Community Articles
General News · 8th May 2025
Nancy Kendel
The Cortes Museum’s annual Spring Migration Birding Event took place on Saturday, May 3rd, a mostly sunny day with a chilly North wind in exposed areas. Observations from the Friday and Sunday were also included in the count tally. The Spring event is a more relaxed day for birders than the Christmas Bird Count, allowing participants to enjoy the time together while sharing their knowledge and skills. In addition, only the species of birds sighted are counted, not the individual birds observed as in the Christmas Count.
This year there were 4 ways to participate in the event.
1. Saturday, three people joined Nancy & Ray Kendel for an island tour of “hot” birding spots, from Whaletown to Smelt Bay.
2. Christine Robinson led four people through the Children’s Forest to Carrington Bay Lagoon on Saturday morning.
3. Sunday morning Christine Robinson, Corry Dow, and Laurel Bohart lead a children’s birding workshop, Our Feathered Friends, around Linnaea Farm.
4. Finally, a number of individuals surveyed their neighbourhoods.
Thanks to everyone who participated! The final species count this year is 85, above the count average from the past 21 years of 75 species. Click https://cortesmuseum.com/wild-cortes/bird-counts/ for the complete listing of the Spring counts.
Highlights of the event include:
• Brant Geese flying overhead
• Wood Ducks - Gunflint Lake and Kwas Pond
• Green wing Teal Ducks & Virginia Rail -Sprungman’s Pond
• Black Turnstones, Western & Least Sandpipers – beach below Seascape Rd
• Caspian Tern – Whaletown
• Eurasian Collared Dove – Cortes Bay, Hollyhock, Linnaea
• Tree Swallow – Linnaea
• Barn Swallow - beach below Seascape Rd
• Marsh Wren – Linnaea
• Western Tanager – numerous places
• MacGillivray’s Warbler – Seavista Rd and Linnaea
• Savannah & Chipping Sparrow - beach below Seascape Rd, Linnaea
• American Goldfinch – South Point Rd, Linnaea
Watch for announcements of the Christmas Bird Count held each year in mid-December to early January! Happy birding!
Top photo credit: Caspian Terns Gary Fast, photographer
This year there were 4 ways to participate in the event.
1. Saturday, three people joined Nancy & Ray Kendel for an island tour of “hot” birding spots, from Whaletown to Smelt Bay.
2. Christine Robinson led four people through the Children’s Forest to Carrington Bay Lagoon on Saturday morning.
3. Sunday morning Christine Robinson, Corry Dow, and Laurel Bohart lead a children’s birding workshop, Our Feathered Friends, around Linnaea Farm.
4. Finally, a number of individuals surveyed their neighbourhoods.
Thanks to everyone who participated! The final species count this year is 85, above the count average from the past 21 years of 75 species. Click https://cortesmuseum.com/wild-cortes/bird-counts/ for the complete listing of the Spring counts.
Highlights of the event include:
• Brant Geese flying overhead
• Wood Ducks - Gunflint Lake and Kwas Pond
• Green wing Teal Ducks & Virginia Rail -Sprungman’s Pond
• Black Turnstones, Western & Least Sandpipers – beach below Seascape Rd
• Caspian Tern – Whaletown
• Eurasian Collared Dove – Cortes Bay, Hollyhock, Linnaea
• Tree Swallow – Linnaea
• Barn Swallow - beach below Seascape Rd
• Marsh Wren – Linnaea
• Western Tanager – numerous places
• MacGillivray’s Warbler – Seavista Rd and Linnaea
• Savannah & Chipping Sparrow - beach below Seascape Rd, Linnaea
• American Goldfinch – South Point Rd, Linnaea
Watch for announcements of the Christmas Bird Count held each year in mid-December to early January! Happy birding!
Top photo credit: Caspian Terns Gary Fast, photographer
(Spring_Bird_Count_Field_List-2025_completed.pdf)