Good morning
Yesterday Ian Cannell took Jay Peterson and myself up to the Bruce Peninsula for a day of birding and despite the heavy fog in the early morning we too ( like the OFO outing on the weekend ) came up with 101 species of birds but with just 3 pairs of eyes.
We birded most of the usual roads up there and added a couple more that we were successful on last year and despite that, for the first time we did not see or hear one Sandhill Crane. Must have seen us coming.
We started at the north end of the peninsula at Cape Hurd Rd and worked our way south and the following are some of the birds listed on our outing. Where I noted the Warbler numbers I know that for each one they were undercounted.
Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Great Egret, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Wild Turkey, Sora, Upland Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, Common, Forster's and Black Terns, 5 Black-billed Cuckoos, Great Horned Owl, R-T Hummingbird, Y-B Sapsucker, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers together, E. Wood-Pewee, E. Phoebe, Alder, Least and Great Crested Flycatchers, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, House, Winter and Marsh Wrens, E. Bluebird, Veery, Hermit and Wood Thrushes, Brown Thrasher, Blue-headed, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos ( 31 Red-eyed ), 14 Warbler species including Golden-winged, 36 Nashville, Black-throated Blue, 27 Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Pine, 62 A. Redstart, 31 Ovenbirds, Mourning, and 43 Common Yellowthroat Warblers, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, E. Towhee, Clay-colored, Field, Grasshopper and White-throated Sparrows, 5 Brewer's Blackbirds, and Purple Finch.
Of course we also saw a million Bobolinks, E. Meadowlarks, and Savannah Sparrows along the way
After we finally decided to quit the Bruce Peninsula we headed on down to Sauble Beach and there we saw the Piping Plovers ( 4 of the 7 Adult and 2 of the chicks ). A total of 6 of these endangered birds. A new life days total for all three of us. A great big vote of thanks from all birders should be given to the guardians of these birds as they watch and protect them from predators and humans. Thank You Guys and Gals. ( The Plovers are usually at the north end of the beach. Look for the enclosed and signed area and the Guardians watching over the birds ).
Directions:-
BRUCE PENINSULA
OWEN SOUND is at the junction of Highways 6, 21 and 26 and is approx. 190 km / 118 miles northwest of Toronto, 120 km / 75 miles west of Barrie, and 210 km / 130 miles north of London.
From Owen Sound proceed west and then north on Hwy 6 to Wiarton ( approx. 32 km / 20 miles ). Continue through Wiarton north on Hwy 6 and you are on the Bruce Peninsula and you can bird any of the roads from Wiarton to Tobermory at the northern tip of the peninsula.
SAUBLE BEACH
OWEN SOUND is at the junction of Highways 6, 21 and 26 and is approx. 190 km / 118 miles northwest of Toronto, 120 km / 75 miles west of Barrie, and 210 km / 130 miles north of London.
From Owen Sound proceed west and then northwest on Hwy 6 approx. 19
