~ The Visual Adventure ~: Overnight to Algonquin Park

Spruce Grouse

Male Moose

Baby Hairy Woodpecker being fed, Photo courtesy Helena Garcia

Overnight excursion to Algonquin Park 2-3 June 2012:

A group of 13 enthusiastic people, met at the Coliseum Theatre Parking Lot bright and early Saturday morning.

Although the weather forecast was gloomy, to our great surprise, all of Saturday came with perfect birding conditions - calm, comfy and reasonably dry.

It started with a bang at the East Gate when Magnolia, Pine and Myrtle Warblers came into view. Along the Opeongo Lake Road we had many different songbirds including Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Swamp Sparrow and Nashville Warbler. One of the highlights was observing a baby Hairy Woodpecker making his mamma work real hard. He was comfortably seated at the entrance to his nest cavity, making a tremendous amount of noise.

We then went to the Visitor Center for a lunch break. While enjoying our meal, Tony spots a Black Bear far out in the bog beside the centre. We all got to see it, or at least parts of it.

After the break, we ventured out on the Mizzy Lake Trail. Many wonderful things happened this afternoon including appearances of a male Black-backed Woodpecker and a pair of moose. We were all mesmerized with the foraging male moose, and everyone with a camera got their unforgettable shots.

Full of wonderful impressions of Mother Nature, we ended the day with a hardy dinner at the Mad Musher Restaurant.

The late-evening chorus was filled with the songs of Green Frog, Spring Peeper and Veery.

Blackburnian Warbler

The group at the Spruce Bog Board Walk, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

Gray Jay

Stina Brick feeding the Gray Jay, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

The next morning began with promising skies, and an eager group.

It started with excellent views of Mourning Warbler, before our 7am breakfast. We went back to the Opeongo Lake Road where we revisited our noisy Hairy Woodpecker family. Nearby, we also had a family of Gray Jay’s and a male Spruce Grouse. A persistent rain followed, encouraging us to take an early lunch at the Visitor Center.

In the afternoon, along the Spruce Bog Boardwalk we had Lincoln’s Sparrows and a Boreal Chickadee. At the Barlett Lodge Parking Lot we had two cooperative male Evening Grosbeaks. Unfortunately, the rain became very heavy as the afternoon unfolded. Around 3pm, we decided to pack-it-in for our drive back to Ottawa.

All-in-all, it was a spectacular weekend with a trip-list of 93 species, including views of all our target species.

Spruce Grouse, Photo courtesy Tony Beck

Male Moose

Female Moose

Joshua McCullough photographing female Moose

Canada Goose	Branta canadensis
Wood Duck	Aix sponsa
American Black Duck	Anas rubripes
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris
Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus
Common Merganser	Mergus merganser
Spruce Grouse	Falcipennis canadensis
Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo
Common Loon	Gavia immer
Double-crested Cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus
American Bittern	Botaurus lentiginosus
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius
Merlin	Falco columbarius
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus
Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata
American Woodcock	Scolopax minor
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis
Herring Gull	Larus argentatus
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Chimney Swift	Chaetura pelagica
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius
Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides villosus
Black-backed Woodpecker	Picoides arcticus
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	Empidonax flaviventris
Alder Flycatcher	Empidonax alnorum
Least Flycatcher	Empidonax minimus
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus
Blue-headed Vireo	Vireo solitarius
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus
Gray Jay	Perisoreus canadensis
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven	Corvus corax
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus
Boreal Chickadee	Poecile hudsonicus
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis
Brown Creeper	Certhia americana
Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Regulus calendula
Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis
Veery	Catharus fuscescens
Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus
Wood Thrush	Hylocichla mustelina
American Robin	Turdus migratorius
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum
Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla
Northern Waterthrush	Parkesia noveboracensis
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia
Nashville Warbler	Oreothlypis ruficapilla
Mourning Warbler	Geothlypis philadelphia
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla
Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina
Northern Parula	Setophaga americana
Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia
Blackburnian Warbler	Setophaga fusca
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens
Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata
Black-thr. Green Warbler	Setophaga virens
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii
Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana
White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus
Bobolink	Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark	Sturnella magna
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula
Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula
Purple Finch	Carpodacus purpureus
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis
Evening Grosbeak	Coccothraustes vespertinus
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus