Hi-speed rules! June 1/2 w Photos added- Lindsay/Bobcaygeon Area

Am re-posting this now with photos!

I combined June 1st and 2nd as I spent time at the Dunsford Nature Trail, as well as the Lindsay Sewage Lagoons, and County Road 24 that would lead into Bobcaygeon (were it not for the bridge that's been shut down for at least three years now).

My species tally for both days was 45, making my YTD tally now 186, and My Life List has grown to 245, adding two more (sorry, Ann). 

Let's start at the Dunsford Nature Trail, which is a long, flat trail that runs along the old railway line, with mixed habitat of marsh, hedgerows and forests:

As you can see from the revised sign above, they spared no expense when the JOINT conservation effort fell to pieces, as the township merely painted over the existing sign, too funny (but economical)!

I feared that I had entered the dead zone of birding for the spring/summer, as it was very quiet in general at all places, as our feathered friends have paired up (therefore not as much singing going on, those males are lazy bums, they get what they want, then shaddup) and/or are on the nest tending to their new families.

Somuchso that out of desperation I have started to take photos of butterflies, dragonflies, and fleurs, this is how it starts, I am told by John, and I'm now "getting it" . My flutterby field guide is now on order, in the meantime here are some photos that I'll be able to eventually identify:

I encountered a massive SNAPPING TURTLE, and there were signs of egg-laying in the sand on the sides of the trail, with dug-out holes and broken eggshells, I'm totally ignorant on these things, so am not sure if they've hatched or have been excavated and consumed by those prying claws of racoons...I now suspect the latter, as my Toronto Zoo Identifier sheet states that twenty to forty eggs are laid, no doubt to compensate for any predation.

On the avian front at the Dunsford Nature Trail over both days, Song and Swamp Sparrows were seen and heard, along with Yellow, Yellow-rumped, and Common Yellowthroat Warblers, American Goldfinches, Gray Catbirds, Eastern Kingbirds and Phoebes, Willow Flycatchers, Cedar Waxwings, and one of my target birds for the year, a Goofbird, aka Brown Thrasher. I've missed their amazing repertoire of  numerous songs, if one can call them that, I could stand there and listen to them forever! 

Brown Thrasher:

Swamp Sparrow:

Gray Catbird:

On Tuesday afternoon I visited the Lindsay Lagoons and dipped on the Yellow-headed Blackbird from a few weeks ago, but was rewarded with a young family of Blue-winged Teal:

 Flocks of several hundred Canada Geese were trying to survive the high humidex temperature  in one of the northern cells, along with a few Mallards, Black Terns, and Caspian Terns:

 

As I returned to the car, three birds flew above the cattails for a split second, and I was able to snap a few photos, which, with John's help, were confirmed as American Bitterns, one of my two Lifers for the week, whoohoo! Up until now, I had only ever heard their "oonk-a-lunk's" at Carden Alvar, so was thrilled to see them for the first time ever!

The resident Baltimore Oriole bid me farewell as I left the lagoons, along with Turkey Vultures:

On Wednesday after visiting the east end of the Dunsford Nature Trail, I drove along County Road 24 in search of Bobolinks in the Birch Point area, where I had seen them last year at this time, but it was not to be. I heard but could not see Eastern Meadowlarks, but succeeded in another Lifer, a Grasshopper Sparrow, here's the promised photo, even if its quality is poor as it was thirty football fields away from me:

There was more of the same there, too, on the Warbler front, along with more Brown Thrashers and Cedar Waxwings:

Ospreys were everywhere as there are several platform nests along this route. I also located my first Eastern Bluebird for the area, was very pleased to find him!


I became quite enamoured with this Barn Swallow in the puddle, madly gathering up mud and nesting material:

So ends my post for last week with accompanying photos. When initially composing this last week, I was hearing a pair of Ospreys in a tree outside the cottage hooting and hollering back and forth to each other. They seemed to roost there overnight, and return throughout the day to hang out with their fish McNuggets. Each morning Tessa, Mia and I find their newly-discarded fish carcasses on the ground below the trees where they perch. I'm not sure how long they will continue to stick around here, as I suspect they'll clear out once the cottagers move back in for the summer months of July and August- in the meantime, I'm totally enjoying their company!