The annual Grenadier Bird Count was held Yesterday (May 14) on Grenadier Island in St. Lawrence Islands National Park. 85 species (including 16 species of warbler) were observed in total and impressive numbers of individuals were found throughout the Island. Hi-lights are listed below:
Warbler species included: Nashville (7), Northern parula (1), Yellow (173), chestnut sided (18), magnolia (1), black throated blue (16), yellow rumped (26), black throated green (17), blackburnian (15), pine (1) , palm (1), bay breasted (1), black and white (7), american redstart (40), ovenbird (11), common yellowthroat 64). Other hi-lites included a Rusty Blackbird, Brown thrasher, 8 blue-gray gnatcatchers, 6 wood ducks, 5 pectoral sandpipers, 11 osprey, a merlin, a winter wren and large numbers of scarlet tanagers, rose breasted grosbeak, eastern towhee, northern orioles etc. The Grenadier Island Bird Count is an annual event held by St. Lawrence Islands National Park. Park staff provides transportation to the island and team up with volunteer birders to complete a census of the island. Birders start at separate ends of the large island and hike towards the central island facilities to exchange observations and stories of the Day. The island is a mosaic of mature and early successional forests as well as extensive coastal and interior wetlands and old field habitat. Grenadier Island can only be reached via boat. The easiest place to launch your boat is at the St. Lawrence Islands National Park Visitor Center. Exit the 401 at the Mallorytown Landing offramp (exit #675) and go south for about 2 minutes until till you reach the 1000 Islands Parkway (and the St. Lawrence River). Go right (west) on the parkway and then take an immediate left into the visitor center. Grenadier Island is pretty much due south of the boat launch and there are National Park docks located at 4 locations along the island. Please feel free to contact me or the park (613)-923-5261 for additional information. Josh Van Wieren Park Ecologist / Ecosystem Scientist St. Lawrence Islands National Park 2 County Rd. 5 Mallorytown, ON K0E 1R0 Tel: (613) 923-5261 ext 113 Cell: (613) 876-9864 Fax: (613) 923-1021 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
