BIRDS IN PORT ROWAN/LONG POINT

As usual migration time is always busy at Long Point/Port Rowan.

The spring of 2023 was the 64^th consecutive year that bird migration was monitored at Long Point by the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO).

The Sightings Board

LPBO publishes meticulous, easily accessible records on the LPBO Sightings Board.  There is always something notable or unusual to be found.

Case in point is a Black Billed Magpie found on the corner of the 1st Concession and Gore Rd. this past April 14th. In Western Canada the bird is abundant.  But not here This sighting was only the fourth ever in the area.

Well before spring another interesting sighting was documented by Stu Mackenzie, Director of Strategic Assets at Bird Studies Canada. Two Black-backed Woodpeckers - one in the St. Williams Conservation Reserve and another in Backus Woods were observed this past January.  Their sightings represented the first county records in 30 years, according to Mackenzie. These medium sized woodpeckers are typically found in boreal and coniferous forests.

More Recent Sightings

Over July and early August, we have had large numbers of great egrets roosting in the marsh area mere metres from the Port Rowan wetlands.   The species has not previously been seen in anything like these numbers in our location.

Egrets roosting at Port Rowan Wetlands
this summer

The great egret is an interesting bird.  White in colour it stands almost three feet tall with an S-curved neck, a dagger-like yellow bill, and long black legs.  Its breeding plumage is so attractive that the feathers became sought after for fashionable ladies’ hats in the 19^th century.                      

According to the American Bird Conservatory this craze for feathers led to the slaughter of huge numbers of Great Egrets and steep declines in their numbers. Conservationists were alarmed.  Starting in 1897 various states began to outlaw the wild bird feather trade.  This advocacy led to the creation of the National Audubon Society, which has the Great Egret as its symbol.

Checking on e-bird I notice that an experienced local birder counted 179 Great Egrets leaving the wetlands’ roosting location one morning in July headed to the more open location at Big Creek.  Karen Wood and other neighbourhood people check them out when they return in the evening. 

You can keep up with local birding news @LPBObs on Facebook, @LongPointBirdOb on Twitter, or @longpointbirds on Instagram. 

Come see the birds this fall and stay with us at Wood B & B.  https://www.bbcanada.com/13914.html

 

A Good Walk Perfected

Sometimes I wonder whether what I’ve written is relevant.  Perhaps at a point in time a piece was newsworthy or interesting.  However, time and current events often catch up and leave your piece as something to be filed under “P” for passed its best before date.

However, this story, basically a report on a presentation on birds and birding, seems more relevant today that when I put fingers to keyboard back in May of 2014. 

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It has been said that golf is a good walk spoiled.

But birding is “a good walk perfected.”  That was the message Jeff Gordon brought recently  to a large group of outdoor enthusiasts at Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) National Office in Port Rowan just about 400 metres from my residence.

Yes, we have a National Office in Port Rowan. And Gordon, a celebrity in the birding world was a most able and appropriate speaker as spring migration is ramping up here on Ontario’s South Coast.

Gordon heads up the American Birding Association (ABA), a non-profit organization that provides leadership to North America birders and also contributes to bird and bird habitat conservation through its programs.

He was in town to participate as the Celebrity Birder in the annual Baillie Birdathon as well as to speak at this special event billed as a Celebration of Birding.

Gordon is passionate about birding and birds.  He worries, though, that birders need to open up to others who may be interested in nature and the outdoors but are intimidated by the vast knowledge many experienced birders present.  Rather birders need to be “evangelists” about their hobby and help “break down barriers” for newcomers.

Gordon’s presentation included plenty of action shots of birders from around North America including Alvaro Jaramillo. (Jaramillo coined the “good walk perfected” line.)  The ABA head takes these types of pictures because birders are good at taking photos of warblers and eagles and the like but not so good at taking pictures of people enjoying birds.  More images that capture the “grandeur of birding” are needed.

Earlier in the day, local ornithologist Tim Lucas found a rare Kirtland’s Warbler near the entrance to the new Long Point Provincial Park.  This is considered North America’s rarest warbler and is normally found only in a small area in the north central part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula during breeding season.

Gordon and a dozen or so others were there.  He captured the excitement on his smart phone and shared the footage in the evening presentation thereby reinforcing his key message.

I think Gordon made his point well that night.  The next day another relatively rare bird was located in the area.  Check out this picture from Jody Allair's twitter account and you should be able to share in the enthusiasm with those seeing a Bell’s Vireo for the first time.

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This story was originally published by Forever Young, a Metroland paper.

Update:

**In 2020 Bird Studies Canada changed in name to Birds Canada.  That change is recognition that their work extends beyond the study of birds and encompasses “public engagement, habitat stewardship, education and training, involvement in guiding conservation decisions, and more.”

**The 60th Long Point Christmas Bird Count took place on 19 December. The count covers a 24km circle centered on the lighthouse south of St. Williams, ON. 

Stu Mackenzie of Birds Canada reports that forty-seven local birders counted a remarkable 73,759 birds of 114 species.

This total ties the second highest species total (114 in 2016). It is also the third highest total number of birds tallied in the 60-year history of the Long Point count.

Ice free conditions on the Inner Bay meant that many waterfowl were still present including 20,000 Redhead.  Thousands of Tundra Swans and Sandhill Cranes remain in the area. 

Highlight bird was the first ever White Pelican seen on Count Day at Turkey Point.  It is still here.

Seven Great Horned Owls were counted including this one photographed close to our B & B on Birds Canada property.  

A Harbinger

This morning we are hearing red-winged blackbirds, clearly a harbinger of spring, right?  I realized I’ve had this thought and probably said it aloud many, many times during the late winter over the years.

But what is a harbinger?  I don’t really know where the word comes from.   You’ll know, but I don’t.  So I looked it up.

Well, there is an archaic use of harbinger.  That is “a person sent ahead to provide lodgings.”  I guess that is pretty much what Mister RWBG is doing out there today.  And the more modern usage “something that foreshadows a future event: something that gives an anticipatory sign of what is to come” seems to fit too.  But it must be noted there is another meaning  i.e., “one that initiates a major change : a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology.” 

Anyway,  I can report that there are many harbingers of spring around Port Rowan/Long Point these days.

Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) reports  that great numbers of birds are already arriving in Long Point Bay. Tundra Swans, 1000’s of Canvasback and Redhead, & a good mix of other species are here. There are still a lot of Sandhill Cranes around too.  Karen saw big numbers landing in the fields to the west of

us on Saturday evening.

Here is a recent listing from e-Birds that will give you an idea of what has been seen in the area in recent days.
https://ebird.org/canada/subnational2/CA-ON-NF?yr=all

LPBO Notes

Some other interesting local stories picked up from LPBO’s twitter feed @LongPointBirdOb include:

·       **The Northern Saw-whet Owls banded at LPBO were found elsewhere and recently reported to LPBO.   Both were caught at Watters Smith Memorial State Park, West Virginia, which is 380 km to the south of us. One of those #owls was recaptured only 6 days after being banded at LPBO.

·    **Stu Mackenzie, LPBO’s Director of Migration Ecology, reports on the Swainson’s Thrush that was wearing a band from another observatory when caught here last May.  It was banded near Bath, MI, 330 km west of Long Point, in Aug 2018.

Details on upcoming LPBO activities can be found at https://birdscanada.org/longpoint/images/LPBTbrochure.pdf

Cheers,

Karen, Graham and Bob

Wood Bed and Breakfast

It is hard to believe that we welcomed our first guests more than six years ago.

We haven’t changed much in those six years with the exception of a small increase in rates that we believe better reflected the cost of us doing business. 

The year 2019 was our busiest year to date.  This ran counter to other attractions in the area who had difficulty due to necessary closures because of high Lake Erie water levels.

Birds and Birders

Many or our guest are birders.  And birder know that Long Point/Port Rowan area is one of the best areas in Ontario to see migrating and nesting birds.  We continue to see warblers, sand hill cranes, tundra swans and more.  There is something interesting every day, it seems.  Just checking today and notice that the Port Rowan Wetlands on Hunter Street North just up the street from us has now reached a total of 219 species seen at the site over the years.

Here is a picture of a Rose Breasted Grosbeak that Graham got earlier this year. 

Much to See

For example, we have always thought that we should get to all the tourist attractions, restaurants etc.  in Norfolk county so that we could offer informed opinion to you our guests.

In fact, this has proved to be an impossible task.  There is just too much to see/do here.

However recently we joined in on the South Coast Wine Spirit of the Season Passport tour.  This program has been going a few years and has kind of flown under the radar as far as we are concerned.

Karen drove the getaway car and I sampled the various wines, ciders and beers of Norfolk County.  There was food pairing at each location that Karen took advantage of.  Here is what the passport program looks like. https://ontariosouthcoastwine.com/spirit-season-passport/


A similar program runs in the spring.

We wonder if our guests would be interested in participating in the Passport program next year.  The idea is that we could offer some sort of package and provide the transportation.  Let us know if this might be of interest to you. 

If you haven’t already found this resource, check out https://www.norfolktourism.ca/ to find out about upcoming events.

Changes in Town

There are, at least three new places to eat in Port Rowan.  Chef Stan, who operated a food truck at the Legion last summer is transforming the Chinese restaurant into something called “Saloon.”

The Gallery Art Bistro https://shaunap.ca/ has been open for a while now and has live music.

And now there is local competition for Godfather’s Pizza.  Pizza Buoys https://pizza-buoys.business.site/, on Front near Highway #59, opened at the end of summer.

Let us know if you have any comments or feedback for us.

And best wishes for the holiday season to you and your loved ones

Karen, Graham and Bob Wood

What the Huffington Post Left Out (about Port Rowan)

A recent piece in Huffington Post listed six top coastal towns in Canada.  The list was comprised of Tofino B.C., Lunenburg and Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, Twillingate Newfoundland, Cavendish in P.E.I and our town Port Rowan.  See http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/allison-eberle/coastal-canadian-towns_b_9522064.html


The story was actually entitled 6 Coastal Canadian Towns That Will Blow You Away.  And, yes, it is nice that a “hamlet” like ours gets this kind of recognition for its great vacation opportunities.  It seems stroppy to quibble but……….

What about the birds?

Among the many attributes (camping, beachcombing, swimming, hiking and shipwreck diving to name a few) that the Huffington Post listed for Port Rowan there was not one mention of birds.
So just to help out Huffington Post readers I figured some further information was in order.

Six Things you need to Know about Birds in the Port Rowan Long Point Area

1. Port Rowan is situated within a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.  Reserves are internationally designated protected areas intended to show a balanced relationship between people and nature.  There are 16 in Canada.


2. Because of its geographic location, sticking out 32 km into Lake Erie, Long Point attracts large numbers of birds during migration. Many birds, tiring as they fly over Lake Erie in the spring, head to Long Point as the nearest landing point.  Here they can rest and feed before continuing on their journey.


3. According to E-bird Canada, four hundred species of birds have been observed in Norfolk County – most in Port Rowan/Long Point. That is more than 81% of the species that have been recorded in Ontario.


4. So it makes sense that Port Rowan is home to the national office of Bird Studies Canada (BSC), Canada’s leading national charitable organization dedicated to bird science and conservation.

Old Cut Field Station

5. Affiliated with BSC is the Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO). Founded in 1960, LPBO was the first organization of its type in North America.  Three research and banding stations are operated by LPBO where they have banded an amazing total of 972,216 birds since 1960.  The Old Cut field station, a ten minute drive from Port Rowan, is open to the public beginning this weekend (April 1).


Black Tern at the Wetlands last Spring

6. On Hunter Drive in Port Rowan there is a unique feature – wetlands recently converted from sewage lagoons.  The sewage lagoons have been decommissioned and the site has been transformed into an engineered wetland. This change will also restore the balance of the property with prairie grasses and other native shrubs and trees.  Threatened birds like bobolinks and meadowlarks may be attracted to the enhanced habitat and begin to nest here. In the last decade, nearly 30 per cent of all the bird species that have been seen in Canada have been observed at this spot.

Port Rowan Wetlands Opens

(This story originally appeared in the Norfolk News on September 30th.  Since then birders have observed a  Hudsonian Godwit, the first recorded at the Wetlands. Below is a shot of the Hudsonian Godwit taken Sunday evening.   

Wetlands Opening

It was fitting, perhaps, that a shorebird joined the crowd that had gathered on Hunter Drive North for the official opening of the Port Rowan Wetlands Sept. 24.

A pectoral sandpiper came in low and glided through the assembled group of dignitaries and interested observers. The bird landed on the newly constructed concrete walkway just metres from the viewing platform.

It was easy to imagine that the sandpiper was paying tribute to the newly restored area.

Birds have been coming to the former Port Rowan Sewage lagoons for years, of course.

Steven Price, president of Bird Studies Canada, whose national headquarters is just to the southwest of the site, recalls driving here from Toronto about 40 years ago.

“We’d tell people to go to the cannery road and turn north,” he said, recalling that the lagoons provided easy access to see swallows, waterfowl and a few shorebirds.

In the last decade, nearly 30 per cent of all the bird species that have been seen in Canada have been observed at this spot. That works out to 190 different species according to E-Bird, an online database of bird observations.

Although the pectoral sandpiper is a species that is doing well, fourteen species at risk have also been observed here, said Price, whose organization was one of the partners involved in establishing the wetlands.

With the completion of the adjacent wastewater treatment plant in 2012, the sewage lagoons were decommissioned.

Funds were then obtained to transform the site into an engineered wetland and restore the balance of the property with prairie grasses and other native shrubs and trees.

Water that once went directly into Dedrick Creek now moves through the wetlands and is naturally filtrated. This natural cleansing works to keep pollution, toxins and nutrients out of the water system.

Mayor Charlie Luke referenced the construction of the new wastewater facility and pointed over his shoulder to the wetlands.

“This is the icing on the cake, here for generations to come,” said the mayor.  

Steering committee members like Peter Bryan-Pulham, senior drainage superintendent for Norfolk County, spoke of how the Drainage Act, often a piece of legislation that is a challenge to navigate, actually worked in favour of getting the project done as the various partners worked together.

“It is a good example of groups who can sometimes be at each other’s throats agreeing on a common objective to restore sewage lagoons that aren’t much use to people when they are closed,” Price declared.

He expects that threatened birds like bobolinks and meadowlarks may be attracted to the enhanced habitat and begin to nest here. Nighthawks and chimney swifts could be drawn to the wetlands area too.

The County hopes that people from around the province and from across Canada will come as well.

They’ll be interested in how they may be able to replicate this unique Norfolk venture that benefits the natural world but will also be of economic value to Norfolk and Port Rowan.

Update

It has been  a while since we posted.

In fact, it was May 23rd when we noted the presence of a pair of White Faced Ibis which, according to Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO), was the last day they were seen.

Barn Swallows

Our family has been volunteering for the nonprofit group Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario. Zoe Lebrun-Southcott and Andy Campomizzi are running a Barn Swallow and social cues program.  Read more about it at http://www.beco-birds.org/portfolio-item/barn-swallows-and-social-cues/ 

Unfortunately the structures we are monitoring haven't been productive. We see lots of other birds though during our twice weekly monitoring sessions including the Green Heron (pictured above) which seems to be present fairly regularly.

Long Point Bird Observatory  (LPBO

Speaking of LPBO, their 56th spring season ended at the Tip on June 10th. The day before they had observed a Cassin's Kingbird. This was the first ever at Long Point and the first live one in Ontario since 1970.  According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this bird should be in Mexico or the south west United States. (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cassins_Kingbird/id)

Birds are moving around the Long Point/Port Rowan area all year.  And consider this: It is only 48 days until the Fall Monitoring season opens on August 15th.  Here is a summary of the spring season from LPBO.  http://www.bsc-eoc.org/longpoint/index.jsp?targetpg=lpbosight

Counting Butterflies

An interesting event is coming up this Saturday July 4th. Adam Timpf is coordinating a Butterfly Count.

He tells us that the the butterfly count runs like a Christmas bird count. 

"Groups of people cover different areas counting and identifying every butterfly they find. People spend the entire day in the field and then get together around 5:00 for dinner and to compile the results," says Adam. 

If you are interested in participating contact Adam at adam.timpf@gmail.com

Wetlands

Some of you will remember the old Port Rowan sewage lagoons.  They are being transformed into wetlands as this story from the Port Rowan Good News does a good job at describing.   http://www.portrowangoodnews.com/port-rowan-wetland-restoration-will-be-first-of-its-kind-to-transform-sewage-lagoon-to-functional-wetland/

We've been watching a family (maybe two families) of Common Gallinule at the wetlands recently.  Hopefully, we'll have some pictures soon.  

Meanwhile, here is a Black Tern from that location from earlier this year. 

Birds of May

We have been favoured by some interesting birds in the last week.


Along with many others, we've had some good views of a pair of White-faced Ibis which were in the area for about a week.  They could be found just off Lakeshore Road about 500 metres east of Port Royal.  They are pictured  in flight above and feeding to the right. They may still be around.


Graham got a good shot of a black tern  at the Port Rowan Wetlands on Friday May 22nd. (to the right).