www.thefilemyrs.com > Birding > Niagara Falls 2008 > Species List

Northern Hawk-Owl photographed near Stoney Creek, Ontario by Karl Lukens during Niagara 2007

New York State, USA - Ontario Province, Canada

December 8-11, 2008


Trip Report by Connie Goldman

Day 1 – December 8, 2008
The annual birding trip to Niagara for our group of friends began before daylight on this morning, at the home of Bert Filemyr in Meadowbrook, PA. Karl Lukens had come up the night before from his home in Cape May, to stay at Bert’s; Connie Goldman drove down from Churchville, PA, a short distance away, and met the two there at 6:00 am. Within minutes the van was packed, and we drove off to meet Ann Scott. She was waiting at a hotel parking area in Towamencin; her husband Mac would take her car and return for her when we got back.

The four of us then headed off excitedly toward our eventual destination, Niagara Falls. Birding began immediately, as we began ticking off common species along our route. As we entered the more remote areas along the NY thruway, a Red-tailed Hawk was perched every few miles, in what seemed a mathematically planned fashion. Other birds of interest en route included Snow Geese seen from the road alongside Montezuma Wildlife refuge, Northern Harrier and Bald Eagle hunting the skies over the vast fields; and a couple Turkey Vultures, remarkable in that they were most certainly in the northernmost stretch of their range for this season. Our “shrike watch,” on-going for a number of years now as we make this trip again and again, came up empty this time around. By noon we were approaching the U.S./Canada border. We decided to bird on the USA side at LaSalle Park before proceeding across. There we found common species of songbirds in trees and shrubs and began sighting waterfowl, including Greater Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback and Redhead Duck. We scanned the water from Bird Island Pier a short distance away, marveling at the vast numbers of ducks and gulls flying out in the Niagara River off in the distance. We crossed the border and birded our way from the Jaeger Rocks areas and down the Niagara Parkway. We found Ring-billed, Herring and Bonaparte’s Gulls, stopping at various pull-outs to sort through flocks looking for less common species. We sighted Common and Hooded Mergansers, Tundra Swans, and countless numbers of Common Goldeneye flying in rows up-river. When we found Canada Geese roosting, we sorted through for possible Cackling, finding none. We drove through Legends on the Niagara Golf Course, checking the open grassy habitat there. Raptors were limited to Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier, but we added American Tree Sparrow to our trip list, enjoying a large flock of these birds. On Peters Street in Chippawa we made a stop at a traditional private feeding station and found Downy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch and Tufted Titmouse among the feeding species. A tree adjacent to the house held a flock of Cedar Waxwings, for a special surprise. At the control gates, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen roosting among Great-Black-backs and other gulls. We pulled into the Dufferin Island Natural Area , finding the large Mallard flock and a group of Ring-billed Gulls loafing there. On the wooded hillside were Northern Junco, Song Sparrow and an unexpected single female Red-winged Blackbird, out of season and expected habitat. Our last stop for the day was at the Sir Adam Beck Overlook. We would stop here numerous times during the trip, checking gull species here. This was, after all, primarily a gull-focused trip. We would look for gulls and attempt to age them by plumage and to locate less common gull species. Our first look here rewarded us with looks at Iceland Gull, among the more common species there. There were numerous Iceland Gulls of various ages, by plumage, at the overlook this day. As the day’s light began to fade, we proceeded to our hotel. We had accomplished our goal for the day, mostly getting here – and had taken our first looks at the season’s birds of the area. We had happy hour in our hotel rooms, compiled our day’s list and had dinner together at the local Kelsey’s restaurant.

Day 2 – December 9th, 2008
After breakfast in our hotel, we left around 8:00am and headed straight for the Sir Adam Beck Overlook. We made a concerted effort to locate new (for the trip) gull species and were able to find Thayer’s Gull! Numerous Iceland Gulls also entertained us this morning.
We decided to head away temporarily from the Niagara River and try for some species that had been reported along the Ontario lakeshore. At the Millen Street access, we immediately hit upon our target species, King Eider! A female of this species swam calmly close to shore, enabling very close looks. This was a lifer for Ann! Also seen here were Common Goldeneye, Long-tailed Duck, White-wined Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser. Far out upon the lake, we could see staggering numbers of waterfowl, and were amazed at the spectacle of this massive congregation of ducks and other birds.

Bert had been in contact with our friend, Ontario photographer John Millman as our trip had grown closer. John had informed us of a Snowy Owl at the Bronte Harbor, and we decided to head there next, in case this desirable winter bird was still there. As we drove into the parking area, we saw John’s vehicle there also! We joined him and his friend Karl, and with them, enjoyed views of a Snowy Owl perched atop a Sunoco sign adjacent to a marina clubhouse! The bird stayed put, posing for photography and good scope views. In the marina waters we also saw Common Mergansers, Bufflehead and Greater Scaup.

We accompanied John and Karl to Bronte Creek Park, a sight for other owls and field species. Another photographer friend of theirs happened to be at the park when we arrived. We all walked among the evergreen groves, searching for birds. While we were unable to locate Long-eared Owls sometimes seen here, we found Golden-crowned Kinglet in the Chickadee flocks there. Saying goodbyes and thank-you’s to our Canadian friends, we headed off to another area of habitat birding, the Patterson Tract. In this area, occasional sightings of crossbills had been reported. Expansive horse farms and fields marked our route, and we found a flock of Wild Turkeys in one field. Uncertain as to the exact access point of the tract we were looking for, we slowly drove the approaching road. We passed by a patch of woods with no parking area or pull-out but could not locate an exact entry point. Was this the place? A man in a car parked along the road had our answer. Hearing the directions we read from internet reports of the area, he indicated that there was “an evergreen bush” in the direction we had come from. Knowing that there were very many evergreens behind us, some of them the size of a bush, we at first thought his explanation vague. But as he continued directing us, we realized that, in the local vernacular, “bush” meant “a concentrated patch of woods!” So the dense wooded area we had passed was the spot. We parked along the road and went in, walking a narrow trail. Many close-approaching Black-capped Chickadees and other common winter woodland species entertained us on our pleasant, if somewhat wet walk through the “bush;” but no crossbills could be located.
Our next destination was LaSalle Park and Marina in Hamilton. Here our target species did not elude us, but practically came and sat in our laps! The flock of banded wild Trumpeter Swans commonly seen here was undergoing a survey. For the purposes of the study, the birds were being fed at the marina boat ramp. They had walked up the ramp and were milling about among feeding buckets within arm’s reach of us! Talk about close views of Trumpeter swans! Among them were the ubiquitous Mallards, and even a feisty Bufflehead approached the ramp, but did not lower himself to allowing feeding by the humans! In the lake we got repeat looks at various duck species. We walked along the boardwalk and found a nice mixed woodland flock there, including White-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Downy Woodpecker and Brown Creeper. Black morph Grey Squirrels walked along the rail of the boardwalk, practically leaping onto our shoulders! We watched as a captured Trumpeter, temporarily pinned down…errr….”detained” by humans, was outfitted with a leg band, as we left the park.

Over at the Hamilton lift bridge area we birded the waters for gulls and waterfowl. Long-tailed Ducks and Common Goldeneye were present in large numbers. A large white-winged gull on the beach here proved to be a darker plumaged juvenile Glaucous Gull; a new gull species for the trip! Continuous rain may have caused the peregrine in the area to take cover in a concealed dry spot; we did not see this species here this time around. We stopped briefly at “Ginger’s feeding station,” a tradition for us on the trip. The bird feeding tray set up in memory of the owner’s deceased pet dog, is at the access point to a trail near an antenna farm adjacent to the QEW. House Sparrow was the only species there this time.

Losing daylight, we drove back to our hotel, launched into the night’s Happy Hour in our rooms. We compiled our day’s bird list and and had dinner together at the local “Keg Restaurant.” Before returning to our hotel, we enjoyed the drive-through Festival of Lights holiday display in Niagara Falls as we listened to Mannheim Steamroller versions of christmas carols from an iPod inside our vehicle. Our birding ID skills adapted well to this pursuit, as we saw trees lit up in red, undoubtedly Redwoods. Trees lit in blue were, of course, Blue Spruce, trees lit in white - you guessed it, White Pine; and green-lit trees are any evergreen you want! We settled in for the night, happy with our birding thus far, and knowing the morning would bring additional opportunities for gull study and general habitat birding in the Lake Ontario area.

Day 3 – December 10th, 2008
An 8:00 departure after breakfast in our hotel had us heading again for the Sir Adam Beck Overlook for another session of gull study. We got on Iceland Gulls there, and one or two in our group located Thayer’s Gull in flight again. We looked hard through the mass of gulls, trying to locate a California Gull, a species reported on occasion this season, though not consistently. Though we found gulls of various ages and plumages, none was the elusive California. We left, knowing this was not our last attempt at the gulls.
In Niagara-on-the-Lake, we birded neighborhood feeding stations next, finding most of them quiet on this morning. Eventually a few American Goldfinches and chickadees began to show up, but no different feeder birds were found. We tried a local water treatment plant, but its gates were closed, so we were unable to check for ducks there. We drove the orchards around the area of Walker Road, finding large flocks of starlings and robins feeding in the area. Another flock of smaller birds flew over and landed in trees within view of our vehicle. We stopped to enjoy views of Pine Siskins (with Goldfinches), a less common species where we live in the USA. On an antenna nearby, a falcon was seen perched – a Merlin! We were able to back up and get close binocular views and good photo ops! Another feeding station in the area had a few more siskins, and also hosted White-crowned Sparrows among the feeding birds.
At the Queenston dock, we returned to “gull-ing,” searching the Bonaparte’s flack there for Little or Black-headed Gull, coming away without those two species, but adding Belted Kingfisher. At The Whirlpool in Niagara Falls, we looked again for different species of gull but did not find any here. We made repeat passes through Legends on the Niagara Golf Course and the feeders in Chippawa, finding no new species. Lunch at the local Tim Horton’s seemed like a good idea at this point.

We would devote the afternoon to birding the Falls. Starting at the control gates, we were disappointed to find very few loafing gulls. Virtually all were in flight in huge ‘kettles’ overhead. Why were they all up? Had they been flushed? Sure enough, a Bald Eagle was found, high in the sky over the control gates area. We birded alongside Table Rocks, and found a Purple Sandpiper walking on rocks adjacent to the barge, and Gadwall among the ducks in the rapids. We sorted through various groups of gulls as we worked our way down to the falls. Just above the falls, a number of Herring, Great Black-Backs and Ring-billeds rested on the rocky edge. One bird among them was a white-winged gull, a beautiful adult Glaucous Gull! We had now seen this species in both juvenile and adult plumage. Flying in and out of the mist of the falls were many Bonaparte’s Gulls, and we searched the flock for other species. We did find a nice juvenile “bonie,” but no other gull species.

We decided to head back down toward Niagara-on-the-Lake for the evening “fly-by” near Fort Erie. At times, Little Gull can be sighted flying out in the evening with the many strings of Bonaparte’s Gulls here. We situated ourselves on the dock and watched as the fly-out began. Single birds and small groups flew by first, interspersed with groups of Long-tailed Ducks rapidly winging away from the river. Gradually, longer and longer rows of Bonaparte’s left the river. As they flew low over the water, we quickly sorted through the birds for the characteristic dark look of Little and Black-headed Gull. We watched until the loss of light prevented good views, but did not locate either of these species. We drove back to our hotel for happy hour and list compilation in our rooms. We had dinner at the local Casa D’Oro restaurant to end another good day in Niagara Falls.

Day 4 – December 11th, 2008
Our 8:00 departure had worked on previous mornings, and we followed this schedule on our last day also. We headed a short distance up river, beginning at the Dufferin Island Natural Area, and making stops at the Whirlpool and Sir Adam Beck overlook. We found no new species, but enjoyed our last looks at Niagara’s birds. We had a full day of travel ahead of us and decided it was time to head across the border back into the U.S.

A late season American Avocet had been reported on Grand Island. While this is a bird common to our own regular birding areas, it is a special late occurrence in NY; we decided to try and see the bird and participate in this special sighting if possible. We found the Cove Road location where the bird had recently been seen, and walked the shoreline looking for it. At first, our vantage point placed the bird in poor light for identification; but from another angle, it was located! The bird roosted with its head tucked in at the end of a row of Mallards, seemingly comfortable among his decidedly non-avocet companions! A couple local birders came along and were happy to have the bird immediately pointed out by our scope on the bird.

Next we headed to White Chapel Cemetery in Towanda, NY. White-winged Crossbill was our target species here, having been reported on and off over recent weeks. We quietly drove the cemetery road, guided by a printed report of the birds’ previous location there. In the exact area reported, possibly in the exact trees and at the same time of day, we located a flock of male White-winged Crossbills, with at least one female among them. The birds flitted among trees in the area and congregated together, at times pecking at spruce cones as we watched. We heard their characteristic chatter and enjoyed looks in good light, for a rewarding ‘winter finch’ experience.

Heading further south, we stopped at the Batavia Wastewater Treatment plant and obtained permission to drive the roads there. We did add Ruddy Duck to our trip list here, but found most of the waters frozen, so went on to our next destination point, near the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. At a spot where we had traditionally found Pileated Woodpecker, we tried for them again this time. While we did notice much pileated work on the trees on both sides of the road here, we were able to locate only Red-bellied Woodpecker. We moved on to the Potato Barn area and scanned the fields, finding Northern Harrier and American Kestrel, but little else. Unfortunately, no flock of Canada Geese was close enough to allow scanning for Cackling Goose.

Happy with our birding efforts, we hunkered down for the rest of the drive home. We shed some of our warmer clothing layers, and compiled the last of our list in the car as we rode. We sampled the multiple music stations on Sirius Satelite radio in our vehicle, and revisited our rewarding bird sightings of the previous days. In spite of areas of wet snow in New York and heavy rain in PA, we dropped Ann off at her stop in Towamencin by 7:15pm and were back in Meadowbrook by 8:00pm. We all agreed it had been a great birding trip! We look forward to making future trips together to the Niagara Falls area in the future.