Shirley's Bay Adventure
July 21st, 2010
Today I went birding at Shirley's Bay. It's only the second time I've done that, and my first time doing it solo.
Now, let me explain exactly what I mean by "birding at Shirley's Bay." There are trails at Shirley's Bay--nice, publicly accessible hiking trails that you can see on the Greenbelt map. And there's a boat launch and picnic area and so on. But if you're a birder--a serious birder--you're probably not interested in any of that. Here's what you do as a birder at Shirley's Bay:
You park at the end of Rifle Road and walk a short distance to a gate with a big, imposing "Department of National Defense" sign next to it. You go through the gate. You notice signs saying things like "no trespassing" and "danger - active shooting range", and disregard them. Then you waltz past the big sign saying "controlled access area" and "authorized personnel only." Oh, and "you may be searched at any time."
You turn onto a narrow dirt road, thumbing your nose at the two red "NO ENTRY" signs, continue on a ways, and finally, one last sign, "private property" (right next to something about poison ivy), tries to convince you to turn around, but you don't.
You do all this, mind you, after having obtained permission to do so. Still, if it's the first time you've ever done it solo, and you're me, you feel a little lurch in your stomach at every sign. You feel your heart beat. Fast.
You climb up onto the dike. And then...then, you're in heaven.
Kingfishers everywhere. Kingfishers flying right in front of your nose. Common Terns diving. Four Great Egrets (a rare species in Ottawa) out in the water and about three times as many Great Blue Herons. An Osprey flies by. Three deer--two adults and a spotted fawn--come up on the dike behind you, see you, think about it for a minute, and turn and run. And down in the shallows of the river, what you've really come here for: shorebirds. Dozens and dozens of shorebirds. The single best shorebird-watching spot in the entire city.
Just one thing about this mecca. Well, two things. One is the poison ivy. (I went in shorts. I probably shouldn't have.) The other is the ants. I recommend not setting your backpack down while you're on the dike. Because there are ants. Lots of them. They'll swarm up onto it. That webbing that you keep your drink in? They'll get all up in there. Then, when you put the backpack back on, they'll get in your shirt.
And they won't be happy about it.
So, in sum: an adventure! I finally listed Solitary Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper, two lifers that have been a long time coming for me. I've never seen so many Lesser Yellowlegs in one place. I had no idea how noisy and argumentative that species could become in groups--the individuals I saw at Andrew Haydon Park were always quiet and graceful. At Shirley's Bay, it seemed there were so many of them they couldn't get along. The altercations were always in pairs: two birds facing off, staring each other down from an inch away, then leaping and fluttering, kicking at each other. Then more staring. Then more kerfuffle. This would go on until one of them decided that they were more interested in eating than fighting. At which point the other seemed to think "yeah, you have a point" and they both went back to probing the mud.
Like this. (I didn't take that photo--it's from the Ottawa Citizen and was taken by Francine Ouellette--but it's very similar to what I saw.)
I'm looking forward to bringing my camera back to capture those kingfishers.
I would add as a postscript that I love my country. Calling Range Control took some nerve. Because here I am...phoning up the freaking military...to ask them if I can go bird-watching on their property? They're going to tell me to get a life, right? But no. The voice on the other end was friendly. He agreed right away and I could tell he'd heard the request many times before.
This cordial relation between Ottawa birders and the DND is a very nice state of affairs. I hope it lasts.
July 21st, 2010
Today I went birding at Shirley's Bay. It's only the second time I've done that, and my first time doing it solo.
Now, let me explain exactly what I mean by "birding at Shirley's Bay." There are trails at Shirley's Bay--nice, publicly accessible hiking trails that you can see on the Greenbelt map. And there's a boat launch and picnic area and so on. But if you're a birder--a serious birder--you're probably not interested in any of that. Here's what you do as a birder at Shirley's Bay:
You park at the end of Rifle Road and walk a short distance to a gate with a big, imposing "Department of National Defense" sign next to it. You go through the gate. You notice signs saying things like "no trespassing" and "danger - active shooting range", and disregard them. Then you waltz past the big sign saying "controlled access area" and "authorized personnel only." Oh, and "you may be searched at any time."
You turn onto a narrow dirt road, thumbing your nose at the two red "NO ENTRY" signs, continue on a ways, and finally, one last sign, "private property" (right next to something about poison ivy), tries to convince you to turn around, but you don't.
You do all this, mind you, after having obtained permission to do so. Still, if it's the first time you've ever done it solo, and you're me, you feel a little lurch in your stomach at every sign. You feel your heart beat. Fast.
You climb up onto the dike. And then...then, you're in heaven.
Kingfishers everywhere. Kingfishers flying right in front of your nose. Common Terns diving. Four Great Egrets (a rare species in Ottawa) out in the water and about three times as many Great Blue Herons. An Osprey flies by. Three deer--two adults and a spotted fawn--come up on the dike behind you, see you, think about it for a minute, and turn and run. And down in the shallows of the river, what you've really come here for: shorebirds. Dozens and dozens of shorebirds. The single best shorebird-watching spot in the entire city.
Just one thing about this mecca. Well, two things. One is the poison ivy. (I went in shorts. I probably shouldn't have.) The other is the ants. I recommend not setting your backpack down while you're on the dike. Because there are ants. Lots of them. They'll swarm up onto it. That webbing that you keep your drink in? They'll get all up in there. Then, when you put the backpack back on, they'll get in your shirt.
And they won't be happy about it.
So, in sum: an adventure! I finally listed Solitary Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper, two lifers that have been a long time coming for me. I've never seen so many Lesser Yellowlegs in one place. I had no idea how noisy and argumentative that species could become in groups--the individuals I saw at Andrew Haydon Park were always quiet and graceful. At Shirley's Bay, it seemed there were so many of them they couldn't get along. The altercations were always in pairs: two birds facing off, staring each other down from an inch away, then leaping and fluttering, kicking at each other. Then more staring. Then more kerfuffle. This would go on until one of them decided that they were more interested in eating than fighting. At which point the other seemed to think "yeah, you have a point" and they both went back to probing the mud.
Like this. (I didn't take that photo--it's from the Ottawa Citizen and was taken by Francine Ouellette--but it's very similar to what I saw.)
I'm looking forward to bringing my camera back to capture those kingfishers.
I would add as a postscript that I love my country. Calling Range Control took some nerve. Because here I am...phoning up the freaking military...to ask them if I can go bird-watching on their property? They're going to tell me to get a life, right? But no. The voice on the other end was friendly. He agreed right away and I could tell he'd heard the request many times before.
This cordial relation between Ottawa birders and the DND is a very nice state of affairs. I hope it lasts.
| ← | → |