FESTIVAL WRAP-UP

Parking at a Trail Head somewhere on the Bruce.

It seemed apt and perhaps somewhat poetic that on the morning of this summer’s first day, the longest day of the year, the Huron Fringe Birding Festival Committee gathered to take stock and think about ‘what’s next.’

The 2013 Festival Surveys were in, a preliminary budget compared our progress to last year and committee members came well-armed with new ideas and a view to what needs to be done to make the 2014 Festival even more attractive and successful than what had just passed. This summer solstice gathering was an opportunity to look back and more importantly, look ahead.

This years’s introduction of PayPal made things easier for people to sign-up online. Four events were full on the first day, fourteen by the end of February and six more in March. Compared to last year, attendees were up, as were registrations in single events. Of 76 events, 41 were more than 80% full at the start of the Festival. On May 24, the Festival’s first day 87 people signed up, more than twice as many as 2012.

“Its not radical growth,” commented Committee Chair Jim Duncan, “ but it shows we are indeed growing.”

Careful examination of the survey results yielded some insights that will help with future planning, procedures and organization. Web-based registration will be streamlined to make event selection for attendee’s easier.

Bruce and Grey Counties are a natural paradise. They contain 48 species of orchids and 50 species of ferns accounting for two thirds of Ontario’s totals. There are at least 78 species of butterflies in the area. A local expert claims that there are 19 species of warblers nesting in the counties and perhaps the most nesting birds in Southern Ontario.Our objective is to help you enjoy this natural wonderland through the Huron Fringe Birding Festival.

Event planning begins in earnest in August. From registration, to events, to hike leaders, we are committed to bringing you a premium nature experience wrapped up in a smooth running festival program.

This blog will be bringing you updates and information on the 2014 Festival as soon as they are available…so follow us…and be ready for HFBF registration day, February 1, 2014.

 The 2014 Huron Fringe Birding Festival runs from  May 23 to May 26 and May 29 to June 1.

Registration begins February 1, 2014 at:

http://friendsofmacgregor.org/page/schedule-of-events

 Like us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friends-of-MacGregor-Point-Park/101912730956

 

 

YES, THERE WERE LOTS OF BIRDS!

Sandhill Cranes in grass marsh. Photo Bonnie Paterson Collins

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Huron Fringe Birding Festival (HFBF), and to most of you, thanks for coming back year after year.

Below is some information that you may be interested in and some that you may already be aware of…its a compilation and summary of the birds seen at the Festival this year.

The number appearing after the bird species name designates the number of days the species was seen on our hikes.* Please understand that our hikes cover most of Bruce County and some of the areas where the species were seen were not covered everyday.

The HFBF just completed its sixteenth year. Next year’s events will be announced on February 1, 2014. Take note that you can register online. Remember to register early as some of our events fill quickly. Our boat trip to Flower Pot Island was completely booked by noon hour on the first registration day. Some of our bird hikes were full after 2 weeks.

We keep our hikes small. Twenty for birding events, twelve for wild flower hikes and for some of our events we allow only eight people. Our prices are very low if you take the weekend packages.  We have some very generous corporate sponsors that enable us to do that.

184 species were seen during the festival.

• Common Loon (COLO) – 3 (days seen)*

• Pied-billed Grebe (PBGR) – 6

• Horned Grebe (HOGR) – 1

• Double-crested Cormorant (DCCO) – 8

• American Bittern (AMBI) – 3

. Least Bittern (LEBI) – 4

• Great Blue Heron (GBHE) – 7

• Great Egret (GREG) – 6

• Green Heron (GRHE) -5

• American Coot (AMCO) – 5

• Virginia Rail (VIRA) – 4

• Sora (SORA) – 4

• Ruffed Grouse (RUGR) – 7

• Wild Turkey (WITU) – 7

• Sandhill Crane (SACR) – 5

• Black-crowned Night-Heron (BCNH) – 1

• Canada Goose – (CANG) – 8

• Wood Duck (WODU) – 6

• Mallard (MALL) – 8

• Gadwall (GADW) -1

• American Wigeon (AMWI) -1

• Northern Shoveler (NOSH) – 2

• Blue-winged Teal (BWTE) – 2

• Redhead (REDH) – 1

• Greater Scaup (GRSC) -1

• Lesser Scaup (LESC) – 1

• Ring-necked Duck (RNDU) – 2

• White-winged Scoter (WWSC) -1

• Common Goldeneye (COGO) -1

• Hooded Merganser (HOME) – 3

• Common Merganser (COME) – 5

• Red-breasted Merganser (RBME) – 6

• Ruddy Duck (RUDU) – 2

• Turkey Vulture (TUVU) – 8

• Northern Harrier (NOHA) -3

• Sharp-shinned Hawk (SSHA) – 1

• Cooper’s Hawk (COHA) – 1

• Red-shouldered Hawk (RSHA) -1

• Broad-winged Hawk (BWHA) – 4

• Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) – 6

• Bald Eagle (BAEA) – 5

• Osprey (OSPR – 4

• Merlin (MERL) – 7

• American Kestrel (AMKE) – 2

• Great Horned Owl (GHOW) – 2

• Eastern Screech Owl (ESOW) -1

• Common Nighthawk (CONI) – 5

• Mourning Dove (MODO) – 8

• Rock Pigeon (ROPI) – 4

• Black-billed Cuckoo (BBCU) – 6

• Black-bellied Plover (BBPL) – 2

• Semipalmated Plover (SEPL) – 2

• Killdeer (KILL) – 7

• Spotted Sandpiper (SPSA) – 6

• Upland Sandpiper (UPSA) – 3

. Ruddy Turnstone (RUTU) – 4

• Dunlin (DUNL) – 3

• Semipalmated Sandpiper (SESA) – 2

• Least Sandpiper (LESA) – 1

. Long-billed Dowitcher -(LBDO) -1

• American Woodcock (AMWO) – 5

• Wison’s Snipe (WISN) – 5

. Wilson’s Phalarope (WIPH) -1

• Bonaparte’s Gull (BOGU) -1

• Ring-billed Gull (RBGU) – 8

• Herring Gull (HEGU) – 8

• Caspian Tern (CATE) -3

• Common Tern (COTE) – 5

• Black Tern (BLTE) – 3

• Belted Kingfisher (BEKI) – 5

• Red-headed Woodpecker (RHWO) -1

• Red-bellied Woodpecker (RBWO) – 3

• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (YBSA) – 5

• Downy Woodpecker (DOWO) – 7

• Hairy Woodpecker (HAWO)  – 5

• Northern Flicker (NOFL) -8

• Pileated Woodpecker (PIWO) – 5

• Blue Jay (BLJA) – 8

• Common Raven (CORA) – 8

• American Crow (AMCR) – 8

• Chimney Swift (CHSW) – 3

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (RTHU) – 8

• Purple Martin (PUMA) – 1

• N Rough-winged Swallow (NRWS) – 4

• Bank Swallow (BANS) – 4

• Tree Swallow (TRES) – 8

• Cliff Swallow ( CLSW) – 7

• Barn Swallow (BARS) – 8

• Olive-sided Flycatcher (OSFL) – 3

• Eastern Wood-Pewee (EAWP) – 6

• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (YBFL) – 1

• Willow Flycatcher (WIFL) – 3

• Alder Flycatcher ALFL) – 4

• Least Flycatcher (LEFL) – 8

• Eastern Phoebe (EAPH) – 8

• Great Crested Flycatcher (GCFL) – 8

• Eastern Kingbird (EAKI) – 8

• Gray Catbird (GRCA) – 8

• Eastern Bluebird (EABL) – 8

• American Robin (AMRO) – 8

• Veery (VEER) – 7

• Wood Thrush (WOTH) – 7

•  Swainson’s Thrush (SWTH) – 1

• Gray-cheeked Thrush (GCTH) – 1

• Hermit Thrush (HETH) – 2

• Brown Thrasher (BRTH) – 8

• Cedar Waxwing (CEDW) – 6

• Black-capped Chickadee (BCCH) – 8

. Tufted Titmouse (TUTI) – 1

• Red-breasted Nuthatch (RBNU) – 7

• White-breasted Nuthatch (WBNU) – 2

• Brown Creeper (BRCR) – 3

• Carolina Wren (CARW) – 2

• House Wren (HOWR) – 8

• Winter Wren (WIWR) – 8

• Marsh Wren (MAWR) – 2

• Golden-crowned Kinglet (GCKI) – 1

• Ruby-crowned Kinglet (RCKI) – 1

• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (BGGN) – 5

• Red-eyed Vireo (REVI) – 8

• Warbling Vireo (WAVI) – 8

•  Philadelphia Vireo (PHVI) – 2

• Yellow-throated Vireo (YTVI) – 2

• Blue-headed Vireo (BHVI) – 2

. Northern Parula (NOPA) -1

• Blue-winged Warbler (BWWA) – 7

• Golden-winged Warbler (GWWA) – 8

• Nashville Warbler (NAWA) – 4

• Yellow Warbler (YWAR) – 8

• Chestnut-sided Warbler (CSWA) – 7

• Magnolia Warbler (MAWA) – 6

• Cape May Warbler (CMWA) – 1

• Black-throated Blue (BTBW) – 5

. Cerulean Warbler (CERW) – 2

• Blackburnian Warbler (BLBW) – 6

• Yellow-rumped Warbler (YRWA) – 7

• Black-throated Green (BTNW) – 8

• Pine Warbler (PIWA) – 4

• Palm Warbler (PAWA) – 5

• Bay-breasted Warbler (BBWA) – 3

• Blackpoll Warbler (BLPW) – 2

• Black-and-white Warbler (BAWW) – 8

• American Redstart (AMRE) – 8

• Ovenbird (OVEN) – 8

• Northern Waterthrush (NOWA) – 8

• Mourning Warbler (MOWA) – 7

• Common Yellowthroat (COYE) – 8

• Wilson’s Warbler (WIWA) – 3

• Canada Warbler (CAWA) – 4

• Hooded Warbler (HOWA) – 1

. Yellow-breasted Chat – 1

• Horned Lark (HOLA) – 5

• American Pipit (AMPI) – 1

• Eastern Towhee (EATO) – 6

• Field Sparrow (FISP) – 7

• Clay-coloured Sparrow (CCSP) – 2

• Chipping Sparrow (CHSP) – 8

• Savannah Sparrow (SAVS) – 8

• Vesper Sparrow (VESP) – 1

• White-throated Sparrow (WTSP) – 8

• White-crowned Sparrow WCSP) – 1

• Grasshopper Sparrow (GRSP) – 2

• Fox Sparrow (FOSP) – 1

• Song Sparrow (SOSP) – 8

• Lincoln’s Sparrow (LISP) – 1

• Swamp Sparrow (SWSP) – 8

• House Sparrow (HOSP) – 4

• Purple Finch (PUFI) – 4

• House Finch (HOFI) -1

• Red Crossbill – 1

• Pine Siskin (PISI) – 4

• American Goldfinch (AMGO) – 8

• Northern Cardinal (NOCA) – 8

• Rose-breasted Grosbeak (RBGR) – 8

• Indigo Bunting (INBU) – 8

• Scarlet Tanager (SCTA) – 8

• Baltimore Oriole (BAOR) – 8

• European Starling (EUST) – 8

• Eastern Meadowlark (EAME) – 8

• Bobolink (BOBO) – 8

• Brown-headed Cowbird (BHCO) – 8

• Red-winged Blackbird (RWBL) – 8

• Brewer’s Blackbird (BRBL) – 3

• Common Grackle (COGR) – 8

Number of species seen – 184

Bruce and Grey Counties are a natural paradise containing 48 species of orchids and 50 species of ferns accounting for two thirds of Ontario’s totals. There are at least 78 species of butterflies in our area. A local expert claims that there are 19 species of warblers nesting here and perhaps the most nesting birds in Southern Ontario.The Huron Fringe Birding Festival is based out of MacGregor Point Provincial Park near Port Elgin, Ontario.

(Compiled by Fred Javac)

Tree Swallow. Thanks to Heather & Mimi

 The 2014 Huron Fringe Birding Festival runs from

May 23 to May 26 and May 29 to June 1.

Registration begins February 1, 2014 at:

http://friendsofmacgregor.org/page/schedule-of-events

Like us on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Friends-of-MacGregor-Point-Park/101912730956

 

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR

Brendan Towes banding a first year American Redstart – next year’s HFBF mascot

Well…that’s a wrap on this year’s Huron Fringe Birding Festival. And a successful one at that…over 245 participants. We’re happy to report attendance surpassed last year. 

Thank you all.

Thanks to all participants, leaders, event co-ordinators, park staff, sponsors, the HFBF Committee, the Friends of MacGregor, to each and every  volunteer that gave so freely of their time and talents.

There will be intermittent blogs over the next little while as next year’s program begins to take shape so stay tuned.

And mark these dates in you day-timers now:

MAY 23 to MAY 26 – MAY 29 to JUNE 1 – next year’s Huron Fringe Birding Festival.

See you there.