We gathered at Ruthven for the morning census at 6 am. By the time we left at 730 we were over the 50 species mark. It was a decent start to the day, considering the foggy conditions. As always, Ruthven provided us several species that we encountered nowhere else. This included WILD TURKEY, TUFTED TITMOUSE, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, LINCOLN’S SPARROW, CAROLINA WREN, ORCHARD ORIOLE, and a rather late SLATE-COLOURED JUNCO.

We made our way up to York and down River Road to see what we could find along the Grand River. We found fog, and a lot of it. But, we were able to add our only BOBOLINKS.

With the poor visibility we decided to skip checking the Haldimand shoreline. Instead we headed right to the Townsend Sewage Lagoons. Unfortunately the duck diversity was much lower than the week previous, but we still managed to add our only AMERICAN COOT, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WILSON’S PHALAROPE, HERRING GULL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, and HOODED MERGANSER.

En route to Simcoe we added two raptor species to the list, RED-TAILED HAWK and AMERICAN KESTREL. In Simcoe we were pleased to see the CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW colony was still active, along with a few GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS.

We continued on to St. Williams. Travelling slowly down the sand road we added several new birds. Our only BROAD-WINGED HAWKS were here, and we added a few warblers to our day list. This is an excellent place for HOODED and PINE WARBLERS, both of which were heard throughout. A small flock of PINE SISKINS flying overhead was a bonus.

We then headed down the Backus Woods sand road. This birding hotspot did not disappoint. As we made our way to the sloughs we saw a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, and heard a few CERULEAN WARBLERS overhead. A LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH were calling simultaneously, allowing for a nice comparison. Other good birds included our only HAIRY and PILEATED WOODPECKER, as well as a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. A single YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was a bonus.

We then headed for Front Road where the long-staying WHITE-FACED IBIS were still putting on a show in a small roadside pond. These were fantastic birds to see on our birdathon, as they are a very rare species in Ontario. After having some great scope views we also picked up a few PECTORAL SANDPIPERS feeding on the edge of the pond.

We made our way down the Long Point causeway, adding BLACK TERN to our list. We headed to Long Point Provincial Park where we did some birding in the day-use area. The woods were full of a nice selection of neotropical migrants, with Ben picking out our only BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, and Sean got us our BROWN THRASHER for the day.

A quick walk through the Old Cut woodlot yielded a few nice additions. We saw and heard a MOURNING WARBLER at very close range, as well a numerous other species down at eye level. Some light rain showers pushed the birds very close to the ground, providing some awesome views. Other new birds included NORTHERN PARULAS and VEERY.

It was time to head back to the mainland to scope the inner bay for waterfowl. At the Port Rowan waterfront we were able to find both GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, CANVASBACK and our only CASPIAN TERN.

We headed west down Front Road to look for shorebirds. Just like last year Liz picked out a nice flock of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS in the farm fields near the windmills. Giovanni then found a stunning AMERICAN PIPIT right next to us in a field. Both were nice species to add for the day.

We continued west and visited a small patch of old growth forest where we were rewarded with nice views of a pair of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS. Watching these birds vocalize and fly around in the treetops was one of the days highlights.

Next stop was my brother’s farm. Here we added VESPER SPARROW, a common breeder, as well as an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER (heading up to more northern breeding ground). This unexpected bonus bird was a nice find!

Having added most of the expected species for the day we decided to try for some more waterbirds. We made our way down through the Turkey Point area, but were unable add anything new. All of the Red-breasted Mergansers, which I had found the day before, had disappeared!

Panic was starting to settle in. We needed to add some more species if we were going to reach our goal. We made our way back to Port Rowan, and had a scan of the bay from the overlook. To our surprise we were able to add several GADWALL and a few AMERICAN WIGEON. Fantastic!

Stuck at 148 species, we decided that heading back to the Old Cut woodlot was our best chance to add a few more species. As we scoured the trees and bushes we were rewarded with a CAPE MAY WARBLER, and….a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET! Number 150. After a few high-fives we gathered ourselves and pushed onwards, trying to better our goal.

An evening stroll to the Big Creek viewing platform added 2 new species. An AMERICAN BITTERN was calling in the marsh, and a COMMON NIGHTHAWK flew overhead.

With dark settling in we headed back to St. William’s. On our way there we noticed 2 orange sets of glowing eyes sitting on the road. It was a pair of EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILLS! What a treat. We were able to watch them for a few minutes in the headlights before continuing on the sand road. In the pine forests we heard several more of these amazing birds, including one that was calling right over our vehicle. It was incredible to hear their loud and beautiful call on this calm May evening. I think this was definitely one of the top moments for our Birdathon.

Our last species for the day was an AMERICAN WOODCOCK that was displaying and peenting in a clearing beside the road. This was our 154th species for the day.

It was a long but wonderful day of birding in Haldimand-Norfolk. We had a great time birding and were very happy to have reached our goal of 150 species. Thank you to all of our supporters who helped us reach our goal of $2000 (another goal achieved!). These funds will go a long way to continuing the great work done at Ruthven and at Bird Studies Canada.

Looking forward to 2016…can we break 160?
Good birding.