Cottage Sightings

 June 14-16, 2024

Before we got to the lake, we saw "our" Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the Bouchette picnic stop.  Then on our road, we had a Snapping Turtle and a Star-nosed Mole!

On Saturday, he lake was too rough for boating, so went birding at the same place on Ch du Lac à l'Arche as the previous weekend.  Once again, warblers were singing, including a Mourning Warbler.

We hiked down the hill to Heafy's Lake, because Bill wanted to photograph the Sundew that Guy discovered last year.

Afterwards, we drove to Maniwaki to buy some flowers, then drove part way down Chemin des Eaux, where we saw an Eastern Meadowlark sitting on a post.

While in town, we checked out Ch. R. Gendron at the north end of Lac Evans. The swallows on the wire confused Bill, until he realized they were juvenile Tree Swallows.  They also saw a Purple Finch on the road, and a Brown Thrasher.

Back at the lake, it finally calmed, so Bill went fishing and caught the smallest lake trout on record.  He released it, of course.

On Sunday, we did our first loon count.  We were surprised to see a juvenile Bald Eagle at the point into Sylvestre's Bay.

Besides loons, we saw the usual mergansers, terns, and an adult eagle at Gladu.

We saw 7 loons.  One pair seemed to be considering a nest site at the small island at the mouth of Deep Bay.  Another pair had already started a nest on Seagull Rocks, although the abundance of terns there caused it to nest in an open vulnerable area.  We can only hope for success.