Now that I have more time on my hands whether I like it or not, I have tended to do a day list on the first of the month. Today being May 1st and really the start of the main spring arrival it seemed appropriate to go for it in a reserved sort of way. Dawn saw me asleep but later, when I’d had breakfast, I started in earnest. The front porch kicked off the show, first bird was a White-throated Sparrow. By the time I’d arrived as the pits I had 14 species down. The pits were quiet so I left with only 11 more species added. Montee Chenier was traversed and provided Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson’s Snipe, the only ones I’d see. Savannah Sparrow was easy but nothing else caught my eye so I pushed on with my plan.
Ducks can boost a day list so I visited on of my regular watch points below the hydro at Les Cedres. Twenty more species were quickly added and then it was off to I’le St-Bernard and the excellent reserve there. The Marguerite d’Youville site has great trails, diverse habitats and a tea shop. By the time I got there the only first of the season (FOS) species was Cliff Swallow, there were none to be found two day ago, now they are everywhere. I stumped up for the permit and did a circuit. I added 20 more for the day list but the highlight was seeing so many Tufted Titmice. I don’t get them at the pits, likewise Winter Wren so I filled my boots (Cricketing term) and managed some pretty ropey pictures of them both.
Next I picked up Great Egret (FOS) before going on to the St-Timothee area. By this time it was pretty warm (23°C) and so the bird life was panting but Common Gallinule fell and a Palm Warbler showed nicely. Enough was enough except I ‘needed’ Great Black-backed Gull – Beauharnois supplied one. Back home my two remaining Pine Siskins picked at the Nyger and were later joined by a Common Redpoll. Job done I declared on 84 species. With a bit more effort 100 would have been possible and will probably become routine later in the month.
Below some photos and I promise you that none of the birds are stuffed, despite appearances and apologies for the Myrtle Warbler – it was not really a hunchback. Also below is the entire day list but don’t get used to it, I can’t always be bothered to do it. Oh and some stats: Year list that I’m not doing = 347. QC year = 137. Pits year = 95. Coming along.
Snow Goose, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Gallinule, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Dove. Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper. House Wren, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Myrtle Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.
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