Petrie Island & Quebec Marshes

Saturday, August 7, 2010 6:30 am

Today, Barbara & I joined Connie, Jane & Barb C. for a grand day of birding.
Petrie Island was alive with birds, and we had a hard time dragging ourselves away.
Highlights were the Marsh Wrens, Brown Creepers and Eastern Wood Pewees.

We also saw several Eastern Kingbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Goldfinches. Wood Ducks, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Barn Swallows and Song Sparrows. There was a Downy Woodpecker, a Hairy Woodpecker, a White-breasted Nuthatch and a pair of Belted Kingfishers. Jane saw a Wilson’s Snipe. We saw Yellow Warblers, American Redstarts, and at least one Black and White and Nashville Warbler. The ladies saw a Canada Warbler too. We heard a Warbling Vireo. There were several pairs of Baltimore Orioles and a bunch of juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
We finally tore ourselves away and took the Cumberland ferry to Masson. We went straight to the Marais des Grenouillettes, which Jane calls the Little Froggy Marsh. There was the usual assortment of sparrows and kingbirds on the road in. At the parking area Jane spotted a Bald Eagle overhead. A couple of guys arrived with a small boat, which they put in. They seemed to have no gear other than a sheet of plywood, so we are not sure what they were doing or where they went.

It was fairly quiet in the marsh. Barbara thought that the eagle might have scared all the birds off. There was also a small dark bird with pointy wings that flew over. That didn’t help either. We did see a few Cedar Waxwings, European Starlings and a Bobolink. We had a Belted Kingfisher fly past, and Barbara discovered some more Marsh Wrens in the dense vegetation. There were no Black Terns, which was somewhat surprising. After a lot of looking, we spotted a couple of immature Common Moorhens.

Next, we followed Jane back to Masson. There were a few destinations in mind, so they discussed it and made up their minds as we followed along. We went straight through to Thurso to check out the Parc Plaisance – Thurso Sector, which Barb C. called the Big Forggy Marsh. Unfortunately, the access road was blocked for some sort of town event, so we had to carry on towards Plaisance. We stopped at the picnic spot / overlook and had our lunch. The ladies wanted to go on to Montebello and cross over to the Alfred Lagoons, while we decided to stay on the Quebec side.

Birds seen at Parc Plaisance – Thurso Sector August 7, 2010 mid afternoon

Northern FlickerTurkey Vulture
Cedar Waxwing
Mallard
American Bittern
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallow
Pied-billed Grebe (juv)
Wilson’s Snipe
Great Blue Heron
Wood Duck
American Wigeon
Black Tern
Virginia Rail
Downy Woodpecker
American Crow
Gray Catbird
Ring-billed Gull

Birds seen at Marais des Laiches Est August 7, 2010 late afternoon

Eastern Kingbird
Song Sparrow
Bobolink
Northern Harrier
Common Moorhen (juv) American Coot
Wood Duck Mallard
American Bittern Green Heron European Starling
Ring-billed Gull

Cottage Birding

July 30 – August 2, 2010

We revisited some of our good spot from earlier in the season, only to find mostly different birds.

At the creek at Blue Sea Lake, we saw a Green Heron – a first for the area. There wasn’t much else, so we moved on to Chemin Galipeau, where we found a whole family of young Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. At Arsenault’s, we were surprised to see an Eastern Bluebird. The next day, at a party on the lake, we heard that a family of Merlins was on the next bay of the lake. So we headed over for a visit to Sandy & Roberta and guests John & Shaleigh. It took a while, but they did show up for some good views. Later that day, we did a loon count, and found no change. There was one pair with a single chick and another pair with two. The young are getting bigger, so will likely survive.

Shirley’s Bay Dike

July 27, 2010

I made an afternoon visit to check out the recent shorebird sightings.
The standouts were 5 Great Egrets. Shorebirds were mainly Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs and LeastSandpipers.
There seemed to be many Blue-winged Teal among the ducks.

A surprise was the large number of warblers, mainly Yellow and Black and White. I also saw some Eastern Wood-Pewees, Downy Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers and various sparrows along the trail

Gatineau Park Parking Lot 17 & Trails 53/51

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

While checking out routes for a fall scouting event, I discovered a grassland bonanza near the parking area. There were many Bobolinks and Savannah Sparrows in the first 100 meters of the trail. Further along, Indigo Buntings flew across as a biked along and a Common Yellowthroat responded to pishing.

Near the old disused bridge over the Lapeche River, a Magnolia Warbler was lurking.

And at Pine Road, a family of Wild Turkeys was on the edge of the road.

Surprise cottage visitor and Common Loon news

July 10, 2010

While having coffee on our cottage deck near Maniwaki, there was a thump on the window. A small bird was lying on its back on the bench below the window. It was a male Magnolia Warbler, the first one we had ever seen there

At first it looked like a goner, but after a few minutes it managed to turn over and sit there with its beak open. It still did not look good, but after twenty minutes, it finally flew over to a branch and, a few minutes later, it disappeared.
Later we did our loon count on Grand Lac des Cèdres. Last year was a disaster, as all the nests were lost in the high water. This year, of course, was very dry, but many of the loons were apparently refusing to nest in the traditional locations. However, we did see one pair with a newborn in Pike Bay and another pair towards the outlet with two slightly larger chicks. We are still keeping an eye on some other likely pairs, but there are no other chicks yet.

Embrun Lagoons

July 8, 2010 10 am

Another very hot day. There were mother Wood Ducks with their ducklings all over the place. There were also quite a few Ruddy Ducks and a singles of American Coot and Common Moorhen. An American Bittern called briefly from the back cells.

There were several Lesser Yellowlegs, a Kildeer, a bunch of Least Sandpipers on the mud flats. I used the scope attachment with my Nikon to take photos, but the results were less than brilliant. I think I can do better with the regular 400mm and cropping.

Petrie Island with Tony Beck

Tues, June 29, 2010, 7:30 am

Quite a big group today: Tony, Heather, Rick, Russell, Sally, Chris & a friend and Irene.

We heard a Marsh Wren close by. Tony tried to call it out, but the trucks backing up drowned him out.
We watched the Ring-billed Gulls and Red-winged Blackbirds for a while and Sally heard a Belted Kingfisher. A Great Blue Heron flew past and I spotted a Mallard. Also spotted were Barn Swallows, American Robin, Baltimore Oriole and a Mourning Dove. With patience we saw American Goldfinches, a Yellow Warbler, a distant Osprey and a silhouetted Great-crested Flycatcher. Tony saw a Northern Flicker fly across and we heard Common Grackles, Song Sparrows and an American Redstart.

The best birds were a few Black Terns and a hard to spot Green Heron.

Unfortunately, it began to drizzle and it quickly turned to steady rain. We decided to head to Tim Hortons to regroup, although Chris and his lady friend went straight to Embrun. Irene decided to pack it in, as she was not prepared for rain.

We car pooled to Embrun, and were somewhat surprised to see Chris & friend already there at the lagoons. The rain had let up, so we got out our equipment and hopped the fence. There were lots of Ruddy Ducks, which Tony explained were the only duck in breeding plumage at this time of year. We also saw a Northern Shoveller and a Pied-billed Grebe. But no sooner did we set up than the rain came on hard again. Chris decided to pack it in.

There was not point in staying, so we worked our way back stopping at the Dignard constructed wetland. It was drizzling and there was mud everywhere – what a mess.
We only saw a Kildeer, a Savannah Sparrow, Barn Swallows, European Starlings and Rock Pigeons for our trouble.

Our next stop was at Giroux Ponds. More Kildeers and an Eastern Kingbird. Tony saw a Spotted Sandpiper and a female Green-winged Teal on the far shore. I spotted a Belted Kingfisher perched on a Mullein plant. Further along Giroux Road, we saw several male and female Bobolinks. Rick saw an Eastern Meadowlark. Tony and Heather went on a futile trek across the fields looking for a Clay-colored Sparrow.

Our final stop was along Wall Road looking for an Upland Sandpiper, but we came up empty. No photos today due to the constant drizzle.