Ontario 2003

Friday February 14th
Karl arrived at Bert's house at 6:30 AM followed by Adrian at about 7:05. We packed up and left Bert's to pick up Bill. By 7:30 we were underway. Lunch at 12:00PM in Watertown, NY. Waiting for customs check-in we saw a Bald Eagle fly over. After a ¾-hour wait we cleared customs at 2:00 PM and headed for Amherst Island. Just missed the ferry and had to wait for the 3:30 ferry. No gulls but did get Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Goldeneye at the dock. Nothing at the firehouse area so we did the east end of the island until dark. It was quite good! We had 3-4 Snowy Owls, at least 6 very close Short-eared Owls, two of which caught voles and ate them as we watched and photographed them. We also had one Long-eared Owl on the wing as we were leaving. Several dark morph Rough-legged Hawks were observed but none real close. Passerines were limited to House Finches, House Sparrows, Starlings, Tree Sparrows and Rock Doves. Checked the firehouse area at dusk and saw a coyote in the field. Caught the 6:00 PM ferry back, drove to the Peachtree Motel, checked in and went to dinner (and beers) at Kelsey's. Time for relaxing, bed, and sleep.

Saturday February 15th
Up at 6:00 am and a continental breakfast at the motel. Left for birding at 7:05 AM. Temperature was 1 degree Fahrenheit when we got in the car in the garage. First stop was the Dupont Ponds where we found the warm water so steamy that we could only see a small number of the ducks in the pond. We did get Mallard and Gadwall. We then headed down to the Glenora ferry to go to the Quinte area where a Varied Thrush was reported. Boarded the ferry for a 15-min. trip through a broken, icy path - no birds. The gulls and Barrows Goldeneye reported earlier were not present. Temperature hovered around -18 deg. F! On the way to the reported spot we encountered many Robins and Cedar Waxwings. Parked at the house with the Varied Thrush and walked back past the garage as instructed in the reports. There was a lot of snow and several feeders with Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers. Finally after 10-15 minutes Adrian spotted the Varied Thrush come in on the ground below one feeder and pick around for about 10-20 seconds and then fly off. We all got a decent look at the bird and waited another 20 minutes but it did not return to be photographed. Next stop was for the Hawk Owl near Tamworth. Several passes up and down the road where the owl was reported resulted in no sightings. Next stop - lunch at Tim Horton's and then on to Algonquin Park. Got permits at the East Gate and stopped at the Visitor's Center. Common Ravens flew overhead. At the feeders we saw Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, and Ruffed Grouse. Tried for Gray Jay at the Mew Lake Campground but no luck. Drove to Huntsville for the King William Inn (6:30 PM), and then off to dinner (7:15 PM). This was not before Karl & Bert tested the gin to see if it was still good! Dinner was at the "Cottage Bar & Grill" with a first stop at "Three Guys and a Stove" which required a long wait. Back to the motel to relax, watch TV (curling) and sleep.

Sunday February 16th
Left motel at 7:00 AM for breakfast at Tim Horton's with the temperature at -8 F and going down. Drove to Algonquin Park. At the East Visitor's Center we heard and saw 2 Pileated Woodpeckers as well as Hairy Woodpecker, and Tree Sparrows. Beyond the Visitor's Center we saw birds crossing the road and stopped to check several times. Got White-winged Crossbills, Purple Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Goldfinches. The temperature was now at -27 degrees F.! At Tea Lake Dam area we stopped and Adrian found a Black-backed Woodpecker on a telephone pole. Nice view as it worked up the pole and flew to a tree. At Mew Lake we found Gray Jays with no trouble, and then moved on to Opeongo Road where there was some seed on the ground from the previous day. Found Black-capped Chickadees, White-winged Crossbills, a Red Crossbill, and Gray Jays. No Boreal Chickadees were found. Next we tried Spruce Bog Trail for possible Spruce Grouse. Walked the whole trail but no grouse were found. Still -15 degrees F. Then it was time for lunch and warming up at the East Visitor's Center. The feeders were active and on the way in we found Evening Grosbeaks at the front feeder. Other feeders had chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and Evening Grosbeaks. Leaving the Visitor's Center we had a Brown Creeper on a close-by tree. Stopped several places on the way back to Huntsville for Boreal Chickadee but did not connect. We did find another Ruffed Grouse in a tree along the way. Kept going through Huntsville on the way to Bracebridge birding along the way. We made a loop around Bracebridge for old times sake. Then on to Midland, to find a motel (Best Western) and dinner. Quickly checked out Wye Marsh on the way and found it had an opening hour of 9:00 AM. While checking out the marsh we had a Great-horned Owl calling. Dinner at Kelsey's and then back to the motel for relaxing, watching TV (curling) and sleep.

Monday February 17th
Hot breakfast (Snowmobile Special) at the motel at 7:30 AM. Packed up and left the motel for Wye Marsh at 8:40. They were open early and after paying fees they gave us a map to the Trumpeter Swan feeding area. We walked to the Swan Pond and found a very knowledgeable volunteer with the swans. We studied the features of the Trumpeter Swans, two of which were banded in 1991! The feeders contained Tree Sparrows, and Black-capped Chickadees. Purple Finches and a White-crowned Sparrow were also seen at Wye Marsh. White-throated Sparrow was heard. Then it was time to leave and look for another Hawk Owl along Route 401 on the way to Brantford where the Gray Partridge was lurking. By now it was snowing, temperature at 18 F., and getting very slippery. We cruised the Hawk Owl area for ½ an hour but could not locate it. Foiled again. Lunch at Tim Horton's and on to the Brantford Airport. We checked the "usual spots" around Airport road and the buildings, to no avail. Then we circled the airport checking all the previously reported spots. Finally we checked a three-week-old e-mail in Bert's trip book and went to the Community Center mentioned there. Adrian spied the four partridges under a cedar bush at the corner of the building. We got a fair look and photos, but the birds got jittery and flew off. We followed and saw them again under another cedar. Better looks and photos. Success! The snow is lying on the roads and it was time to get to a motel in Niagara Falls. No use going to Philadelphia with a blizzard going on there. Slow and slippery going, saw several accidents along the way. During the trip Bert got word from Les that a snow plow had nicked Karl's car in front of their house. It didn't sound too bad (later turned out to be a minor bump taking off some molding). We arrived in Niagara Falls in about 3 inches of snow and it was still coming down. Checked in at the Hampton Inn followed by Karl and Bert having a gin toast to Adrian's Gray Partridge, an ABA bird. Then off to dinner at the Best Western Fireside. Back to the motel at 8:00 PM.

Tuesday February 18th
Continental breakfast at the motel and we were packed up to leave at 7:00AM. The plan called for birding the Niagara River to Fort Erie and then leaving for home, hoping the monster snow at home had been cleared. It was cloudy with flurries in the Niagara area. Did Sir Adam Beck Power Plant Overlook but saw only a dozen Herring Gulls. The Control Gates produced Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers, Mallard and Gadwall , as well as Gulls (Herring, Ring-billed, and a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull found by Bert). The river contained thousands of waterfowl from the Control Gates to Fort Erie. We stopped several times along the road and were rewarded by great views of the ducks and an unexpected Red-shouldered Hawk. At Fort Erie, Adrian found a distant Red-necked Grebe, among the Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Scaup, Long-tails, Canvasbacks, and Redheads. It was then time to go off, find some "Crunchies" for Adrian, and get on the road for home. Passports (Birth Certificate for Karl) were ready at customs - no problem. Nice weather on trip home and we arrived at Bill Murphy's about 4:35 PM. Lots of snow!!! Arrived at Bert's at 5:05 PM where Bert, Les, Adrian, Jane, and Karl dug out Karl's van. Damage hardly noticeable. Karl arrived in Cape May at 7:30 PM.

A good time was had by all.