Presqu'ile Overnight Excursion 22-23 Sep. 2012

Group at Presqu'ile Provincial Park

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Photo courtesy Tony Beck

It was still dark with the night’s chilly draft and drizzling rain sweeping over Ottawa, when a small, dedicated group of birders met at the Park & Ride off Hwy 416 and Bankfield.

The drive down to Prince Edward County revealed several species of birds with plenty more greeting us at the point.

Double-crested Cormorant, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

We were lucky with the weather, only being bothered by a few very small drizzling showers.

We explored the woods at Prince Edward point finding only a hand full of warblers, a female Indigo Bunting and countless American Goldfinch. The Banding Station there reported capturing more than 75 of them every day.

Merlins were fairly common around the point, but the most spectacular scene was an aerial attack between a persistent Sharp-shinned Hawk against a Coopers Hawk.

From the point to our hotel in Trenton, we stopped several times observing many great birds.

All in all, we ended up with a day list of 70 birds that day.

Prince Edward Point Light House

Presqu'ile Park Light House, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

Mute Swans, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

The next day started early with breakfast at 6:30am. And, the good weather followed us all day long.

Presqu'ile Park and the surrounding area gave us many wonderful bird sightings, ending the day with a list of 86 birds.

A total weekend trip list of 106 birds included 12 species of warblers, 5 species of woodpecker and 12 species of shorebirds.

This was one of the best late-summer trips to Presqu'ile in Always An Adventure's memory.

Caspian Tern, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

Twisters at Sea, Photo courtesy Joshua McCullough

Group at Prince Edward Point

Canada Goose	Branta canadensis
Mute Swan	Cygnus olor
Wood Duck	Aix sponsa
American Wigeon	Anas americana
American Black Duck	Anas rubripes
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Blue-winged Teal	Anas discors
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta
Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca
Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris
Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus
Common Merganser	Mergus merganser
Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator
Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo
Common Loon	Gavia immer
Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps
Red-necked Grebe	Podiceps grisegena
Double-crested Cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias
Great Egret	Ardea alba
Green Heron	Butorides virescens
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus
Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus
Cooper's Hawk	Accipiter cooperii
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius
Merlin	Falco columbarius
Common Gallinule/Moorhen	Gallinula galeata
American Coot	Fulica americana
Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola
American Golden-Plover	Pluvialis dominica
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus
Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria
Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca
Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres
Sanderling	Calidris alba
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla
White-rumped Sandpiper	Calidris fuscicollis
Baird's Sandpiper	Calidris bairdii
Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos
Bonaparte's Gull	Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis
Herring Gull	Larus argentatus
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus
Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Ruby-thr. Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon
Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens
Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides villosus
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus
Blue-headed Vireo	Vireo solitarius
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus
Gray Jay	Perisoreus canadensis
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis
White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis
Brown Creeper	Certhia americana
Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Regulus calendula
Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus
American Robin	Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
American Pipit	Anthus rubescens
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia
Tennessee Warbler	Oreothlypis peregrina
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla
Northern Parula	Setophaga americana
Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia
Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata
Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens
Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata
Black-thr. Green Warbler	Setophaga virens
Wilson's Warbler	Cardellina pusilla
Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis
Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus
Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula
Purple Finch	Carpodacus purpureus
House Finch	Carpodacus mexicanus
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus

Presqu'ile Park

Excursion organized by 

Always An Adventure