NEW! Please note that an addition to Day One will be taking place this year. You will have the opportunity to do some EARLY morning birding at 6 a.m.,at Hurkett Cove on Saturday morning. Guides will meet you (you will be responsible for your own transportation) at the Cove parking area, and you will have a chance to experience the area as it "wakes" up in the morning. This is a wonderful opportunity to greet the day! We realize this isn't for everyone, but those that wish to attend are welcome to do so. Early
Morning Birders will
still be asked to return to the Dorion Community Centre by 8 a.m. to
register and enjoy a fine breakfast with the other birders and then
begin the scheduled activities.
This location is one of the birding sites on Saturday. Buses will take birders to this location. Situated on the shores of Black Bay on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, this area offers a variety of habitats such as hardwood and softwood forest, swampy areas, shallow shoreline, and sheltered bays. This environment provides shelter and foraging opportunities for many species of birds. Noted as a special place for birding, Hurkett Cove was cited by Andy Bezener in Birds of Ontario as one of the top birding sites in Ontario. This area is uniquely situated as many migrating species such as passerines and raptors travel along the Lake  Superior shoreline avoiding the huge expanse of open
water. Vast numbers of waterfowl
will utilize Black Bay as a staging
area in the
early spring as they wait until inland lakes farther north are free of
ice. Tundra Swans can be observed as they are enroute from Chesapeake
Bay on the east coast of the U.S. to their breeding grounds in the high
Arctic. Depending on water levels, a variety of shorebirds,
such as Golden or Black Bellied Plovers, traveling from as far away as
Venezuela, utilize the area. The provincially endangered
American White Pelican can be seen throughout the summer as they breed
locally. More than twenty species of warblers can be observed at
Hurkett
Cove. These warblers
will use the area as a
resting place after a long journey
from South America before flying farther north, or will stay and
establish breeding territories. Bald Eagles are a common
sight as there has been a resident pair that has nested along
the main
walking trail at Hurkett
Cove for many years. |
 This
location will be another of the birding sites on Saturday.
Buses
will take birders here from the Dorion Community Centre, and
also make
a few stops
along the
route
for viewing opportunities. Visitors have for years, been awed by the landscape and beauty of the Canyon. A major tourist attraction in Ontario, the trails in the park will take birders through deciduous and coniferous forest. This beautiful location is home to a variety of species...woodpeckers, warblers, eagles and many other arboreal species. Peregrine falcons also nest in the area. A nearby marsh will give birders a chance to see waterfowl, shorebirds and possibly hawks. |
 This
is the birding
site for Sunday. Birders will meet in
Nipigon, and then drive to our starting point, a portion of the Trail
as it hugs the shoreline of the Nipigon River...an easy walk..Variety is the theme along the Nipigon River Trail as it is a provincially significant coastal wetland. The combination of open river, open lake, open vertical cliff faces, mature mixed woods and low thickets all combine to attract a wide variety of bird species and to provide spectacular scenery along the trail. With the wide, well-maintained trail hugging the shoreline and with a viewing tower, a boardwalk and two viewing pods over-looking the coastal wetland and river, this really is a birder's paradise. Three species at risk in Ontario are regulars here. Peregrine Falcons nest annuallly on the cliff faces at the river mouth and Bald Eagles build their massive nests in plain view in the towering poplars on the west shore of the river. The shallow waters of the river mouth also provide summer long feeding and loafing grounds for the threatened American White Pelican. Close-up views are guaranteed of diving waterfowl such as Common Goldeneye, Scaup, and Bufflehead, as they feed where the deeper waters come quite close to shore along the main river channel. Because coastal wetlands are rare along the shores of Lake Superior, these areas attract large numbers of dabbling ducks such as Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Wigeons and Mallards. As the ducks feed and rest in the sheltered, shallow waters of the wetland, they can be easily seen from the excellent viewing areas.  In low water years, there are good opportunities during migration, to view a variety of Plovers, Sandpipers, and other shorebirds feeding on the exposed mudflats as they refuel for the rest of their trip to their nesting grounds in northern Canada. A wide variety of the "butterflies of the bird world", the wood warblers, are usually present as are several sparrows...most notably the Swamp Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow and the Savannah Sparrow. |
