Summer Series - Trip #3 Report

12 birders participated in today's field trip to "the back-side" of the St-Etienne marshes at St-Etienne-de-Beauharnois. The day began cool and grey with even a few sprinkles of rain. However things improved throughout the morning and we managed to get through to lunchtime with no rain and even some sunshine.

Even with this week's rain the back roads between the marshes and the Beauharnois Canal were in excellent shape adding to an all-around great day of birding.

It was really great to have Lance Laviolette as well as Peter and Ann Tarassoff along on this trip, excellent birders who we just don't see enough of on BPQ field trips. Some of the highlight species of the day included Blue-winged Teal (seen at the end of the trip from the dyke near the farmhouse), Redhead, Ruddy Duck, American Bittern, 5 species of swallows, Marsh Wren, Horned Lark and Bobolink. Our total species count for the day was 57. Here they are. Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Am. Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Northern Harrier, Common Moorhen, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Common Tern, Black Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, E. Wood Pewee, Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Am. Crow, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Veery, Am. Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Chestnutsided Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Bobolink, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Am. Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Thanks to everyone who attended.

Sheldon