July 12 2025 (Saturday) Thickson's Point
Leader: Dave Milsom, Cathy Douglas, Brian Wales.
Thickson's Point Fieldtrip July 12th Leaders : Dave Milsom, Cathy Douglas, Brian Wales
21 birders braved the hot July heat to enjoy a pleasant hike along the trail at Thickson's Point, followed by a brief visit to Whitby Harbour, a lunch stop at Tims, and an early afternoon walk at Cranberry Marsh. We managed to find shady spots in the morning. In the afternoon a lovely breeze off Lake Ontario kept us cool. Despite this, we decided to finish the fieldtrip earlier than usual due to the hot weather. Most of the group seemed to enjoy the birding despite the lack of species at times compared to previous trips annually on this date. Highlights included the many swallows, mostly Bank, that we studied at length soaring over us and diving over the cliffs and back to their nest holes near the Point. Also notable were the sightings of 7 Orchard and 5 Baltimore orioles seen well along the trail, a Willow Flycatcher, many Yellow Warblers, Green Heron, 2 Caspian Terns, Catbird, Warbling Vireo, American Redstart, up to 10 lovely adult Cedar Waxwings, 14 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 1 of which was seen being fed by a Song Sparrow and another being fed by a Chipping Sparrow. Another highlight, particularly for photographers, was the confiding nature shown by one individual Eastern Kingbird. Whitby Harbour was not productive except for the enthralling display shown by a group of Belted Kingfishers. After lunch, we visited Cranberry Marsh. At the marsh overlook, we were entertained for several minutes by a loudly singing Marsh Wren which gave great views for all the group. Also seen well by all were Great Crested Flycatchers. At the beach along the lake, we heard more wrens, saw 4 Ospreys, 5 Killdeer, but little else. Many thanks to co-leaders Cathy and Brian, and to a wonderful group who were a pleasure to bird with.
Dave Milsom
July 5 2025 (Saturday) Rosetta McClain Gardens
Leader: Jack Alvo, John Nishikawa, Rose Petrich, Monika Croydon.
Trip report July 5, 2025: Rosetta McClain Gardens outing for Disability Pride Month
On Saturday, July 5, nine participants met at 9:30 at Rosetta McClain Gardens in Toronto. This was the third annual outing there for Disability Pride Month. The weather was very comfortable ahead of the heat wave expected later that day. The group included folks who are new to birding and others who are more experienced. The youngest was a bright and very friendly 4 year-old girl who was there with her mom.
We had a 2 hour, leisurely stroll around these lovely gardens that were donated to the city last century. Given the mostly flat terrain, plenty of shade, paths that are suitable for mobility devices, and signage in Braille, Rosetta is a perfect location for a disability outing.
As in past years, we were led around the gardens by Rose Petrich, who knows the area intimately as she often visits. In addition to helping us find birds (26 species in all), Rose pointed out a number of nest locations including Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Baltimore Oriole and White-breasted Nuthatch. While those nests are empty by now, we did see all of those birds including some fledglings.
This annual outing is co-sponsored by Ontario Field Ornithologists, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Accessibirdies. A big thanks to my co-leaders Rose Petrich, Monika Croydon and John Nishikawa.
Jack Alvo
June 14 2025 (Saturday) Happy Valley
Leader: Kevin Shackleton.
The Happy Valley Forest area is made up of two linked tracks managed by The Nature Conservancy of Canada and a third managed by York Region Forests. The field trip was attended by 21 of the 27 members and guests who registered for the outing. The weather was glorious with mid 20C temperatures and mainly sunny skies. Full leaf out had happened so it was in darkened woods where the group sought elusive forest birds. Only one attendee expressed a desire to tick the Hooded Warbler species breeding there since the last Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. We heard two and one of the photographers snagged a photo. Views of Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Blue-winged Warbler and Indigo Bunting were much appreciated by the group.
A coffee and washroom break in Schomberg at about 10 am gave some the energy to complete the outing. We walked a little over 6.5 kilometres in about four hours, allowing for the break and travel time. The feedback was generally positive. We identified 34 species on the day.
Kevin Shackleton
June 8 2025 (Sunday) Rose Point Trail
Leader: Mark Calhoun.
Rose Point Trail, Parry Sound.
Led by Mark Calhoun
On a beautiful sunny day a total of 10 OFO members participated in a morning on the Rose Point Trail. Breeding grounds birds were out in force and the Trail was filled with singing American Redstart and Chestnut Sided Warblers In total we saw and heard a total of 55 species in this 4km walk along the old Parry Sound Algonquin Park railway bed.
Highlights included a singing Mourning Warbler. We had some good views of a pair of Broad Winged Hawks. This trail was a good vireo day as we had many Red Eyed vireos but also a Blue Headed, Warbling and Yellow Throated Vireo as well.
After a washroom break we ventured to Rugged Trail in Parry Sound for a chance to see the endemic Prairie Warbler. Unfortunately we only had a few brief glimpses of one and heard just a few songs.
Terrific day of birding
Special thanks to Cynthia McAllister for tallying our E Bird list.
And thanks goes to John McAllister for all the terrific photos
June 7 2025 (Saturday) Limestone Islands
Leader: Mark Calhoun.
**Limestone Islands Provincial Park and the Georgian Bay Archipelago **
On June 7th Mark Calhoun led a group of 9 OFO on a boat birding tour of the Georgian Bay Archipelago and specifically the Limestone Islands Provincial Park Birding colonies.
We had chartered Georgian Bay Tours for the entire day departing Snugs Harbour at 10am. There was a report of a very rare Scissor Tailed Flycatcher on an island not far from where we started just 48 hours prior to our event. We traveled to the island but we did not see this rarity.
The Georgian Bay Archipelago is the largest freshwater Archipelago in the world. We traveled through the McCoy Island chain en route to the Limestone Islands which is the farthest west in the this island chain.
Limestone exceeded all expectations. Though we did not see a large number of species we did see species quite rare to Parry Sound District. The Islands contain large breeding flocks of Common Tern and Ring Billed Gull. As well nesting colonies of Black Crowned Night Heron, Caspian Tern and American Herring Gull are present in small numbers.
It must be said and pointed out that visiting the Limestone Islands is not permitted during breeding season. In order to organize this trip, I had to get special permission from the Park Superintendent which we did. Not only did we get permission he decided to join us and take our group onto the island. Thank you to Park Superintendent Kenton Otterbein for showing us around the Limestone Islands. We did see a pair of endangered species on the Island and we were asked not to disclose which species for their protection.
Notable species we did see included a Marbled Godwit which was a lifer for many. Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Semi Palmated Sandpiper, Bald Eagle pair on nest with two visible young, Northern Pintail, Spotted Sandpiper were part of our sightings.
Special thanks goes to Aileen Cassels for all the photography shown here. Thanks to Georgian Bay Tours and to Kenton Otterbein. This day exceeded all expectations.
Mark Calhoun
June 6 2025 (Friday) Rainy River
Leader: Leo Weiskittel, Kiah Jasper, Alessandra Kite.
14 birders joined us for OFO?s annual Rainy River trip, hailing from all parts of Ontario and beyond to explore this unique and secluded section of the province. Leo had spent 4 productive days scouting the region for target species in order to determine the best possible itinerary and ensure a fruitful outing for participants.
We began our first morning at Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve, driving slowly along Highway 619 as it bisected this isolated boreal habitat. This produced a variety of breeding songbirds including Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Lincoln?s Sparrows, and Golden-winged Warblers, with our highlight being the cheery voices of 4 Connecticut Warblers singing from deep within the bog. We also encountered a few pairs of Canada Jays with sooty young in tow, a female Black-backed Woodpecker inspecting a tree cavity, and 12 White-winged Crossbills feeding on spruce cones. Our next stop was Gouliquer Road, where open shortgrass fields host many western specialities. Though it was fairly late in the morning by this time, a thorough check yielded a single Sharp-tailed Grouse, a flyover flock of American White Pelicans, excellent views of a male Northern Harrier, and good numbers of Sedge Wrens, LeConte?s and Clay-coloured Sparrows, Western Meadowlarks, and Brewer?s Blackbirds. Some members of the group obtained close looks at 2 pairs of Upland Sandpipers as they foraged near the roadside. En route to our next site we observed a few Sandhill Cranes, Wilson?s Snipes, more Brewer?s Blackbirds, a singing Yellow-throated Vireo. With the noon heat catching up to us, birding along Blue Road 3 was somewhat slow. The highlights were a Red-headed Woodpecker and a group of Black-billed Magpies, which were our first for the day. We decided that this was a good time to end the morning and planned to reconvene after an hour?s lunch break.
We reassembled at the Rainy River Sewage Lagoons, where 3 processed cells with overgrown cattail margins serve as nurseries or staging areas for a collection of waterfowl, shorebirds, and marsh species. Ducks included several breeding pairs of Blue-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, and Ring-necked Ducks, a late Redhead, and a female Common Goldeneye with ducklings in tow. Singing Pied-billed Grebes, pairs of American Coots, a late Pectoral Sandpiper, and a stunning flock of 22 Wilson?s Phalaropes were also present. Several foraging Soras provided unobstructed views for the group. From here we patrolled a few roads west of Highway 600, scanning wetlands and agricultural fields for targets as we worked our way up towards Harris Hill. Mostly owing to the time of day, this was unproductive until we reached Kreger Road and followed it to the Lake of the Woods shoreline. Looking out towards the Sable Islands, Common Terns, Double-crested Cormorants, and large groups of American White Pelicans became omnipresent. Though our primary target for this site was not initially present, other highlights included a Common Nighthawk kettling with pelicans, an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk pursuing a flock of waxwings, and a pair of Broad-winged Hawks soaring overhead. Finally, a breeding-plumaged Franklin?s Gull flew in and joined the gull flock loafing on a distant sandbar. We eventually tallied 4 individuals of this lovely prairie specialist. Before we departed Kreger Road, Kiah spotted a Marbled Godwit flying north over the Sable Islands. It was seen by all participants, with at least a few obtaining good scope views. We continued along Highway 600 until we reached a field where Leo had consistently found a pair of Great Gray Owls hunting in broad daylight. Unfortunately there was no sign of these birds, though we were quickly consoled by an even better find! For several minutes, we were treated to remarkable views of a Western Kingbird sallying for insects from a power line. This species is a rather rare and irregular visitor to the Rainy River area, and certainly an auspicious means to cap off a productive first day.
We reconvened the following morning on Gouliquer Road, with many in the group hoping to finally obtain adequate looks at a Sharp-tailed Grouse after the previous day?s lacklustre views. Though Leo had found this hallmark Rainy River species to be plentiful and fairly conspicuous only a few days before the trip, it was now just past the lekking season and the grouse were in hiding. This time, only 1 was seen by a single participant as it flushed into a far field. Fortunately, it was hard to feel demoralized when the dawn chorus contained a whistling Upland Sandpiper, many Sedge Wrens and LeConte?s Sparrows, uncountable Bobolinks, and a few Western Meadowlarks. We then returned to Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve, where we were quickly treated to many of the same boreal species we had observed the preceding morning, including a pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers, a trio of Canada Jays, singing Golden-winged and Connecticut Warblers, and a host of other songbirds. A most unexpected sighting was a pair of adult Bonaparte?s Gulls flying fairly low over the road, perhaps breeding in the extensive surrounding peatlands. Shortly afterwards, an American Three-toed Woodpecker called several times from a dense stand of Black Spruce and was heard well by the entire group. It eventually drummed twice, but did not reveal itself. Adding to the list of shy spruce denizens, 2 Boreal Chickadees called consistently well back from the road.
With one target still on the menu, we worked our way towards Wilson Creek Road and drove slowly in the hopes of turning up some Sharp-tailed Grouse. En route, a few of us spotted a flock of 7 Yellow-headed Blackbirds flying north over the highway, though unfortunately they could not be refound for the group. Our efforts on Wilson Creek Road quickly paid off, with 5 Sharp-tailed Grouse flushing from a ditch as we approached, circling briefly over our convoy before vanishing in an area of tall grass far out into a field. We made another unsuccessful pass at the Great Gray Owl on Highway 600 before moving north to Lake of the Woods, where mature deciduous forest intersects with a sandy shoreline. Singing upon our arrival was a Black-billed Cuckoo, 2 Yellow-throated Vireos, and a good assortment of warblers. Most surprising was a beautiful Olive-sided Flycatcher perched on a dead snag, which we presumed to be a late migrant. On the lake we spotted several species of ducks, a locally scarce Caspian Tern, and a large colony of Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans containing well over a thousand birds. A sizable flock of pelicans provided excellent views as they foraged in a sheltered lagoon. By this time it was mid-afternoon, and we elected to wrap up our final day here.
Afterwards, few participants were able to spot some birds Leo had staked out in the preceding days but evaded us during the trip, namely Yellow Rail and Great Gray Owl. Other fun extracurricular finds included a nesting pair of Piping Plovers, a Whimbrel and more assorted shorebirds, and a hunting pair of Long-eared Owls.
Leo Weiskittel
May 30 2025 (Friday) Raith
Leader: Nick Escott.
OFO/TBFN Field trip May 30 2025
This field trip was for boreal forest breeding birds. The site selected was the old CN railbed a few km north of Raith off the Dog River road. Logging by the Wagner Corporation had apparently been discontinued the previous year and the road had not been maintained. Roadside beaver dams that had annually been broken to drain the trackside ditches, had been rebuilt since last year, and at one point the entire road was under up to a foot of water. Nevertheless we plowed through it uneventfully.
Eleven birders from Thunder Bay, Amethyst and Terrace Bay met at the County Fair parking lot at 6:30 am and proceeded in 3 vehicles to the starting point where we met our 12th participant who drove down from Dinorwic. We drove slowly up the road, frequently stopping to get out and walk and listen for singing birds. It was a cool morning with a smoky haze from prairie forest fires, but the wind direction changed as it warmed up and we enjoyed a beautiful warm bug-free sunny day.
The birding was exciting and busy all along the route, with a total of 68 species including 17 warblers and all 3 vireos; many Wilson?s Warblers sang in the wet willow thickets. Highlights included an American Bittern in full view on the roadside, and a Great Gray Owl. A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher delighted everyone as it sang persistently from the top a tall dead snag. Several Broad-winged Hawks perched along the roadside ditches hunting for reptiles and amphibians. The area includes peatlands, and breeding birds characteristic of this habitat included Sandhill Cranes, Palm Warblers, Wilson?s Snipe and a Sharp-tailed Grouse. Unexpected were a singing Gray Catbird at the start of the hike, and an Eastern Kingbird at the end of the trip, which concluded at about 4 pm.
Nick Escott
