20161127 PFN Birding
Fifteen members of the Peterborough Field Naturalists (PFN) met at 1pm November 27th in Peterborough to carpool for a birding trip to Rice Lake. As the group gathered and exchanged greetings, Martin Parker said "we have a palace revolt"! There was a fresh report of a rare bird, but it was a bit further away in Port Hope. When the dust settled, everyone was happy to go along with the new agenda and find the rare bird.
Reports of a Glossy Ibis recently being seen at the A.K. Skulthorpe Woodland Marsh in Port Hope proved true for our group. Everyone got an excellent, extended view of the bird around 2pm as it foraged through the mud of the partially dried-up pond. There were also several Mallards in the same pond vicinity. This Ibis was in winter adult plumage. I asked Martin how rare the Glossy Ibis is: he has six sightings for Southern Ontario over the past few decades. On average there is one per year somewhere in Southern Ontario.
After viewing the Glossy Ibis, we all turned our attention to nearby Lake Ontario. The following bird list was generated from sightings along the lake shore and out on the lake: Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, White-winged Scoter, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Belted Kingfisher, American Crow and White-breasted Nuthatch.
Our side trip to Port Hope impacted the number of stops along Rice Lake. But we still managed to stop at Bewdley, Pengelly Landing and Wood Duck Creek where the following list was generated: Canada Goose, Cackling Goose, Mallard, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Loon, Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye and Downy Woodpecker. The Cackling Goose was difficult to find as there were only a couple among a flock of 200 Canada Geese. But thanks to Kim Clark and Martin Parker, several PFN members got their first look at a Cackling Goose.
(Photographed November 27, 2016 in Port Hope and along Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada)
Read MoreReports of a Glossy Ibis recently being seen at the A.K. Skulthorpe Woodland Marsh in Port Hope proved true for our group. Everyone got an excellent, extended view of the bird around 2pm as it foraged through the mud of the partially dried-up pond. There were also several Mallards in the same pond vicinity. This Ibis was in winter adult plumage. I asked Martin how rare the Glossy Ibis is: he has six sightings for Southern Ontario over the past few decades. On average there is one per year somewhere in Southern Ontario.
After viewing the Glossy Ibis, we all turned our attention to nearby Lake Ontario. The following bird list was generated from sightings along the lake shore and out on the lake: Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, White-winged Scoter, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Belted Kingfisher, American Crow and White-breasted Nuthatch.
Our side trip to Port Hope impacted the number of stops along Rice Lake. But we still managed to stop at Bewdley, Pengelly Landing and Wood Duck Creek where the following list was generated: Canada Goose, Cackling Goose, Mallard, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Common Loon, Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye and Downy Woodpecker. The Cackling Goose was difficult to find as there were only a couple among a flock of 200 Canada Geese. But thanks to Kim Clark and Martin Parker, several PFN members got their first look at a Cackling Goose.
(Photographed November 27, 2016 in Port Hope and along Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada)
