Hello Birders: Mark Wiercinski, John Haselmayer and I are weary-eyed and carbohydrate-crashing today after completing our annual Bruce Peninsula big day yesterday (May 24), finding a total of 160.5 species.
A calm and clear night, then sunny and hot day made for balmy birding conditions. This is a later date than we usually choose, resulting in some missed early migrants and slightly lower than average tally (our average is 162, record is 174). What may have lacked in overall diversity, however, was more than made up for with some great birds including a couple of regional 'firsts' for us. Highlights: -Yellow-breasted Chat (1) - our second bird of the day at 2:00 am, singing near the Shenstone Motel in Wiarton. A rare visitor to the Bruce. -Whimbrel (110) - a large flock flew over Port Elgin as we were driving slowly through town listening for a House Finch. -Piping Plover (2): Sauble Beach -Northern Mockingbird (1) - Stokes Bay government dock -Peregrine Falcon (1 adult) - Cabot Head (we hope it wasn't eating the Red-headed Woodpecker seen in the exact same tree a half hour earlier) -24 warbler species: an end of day bonus was 14 warbler species feeding at eye level in one shrub by the Tobermory Sewage Ponds, offering spectacular looks -Mallard x Pintail hybrid: at the Tobermory Sewage Ponds (this bird accounts for the "1/2 species" in our tally) Details for fellow birdathon geeks: Date: Tuesday, May 24 Start: 1:50 am (Wiarton) Finish: 9:30 pm (Wiarton) Total Species: 160.5 Total Hours: 19.5 Km driven: 510 Km walked: 16 If you haven't birded the Bruce Peninsula before, it's fantastic both during migration and the breeding season. Happy birding! Ethan Meleg Tiny, ON email: [email protected] _______________________________________________ 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
