OFO Field Trips – Glen Morris Area. Sunday June 4, 2023 Leaders – Ellen and Jerry Horak Weather – 14C at 7am climbing to 25C by 3pm. Sunny with a bit of a breeze. Perfect birding weather. There were 14 birders signed up but only 5 showed up. (Should OFO be sending reminders?) 65 different species plus one other Taxa at the 6 destinations We started at 7am at Grass Lake just outside of Glen Morris. We tallied 37 species over the 2 hours including great views of Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrows, Eastern Kingbirds and Willow and Least Flycatchers. The highlight was a newly hatched Sandhill Crane!!!! visible in the nest with an Adult. We have had fingers crossed for weeks that she would still be on the nest and we knew this was at least day 28 (they hatch 29-32 days) so to have the young hatch for our hike was awesome! Everyone had great scope and bin views and many photos were taken. Another Adult flew into the field and was seen and photographed. We then had a quick stop along the road outside Sudden Tract where we had 11 species including a Cooper’s Hawk fly over and hearing a Hairy Woodpecker calling. From there we headed to Bannister Lake and spent some time up on the viewing tower tallying 20 species. Very few water birds or ducks around but we did have beautiful views of 2 Sandhills flying in and a couple of Northern-rough-winged Swallows. Next stop was FWR Dickson Wilderness Area where we spent an hour on the boardwalk tallying 23 species including Tufted Titmice that appear to be breeding, good views of Swamp Sparrows, heard a Green Heron’s loud “Gack” and the first Indigo Bunting of the day. At 11:30 we headed to our home with the group for lunch and bathroom breaks. We took a bit of time to tour our Eco home and discuss the wildness of our property including Carolinian plantings. We tallied 14 species in our backyard while we ate lunch including views of our resident Hummingbirds and Orioles and our nesting Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. After lunch we headed down to the Paris to Cambridge Rail Trail where we had a list of 31 species. We walked down under the bridge to view the Cliff Swallow Colony and had views of the swallows going in and out of the nests and we saw an Eastern Phoebe here as well. Along the river a Green Heron was spotted by Laurie so we did get very nice views of one. By 3:00 there were only 4 of us left birding the other end of the trail when a buzzing was heard by Geoff. We stopped to listen and then Merlin suggested Golden-winged Warbler! There was much excitement, but trying to find the bird in a bushy, leafy area was impossible. We moved position, the bird stopped singing and we stood and hoped it would start again. Because Blue-winged and Golden-winged can sing each other’s song and Hybrids can sing either, you need a visual sighting to add it to the list count here in Brant County. We spent 30 mins hoping, searching, listening but nothing was seen or heard again. While it didn’t result in a lifer for our attendees it was a good sighting and a learning experience for us all. Thanks to the group that came out for a most enjoyable day of birding. We loved sharing our fav birding spots with you. You are welcome to drop in anytime you might be in the neighborhood.
Photos from Geoff Olaveson and Victor Ramautar  OFO Field Trips Glen Morris Area Sunday August 20, 2023 Leaders – Ellen and Jerry Horak Weather – 16C at 7:30 climbing to 29C by 3pm. Sunny and humid. There were 16 birders signed up, 3 canceled before the date(thanks for calling), 1 extra guest and 2 did not arrive by the time we left to our first stop at 7:50. Leaving us with 12 birders and 2 leaders. 54 species at the 5 destinations We met at the Glen Morris Rail Trail at 7:30 and carpooled to our first stop, Glen Morris Pond as there is no parking and it is a travelled road. We quickly got on our resident Common Gallinule family and everyone had great looks at the adult and juveniles. Jerry was lucky enough to hear a Virginia Rail further up the road (confirmed by Merlin) but it did not call again during our visit. We heard and had decent looks at a Marsh Wren as well as a deceased one on the road. Three Sandhill Cranes flying over took the pressure off trying to find this species later in the day! We tallied 29 species at this spot. After an hour we headed back to the Rail Trail and hiked about 2 kilometers south and then did a quick jaunt north to see where the Cliff Swallow colony nests. It was very quiet and we picked up most of our 29 species at the River but we all enjoyed the walk and some socializing, sharing birding stories as we walked. Just after 11 we headed to our home for a lunch and washroom break where we had 10 species at our feeders including Orioles, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. A few birders walked the property a bit but the heat seemed to be keeping the birds quiet. After lunch we took a circuitous route to FWR Dickson Wilderness Area to check for Sandhill Cranes in the fields but dipped on those. At Dickson we saw the resident Titmouse family as soon as we arrived and waited around for a sighting of the Olive-sided Flycatcher that had been seen earlier that day. We did not end up getting it as the heat was testing most of us. We had 18 species there. Our last stop was Grass Lake where 2 Cranes were spotted in the field. We set up a scope and everyone had great looks. We did not expect many species here as the grassland birds have mostly left but we wanted to show the group where this unique hotspot was so that they can return in the early spring for rails, cranes and grassland species. We chatted for a bit and as we finished up the day 2 more Sandhills flew in and around and then headed off across the field. A fitting end to a lovely day of birding! Photo from Jerry Horak  -- 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.
