my favourite places to bird in Bruce County - continued

My previous post "my top 10 favorite places to bird in Bruce" was pretty popular, so I decided to do a part 2 for some content..

#20 - Stokes Bay

A sheltered bay on the northwestern side of the peninsula, Stokes Bay is a good area to look for waterfowl. In early spring there is usaully a large aythya flock that is worth scoping. A few Canvasback (surprisingly rare in Bruce) have shown up here in the past few years. In October/November it"s one of the more reliable spots in Bruce to see all 3 scoters. There hasn’t been a mega duck here yet, but it seems like as good of spot as any for Tufted Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneye or Smew!

#19 - Chalmers Pond 

Chalmers Pond isn’t much to look at, just a small pond in a farm field, often with some cows hanging around it.. But it does have an impressive ability to attract rare shorebirds and waterfowl! For example here are some good birds that have been seen there in the last few years alone;  Brant, Greater White-fronted Goose, Canvasback, Red Knot, Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalaropes, Baird’s Sandpiper, Franklin’s Gull and Cattle Egret.

Not bad for a little pond! The Kincardine birders check this spot almost every day in migration season, so that certainly helps.

#18 - Southampton Dump

Yep, another dump! Because why not? Dumps are awesome places to look for some of my favourite birds... gulls. There’s never been a rare gull here, but I think it definitely has potential for something cool. Regardless, it’s a reliable spot for decent numbers of Iceland and Glaucous Gulls...

#17 - Malcolm Bluff Shores Nature Reserve 

Malcolm Bluff Reserve is a large tract of mature hardwood forest just north of Wiarton. Unlike a lot of spots on my list, it’s not a rarity trap. The thing I love about this location is the spectacular view and cool breeding species. If you take the trail off Wright’s Crescent and walk a few hundred meters, you’ll meet the Bruce Trail and will get an amazing view across Georgian Bay...

Hooded Warblers and Cerulean Warblers have set up territories here before...  This is actually where I got my lifer hoodie.

#16 - Sauble Beach

I really enjoy birding Sauble, but the massive crowds are certainly a turnoff. In the off seaons (early spring and Oct-Dec) it can be nice here though and I often walk the beach then looking for  shorebirds. And of course I can’t mention Sauble Beach without talking about the Piping Plovers. They abandoned ship in early June this year (maybe the resident  Merlins had something to so with it), but for the last few years they’ve nested successfully.. so that’s a big point in the beach’s favour. There are also a few good records from the beach including;  Snowy Egret, Pacific Loon and Sage Thrasher.

There’s also the river mouth at Sauble, which can be a good spot to look for rare waterfowl in fall/winter. I have tried to do a few morning flight watches along the beach, but so far it’s been pretty bad.. 

#15 - Cabot Head

Home of the Bruce Peninsula Banding Station, Cabot Head is located at the extreme northeastern part of Bruce. Its location acts as a trap for vagrants and they’ve had quite a few great birds over the years.. Sage Thrasher, Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker, Black Vulture, Carolina Wren, Townsend’s Solitaire, White-eyed Vireo, Hermit Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Worm-eating Warbler to name a few. There is also an elevated cliff beside the observatory that’s a great spot for lakewatching. There really aren’t many places that I like lakewatching on Georgian Bay, but this is one of them. It’s also a great spot to see large numbers of staging Red-necked Grebes.

#14 - Tobermory Sewage Lagoons 

Michael Bulter’s turf. Tub Lagoons have a nice mix of forest edge habitat and lovely sewage lagoons. Nothing insanely rare has been found here, but it has had some good birds including Northern Mockingbird and Summer Tanager. Also got my Bruce lifer Common Gallinule here (random fact)

#13 - Crane Lake Road

There is s a huge alvar on Crane Lake Road which attracts some rare breeders like Upland Sandpiper, Grasshopper and Clay-colored Sparrows and Golden-winged Warbler. Also a good spot to look for Short-eared Owls. Not really a spot for rarities, but it’s a really fun place to bird!

#12 - Southampton Harbour

One of those spots I always check if I’m driving by, just in case something unusual is there. There have been some good birds here in the past including;  King Eider, American White Pelican and Black-legged Kittiwake. 

#11 - Ferndale Flats

A very hit or miss location, it’s either popping or totally dead. In the spring some of the fields usually flood, creating some of the best shorebird habitat on the peninsula. No rare shorebirds yet, but sometimes there are nice concentrations of yellowlegs, peeps etc. The fields around the flats are good spots to search for rarities that like open areas.. Western Meadowlark, Loggerhead Shrike, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.. there’s one spot that I really like for rare flycatchers and check it whenever I drive by. 

That’s all I’ve got in the way of random content  for now!