Sunday 13th May 2007
We tried again for the Orchard Oriole, saw more warblers and a Swainson’s Thrush but no oriole, however, another birder told us that a White-eyed Vireo at a place called Maison de Marais at St-Ann-de-Sorrel had stuck two days so we thought we would give it a go. To be fair the news and directions had been on the rare birds web site but I had no idea where this maison was and didn’t really want to be peering around someone’s house looking for a bird.
We found the place OK and it turns out to be a Nature Reserve, one we had never heard off. Needless to say the vireo joined the oriole in the absent bin but we had a look around anyway, it’s a nice place, we saw a few birds and its somewhere we will visit again. The only problem was, now we were this close to Baie du Febvre how could we not go and not see a Wilson’s Phalarope. They are supposed to breed there but we have been several times but no seen one.
Baie du Febvre is a good birding place but it is always windy. It has tons of birds, especially Snow Geese. They even have some sort of festival where they presumably celebrate their wild beauty then shoot them, such is the logic of bird preserves in Quebec.
Sure enough, when we arrived it was blowing a gale from which there is no shelter. They have a curious idea of hides on this continent, generally they are designed to be ignored as they are too uncomfortable to sit in. At Baie du Febvre they have a big viewing hide with angled slots presumably built for people with one leg shorter than the other.
From the slats I was delighted to see a fine summer plumage American Golden Plover, four Grey Plovers although Black-bellied is a better name, and many Least Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers. On the square tanks flocks of Black Terns joined the 1500+ hirundines hawking insects. A little further on and each tree on the bank had a Yellow-rumped Warbler clinging on, out on the fields 3-400 Snow Geese were keeping their heads down until some dimwit wandered out to them.
So a mixed trip with a few year ticks and a few photographic opportunities, as seen below.
Warbling Vireo, some call it Eastern, its in the east so I suppost that is apt.
Yellow Warbler. Common everywhere. You can actually buy little models of some of the North American birds, Yellow Warbler included. Movement triggers their song so everywhere you go you can hear the pleasant little ditty that is their song, drives you nuts after a while though.
A record shot of the Baie du Febvre American Golden Plover.
One of several hundred Black Terns at Baie du Febvre. The others were all very similar in appearance so I didn't bother to photograph them.
Baie du Febvre is famous for its Snow Geese. I don't know how many recipes they actually have but it is probably impressive.
Least Sandpiper though anywhere else it would be called a stint, Least Stint, why not?
Male Ring-necked Duck, you can almost see the ring.
Redhead of known origin. Apologies to North American readers, its a Notts in-joke.
A male Ruddy Duck at an undisclosed location, the reason being some idiot in Europe just might jump on plane and come and shoot it just in case it glances at a White-headed Duck with love in its eyes.
Tree Swallows hoping for a gnat.
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