What started out as a very "iffy" day of birding turned out to be
superb. Our (the PBC) decision/strategy to head southwest to escape
the rain worked out well as we hit sunny skies (with clouds of course)
just south of Simcoe and stayed in the sun for most of the rest of the
day. The raptors were really flying on the drive southwest as even the
Turkey Vultures were up early and performing acrobatics on the wing
(relatively speaking of course). Our first stop on 3 bridges road produced
great views of a sunning gray phase Screech Owl in the closer Wood Duck
box. We also got to see Carolina Wren, Y-R. Warblers, Ruby-cr.
Kinglets, and both Rusty and Red-w. Blackbirds while here. We then
looped around to Lee Browns which was very quiet/empty in terms of
waterfowl so we continued on to the causeway. Here we pulled over
quickly as we spotted 3 Sandhill Cranes flying over the marsh along
with a few Great Blue Herons. They stayed up in the air for a good
while allowing us nice views as they seemed to "hang like kites" in
the strong winds before settling down into the marsh not far from the
road.
At the Old Cut banding station the banders were really busy
so we knew the woods were likely full of birds. Our timing was very
good as we got to see them band a yellow phase or eastern form of the
Palm Warbler, good pictures to follow I am sure. Close looks were
also obtained of several other species including both kinglets so
that a good comparison could be made. We got our only other warbler
species here as well which was a Magnolia Warbler and the Old Cut
woods were alive with activity. In addition to both kinglets high and
low, we saw Brown Creeper, Hermit and Gray-cheeked Thrush, White-thr.
Sparrows, and several other species. But the best birds here were the
woodpeckers as we got 5 species of them including both Red-bellied
and Red-headed! The Red-headed was an immature plumaged bird but it
was still very distinctive. The blustery conditions kept the birds low
in the shrubs and trees while the raptors zoomed by overhead,
sometimes circling and darting down to try and catch a few
unsuspecting birds. At the marsh overlook at the back of the woods we
saw two Osprey fly by low over the marsh and in the distance we saw
an American Bittern fly across the horizon and then bank for a
definitive view before dropping into the cattails. An Eastern
Kingbird was also seen before we departed for Turkey Point.
At the Turkey Point marsh overlook we found Eastern Bluebirds
and saw several raptors fly through including Red-tailed and Broad-
winged Hawks and a Northern Harrier, all of them "dancing" in the
strong winds. It seemed that everywhere we looked there were birds in
the skies, from raptors to waterfowl to songbirds. There were
definitely excellent conditions for a big push south by many migrant
species that day. After tearing ourselves away from this location we
realized we were overdue for lunch so we stopped for a good meal at
the T.P. restaurant. Knowing that the weather conditions were still
good for finding birds I cracked the whip and chased everyone (nine
in total) outside ASAP so that we could continue the quest. We stopped
just on the other (east) side of the Nanticoke thermal plant at the
dead end on the lakeshore where we found our next target bird, an
immature Bald Eagle which circled and soared over us along the
shoreline. Andrew also spotted what turned out to be 4 Ruddy Ducks
out on Lake Erie.
We finally got to our destination along the route back east which
was Selkirk P.P. after avoiding any trouble in Port Dover with the
Friday the 13th crowd. Here we had another good sighting of a Red-
bellied Woodpecker and we also saw not one but two Great Horned Owls
fly into view from the marsh bridge. We bumped into John Miles next
who helped rescue a grounded D.C. Cormorant which was released into
the narrow strip of water near the middle of the bridge, just enough
for it to head to deeper water. We then made a quick stop at the
Fisherville raptor preserve where a few raptors were seen but the
best birds here were the seven Wild Turkeys out in a farmer's field
looking very happy to have seen another Thanksgiving come and go. We
finished the day with about 9 raptor species (including several
American Kestrels) and headed home elated that the day had turned out
so well.
