Escape to the North

A few weeks ago, some friends and I planned a short trip to Northern Ontario to try and see some of the birds that like to inhabit such region during the winter. "Northern" is not a term I take lightly - we would be spending the majority of the trip in the Arctic watershed!

On Friday the 13th (!), I met up with none other than Nathan Hood in Waterloo. After loading up my gear, we picked up Ezra Campanelli and Riley Walsh, and began our trip northward. The traffic was moving quite well, so we made good time to our first pit stop, Bala, to look for the reported female Barrow's Goldeneye. Unfortunately, we struck out on the duck, but it was still nice to be able to take a short break.

Afterwards, we continued up to Sudbury, where we had a minor scare when the car's range (how far it can get with the fuel in the tank) hit zero, but somehow we were able to roll into a gas station in the nick of time. After stopping for dinner, we booked it for Gogama, where we were going to be staying the first night. Other parties who have been coming up have had luck with Boreal Owls and other owl species on the road leading into town, so we tried our luck. However, after two hours, we turned up nothing more than a single distress call of some sort after the speakers accidentally played rock music instead of owl calls.

The next morning, we went to the recent burn in the area. This is the same burn that Tyler Hoar and I visited last summer on our way up to James Bay. Having met up with a couple more friends ( including Owen Ridgen) of ours, we put on our snowshoes, and split up into three groups. We went in different directions, with plans to text each other if we found something good (American Three-toed Woodpecker).

So, with Riley, I headed down the main road. It didn't take us too long to find our first Black-backed Woodpecker.

Soon after spotting this beauty, it became clear it was going to be a long and frustrating day for me, as my snowshoes kept coming loose and falling off. It was also warming up, causing the snow to become softer, making snowshoeing quite difficult, with some steps causing us to sink up to our waists in snow. There was even a point where my snowshoe came off in one of those instances, and I had to put my full upper body down a hole to dig it out!

Riley and I continued on for another two or so kilometres of walking. During this time, we came up with thirteen more Black-backeds, for a total of fourteen along our route. Other birds we had included a Ruffed Grouse, some Gray Canada Jays, White-winged Crossbills, Red Crossbill, and a Common Redpoll. Riley also had a Pine Grosbeak fly over as I was bent down fixing my shoe. Also found a stand of a few Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra).

As we were walking back, we got a message that the other groups had found a male three-toed woodpecker. We were still a fair distance away, but we hightailed it to their position (along the way hitting a spot which I sunk and left me more or less stuck in one place for ten minutes...thanks snowshoes). However, by the time we got there, they had lost the bird. We spent the better part of the next four hours and five kilometres trying to search for the bird, but had no luck. At least the view was nice.

I have walked in many different terrains, but I can honestly say the hike we did on that day is one of the hardest I have ever done (my snowshoe falling off every ten minutes didn't help either). Riley and I accepted defeat. On a positive note though, we tallied an excellent 38 Black-backed Woodpeckers!

After the burn, we kept heading north for Cochrane. We figured we'd have a bit of time to essentially kill, so we decided to drive to Hearst along Highway 11, and watch for Northern Hawk Owls along the road. It turned out to be a quiet drive, with no hawk owls seen. We didn't even make it to Hearst. Five minutes outside of the town, we hit this wall of trucks.

Nathan went and asked one of the drivers what was up, and they believe it was some sort of accident. We saw no better option but to turn around and make the two and a half-hour drive to Cochrane, so that's what we did. We stopped once along the way to try for Boreal Owl, but came up empty.

The next morning (-25c), we met up with Jeff Skevington and his group (Angela Skevington, Alexander Skevington, Paul Lagasi, and Jeff's parents), as well as Kiah Jasper (his blog), Judy Jasper, and Dana Latour. for a day of birding along the Detour Lake Road (Highway 652). It didn't take long to find the first Northern Hawk Owl of the trip, a lifer for both Nathan and me.

A couple of stops later, we were awarded with yet another Hawk Owl, along with Ezra's, Riley's, and my lifer Hoary Redpoll.

Finch numbers weren't insane, but there certainly were a lot. The most numerous species was either Pine Siskin or White-winged Crossbill, followed by Common Redpoll (we saw hundreds of each). We also saw a few Pine Grosbeaks here and there. We also happened across a Merlin (unusual for this time of year), a couple Northern Shrikes, and several Ruffed Grouse.

Common Redpoll

A bit later in the morning, we happened across our third Hawk Owl of the trip.

It was shaping up to be a really awesome day! (who am I kidding, it already was!)

A couple more hours passed, and then we spotted some Sharp-tailed Grouse! Another lifer for me. We pulled over and began to observe these beautiful birds.

Then, Dana spotted a Hawk Owl on a pole just to the right of the grouse. Awesome!

One of the grouse seemed to perk up and become agitated. Why would that be?

The answer came mere seconds later. A GYRFALCON flew over!!!

The falcon circled overhead for a couple minutes, providing great views. Then, just as we thought it wouldn't get any better...

...the Gyr took a dive at the Sharp-taileds, which sent them scattering. It missed the birds, then went up and perched on the same pole the Hawk Owl (which has fled) had been sitting on. Wow!!! And this all happened within a couple minutes, and we hadn't even moved!!

I think I can stop birding now, I have peaked.

After that little excitement (understatement), we figured we were near the end of the road (182km), so we kept going. Not too much more happened, aside from one more Sharp-tailed Grouse.

Common Redpoll

With our car in the lead, we started the long trek back to Cochrane. It took us a bit, but I did eventually spot a Hawk Owl, our fifth.

Soon, Riley spotted a sixth. Not too long after, I found the seventh. Incredible!

One of the highlights of the day was finally seeing my lifer Bohemian Waxwings! Terrible photo, but well seen and heard.

We pulled into Cochrane a couple hours later, without any other major highlights. After dinner, we went back out in search of owls along Highway 652. While many of our stops came up empty, we finally got lucky with a Boreal Owl (lifer) about an hour and a half outside of Cochrane. We were even able to call it in for some great looks through binoculars! It was a great end to a great day. I can't remember the last time I saw five new birds in a day!

The next morning, we started a but later (on account of not getting back to Cochrane until 1:30am), with plans to head up to Fraserdale, and perhaps a bit beyond.

Just outside of Cochrane, we got out only Hawk Owl of the day, and the last one for the trip. Number eight!

It soon became apparent that the day would be quite a bit slower than the previous day. The only things of note along the whole 70+ km road to Fraserdale were a couple Ruffed Grouse and some Pine Grosbeaks.

Having reached Fraserdale, we decided to keep pushing northward. We stopped to take a look at the Abitibi Canyon generating station. Quite impressive!

Continuing on, there were birds scattered here and there. We came across a couple small flocks of finches, Bohemian Waxwings, and even flushed a couple of Sharp-tailed Grouse. A pair of Red Crossbills was unusual for this far north.

Soon, we made it to the start of the We-Tum road, the winter road that goes up to Moose Factory. It is something I have heard about for a while and was quite happy to get the opportunity to see. One day I'll make the drive...

Since it wasn't too much further, we went to see the Otter Rapids dam.

Those who have ridden the Polar Bear Express will recognize this place.

As Riley said, all of a sudden, Northern Ontario doesn't seem so inaccessible!

We went about as far as we could before having to turn back, and with the snow starting to get heavier, we were eager to get back to Cochrane. There were a few large redpoll flocks along the way, one of which included a "Rostrata" Common Redpoll.

After a hearty dinner of Subway and Apple Pie, we quickly fell asleep. It had been an exhausting couple of days.

We awoke early the next morning, packed the car, and then, after saying our good-byes to Jeff and his family, went south, with intentions of stopping in at the burn in Gogama for American Three-toed Woodpecker again. There were plenty of crossbills and siskins out on the road this morning (though admittedly a couple less, they weren't exactly all able fly off the road in time).

By 11am, we had reached the burn, strapped on our snowshoes (mine cooperated on this day), and began to search the burn once more. One thing we noticed is that there definitely seemed to be a lot less woodpecker and bird activity, which did worry us a bit. However, we trekked on, determined to give it our best shot.

It took a while, but eventually, we did find where there was considerable woodpecker action (15 Black-backed Woodpeckers in total).

After some more aimless wandering, our group got spread out a bit. The snow and wind was also picking up, and I admit I was starting to feel as though our luck had run out. But then, just as I was about to give up, a small woodpecker flew in and landed on a tree not too far away. Could it be? I raised my binoculars, and there, staring back at me was a lovely lady American Three-toed Woodpecker!

I yelled at Ezra, who was a little bit ahead of me on the trail, who called Nathan and Riley over. Unfortunately, the bird didn't stick around long, but at least it stayed around long enough for them to get a quick look at. It was a great way to end the trip!

All in all, the trip was nothing short of spectacular. Aside from maybe Great Grey Owl (which we didn't expect), we didn't miss any of our northern targets, and even managed to score a couple bonuses! I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love Northern Ontario.

Moss and Fish

I have spent more time than I probably should have in the last month or so looking at mosses, a difficult genera that I seem to really like for some reason. Here are some of my favourites. (Cell phone photos because I have forgotten my SD card in a few occasions).

Goose Egg Moss (Arrhenopterum heterostichum) is a species that seems to be indicative of rich Carolinian forest habitat. This was from Skunk's Misery in Southwest Middlesex county. I have also seen it in Rondeau Provincial Park. 

I believe that this is Steerecleus Moss (Rhynchostegium serrulatum), based on the capsule shape and twisted leaf tips (apices), among other microscopic features. It is fairly uncommon.

Another uncommon species of moss is Ohio Haircap Moss (Polytrichastrum ohioense)

A favourite of mine is Marsh Cardinal Moss (Ptychostomum pseudotriquetrum) is a species of calcareous habitats. The bright red stems are quite the show stopper.

One last moss is Streamside Schistidium Moss (Schistidium rivulare). This is a difficult genus to key out, but habitat is a huge indicator (I had this on a rock right beside a creek).

Now a couple fish to wrap things up.

Stonecat

Greenside Darter

Northern Hog Sucker

Central Stoneroller

Birdwise, I have seen the overwintering Golden Eagles and Short-eared Owls in the southern part of the county. The first blackbirds came in en masse (around 80 total) on February 24, but with the weather, I haven't seen any since. Still waiting for the vultures!

Notes from the St. Clair

Hello. Does this thing still work?

Yesterday I birded Sarnia and along the St. Clair river, with the intention of seeing what was around. I didn't take any photos (save for one bird), so I will recycle some old ones.

The day started off not so nice, with rain and quite heavy fog. Not too much of note along the way, but we did have a Snowy Owl in the usual location, as well as a Rough-legged Hawk. The roughie was in the same spot as the one we had last year, and looked to have the same patterning, so it could be the same bird as pictured below (from 2019).

We toured around Point Edward a bit, looking at the lake at a few different locations. Not too much to be seen. The usual Long-tailed Ducks, which always seem to be flying around, never settling. Had a few White-winged Scoters to shake things up as well. 

Quite the contrast to last year at this time. The only ice to be seen was on the rocks.

NOT like this (2019)

Off of Canatara Park, there was a sizable raft of Redhead, I estimated numbering around 1800. They were on the American side, but whatever...Also seen was a Great Black-backed sitting a distance out with an adult Glaucous Gull right beside it. Perhaps two of my favourite wintertime gulls.

There were more birds in the marina and Sarnia Bay than I expected, but nothing too much out of the ordinary. A few Great Black-backs and an adult Glaucous were among the Herring Gulls. I did see a Long-tailed Duck, which I think might be the first time I have seen one in the bay!

Heading downriver, we stopped a few times to sift through the gulls. There were easily a few thousand Herring Gulls present, as well as some more interesting things mixed in. Guthrie Park was good, as it always seems to be, and the gizzard shad die off attracted the gulls en masse. Along with about 2000 Herrings, I picked out a couple Iceland Gulls, some Glaucous, Great Black-backeds, and a Nelson's Gull, which is a hybrid between Herring and Glaucous Gull.

Great Black-backed Gull

At the OCF outflow down near Sombra, there were quite a few Great Black-backs, as well a some Glaucous and a pretty little first cycle Iceland Gull. A Belted Kingfisher also made an appearance. 

Final stop was the Sombra waterfront. As usual, lots of Redhead, but the star of the show was a Ring-necked Duck x Redhead hybrid, which has been coming back for a few years now. This is the first time I have seen this hybrid.

All in all a good day. Back to exams...

Christmas Bird Counts 2019

This past weekend I participated in two Christmas Bird Counts (CBC).

On Saturday I did the London CBC. My area is a 5 kilometer stretch of pathway along the river in south London. It can be quite good, however this year I averaged lesser numbers of birds, and it was my lowest species count out of the previous years, with 30.

While there isn't too much to comment on, I did have a few highlights. Cardinal numbers were higher than previous years, with forty tallied. Early on I had a Red-winged Blackbird in a cattail marsh, which is a good one on the count. The best bird was a House Wren, which is the second record ever in the 100+ years of the count.

After the morning walk, I went down to the landfill. Best bird was a Slaty-backed Gull, which was found the previous day. The first record on the London CBC, and a first record for Middlesex county. Other gulls included thousands of Herring Gulls, lesser numbers of Ring-billed, and some Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, and Glaucous. I couldn't turn up any Iceland Gulls.

Herring Gulls and Glaucous Gull

Overall, the results of the London count revealed that it was a below average year, but with some exceptional highlights. Another new one for the count was a Wilson's Warbler. Other highlights included Greater White-fronted Goose, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Cackling Goose, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

On Sunday I did the Rondeau/Blenheim CBC with Blake Mann. We did the area in the park south of the visitor center.

We started the day with a lakewatch off Dog Beach. It was quite cold with limited birds. We had four Red-throated Loons, which means I can keep my Red-throated streak! I have had them on every Rondeau count I've done. The one I had in my first count four years ago was the first seen since 1981. As others have noted, sighting of this species are increasing in the Rondeau area, which is quite odd.

After the lakewatch (we also had three Long-tailed Ducks, which was nice), we went and started our usual walking route; down South Point Trail to the washout, then back up Lakeshore to the VC, and back down Harrison. As it has been the last couple years, it was a fairly uneventful. Best bird was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, which was the only bird around it seems! A Pileated Woodpecker was also good to get.

On our Lakeshore walk, we had an Eastern Towhee, as well as Common Grackle. A Tufted Titmouse at the feeders may have been the only on the count. Harrison was mostly uneventful, but we did have a Hermit Thrush.

After lunch, we did a quick walk around the campground, where we basically had no birds! Seemed to be the theme that day...

Blake went off on his own to check some other areas, so I went to check a few areas on my own. I went to the maintenance loop, where the only notable birds were a Carolina Wren and Carolina Wren. I basically gave up on birding and did some botanizing.

I found two mulberry (Morus) species on the loop.

The rare Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) has one of its last population strongholds in Rondeau Park. From what I understand the Rondeau population includes some of the best examples of this species in Ontario. With only a few hundred trees left in the province, it is at risk due to habitat loss and this next species, White Mulberry (Morus alba) which is invasive, and rapidly hybridizing with Red Mulberry, which is resulting in genetically impure trees.

Next I went to the beach off of the VC. I found a few more plants.

Common Yucca (Yucca filamentosa)

Canadian Wild Rye (Elymus canadensis)

I also found this on the beach, not quite sure what it is. (EDIT: pharyngeal teeth of the fish Freshwater Drum, thanks Kate!)

 Afterwards I went to the trailhead of the Marsh Trail, because why not? Had a Winter Wren, as well as some more plants. I saw some winter stems of Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), a somewhat rare plant in Ontario. Saw a couple other things too.

Swamp Loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus)

Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)

Prairie Cordgrass (Sporobolus michauxianus)

Afterwards I went to Erieau to do a quick check before heading off to the compilation.
Not much of note, other than a couple Field Sparrows in a flock of tree sparrows, and a Winter Wren along the rail trail.

Common Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) was locally abundant in the sandunes.

A few Muskrats were around.

The dinner and compilation was good as always. In total the count had 102 species, which is quite good considering the circumstances. I always enjoy Rondeau!

James Bay 2019: Longridge Point

Let's finish this thing...

August 14, 2019

The weather was looking good, so it was no surprise when we received confirmation that the chopper would be flying that day. The plan was that the chopper would fly in just over half of the new Longridge Point crew, then pick up three Longridge crew members, drop one (Gray Carlin) off at Piskwamish on their way back, and pick up Kevin, before making its way back to Moosonee. At that point, the chopper would pick up the remaining Longridge crew member, before flying back to Piskwamish, pick me up, the continue onto Longridge, where I would spend the next two weeks. Sounded simple enough.

I enjoyed my last few hours at Piskwamish, and right on schedule and to plan, the chopper came and picked up up. I got to see where I had been walking for the past couple weeks from the air, and had a new found appreciation for the winter road and power line.

Soon we touched down in the marsh at Longridge Point. I was back! I was reunited with Doug McRae, and after a few camp orientation things, the new crew went out to explore the area. Longridge is certainly very different than Piskwamish, since most of the walking involves walking along gravel ridges (compared to the expansive mudflats of Piskwamish). It is certainly more physically demanding, but having already spent two weeks on the coast, it wasn't as strenuous for me as the crew members who had just come in.

Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella)

eBird checklist 

August 15, 2019

I did my first Longridge Survey on this day, Paskwatchi Point, which is my favourite survey route. Whiles numbers were basically nothing compared to the numbers of birds I had seen at Pisk, it was still quite enjoyable. Highlights on the survey included a Red-necked Phalarope, a juvenile Marbled Godwit (the second record that season for Longridge), and an adult Little Gull.

I found a few orchids in the morning before survey.

Lesser Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera repens)

Nodding Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)

That evening I heard a Long-eared Owl, which had been hanging around for a few weeks apparently. This was actually my first ever Long-eared Owl!

eBird checklist

August 16, 2019

I was the first awake that day, so as I stumbled outside half asleep, I went to the main cabin and began disabling the bear fence. At one point, I looked up and there it was! A juvenile Northern Goshawk perched 20 feet above me! Unfortunately it flew off before others got to see it, however it came back several more times over the course of the next couple weeks. We also had a different individual hanging around, another juvenile.

On this day, I tackled the Longridge Point survey, which follows Longridge Point, a gravel spit about two kilometers in length. There wasn't too much of note this day, just the usual. We had 153 White-winged Crossbills tallied that day, which certainly made Doug laugh since he had said until I came, they would only get a dozen or so a day at most. We joked I brought the crossbills with me, since we had hundreds daily at Piskwamish.

eBird checklist

August 17, 2019

I believe on this day, I made another Paskwatchi survey. Again, nothing really of note.

I went out to explore in the marsh, with the intention of checking out where I had discovered a single Saffron-winged Meadowhawk the previous year. Imagine my delight when I found a few dozen!

A Green Comma in camp was a lifer butterfly for me.

A decent number of finches this day, with almost 200 crossbills, and decent numbers of Common Redpolls.

Common Redpolls

eBird checklist

August 18, 2019

I did the West Bay survey this day, highlighted by 15 Wilson's Phalaropes. It was an excellent year for phalaropes on the coast. In 2018, we would consider it a good day if we saw a phalarope. This past year, they were a nearly daily occurrence.

eBird checklist

August 19, 2019

Before heading out on the Longridge Survey, I saw a Northern Blue, only my second time seeing this species.

Around this time, we were dealing with pretty high tides. Because of the time of day, we decided we would start our survey at the tip of Longridge, and then survey our way back. As we were walking out, I noticed the tide coming in, and it was coming in fast. I remember thinking to myself that we were going to get stuck somewhere along the ridge today. As it turned it out, my prediction was right. However, instead of getting stuck where I had thought we would get stuck, we found ourselves stranded at the very tip of Longridge, a mere 500 meters into our survey! Since I was the "survey crew leader", I made the call to end the survey and stay put, since the wave action and current would have made the 20 foot crossing potentially dangerous.

After a few hours, the tide finally went down far enough for us to cross safely. However, that was the least of our problems. For the last hour we had watched as a massive thunderhead made its way towards us. So, with lighting and thunder coming at us, we began the walk/jog/sprint towards the closest cover...two kilometers away (oh, and I was carrying a metal tripod).

In short, we made it out alive, and there was an epic double rainbow (I was unable to catch all of it in the frame!)

eBird checklist

August 20, 2019

We had been planning to meet up with the Piskwamish Crew at "The Barge" which is between the two camps for a "party", however the forecast had been less than satisfactory, so we opted to postpone until the next day. It turned out to be a very nice day, and we remarked how we should have gone ahead with the party that day. We couldn't know at the time how postponing would be perhaps one of the best decisions we had ever made...

I did the West Bay survey this day. Just the usual stuff, but I finally saw my first James Bay Stilt Sandpipers.

eBird checklist

August 21, 2019

Ah yes, August 21, 2019...

I volunteered to do the Paskwatchi survey (quite) early in the morning, along with a fellow crew member. The rest of the crew would then meet us at Paskwatchi point, where we would ditch our gear and continue to walk the distance to the Barge for the meetup.

The survey went without a hitch, so when joined by the other crew, we began the walk, birding the ridge along the way. About a kilometer south of Paskwatchi, we stopped to "pish" because we heard a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Off to my left I saw a flash of the brightest yellow I had ever seen. Puzzled, I raised my binoculars, trying to discern what it was. The yellow body, black eye, huge bill...blue-grey wings?

"Holy @$#%, it's a Prothonotary!"

Doug has also gotten on the bird, and was seeing the backside. As soon as I said what it was, it came out into the open, in all its golden yellow glory. We observed it for the next few minutes, before losing it for good. It was fair to say we were all in shock. It took us a couple days before it to even begin to set in what we had seen! That chance sighting of a beautiful male bird represented the second record for the James Bay area, the last one being in Moosonee in October of 1989. Unless I am mistaken, this seems to be the most northerly record of the species in the province, and one of most northern records of the species ever. Honestly one of the craziest birds I have ever seen, good thing we postponed the party!

So yeah, it was a pretty good day. The "Barge Party" was fun, and it was good to see my old camp mates again.

eBird checklist

August 22, 2019

I did the Longridge Survey this day. Shorebird numbers were still much lower than we expected they should have been (only a couple hundred White-rumped Sandpipers, should have been thousands). We did a short seawatch after the survey, which was highlighted by a Marbled Godwit.

I should note that on the pond near camp we had a couple families of a rare bird...American Coots! We had seen a few juveniles daily, however on this day we finally saw all 14 young! This represented the second or third breeding record for the Hudson Bay Lowlands.

eBird checklist

August 23, 2019

I did the Paskwatchi survey this day. As was the trend for recent surveys it seemed, the survey was pretty quiet. As soon as we ended the survey, we found a nice and somewhat cooperative Stilt Sandpiper.

Lesser Yellowlegs and Stilt Sandpiper

We went for a walk down the ridge south of Paskwatchi after the survey, since the habitat was quite nice. Nothing rare on this day, but we did have a pretty high number of Tennessee Warblers, definitely the most common small interesting looking bird on this walk.

eBird checklist

August 24, 2019

Did the West Bay survey. Again, not much to report on, besides the small "flock" of six Silt Sandpipers were encountered, which seemed a bit out of place. A single Marbled Godwit was nice to see. Over 100 Snow Geese was a good count. We also had a good number of Broad-winged Hawks. We are north of their usual range, so they are a bit odd to see, however they sometimes do occur.

Highlight of the day was an Old World Swallowtail caterpillar.

eBird checklist

August 25, 2019

For my second last full day on the coast, I did the Longridge survey for the last time. Once again, shorebird numbers were low! Highlight were the first American Pipits of the fall. On our walk back to camp, I spotted a Ruffed Grouse, my first for James Bay.

That night at dinner, as we were doing our daily totals, a Grey Catbird showed up outside our cabin! This is a fairly northern record of the species. It was good to finally lay eyes on the bird, as I had been hearing catbird-like calls for several days now, but could never get a visual to confirm.

eBird checklist 

August 26, 2019

My last full day on the coast.

I did my favourite survey for the last time, Paskwatchi Point. Unfortunately, the shorebird numbers didn't increase. In fact, we had ZERO White-rumped Sandpipers that day. They are supposed to be the most common and numerous species! We had a couple good birds at Paskwatchi, including a pair of Little Gulls, and a Parasitic Jaeger.

It was with reluctance we walked back to camp, knowing it would be the last time we would make that walk this year. We enjoyed our last night together as a camp, and reflected on our past couple weeks together. For me, it was amazing how fast a month had flown by!

eBird checklist

August 27, 2019

It was zero hour. I secretly prayed for a freak storm which grounded all choppers for a month, but some of my camp mates were itching to get out, for they had responsibilities to attend to.

Doug found this dead Arctic Shrew, it was pretty cool.

We went for one last walk to the banding station to take a look at the ocean. My attempts at escape into the bush were foiled both times.

Around noon, just as I had finished lunch, I went outside, and in the distance I could hear it. The distinctive sound of a chopper. This was it.

I said my good byes, to both my friends, and the coast, and packed up the chopper, and then we were off. Less than half an hour later I was back in Moosonee. After my first shower in a month, we got onto the train, and were back on our way to southern Ontario. For another year, my time in the north had come to an end.

eBird checklist

------

I was really happy to be able to spend a month up on the coast, which is undoubtedly my favourite place I have ever been (which, I guess isn't too many places). I am anxiously awaiting my next opportunity to return!

Until next time, James Bay.