I had a fabulous day birding Lake Travers on the east side of Algonquin Park. It rained hard early in the morning, a prerequisite for seeing shorebirds and other migrants that normally bypass the park. Here are the highlights (records based on the new update to the park checklist compiled by Ron Tozer):
Snow Goose -12 Gadwall - 5 (~10th park record) White-winged Scoter - 6 Black Scoter -1 (near early date for fall in Algonquin) Pied-billed Grebe - 1 (rare in the park) Horned Grebe - 3 (not quite as rare as PBGR) Red-necked Grebe -1 (the most regular of the grebes, but still rare) Bald Eagle -1 Northern Goshawk - 1 Merlin - 1 Peregrine - 4 (amazing total - all migrating in rain) Black-bellied Plover -1 American Golden Plover - 3 (rare) Semipalmated Plover -1 (late) Hudsonian Godwit -1 juv (3rd park record) White-rumped Sandpiper (6 - amazing count, rare in park) Northern Shrike - 1 adult (nearly early fall date) Lapland Longspur 1 Nelson's Sparrow - 10 (regular at this time, but a good count) Pine Siskin - 140 (two flocks migrating) To get to Lake Travers, Turn south off Highway 17 onto Doran Road (Rd 26). Then take an immediate right onto Barron Canyon/Achray Road. Follow for 77 km to Lake Travers. A canoe is advisable but it is possible to walk the shoreline and see everything. The Nelson's Sparrows are in a wetland midway along the south shore (45.959074 N, 78.049864W). They can be found in nice weather conditions (unlike all the non-passerines that left as soon as the rain stopped). This year with the very low water levels they are concentrated near where the creek enters the lake. Good birding, Jeff -- Jeff Skevington E-mail: [email protected] _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
