he got spectacular pictures of the bird despite the rain since it was tame as can be (there's a reason people are not allowed to hunt from cars). After batting my hands away from the steering wheel enough times, Mark said we'd stayed long enough and that it went against birding ethics to run over a bird. We drove on, Sharp-tailed Grouse-less.
Nelson's Sparrow - though one was reported singing earlier in the month, we were not fortunate enough to get this species. It's one I can still get in the year but boy, it would have been nice to get out of the way in June! I think sometimes we were so focused on hearing Yellow Rail that we forgot we should be listening for Nelson's Sparrow as well.
To see my photos from the trip, you can visit my new Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremyhatt/, which includes captions on many of the photos. I took all of them with my iPhone.
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