Good morning
Yesterday morning Ian Cannell and I drove up to Sauble Beach to hopefully see the Piping Plovers. We arrived at the beach and to our dismay we were informed by the Piping Plover Project Coordinator Stewart Nutt that the birds had not been seen at all so far. We did some checking by walking the northern end of the beach, looking and listening but we had no luck. We again stopped to talk to Stewart and after Ian exchanged cell phone numbers we left and started north for the Bruce Peninsula with the intension of returning later in the day to try again.
We made our way north and while at Isaac Lake north of Wiarton Ian's phone rang
and it was Stewart who informed us that they had found the Plovers so we immediately headed back down to Sauble Beach, found Stewart and there in front of him were 4 Piping Plovers (the male and 3 fledglings). We observed the birds for some time and while talking to Stewart he told us that the young birds were making short flights from the waters edge to the sand dunes already (about 200 yards) so it would probably not be very long from now that the birds would head south (actually any day now) so if you want to see these great and rare little birds you had better go now. :arrow:
These birds at this time were at the far northern end of the beach but Stewart had found them about 2 1/2 kms south of that area of the beach and stayed with them as they moved north along the waters edge so if you go then be aware that they range a long way and the beach is long and gets very crowded with people after 10 am. Good luck if you go.
Ian and I want to give a great big thank you to Stewart Nutt for the great and kind help in seeing these birds and for the very informative info as well as the great job that he and others have done to protect these little guys.
After very satisfying looks at the Piping Plovers we again headed north onto the Bruce Peninsula and following are some of the birds we found.
Green Herons, Black-crowned night-Herons, Osprey, Virginia Rail, Sandhill Crane (an adult with 2 almost grown chicks), Upland Sandpiper, an American Woodcock on the roadside (with possible young but an auto came by and spooked them/it), Caspian, Forster's and Common Terns, Black-billed Cuckoo, Sapsuckers, Olive-sided, Willow and Least Flycatchers, Phoebes and Pewees and many E. Kingbirds, Common Ravens, House Wrens and Winter Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds (on almost any road we traveled), Thrasher, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos, some Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Dickcissel (on Concession 4 - 200 yards north of Barrow Bay Road), Towhee, Chipping, Field and Swamp Sparrows (many, many Savannah Sparrows), Bobolinks, E. Meadowlarks, Brewers Blackbirds ( 2 on Lindsay Rd at East Rd and 2 on Hwy 6 just south of Ferndale), and Purple Finches.
Directions:-
SAUBLE BEACH
From Hwy 401 - drive to either Hwy 6 east of Kitchener or Hwy 10 at Brampton then go north to Owen Sound.
From Owen Sound drive north to Hepworth. Turn left or west on County Road 8 at Hepworth and drive straight to Sauble Beach.
BRUCE PENINSULA
From Owen Sound drive north on Hwy 6 from Owen Sound through Wiarton and you are there.
