2001 has been a great year for birdwatchers in our area, lots of species and quite a few outstanding or unusual sightings as well. Included in the birding highlights this year were visits from a good number of tundra swans that rested and fed in Bruce County fields. These big beautiful snow-white birds with the lonely musical call make you think of Arctic islands and Hudson’s Bay. 
 

The Huron Fringe Birding Festival May 25-June 3 held at MacGregor Park Provincial Park was a success again with many fine birding events. Plans are underway for the 2002 Huron Fringe Birding Festival now and will be posted soon on their web site at: http://www.friendsofmacgregor.org/festival.htm and on this web page.

We also had some intense peregrine falcon activity right in Owen sound and for too short a time, enjoyed watching a falcon zoom around the harbour. Nick-named Fat Albert and little more than a fledgling, the longest lasting of two young birds demonstrated to many of us why adult peregrines have such a mastery of the sky. Compared to the plump grain elevator pigeons, the falcon in flight reminded me of watching ex-Maple Leaf Norm Ullman skating in an Old Timers Hockey tournament. Among aging amateurs huffing and puffing, Normy glided twice as fast with little effort. Just like our falcon with the pigeons.

We had good action at the Cabot Head Bird Banding station this year as well with birds banded coming from and going to breeding areas farther north. Local birder Cindy Cartwright was deeply involved in this project which will not only attract many tourists to the Bruce Peninsula but also provide loads of useful data on bird migrations. 
 

As the year winds down and most of the migratory birds have left our area, it might be a good idea to list some of the personal birding highlights experienced by area residents. My personal highlight was seeing and photographing a quarrel between a cormorant and a blue heron which I shared with Sun-Times readers. Almost as good as the bird battle, was seeing three adult glossy ibis (left) in Horseshoe Bay.

Blue Heron

To share your personal birding highlight for 2001 with other Grey-Bruce Outdoors readers, send an e-mail to gferris@greybruceoutdoors.com or post a message on our Birding Page bulletin Board at this link http://www.greybruceoutdoors.com/cgi-bin/birders.pl