Detroit Audubon Niagara Trip
November 27-29, 2009

DAS group at Phainopepla stake-out
Brampton, Ontario
by: Karl Overman

Prologue:
Detroit Audubon has taken this trip for at least a dozen years and it is a great trip if I do say so myself.  The Niagara area is well known for its scenery and the city of Niagara Fall, Ontario is typically alive with people from all over even in early winter when this trip takes place.  As for as eating goes, sometimes it seems like a string of Tim Horton’s but the favored place on the last two trips is known as the Flying Saucer which is open almost 24 hours (closed from 4 am to 6 am) where the food is bountiful and cheap set in a 1950ish other worldly decore.
One of the fun aspects of the trip which warrants return visits is that each trip has a very different  itinerary for the two days that are mostly away from the Niagara area.  That’s because where to go for birds in southern Ontario in early winter changes from year to year. This year, for the first time, we started at Port Stanley on Lake Erie because on the day before a Black-tailed Gull had been reported from there (alas, not seen afterwards) plus a Brant was staked out at nearby Port Burwell.  On this trip we added one of the best birds we have had on a Niagara trip, Phainopepla which just boosted the impressive total of rarities we have had over the years on the Niagara trip which include the following:  Ross’s Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Gannet, Great Comorant, Black-necked Stilt, Mew Gull, Slaty-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Sabine’s Gull, Razorbill, Hawk Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Bohemian Waxwing, Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Who knows what it will be next year but the odds are there will be good birds.

Participants:
Gary L. Burns
Cathy Carol
Walter Everett
Phylis Hamrick
Jack Lutz
Barbara O’Hair

Leaders:

Alan Wormington

Karl Overman

The Group

Itinerary:

November 27, 2008
Leave Novi at 9:20 am. Birded the central area of Ontario’s Lake Erie shoreline from Port Stanley to Port Rowan/Turkey Point.  Night in Niagara Falls, Ontario
December 2, 2006
Bird Niagara region from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Fort Erie and west along the Lake Erie shoreline to Point Abino.  Night at Niagara Falls, Ontario.
December 3, 2006
Started the day at the Adam Beck power plant on the Niagara River and then worked the Lake Ontario shoreline from Niagara-on-the-lake to Hamilton.  After lunch we drove to suburban Toronto, namely Brampton. Drive back to the Detroit area in the rain which mercifully did not start until after we had concluded birding.

The Birds:

Tundra Swan Three hundred in a field west of Port Rowan

Mute Swan
Not many seen including a couple at the water treatment plant at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Canada Goose Widespread

Brant One seen at point blank range feeding on lawn at Port Burwell on Lake Erie.

Green-winged Teal Fifteen at Turkey Point on Lake Erie.  Also one at water treatment plant at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Black Duck
First seen at Port Rowan, say 8 birds.

Mallard
Common

Pintail Five at Turkey Point on Lake Erie.

Shoveler A few at sewage lagoon in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Gadwall Forty at Port Rowan.

American Wigeon 2000 at Port Rowan.

Canvasback Surprisingly scarce.  Single digits seen at Stoney Creek on Lake Ontario

Redhead Huge rafts seen at Port Rowan and off Turkey Creek.  Probably 15,000 at Port Rowan.

Ring-necked Duck At least twenty above the control gates on the Niagara River above the falls.

Greater Scaup Common on western Lake Ontario.  Smaller numbers seen around Niagara area.

Lesser Scaup I am not sure we picked any out.

Long-tailed Duck Far fewer than normal at Niagara-on-the-Lake.  The numbers on western Lake Ontario have to be seen to believed–tens of thousands in sight at some locations such as Stoney Creek.

Black Scoter Ten or so on western Lake Ontario where at the end of Gray Road.  No adult males this year.

Surf Scoter Numerous in western Lake Ontario off Stoney Creek.

White-winged Scoter Fewer seen than normal.   Just one sighting (Wormington only) at Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Probably under 10 at Stoney Creek on Lake Ontario.

Common Goldeneye Widespread in the Niagara area and on western Lake Ontario.

Bufflehead Common on Niagara River. Especially large concentration at Fort Erie.

Hooded Merganser Just a few seen.

 
Common Merganser Widespread, western Lake Ontario and Niagara area.

Red-breasted Merganser Widespread Niagara area but seemingly in small numbers this year.

Wild Turkey One large flock in a wooded yard west of Fort Erie.  Small flock seen by the water treatment plant in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Red-throated Loon We saw around five at Niagara-on-the Lake out on Lake Ontario. plus a single flying bird in the Stoney Creek/Hamilton area on Lake Ontario.

Common Loon Two at Point Abino on Lake Erie.

Horned Grebe Two seen at Crystal Beach on Lake Erie.

Double-crested Cormorant Very few.  One on Lake Erie at Crystal Beach.  Around four on the Niagara River at Adam Beck power plant.
Cooper’s Hawk Maybe five for the trip at widely scattered locations.
Sharp-shinned Hawk One male perched over the road by Adam Beck power plant.

Red-tailed Hawk Fairly common.

Kestrel First seen in the wine country south of Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Small numbers seen.

Sandhill Crane A total of approximately 270, all in four fields in the Port Rowan area inland from Lake Erie.

Coot 3000 in one flock at Port Rowan by Long Point on Lake Erie.

Little Gull Always in Bonaparte’s Gull flocks when found.  None at Niagara.  We had two in a Bonie flock at Port Stanley on Lake Erie.

Bonaparte’s Gull Thousands for miles along the Niagara River from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Queenstown.

 
Ring-billed Gull Widespread.

California Gull One adult above the falls at Niagara.

Herring Gull Abundant

Thayer’s Gull A couple of adults at Adam Beck

Iceland Gull At least eight birds combined from Adam Beck and above Niagara Falls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull First seen at Port Stanley on Lake Erie.  Also seen at Adam Beck and above Niagara Falls.

Great Black-backed Gull Good numbers resting on rocks above the falls. A few elsewhere including few at Adam Beck.

Rock Pigeon Around

Mourning Dove On the first day we had none in birding the central Lake Erie shoreline.  Uncommonly seen around Niagara and Hamilton.

Snowy Owl One very white bird in farm country up on the Niagara escarpment east of Hamilton.

Red-bellied Woodpecker A few seen in Niagara area including at Queenstown.

Downy Woodpecker Very few seen and heard.

Blue Jay Widespread

Crow Fairly common.

Carolina Wren One at Niagara-on-the-Lake

Black-capped Chickadee Since we were concentrating on waterbirds, we only occasionally came across these guys.

Red-breasted Nuthatch One in pines at entrance to water treatment plant in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

White-breasted Nuthatch First seen at Queenstown.

Brown Creeper One seen at a lakeside park near Fort Erie, Ontario

Mockingbird Seen a number of times on this trip, first at a Tim Horton’s in Chippawa.  Also seen in the Hamilton area and one chasing the Phainopepla away from a food source in Brampton.

Robin Small numbers seen such as at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Eastern Bluebird Three is residential area west of Fort Erie.

Starling Around

Phainopepla A class bird to see in the Great Lakes area.  This young male seems to have taken up winter residence in Brampton, Ontario which is on the west side of Toronto in an urban neighborhood.

Phainopepla

Tree Sparrow Seen at a few places along Lake Erie, including Turkey Point.

Song Sparrow A couple seen at Turkey Point on Lake Erie.

Swamp Sparrow One at Turkey Point.

Junco Fairly widespread in suburban settings.

Cardinal No more than 5 for the trip.

Red-winged Blackbird One flock of 30 seen in Port Rowan area.

House Finch Uncommonly seen in Niagara area.

American Goldfinch Very few seen.

House Sparrow Around.