Report: Field trip May 7 on Dolman Ridge Road

There was a surprisingly large turnout on the field trip/ bird walk on the Dolman Ridge Road; close to 20 people were present.  Brilliant sunshine and coolish temperatures accompanied our very pleasant walk, even if it was a bit breezy at times.  Bird diversity was surprisingly low; only about 30 species were seen.  Persistent unfavourable winds in the region have slowed down migration for weeks, and this was reflected on today’s trip.  However, it was not all a bad thing. Some people did not mind that bird activity and song volume were at a more manageable level for them.

Still, there were quite a few birds.  Perhaps the birding highlight was a male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK; eye candy is never a bad thing. An American Robin on her nest was also a good sighting. An interesting non-birding sight was the Eastern Peatlands Flux Station, at the end of the 2.7 Km road.  Unfortunately we could not get that close due to high water levels and concern that the boardwalk could not handle the crowd.

Gregory Zbitnew, trip leader