Niagara Falls 2006
Monday November 27 - Thursday November 30, 2006
Trip Report by Connie Goldman
On Monday, November 27th, 2006, three friends (Connie Goldman, Karl Lukens and Bert Filemyr) left on what has become an annual trek to the Niagara area, in search for gulls, waterfowl and other birds of the season. Unfortunately, at the last moment, we found out that Ann Scott was unable to join us. Ann was missed. On Sunday night, Karl had come up from Cape May, NJ and spent the night at Bert’s house in Meadowbrook PA. Connie met them there at 6am, and the three were off for a brief coffee stop and then the ride up to Niagara Falls.
Not ones to ignore an opportunity to bird just because a long commute lies between us and our destination, we began ticking off Pennsylvania roadside birds like Rock Pigeon and Red-tailed Hawk, right away. By 8:30 am we were crossing into New York State. As we transitioned gradually to more expansive landscape, we set up our “shrike watch,” and added New York birds including Turkey Vulture. Though this species is common at home in Pennsylvania we appreciated that sightings were less common here in the more northerly parts of their range, especially in this post-migration season. As we passed the Montezuma NWR, we had Bald Eagle and Snow Goose sightings. We knew we’d be stopping here on our way home for a more in-depth look around the area; we satisfied ourselves now with what we could see from our moving vehicle.
It was not yet noon as we approached the Niagara Falls area. The American side of the falls would be the first official stop of our trip and we knew we’d be birding intently for a number of hours. We opted to take a quick detour off the highway for lunch first so as to avoid a later interruption. We were surprised to find an American-side Tim Horton’s Restaurant, and refueled happily at this traditional winter birding lunch stop!
A search for our first target species began after lunch, as soon as we reached the American Falls. Black-legged Kittiwakes had been sighted in the Falls, having been seen from both sides. Bonaparte’s Gulls were numerous, and were accompanied by Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. Ducks that congregated in the river included Mallard, American Wigeon, Common Merganser, Bufflehead, and scaup and scoter whose distance precluded a more specific ID. We saw our first trip Common Loon here also. The shrubs and trees beside the river held Black-capped Chickadee and American Robin. We held watch over the flock of gulls flying into and out of the mist, as we had not yet come up with a kittiwake. After a while, Bert surveyed the landscape and suggested that viewing from the Canada side might give us a clearer view into the area; his good birding instinct and judgments had served us with success in the past; and besides, he had the car keys! We crossed into Canada.
Searching the Canadian Falls, we added Canvasback, and were now able to ID both Lesser and Greater Scaup among the ducks. Large numbers of Bonaparte’s and the other gulls flew and perched in various areas around the area. Before long, Karl called out that he “had it!” The Black-legged Kittiwake was among the gulls flying on the edge of the mist! We all got great looks at the bird, a first-winter juvenile with the characteristic “M” pattern of black on its upper wings, and a prominent black “collar.”
As we checked the general area for any other species, the sun came out briefly from behind grey clouds. A rainbow appeared in the mist, making a beautiful scene in front of the falls. We oohed, aahed, and took photos along with the other tourists in the area. But, since no pot of gold was visible at the bottom, we decided our best bet was to continue birding, and we headed for our next stop.
Our first look from the Sir Adam Beck Overlook provided us with more sightings of the common gull of the area, Bonaparte’s. They flew and fed in numbers down over the waters swirling up from the turbines of the water diversion system. We would bird this area multiple times during the trip, looking for less common larger gulls and white-winged gulls. This time we found only Herring.
Next we birded the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club area. A rare visitor to Canada’s inland, a Razorbill, had been sighted in the waters adjacent to the course. We had not birded here in previous years and were unfamiliar with the layout, etc. As we step by steped to directions on our sighting report, we approached what we were pretty sure was the area we should park in. There, walking away from the area, were people carrying binoculars and scopes on tripods! We stopped to ask if they had seen the bird, and they pointed right off the lake edge, saying “yes, it’s right there.” We congratulated ourselves on our good fortune and on the good will of other birders. These resident Canadian birders waited while we parked quickly, and walked us out to the water’s edge next to the clubhouse. In a matter of minutes, we were watching the Razorbill off shore! Though a ways out, its black and white form, and silhouette of that deep bill, was unmistakable. We watched as it alternately swam on the water’s surface and dove underneath. We marveled at a seabird like this, right now so far inland from its usual habitat.
Our newfound Canadian friends talked of their own all-day search for the bird, which they had come to “chase” from much farther north in Ontario. As we watched, local residents and officials of the golf club approached to talk with us about this phenomenon at their lakeside establishment. We explained the rare nature of the sighting and gave them looks at the Razorbill. Also out in the lake in the area were Red-necked Grebe, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Greater Scaup. One briefly perplexing, almost unmoving, pale creamy brown bird revealed itself to be the very rare “café-au-lait” decoy duck!
Not wanting to exclude even the more common house birds from our trip list, we next conducted a neighborhood watch for feeder birds. We saw House Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee, and Mourning Dove.
At the Niagara-on-the-Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, we were given permission to quickly scan the impoundments, as the employees planned to lock the gate for the day soon. It did not take us long to find that Mallard, Bufflehead and Northern Shoveler were the species present there.
Our final stop for the day would be the traditional survey of the “flyby” at the Fort Niagara area. We arrived at 4pm as the light of the day began to fade away. We would watch until dark for Little Gull and Black-headed Gull, known to traverse the river among the Bonaparte’s in their evening flight to roost. Along the river’s edge we picked up Belted Kingfisher, Northern Cardinal, and Dark-eyed Junco. Among ducks in the river were Long-tailed Duck. Quiet at first, larger and larger groups of Bonaparte’s began flying down the river in the twilight. We tracked the groups, straining to see the “different one.” By 4:25pm, Connie called out “Little Gull!” and got Karl and Bert on the bird. The solid black under wing was unmistakable, and we had another trip target under our belts. We continued to watch, and Bert sighted two more of the birds over the next half hour. We had not gotten on a Black-headed, but decided it was too dark now, and ended our first day’s birding at 4:50pm.
We checked into our hotel north of the Canadian Falls. A congratulatory happy hour soon ensued. Gin, very dark pretzels and a sweet-hot mustard dip can really help “round out the edges” of a long drive and some hard birding! We celebrated, completed our bird list for the day, and had dinner at a local restaurant to end the day.
Tuesday, November 28th, 2006 – This morning, we enjoyed one of the pleasures of winter birding – sleeping later in the morning! We had breakfast and left our hotel at the reasonable hour of 8:00am. Today we would bird various stops to the south along the Niagara River looking for a few key species and also enjoying the birds commonly seen on the river at this time of year.
Our first stop was the Sir Adam Beck Overlook for another look at this traditional gathering area for gulls. Soon after getting to the overlook, Karl picked out an Iceland Gull that we all followed with our binoculars as it circled below among the Bonaparte’s. This Iceland showed the minimal dark wingtips of a Kumilien’s variety (Larus g. kumilieni). Bert came through with a California Gull that he found after a scrutinizing search among the similar Herring Gulls perched on the distant rocks below us. In true Bert fashion, he reported picking out the yellow legs and dusky head of the bird only “when I stopped looking at the birds.” This seems deep and very “zen,” but….whatever works! Also seen here was a Cooper’s Hawk that flew behind the Sir Adam Beck Power House.
A brief stop at The Whirlpool got us repeat looks at a few gull species. With nothing new apparent here, and long distances and poor light between us and the birds, we moved on. Feeders in the area held Tufted Titmice, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker and common neighborhood species.
On our first run through Legends on the Niagara Golf Course and surrounding roads, we looked for the raptors and sparrows traditionally found here. We added Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, and House Finch.
Birding along the Niagara River, to the Jaeger Rocks area, we enjoyed the spectacle of large rafts of Bufflehead, numbering into the thousands. Numerous duck species were seen again, and we added Ring-necked Duck, Redhead Duck, and Tundra Swan.
At Fort Erie, our southernmost destination, Bufflehead now numbered in the thousands, and we saw our first trip Common Goldeneye. We heard Carolina Wren and Cedar Waxwings as we birded along the river.
Retracing our route, we returned for another run through the Legends on the Niagara Golf Course area. This time we found Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawks and a large flock of Eastern Bluebirds.
At noon we stopped for lunch at…where else….Tim Horton’s!
We continued north to the area immediately above the Canadian side of the Falls. From the hillside adjacent to the Dufferin Parking area, Bert stopped the vehicle when he heard the “chunk” of a Hermit Thrush. We birded the area for a time, not getting a visual sighting on the bird. Though none of us may ever tell the tale, and though we are not claiming to have seen or heard an actual Screech Owl here, we will all three remember this parking lot on this date, as the place where we experienced a “mysterious” Screech Owl phenomenon. If this sounds cryptic, it is meant to!
We walked over to the area above the falls, finding Gadwall and Hooded Merganser. We searched for Purple Sandpiper that had been reported in this area, but were not able to find this species. An interesting if uncountable sighting here was a Greylag Goose. Gulls loafing in various areas above the falls provided us a challenge to find another gull species. After a considerable search, Karl recognized one Lesser Black-backed Gull sleeping tucked in among the other birds.
Where do you go in Ontario when you have seen nine species of gull in two days? Back to the Sir Adam Beck Overlook, hoping for more, of course! While we did not see new species this time, Karl spotted another Iceland. This different individual had the clean pale wings of Larus glaucoides.
The Queenston boat ramp is a traditional spot for Black-headed Gull sightings, so we headed there next, but found it fairly quiet, bird-wise.
We arrived at the fly-by across from Fort Niagara again at 4pm. Long-tailed Duck at close range was a rewarding sighting. We again spotted Little Gulls, two on this evening, flying by with the Bonaparte’s. We were unable to pick out any Black-Headed Gulls and returned to our hotel by 5pm.
We updated out trip bird list during happy hour, had dinner at a local restaurant and drove through the Niagara Festival of Lights display. We enjoyed their depiction of a flying goose that seemed to morph into a pelican as it landed in the light display; but then again, had the happy hour gin worn off?
Wednesday, November 29th, 2006 – We were on the road this day at 8:00am after breakfast at our hotel. We would head toward the Hamilton, Ontario area for some target species and exploration of birding hotspots in that area of the Lake Ontario lakeshore.
At Sir Adam Beck Overlook we observed both of our previous Iceland Gull varieties, but had no new species sightings.
Along the highway and at a dog-walking trail adjacent to an antenna farm, we picked up American Kestrel, Mourning Dove and Red-winged Blackbird. Not far was the Fifty Point Conservation area, where we added Northern Mockingbird and had an enjoyable repeat sighting of American Tree Sparrow.
Our next stop was at the Gray’s Road in Stoney Beach Lake Ontario access area where Barrow’s Goldeneye had been reported. We parked our car along the residential street and approached the lakeshore at the street’s end, seeing more and more Common Goldeneye off shore as we walked closer. We realized our search for the Barrow’s would be a challenge. Thousands of Common Goldeneye and Long-tailed Ducks floated in rafts on the water! They were all alternately swimming, posturing in characteristic mating displays and diving out of sight. We each set up a scope, chose a starting point, and began sifting through the hoard. Bert had walked out on rocks bordered by a fence to our left, around which he could see….thousands more goldeneye off in that direction! We worked at the immense flock, noting other species in the area, including Black, Surf and White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, and Red-throated Loon. We moved to different spots, chose another starting point and sifted through the flock again. The Barrow’s was not a “must-have” bird for the trip, and we were certainly not committed to spending hours and hours here to find it. But we sure would like to see the species. We searched a little longer. And got it! Connie had it come into view in her scope, not far off shore along the line of the fence! Soon Bert and Karl were on the bird too. We recognized the characteristic white facial crescent, steep forehead, white markings in a line along its back and black shoulder area “spur.” This “needle-in-a-haystack” type find was another great success for our trip. We enjoyed watching the bird for awhile and scanning the goldeneye spectacle once more. A Golden-crowned Kinglet was heard from nearby evergreens, and, as we returned to our vehicle, Black-capped Chickadees called as they foraged in neighborhood trees. A Great Blue Heron flew overhead.
At Van Wagner’s Beach we enjoyed views out onto the lake, but got no new species. We headed to LaSalle Park and Marina. All three expected species of swan - Mute, Tundra and Trumpeter - had awaited us. This is a good spot to get them all in one photo, and we each clicked a few shots of these beautiful birds. A variety of ducks, American Coot and other water birds were seen off the marina dock, and sparrows and common passerines foraged in the brush along the lakeside. Bert caught a glimpse of an Eastern Towhee, adding another trip species, before it dashed into hiding.
Next we investigated two more areas new to us, the Grindstone Marsh and Bayfront Park areas. At Grindstone we were happily surprised to find a flock of Green-winged Teal that had not yet migrated to points south. Bert commented that “White-throated Sparrow should be in there,” as we passed some hillside brush along a trail there. In an instant, White-throated Sparrow appeared! Good habitat sense, or more of Bert’s Zen of Birding? Whichever, it gave us another species tick for the trip. At Bayfront we walked the expansive suburban park area, getting more looks at American Tree Sparrow and a few other birds; but no new species.
We headed back to our hotel, enjoyed another happy hour as we recounted our successes of the day and updated our list. Dinner at a local restaurant topped off the evening.
Thursday, November 30th, 2006 – We left the hotel around 8:00am, having had breakfast, checked out, and packed the vehicle for the trip back. We would head over the border toward home today, but our birding adventure would continue a bit longer. We had planned stops along the way to check out reported sightings and enjoy birding hotspots along our route.
One last stop at the Sir Adam Beck Overlook had us finding the California Gull perched on the rocks and Iceland Gull present, with no new species found.
In Batavia, New York, we took a morning detour off the highway to visit the Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant. We were welcomed cheerfully by the workers here and given permission to drive freely along the multiple impoundments and wetland areas. Here among some repeat duck species were Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, and Hooded Merganser. We scanned the flock of Canada Goose in the impoundments for possible Cackling Goose, but found none. A few songbirds were seen here and on the adjacent private wooded wetland area. By 10:30am we were back on the road south.
We stopped at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge next. Here we enjoyed multiple sightings of Bald Eagle both perched and in flight. Bert’s habitat antennae had us stopping at a stretch of wet woods in the area, where we got out to see what might be present. White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse and Black-capped Chickadee showed up and were soon joined by Brown Creeper, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. Soon we heard the unmistakable call of Screech Owl from deeper in the woods, though it did not appear for us to see. Finally, we had an entertaining showing by two Pileated Woodpeckers here. These two flew back and forth above us and into the woods on either side of the road, challenging Karl’s attempts to photograph them. We enjoyed watching these large woodpeckers hiking up tree trunks and hearing the sounds of their calls and rapping. The open marshy areas of the refuge had Northern Harrier flying over the grasses, and multiple species of ducks in the impoundments. Killdeer were seen along one wetland edge, and flocks of Snow Geese were seen flying over the refuge. We checked a few spots for reported Sandhill Cranes, but were unable to locate these birds.
Reluctantly, we left the refuge, our last birding stop and made a more serious push toward home, adding our day’s birds to the list as we drove. We stopped along the highway for a quick lunch and dinner and were back to Bert’s house in Meadowbrook by 7:00 pm. Here we said thank-you’s and goodbyes, and agreed it had been a fun, productive and memorable trip in each others’ company. We all look forward to Niagara, 2007!