Our field trip yesterday started off slow with no sightings of our target species, Acadian Flycatcher or Hooded Warbler, in the Happy Valley reserve. We wondered if the weather was a factor since the trails were littered with fallen branches from recent storms. The high canopy made for challenging birding but our intrepid band of 20 members was not deterred. We managed to find several species including a probable Yellow-billed Cuckoo, heard but not seen. We picked up Eastern Bluebird, Cliff Swallow and Virginia Rail on the drive to Tim’s for lunch.
Things really improved in the afternoon as the focus shifted to the area around Palgrave. Great views were had of Blackburnian and Pine Warbles. Another Virginia Rail gave the entire group stunning views as it attempted to drive us from it’s territory. Some group members got stunning photos. Also present were Broad-winged Hawk and Green Heron. Further on up the road we encountered a singing Alder Flycatcher, a beautifully coloured male Purple Finch, and singing Winter Wren. The day ended at a small wetland near Hwy 9 on Humber Station Road. Here we had Green Heron and a female Hooded Merganser with 5 young. Perhaps the bird of the trip was our final sighting, picked up by one of our younger group members. This was a Common Gallinule, definitely a difficult species to find in this area. We ended the day with a respectable total of 61 species. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
