Day 10, White-crowned Sparrow

AND SO ENDS DAY 10 of our two-week birding holiday to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec) in May 2018! Day 11 sees us in that tiny boat, named Juno, that I posted today. It took us right out to the middle of the St. Lawrence Seaway to see one special island that was literally covered in Razorbills and Common Mures - two birds that I had never seen before. After that, Day 12 sees us travelling slowly back to Quebec City (ready to fly back to Calgary the next day), stopping en route at a wonderful place called Cap Tourmente, where we were thrilled to see 50,000 Snow Geese, on the ground, in the air, near and far. We even had time to stop and quickly photograph a barn or two on our long drive : )

On 16 May 2018, after a morning walk, we spent a little time watching and photographing some of the birds that visited our friend's garden. We also had lunch, ready for driving down to the dry dock soon after lunch. This was going to be a big day for the people of Tadoussac, as it was going to be High Tide, which happens twice a year, and the water was going to gradually overflow the entrance gate and flood the dry dock. Everyone was busy making final preparations on their boats for this event, and everyone was eager to see whose boat would be the first one to become afloat and make it out of the dock into open water. One of Anne B's brothers and his wife had a small boat and it was just about at the furthest point of the dry dock. Slowly, the water rose, and after maybe two hours (?) Alan and Jane's boat was ready to sail out, making them the winners. It felt so good to see a small community come together in this unusual, friendly contest.

While we were waiting for the tide to be at its highest, we had fun watching a beautiful little Magnolia Warbler feeding frantically on the ground, not far from our feet. I loved these Magnolia Warblers - I had never seen one before this holiday. So beautiful and so cute. All the birds who migrate had only just arrived on the coast, after flying across a huge body of water. They were exhausted and so hungry. Same thing at Point Pelee, Ontario, the week before.

"The magnolia warbler is found in the northern parts of some Midwestern states and the very northeastern parts of the US, with states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin comprising its southernmost boundaries. However, it is mostly found across the northern parts of Canada, such as in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. During the winter, the warbler migrates through the eastern half of the United States to southern Mexico and Central America. The warbler breeds in dense forests, where it will most likely be found among the branches of young, densely packed, coniferous trees. The magnolia warbler migrates to the warmer south in the winter, wintering in southeastern Mexico, Panama, and parts of the Caribbean. In migration it passes through the eastern part of the United States as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas. During migration season, the magnolia warbler can be found in various types of woodlands." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_warbler