On Sunday (May 22) 3 participants joined me for the very first OFO Field Trip at Porcupine Lake in South Porcupine (Timmins area). Here's a summary of how the day went followed by an eBird Trip Report link to the 66 species observed and heard.
The inaugural OFO Porcupine Lake field trip started at 7 am at Porcupine Lake's White Waterfront Conservation Area with one early participant who had travelled far and was ready to brave the cold rainy 4°C morning with me in search of birds! Lisa and I were immediately greeted by a Surf Scoter, an uncommon species for Porcupine Lake; getting great looks at this splendid unique bird was a great start to a wonderful day. All around us the wires and sky were filled with Bank, Tree, and Cliff Swallows, all feeding and calling in impressive large flocks low over the water, as they often do on cold migration mornings. After admiring the Surf Scoter with its Lesser and Greater Scaups and Common Goldeneye companions, Lisa and I started down the Prospector trail and came across 3 Trumpeter Swans feeding beside a pair of Gadwall near shore. The rest of the walk happened under light rain with the occasional sound of the Common Loon calling and gave us decent views of many warbler species, Savannah and Lincoln Sparrows, and a very cooperative Clay Coloured Sparrow, who hopped on the Prospector Trail right in front of us. At 8:30am we met participant Swapnil Dhandhukia at the waterfront, who arrived in time to look through the scope at his very first Surf Scoter before following the rapid high pitched 'tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi' back to his first Blackpoll Warbler. From there, our group was joined by Gary Dowe and after a quick stop to listen to more Lincoln Sparrow singing, all 4 of us checked the Bannerman Park section of the lakefront where we watched a Common Loon diving and an adult Bald Eagle soaring. We all crossed the road to another favourite spot in Porcupine when we heard a mimicking song repeating admirable imitations of various species... we managed to spot the talented Northern Mockingbird perched on the other side of the road, an interesting bird for the Timmins area. We then walked towards the water treatment pond where the variety of warblers more than made up for the absence of ducks; we had amazing views of Wilson, Tennessee, Cape May, Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Yellow Warblers, American Redstarts and a Philadelphia Vireo while listening to a Virginia Rail calling from the marsh nearby. We went to visit two more quiet spots outside of town and watched a Red-tailed Hawk soaring, and listened to Ruby and Golden Crowned Kinglet, Chipping Sparrows and Brown Creeper singing away in the rain. We finished the day with a quick glimpse at a medium sized black bear and fresh moose tracks. Thank you to those who joined - we will share photos of the trip shortly. Overall, we observed and heard 66 species of birds in the 5 locations visited. The list can be viewed on the eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/canada/tripreport/58596 **The OFO Porcupine Lake Field Trip was held on the same weekend as the Smooth Rock Falls OFO Field Trip led by Angie and Ken Williams and Rhonda Donley to give visiting participants the opportunity to take advantage of a typical peak migration weekend in northeastern Ontario's Cochrane district. Happy birding to all during this last week of May! Roxane Filion South Porcupine -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
