First Chute on the Bonnechere & Ross Road

 April 28, 2023

Having read "A Driving Tour of the Bonnechere River Watershed", we realized that we had never been to the mouth of the river and the nearby First Chute on Thomson Road near Castleford.

The river was in flood, so the falls were as impressive as they get.

Where to go next?  We decided to follow the Ottawa River northwards along River and Storyland Roads.  When we reach Chenaux Road, we decided to go to Ross Road near Snake Line Road. But first we stopped at the Cobden boat launch where there was a large group of Algonquin College Outdoor Ed student birders with their teachers from Pembroke.  We looked at the distant Lesser Scaup before moving on.

Along the way, we saw some Savannah Sparrows, Wild Turkeys and a few American Kestrels.

At several places, we could hear Eastern Meadowlarks singing, and we finally saw one perched on a rock.

At Ross Road marsh, we saw 2 Trumpeter Swans and several Blue-winged Teals.

An American Bittern called a couple of times, but failed to show.  Common Gallinules were singing all over the place, and finally, one swam into the open.  There were Ring-necked Ducks too.

The Algonquin students showed up here too.  Their teacher, Mark, told us about a pair of Northern Shovellers on Waterview Road, so we went that way on the way home.

We stopped a second time at the boat launch in Cobden to try for the Red-breasted Mergansers the student had seen.  But they had left; but there was still a large group of Buffleheads.

We took a long way home through Renfrew, Burnstown and White Lake. This led us right to the Antrim Truck Stop, where we stopped to get some of their delicious scones.  It was a lovely tour.