Summer Series of Birding 2009 - Trip #6 Report

Montreal: 14 birders participate in this morning's lengthy walk through the Mount Royal Cemetery. We managed to make it through the morning with only a few sprinkles of rain. The cloudy conditions and cooling wind kept the humidity down, making for a pleasant walk.

Bird life however was somewhat sparse throughout the morning. There were several sections of the grounds where birdlife was neither seen nor heard. But, true to form, the cemetery did produce a number of interesting sights. Here is our list of 26 species. Photo by Chuck Kling click to enlarge and to see other photos

Cooper's Hawk - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1 (presumably one from the UofM)
Mourning Dove - 1
Chimney Swift - 4
Downy Woodpecker -2
Northern Flicker - 2
Eastern Phoebe - 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 6
Blue Jay - 6
American Crow - 12
Common Raven - 1
Tree Swallow - 3
Black-capped Chickadee - 10
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
House Wren - 4
Eastern Bluebird - 4
American Robin - 12
Gray Catbird - 4
Cedar Waxwing - 6
Chipping Sparrow - 10
Song Sparrow - 10
Northern Cardinal - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
American Goldfinch - 20
House Sparrow - 3

Strangely missing in action today were European Starlings (one was reported later by Chuck Kling), Common Grackles, warblers of any kind, Indigo Buntings and Baltimore Orioles.

The House Wren were very active feeding young in houses in two sections of the cemetery. Bluebirds were also seen around nestboxes in two locations.

Thank you to all who challenged the weather and joined in for the walk this morning.

Please don't forget our Eastern Ontario Sewage Lagoon field trip scheduled for next Sunday, August 9. Complete details will appear on Songsparrow in a few days. The excitement is already building with a good crowd of people expected based on the response from people so far - Sheldon