Summer Series of Birding 2011 - Trip #8 - Saturday, August 20

Hello everyone. Yes, it's almost painful to say, but this Saturday's trip will be the final one of the 2011 Summer Series. We will be visiting what has become our most popular destination in summers past as we head out to visit 4 of the Eastern Ontario sewage lagoon locations.

The long-range weather forecast for the region, as of today, looks fine, but that of course can change quickly. One thing does seem sure though. It will probably be hot.

Saturday, August 20, 2011
7:00 AM – Full day; combination driving/walking trip
MEETING PLACE: Departing from the Hudson Inn parking lot in Hudson located at Exit 17 off of Highway 40. Please arrive early to be ready to depart for Ontario at 7 AM sharp. We have roughly a 70 km. drive from Hudson to our first stop, so thus the need for early start.

ITINERARY: We will visit 4 different sewage lagoons; St. Isidore, Casselman, Embrun and St. Albert. We are hoping for a selection of shorebirds and marsh-dwellers, together with whatever other birds we find throughout the day.

Exploring St. Isidore and Casselman should fill our morning. We will take a lunch break at the parking lot of the Tim Horton's in Casselman prior to heading out to our third and fourth stops in Embrun and St. Albert. You can bring along a lunch or pick up something at a number of restaurants located at the Cassleman stop.

There is a fair amount of walking required at each site, particularly at St. Albert which is the largest of the four sites. Be advised that these lagoons are located in wide open and exposed areas, away from any facilities. They provide very little in the way of shade from the hot sun, and basically no shelter from any possible rainfall. Therefore dress accordingly and bring along plenty of fluids.

Spotting scopes are very useful on this trip. Also, if you have portable two-way radios, please bring them along. They are excellent tools to have on this type of road trip. Car-pooling is highly recommended as parking at a couple of the sites is limited. Cars may be left at the Hudson Inn parking lot.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, or by telephone at 450-462-1459. If you run in to any delays on Saturday morning and think that you might be late, please call me on the BPQ cellphone at 514-637-2141. We will be leaving at 7 am sharp. However you will have plenty of time to catch up to us at our first stop in St-Isidore so be sure to have the driving instructions with you.

This is generally quite a long day of birding and, with some cooperation on the part of the birds, this trip should be no different. However, should you choose to leave the group at any point during the day, there is easy access back to Highway 417 from any of the sewage lagoon locations.

We look forward to an exciting day on Saturday. - Sheldon