Friday and Saturday night at Balsam Lake our campfire singalongs were augmented by the bugling of Sandhill Cranes as they moved southward - a strange and wonderful sound in the end-of-summer darkness. A morning hike along the Victoria Rail Trail north of Fenelon Falls today yielded a good push of warblers (especially Palms and Blk-throated Greens) and vireos (mainly Blue-headeds). There were also a lot of Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the mix, several Fox Sparrows (my first ones of the fall migration), and scores of White-throated Sparrows accompanied by a few White-crowns. I also flushed a group of 5 Ruffed Grouse (family?), a Pileated woodpecker, and a Green Heron. Ron Fleming, Newmarket Balsam Lake is just southeast of the Carden Alvar on the western shoulder of Hwy. 35 about 20 minutes north of Lindsay. Our campfires were on the southeast shore (Sandy Beach Resort). Fenelon Falls is a short distance east-southeast of Balsam Lake, at the south end of Cameron Lake. The Victoria rail trail runs north and south through Fenelon; I birded the section that runs north from Polsom Road, just east of Northline Road. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
