Full Day Trip to Amherst Island with Always an Adventure

March 27, 2014.

We met at the Coliseum at 5:40 am.  Heather Pikor and Jariya drove with me, while Josh and Karen drove with Tony and Nina.

We spotted 12 Snowy Owls today, starting with one on the trip down.  Tony also spotted a Great-Horned Owl in the gloom just before we got onto the 401.

We easily made it to the 8:30 ferry on time.  We saw 2 more Snowys on the ice and a Red Fox on the trip over.

The highlight of the day was Barred Owl on the way into Owl Woods.  It was buried in the branches, so hard to get a clear shot.  We found no other owls in Owl Woods.

Back on the roads, we saw several Rough-legged Hawks, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks.  I also saw a Merlin.  There were lots more Snowys out on the ice.

There was one small patch of open water on the south shore, where there were hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks and Common Goldeneyes along with a few Redheads and Buffleheads.

We decided to take the 4pm ferry and go to the Dupont Invicta lagoon in Kingston on the way back.  This proved fruitful with dozen of Gadwalls and a few American Coots and a lone male Wood Duck and a single Red-necked Grebe.  A beautiful male Common Merganser was a new bird for Heather.

Bird & Mammal List

1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Canada Goose
3. American Crow
4. Great Horned Owl
5. Snowy Owl
6. Wild Turkey
7. Ruffed Grouse
8. Red Fox
9. European Starling
10. Mourning Dove
11. American Kestrel
12. Ring-billed Gull
13. Red-winged Blackbird
14. Rough-legged Hawk
15. Snow Bunting
16. Mallard
17. Long-tailed Duck
18. Common Goldeneye
19. Redhead
20. Red-breasted Mergnaser
21. Bufflehead
22. Great Black-backed Gull
23. Northern Harrier
24. Common Raven
25. American Robin
26. Herring Gull
27. Gadwall
28. Common Merganser
29. Red-necked Grebe
30. American Coot
31. Wood Duck