Overnight excursion to Algonquin Park 2-3 June 2012:
A group of 13 enthusiastic people, met at the Coliseum Theatre Parking Lot bright and early Saturday morning.
Although the weather forecast was gloomy, to our great surprise, all of Saturday came with perfect birding conditions – calm, comfy and reasonably dry.
It started with a bang at the East Gate when Magnolia, Pine and Myrtle Warblers came into view. Along the Opeongo Lake Road we had many different songbirds including Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Swamp Sparrow and Nashville Warbler. One of the highlights was observing a baby Hairy Woodpecker making his mamma work real hard. He was comfortably seated at the entrance to his nest cavity, making a tremendous amount of noise.
We then went to the Visitor Center for a lunch break. While enjoying our meal, Tony spots a Black Bear far out in the bog beside the centre. We all got to see it, or at least parts of it.
After the break, we ventured out on the Mizzy Lake Trail. Many wonderful things happened this afternoon including appearances of a male Black-backed Woodpecker and a pair of moose. We were all mesmerized with the foraging male moose, and everyone with a camera got their unforgettable shots.
Full of wonderful impressions of Mother Nature, we ended the day with a hardy dinner at the Mad Musher Restaurant.
The late-evening chorus was filled with the songs of Green Frog, Spring Peeper and Veery.
The next morning began with promising skies, and an eager group.
t started with excellent views of Mourning Warbler, before our 7am breakfast. We went back to the Opeongo Lake Road where we revisited our noisy Hairy Woodpecker family. Nearby, we also had a family of Gray Jay’s and a male Spruce Grouse. A persistent rain followed, encouraging us to take an early lunch at the Visitor Center.
In the afternoon, along the Spruce Bog Boardwalk we had Lincoln’s Sparrows and a Boreal Chickadee. At the Barlett Lodge Parking Lot we had two cooperative male Evening Grosbeaks. Unfortunately, the rain became very heavy as the afternoon unfolded. Around 3pm, we decided to pack-it-in for our drive back to Ottawa.
All-in-all, it was a spectacular weekend with a trip-list of 93 species, including views of all our target species.
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
Spruce Grouse
Falcipennis canadensis
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Common Loon
Gavia immer
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Northern Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Wilson’s Snipe
Gallinago delicata
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Rock Pigeon
Columba livia
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Black-backed Woodpecker
Picoides arcticus
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Empidonax flaviventris
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
Gray Jay
Perisoreus canadensis
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Boreal Chickadee
Poecile hudsonicus
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Northern Waterthrush
Parkesia noveboracensis
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Nashville Warbler
Oreothlypis ruficapilla
Mourning Warbler
Geothlypis philadelphia
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Cape May Warbler
Setophaga tigrina
Northern Parula
Setophaga americana
Magnolia Warbler
Setophaga magnolia
Blackburnian Warbler
Setophaga fusca
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Setophaga caerulescens
Pine Warbler
Setophaga pinus
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Black-thr. Green Warbler
Setophaga virens
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Swamp Sparrow
Melospiza georgiana
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Bobolink
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark
Sturnella magna
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Purple Finch
Carpodacus purpureus
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
Evening Grosbeak
Coccothraustes vespertinus
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
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“Always an Adventure with Tony and Nina”
Nina Stavlund
Nina is Norwegian, an extensive world traveller, and is now living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She's also a passionate birder and nature lover. She's a professional photographer, graduated from "Bilder Nordic School of Photography" in Oslo, Norway. Her award-winning work appears in many catalogues, magazines, postcards, websites, calendars and more. Nina, & her husband Tony Beck, offer local excursions, international tours and photographic services through their company "Always An Adventure Inc". Nina also conducts photography and photo editing courses.
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