Shane Mulligan

Birding in Waterloo – August 30, 2025

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HIGHLIGHTS OF AUGUST 30TH OUTING TO VARIOUS WATERLOO LOCATIONS

LEADER AND AUTHOR: STEWART MACDONALD

On Saturday August 30, 2025, a group of 13 enthusiastic participants enjoyed sunny skies and mild temperatures, on this Birding Outing led by the Author. 

The target species were Wading Birds and Migrating Birds, and we visited 3 locations within the City of Waterloo.

The day started at the parking lot of the Stork Family Y/Harper Library Branch, where we immediately saw a juvenile Osprey, spending its last few days on its nest, before heading south for the winter.

We proceeded west from there to visit two local ponds where we hoped to see some wading birds and we were not disappointed! Two adult Black-Crowned Night Herons were spotted roosting in the Pond and the group had excellent looks from private property, where the author has had permission to enter with the group. In addition, a Merlin was spotted, along with a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. Our visit to the second pond, yielded a reclusive Green Heron and a flyover of a female Belted Kingfisher. A Ruby-Throated Hummingbird was spotted by one of our participants as well. Numerous American Goldfinches filled the air with their song.

The group proceeded to Columbia Lake to find the 2 wading birds we wanted, and we were greeted by both a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron together. The Lake had other Great Blues, as well as a Juvenile Black-Crowned. In addition, we were searching for migrating shorebirds, and found both Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper, some Lesser Yellowlegs and numerous Kildeer. An American Herring Gull, in the midst of many Ring-Billed Gulls was a good find by one of our participants.

Off to the Waterloo Rec Center we went as the starting point for walking in Waterloo Park. Our goal was to locate songbirds on the last leg of our day. We were entertained by soaring Red-Tailed Hawks as well as Turkey Vultures on our journey. 

Finding fall migrating species (such as warblers) can be anywhere between feast or famine sometimes. We did find many local species including Downy Woodpecker, White-Breasted Nuthatch and Red-Bellied Woodpecker. A Chestnut-Sided Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo and Warbling Vireo were pleasant additions to our list, but a feeding flock of migrating songbirds evaded us this year.

Over 40 species of birds were counted, including all 4 of our target wading birds, making for a lovely late summer bird outing for all concerned.

I would like to thank all the participants for their enthusiasm and to Dave Collins for his photographic expertise during our day.

Hoping to see everyone again in 2026!

F.W.R. Dickson Wilderness Area – May 28, 2025

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Running_strawberry_flowers
FWR Dickson trail map

Report: On May 28,  2025, leader Wayne Buck led a group of five field naturalists through the F.W.R. Dickson Wilderness Area. Here, a month prior, the GRCA had conducted a prescribed burn in the tallgrass prairie area. The burn was meant to knock back invasive plants and tree species that had invaded the area and to encourage the growth of native tallgrass species.  A significant part of southern part of Waterloo Region was historically covered with tallgrass prairie plants.

Our little group walked the trails observing several early summer phenomena – flowering running strawberry bush, a delightful (starry?) bristle moss, early carrion flower (which evoked the name and wit of Larry Lamb), new shagbark hickory foliage, wild sarsaparilla, the not-so-familiar – even to Wayne – Maryland sanicle (Sanicula marilandica), and tall hairy agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala) which this author thought was cinquefoil but as Wayne pointed out had additional leaves. We reached the burned area to find regeneration was coming along well, with plenty of asters and various grasses re-emerging in the verdant meadow. 

The Carden Alvar – May 18-19, 2025

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Kirkfield Locks, May 18, 2025. Photo: Tom Regan

TITLE: CARDEN ALVAR EXCURSION

DATE: MAY  17-19, 2025

LEADER AND AUTHOR: STEWART MACDONALD

DAY ONE

On May 17, 2025, the “unofficial” Carden Alvar excursion commenced with Stewart, Neil Gray, and Neil’s friend Bob trekking to see if we could spot the endangered Loggerhead Shrike on Couchiching Conservancy property, which Stewart had permission to bird on. Although no Shrikes were seen by any of our group over the weekend on the Alvar, numerous other Carden “specialities” were seen, which will be noted below. 

The visit to the property was highlighted by Stewart seeing a Short-Eared Owl cruising a farm property during the drive there. We then decided to drive the Alvar Road and Stewart also wanted to drive all the way down Wylie Road…top to bottom! A Grasshopper Sparrow gave wonderful looks during the drive!

Well…let’s just say that a flat tire on Wylie Road stopped further birding for that day. The ensuing adventure — getting the tire changed, driving to Orillia in a thunderstorm to buy a new tire, and having Neil’s nephew change it for the author back at his local garage —will result in a future “tall tale” by the author of this report!

THANK YOU NEIL…who seems to know everyone in Carden.

DAY TWO

On Sunday May 18th, 35 people from the Waterloo Field Naturalists, Peterborough Field Naturalists, Carden Field Naturalists and special guests, gathered at the Kirkfield Locks for a great day of birding and botany exploration! The weather was overcast with cool winds, but turned into sunshine and pleasant temperatures later in the day! 

Nine Botany lovers joined Susan Chow from Trent University for a morning walk, while 22 birding enthusiasts were split into two groups. The co-leaders for one group were Ellen and Jerry Horak and the co-leaders of the other group were Aaron Rusak and the author. 

The birders went out for morning, afternoon and evening walks, while the botanists went out for a morning walk only. Later in the day 25 of the group attended a group dinner at Portage House Restaurant to share some stories and enjoy good food! The author went through a Carden Alvar checklist and the group in total had identified 99 Species of birds! One short of the magic 100…but one more day to go of course.

The standouts were many: Golden-Winged Warblers, Wilson’s Snipe, Black-billed Cuckoos, Marsh Wrens, Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Bluebirds, Upland Sandpipers, and others too many to mention! 

The evening highlights included American Bitterns and vocalizing Virginia and Sora Rails as well as Least Bittern. We did not observe a Loggerhead Shrike on our outing, although we “bumped” into some others who did.

DAY THREE

On Monday morning, May 19, Neil escorted our group of birders (now about 15 of us) to properties just outside Carden Alvar, where songbirds were most numerous. The day was sunny and chilly (to start) and turned into a beautiful morning.

During our walks, the numbers of singing Golden-Winged Warblers was a highlight for all of us. Bird #100 was a vocalizing Wood Thrush. Other warblers, such as Chestnut-Sided and American Redstart, were very numerous. Another highlight was a pair of Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers going in and out of a nest hole in the forest. At the end of our morning, the glorious call of a Winter Wren wrapped up our adventure with 103 Species identified by the group over the weekend.

I wish to give special thanks to our exceptional guides: 

Ellen and Jerry Horak and Aaron Rusak for their bird guiding on Sunday, as well as Susan Chow for leading our botanists on Sunday. A special thanks to Tom Regan for his outstanding photography, which creates lasting memories for us all.

And another shout out to both Ann and Neil Gray for their advice and assistance in helping me organize and deliver on my plans to make this weekend happen!

Birding at Glen Morris – May 22, 2025

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Glen Morris, May 2025

GLEN MORRIS AND NORTHERN BRANT COUNTY OUTING

DATE: THURSDAY MAY 22, 2025

LEADER: STEWART MACDONALD

On Thursday May 22, 2025, 10 determined participants braved the constant rain and cool temperatures with Stewart for a very rewarding day of birding. The outing was divided into 4 parts, which will be outlined below.

The outing commenced at the Glen Morris Trailhead where the group walked north along the trailhead to observe the colony of Cliff Swallows nesting underneath the Glen Morris bridge. During this short walk, 2 Ospreys were observed and numerous other swallows, including Bank and Barn Swallows, were identified.

We then car pooled to a pond, where Stewart was graciously given private property access by the owners, to park our vehicles and to bird along the pond adjacent to their properties.

We were rewarded with excellent sightings of Common Gallinule and American Coot. The Bird of the Day was the Virginia Rail and we sighted two different ones on the pond. We were provided with several different and very clear looks at this shy and reclusive wading bird. There were many happy faces once we departed.

The chilled group then proceeded to the lovely home of Jerry and Ellen Horak of Glen Morris who allowed us some shelter and opportunities to use their washroom. We enjoyed looking at the flora and fauna on their property and wish to THANK them for their generosity in sharing their home with us.

We then proceeded to Grass Lake and observed a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Walking alongside an unplowed field in a couple of different places, we observed both male and female Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlark, numerous vocalizing Savannah Sparrows and Eastern Bluebird.

The day wrapped up at F.W.R. Dickson Wilderness Area, where we identified some species of Warblers including Pine, Black-Throated Green and Blackburnian. In addition, Eastern Kingbird, Swamp Sparrow and Great-Crested Flycatcher were observed.

On the day, over 50 Species of Birds were identified, despite the difficult conditions. A big THANK YOU for everyone who braved the weather and were rewarded with some nice birding on this outing!

Birding at Rondeau Provincial Park – May 13, 2025

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SPRING MIGRATION AT RONDEAU PROVINCIAL PARK

DATE: TUESDAY MAY 13, 2025

LEADER: STEWART MACDONALD

Partially sunny skies greeted 16 birding enthusiasts for a wonderful day of birding at Rondeau Provincial Park, despite reports of possible rain throughout the day.

We were rewarded with spotting over 65 Species of birds, including 5 Vireo species and 12 Warblers. Some members of our group recorded several “lifers” throughout the day, which produced some excitement.

The first lifer for some was a pair of Chimney Swifts that flew over the trail. High in the canopy, a Tennessee Warbler was spotted, and a singing Wood Thrush below. A beautiful male Indigo Bunting also made an appearance, singing its beautiful melody!

Off the group went to the “Pony Barn”, where a White-Eyed Vireo was spotted, which was another life species for some. Scarlet Tanagers, both male and female, made a showy appearance for us as well.

Then we proceeded to the Visitor’s Centre, and we were immediately serenaded by a Yellow-Throated Vireo, which was another lifer for some. A Brown Thrasher, not to be outdone by the Vireo, perched and sang its familiar “rhyming couplet” tune to our great delight!

We then hiked down the Tulip Trail and were rewarded with a singing Male Prothonotary Warbler, which allowed our group to take many photographs. This is an endangered species in Ontario and was another life bird for some.

The day ended with many of the group having a picnic lunch together, as we enjoyed the sunshine! A fun day of birding and enjoyable company made for a special day for all of us at Rondeau.

At Warbler's Way, Rondeau. Photo: Dave Collins

Birding at Long Point/Port Rowan – April 6, 2025

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Outing report for April 6, 2025 excursion to Long Point/Port Rowan

On April 6, 2025, 16 enthusiastic participants joined Stewart MacDonald for a great day of birding. The weather was mostly cloudy, with north winds off Lake Erie.

We observed 65 different species of birds, including 22 waterfowl species on the day. 

We started off at the Birds Canada office in Port Rowan and we spotted waterfowl in the pond behind the office. Then we were off westward on Lakeshore Road, but most of the waterfowl flushed when we pulled into viewing spots. A Forster’s Tern and a large flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls were observed in one of our stops.

Then we were off to the Long Point Causeway where a Great Egret was observed. At the observation platform we observed several species of diving ducks, including both Greater and Lesser Scaup, Canvasbacks, and Redheads. Several Horned Grebes were spotted, with some developing breeding plumage.

Next, we walked and observed three Greater Yellowlegs, Trumpeter Swans, and other ducks, as well as Sandhill Cranes in flight. We were slowly building our list!

Off we went to Old Cut Bird Observatory and observed bird banding, before we walked in the woods and the Provincial Park. During this walk our highlights were Bald Eagles, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker and Yellow-Rumped Warbler — the first warbler of the year for many of us! Also, Winter and Carolina Wrens, Golden-Crowned Kinglets, and Brown Creepers were added to the list.

Stewart then received a “tip” that a Eurasian Wigeon had been located in a particular place in Port Rowan. So, off we went!

Once we arrived there, we all observed a Red-Throated Loon, and then went to look for the Wigeon. While looking for this rarity, we spotted Blue-Winged and Green-Winged Teal, American Coot, Wood Duck, American Wigeon and others.

Our hardworking team’s patience was rewarded with the sighting of the Eurasian Wigeon!  This Bird has recognizable head markings to differentiate it from the American Wigeon! This was a life bird for some of the observers, and was the SPECIES OF THE DAY for us.

Thanks to David Collins for sharing these great photographs. And thank you to all participants for a great day of birding, and hoping to see you next year!

At Birds Canada. Photo: Dave Collins
Sandhill cranes. Photo: David Collins.