If you may recall, Nature Guelph is encouraging participation in a friendly competition for the most bird species in Wellington County counted in one day, the Nature Guelph Birdathon. The Nature Guelph Birdathon takes place throughout the month of May each year. Competition is against other groups and individuals in Guelph and Wellington County to see the most number of bird species in 24 hours. The day you pick is flexible; you just need to head out and document the birds you see or hear.
One such team, the Sora Losers, took on the challenge on May 20th with a focus on completing it in a green way. Below is a report of their day (well done Sora Losers!):
“Hello everyone:
Well, we gave it our best, but Laurena Kirkwood-Lazazzera, Colin Gerber and I (aka the Sora Losers) were unable to match last year’s total of a record 104 species on our Wellington Green Big Day – but we came close at 100 species on a storm-shortened day. And we have raised $800 for Birds Canada, burning no fossil fuels along the way – making us feel more like Happy Harriers than Sora Losers!
Our day started out very well. The weather was perfect early on – mild, sunny and calm – a beautiful morning to be birding. We had found 83 species by 9:40 am as we walked our bikes and hiked along the Powerline Train, but there was a worrying lack of migrating birds passing through – very few northern warblers, thrushes, etc.. We did find a single Tennessee, 2 Cape Mays, and a Bay-breasted Warbler and a couple of Blackburnians, but numbers were really quite thin. Highlights included 4 Common Gallinules and both Virginia Rail and Sora in the marshes.
Then it was on to the Ignatius grounds where we added Eastern Bluebird, Savannah Sparrow and Wilson’s Warbler among others. Next came the Cross Creek Trails (all the while walking our bikes), where we added a Black-throated Green Warbler. We were finally able to mount our bikes when we got onto the Guelph Lake trails. The lake was full of swimmers, canoeists, kayakers and wind-surfers, but no ducks. We did get a distant view of a Bald Eagle feeding young on the nest. We biked to the Watson Road wetlands, then on to Pollinator Park, where we added an Osprey but could not find a Bobolink anywhere. It was getting hot by this time and the birds had gone very quiet – and we were going through a lot of water!
Pedalling ever onward, we reached the Correctional ponds around 4:30 pm, at 99 species and feeling pretty confident that we could reach the record – there were still some seemingly simple gaps to fill – including Red-breasted Nuthatch! Things started off well with a gorgeous male Orchard Oriole but went downhill fast from there. A quick check of the weather app showed that a storm was expected to roll into Guelph in 49 minutes (which turned out to be accurate to the second!) and was expected to continue on and off for the rest of the evening. We decided to make a run for my house, birding the river trails along the way. As we pedalled furiously (or as furiously as we could at this point in the day) up the final hill to my house (Guelph definitely seemed hillier this year!), the storm hit and we got a buffeting from a wind squall and spattered with the first few heavy rain drops – practically diving onto the porch to avoid a soaking. Then it was Moose Tracks ice cream, some rehydration and a little time to consider the day – and start planning for next year.
We thanks all those who provided support. It will help Birds Canada fulfill its valuable mandate to conserve our birds.
A full listing of the birds we found and the locations we visited is at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/242400
All the best,
Mike
The gauntlet has been cast. Interested in joining the challenge? If not this year, then start planning for next year!
- Fill out the team/individual registration for Nature Guelph Bird Wing Birdathon. This is the registration for our friendly competition for most species observed within Guelph and Wellington County.
- (Optional) Sign up as an individual or as a team on the Great Canadian Birdathon website to raise funds for Birds Canada. Share your fundraising page with your family, friends and colleagues to raise money to help with bird conservation efforts in Canada.
- Pick your day, map out your birding spots and route, and list the birds you see in 24 hours.
- Email your results to Marlene, Nature Guelph Bird Wing Coordinator.
Click here to learn more about the Great Canadian Birdathon.