27 OFO members and friends assembled at Tim Horton's in Hepworth Saturday morning. A caravan of 14 vehicles proceeded north on No. 6 and headed west at Clavering. At the end of this road where the payment swings south was a family of Brewer's Blackbirds and numerous Upland Sandpipers. In route to Sauble Falls we had Pine Warblers, a male Scarlet Tanager and saw a Belted Kingfisher on the Rankin River. From Sauble Falls we headed north and turned off the highway at the south road to Oliphant stopping a few 100 metres down the road. An adult Bald Eagle was observed soaring behind us. Heading north along the shoreline a Great Egret was observed flying by. At the Oliphant Fen numerous fen plants were seen including Butterwort, sundew, Showy Lady slippers, bog candles, rose begonia and grass pink. At the Rankin River on the Oliphant Road the Osprey was home on the nest and Marsh Wrens were calling from the cattails. We proceeded over to No. 6 and headed north to Isaac Lake. Here a Trumpeter Swan was seen. Several Blue-winged Teal and a Green-winged Teal were observed. A rail tape was played and a distant Virginia Rail was heard by some. The Sora tape also produced a single reply but the calls an American Bittern in the background of the tape brought out into plain sight an American Bittern. An adult Black-crowned Night Heron flew by. Sky Lake was rather choppy with the strong wing but a Pied-billed Grebe was seen and a Caspian Tern was working the lake. We proceeded up the peninsula on the back roads with some taking the scenic route to Black Creek Provincial Park. A walk back along the old trail produced an Olive-sided Flycatcher west of the beaver dam. Since it was 5 pm we called it a day with the group list for the day at 98 species. Sunday Morning we reconvened at the Tobermory airport with still 18 members and 10 vehicles. We headed off towards the dump and onwards to the Cape Herd Road. Along the road we had good looks at Nashville Warblers and at least two different Goshawks were seen, an adult male and an adult female did fly bys. The lake was fairly quiet bird wise but was choppy as the wind was still fairly strong. A Common Tern did come fairly close. We headed over to No. 6 and south to the restaurant on the Cameron Lake Rd. for coffee , etc. South of the Cameron Lake Rd. we stopped at a cattail marsh on No. 6 and enticed a Sora out to the road which many saw at very close range. Turning off No 6 at the Dorcus Bay Rd. we headed west toward Singing Sands and had a pair of Sandhill Cranes right beside the road in the ditch. Unfortunately the birds headed quickly back into the brush and only those in the lead vehicles saw the birds. We continued along the road towards Johnson's Harbor stopping here and there. We did have a Morning Warbler calling consistently at one stop but the bird was too far off the road to catch sight of it. Just after leaving Johnson's Harbor some were fortunate to see a Pileated Woodpecker fly across the road. Lunch was at the Crane River Picnic Grounds where the black flys were numerous. We explored the fern wall and then headed south on No. 6 stopping to have a look at the rare purple stem cliff break. A walk around the Dyers Bay junction alvar failed to produce many birds but we had a look at the rare Robert's Fern. We headed east on the Dyer's Bay Rd. stopping to look at the wall rue fern and then north on the Crane River Rd. At the big marsh a Virginia Rail responded to the tape and came out for many to see. In the distance to the west the call notes of a Sedge Wren could be heard occasionally. The strong wind made it impossible to heard much at the Clay-color Sparrow location so we headed onwards to Lark Whistle and a leisurely walk in the fabulous garden. Then we were off to Cabot's Head where we called it a day at 4 pm. For the weekend OFOers on the Bruce recorded approximately 114 species.
John Miles Jarvis 1-519-587-5223 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
