2023-05-24 Tiny Marsh, Ontario

I spent Wednesday at Tiny Marsh. It was my ‘last hurrah’ in the region, and Thursday morning I began my exodus. I met several enthusiastic birders during my tour. A report of a Blackpoll Warbler drew them in. Nobody I spoke with had seen the bird, and neither did I. But my agenda is not … Read more

2023-05-20 Two Days At Legendary Wye Marsh

Friday after breakfast, I drove twenty minutes east from Tiny Township to Midland Ontario. There, on the southern edge of town, lies a wetland called Wye Marsh. A 3000 acre ecologically critical location, it was once a major battlefield to save the once endangered Trumpeter Swan from pending extinction. Even now, one third of Canadian … Read more

2023-05-19 Cabin Life

After arriving Wednesday at Judy’s cabin, I placed seed and suet in the feeders next to the front porch. Unsure how, when, or ‘if’ the birds would find these offerings, I planned to return to Tiny Marsh, 20 minutes south. I found a delightful cafe four kilometers north of the cabin. After breakfast at the … Read more

2023-05-18 A Quick Tour Of McKinnon Road

Thursday, after spending a few minutes with my friend Judy’s backyard birds, I drove north, towards her cottage near the shore of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. I planned a few stops along the way. The first was to dump my holding tanks at a free facility in the town of Mississauga. Because my Google … Read more

2023-05-13 Ontario’s Bronte Harbour & Long Point

While visiting with my friend Judy in Ontario Canada, she offered to escort me to a few of her favorite birding destinations, and Saturday we spent the day on the road, driving for about 250 miles. We began the day driving west, toward the northern shore of Lake Erie. Our target was called Long Point, … Read more

2023-05-09 Point Pelee Canada

2023-05-10 Wednesday This morning I said goodbye to Point Pelee. The local folks I met during my visit said I was a week early for the warbler migration. Nearly everyone attending the point was excited about the first ever Willow Ptarmigan that showed up at Point Pelee. Clearly a ‘lost bird’, ptarmigan are thought to … Read more

2023-05-07 Magee Marsh Ohio

After a lovely 3-day visit with my friends Bruce and Loretta in south Dayton, I hit the road again. I revised my trajectory into Canada from Niagara Falls to Detroit, where I might experience warbler migration at point Pelee. It is a legendary event. I could have been in position to enter Canada in a … Read more

2023-05-05 Dayton Ohio

While visiting with my friends in south Dayton, I found time to meet some of the local birds. Bruce and Loretta provide an array of bird feeders, so I sampled the birds that were attracted. But the best day I had was at a location not far away called the Cox Arboretum. The property spreads … Read more

2023-04-27 Baker Wetlands, Lawrence Kansas

Thursday, I rode my bike through the center of the Baker Wetlands south of Lawrence Kansas, and spent the day hoping for, but not finding, an American Woodcock. Far from a loss, I enjoyed some nice birds. Some posed nicely, while others were elusive. What a great place, though. With almost a thousand acres of … Read more

2023-04 April In Kansas

While my Canadian destinations are getting hammered with one storm after another, I’m biding my time in Kansas. I needed to stay until my suspension air bag was replaced anyway, and that work is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).  The birds around my friend’s place near the Kansas River have frustrated most of my efforts to … Read more