Brier Island Spring 2024

 While this years trip to Brier Island might have been a bit of a disappointment in terms of bird numbers and photographic opportunities it more than made up for it as far as the overall experience considering the good company, good weather, great food and bad jokes. This year included one of the largest group in all the years we've been making the trip, eight,  ranging in age from 9 to ?  Let's just say I turned 65 years old this year and there were a couple individuals older than me.

I travelled there as usual with Carmen, but Danielle came along as well for the first time in several years. We made the traditional stops along the way but it wasn't birds so much as flora that had the biggest visual impact on us on the drive there including several trillium that caught our attention.

While the whole bird may not have made an appearance we did find this feather which possibly came from a Broad-winged Hawk, a bird we were able to see later on the island.

We saw a few more birds on the way to Brier including a few terns which is something we almost never see on the island these days since the gulls have taken over their nesting area on Peter's Island in recent years. We heard a Pied-billed Grebe singing from the marsh on Digby Neck which was a bit of a treat.

On the island we met up with Mark and Gretchen and daughter Lucy as well as Christo and Allie who had driven all the way from Ottawa to be there. The weather was a little dreary the first evening but a walk on the beach at Pond Cove turned up a few late Purple Sandpipers.

It's a little hard to believe these are the same birds I photograph in the Winter here. Their breeding plumage is totally different and they loose the bright orange bills and legs they sport in the colder months.

The next morning things were a little uneventful but I did manage to get a distant shot of a Scarlet Tanager which was one of the highlights of the trip for me. He disappeared shortly after I took this photo and wasn't seen again

There was a smattering of warblers around, the Black-throated Green being the most common. Also seen but keeping their distance were a bright male Blackburnian, several Northern Parulas and a female Cape May.

By the third day there were lots of singing Gray Catbirds. Among them was a singing Brown Thrasher which was briefly seen by Carmen. Lucy received full marks for her birding skills when she noted and recalled that Gray Catbirds are not just gray but have rusty red feathers under their tails.

Warblers were still a bit of no show except for a Chestnut-sided, a brief showing back at camp by a Black-throated Blue and of course the ever present Yellow warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler pictured here.

On the third day while some of us were looking for Painted Turtles, Christo stumbled upon a Woodcock nest when he almost stepped on the nesting bird before it flushed.

Around this time I was probably having my best photographic opportunities as I watched this Eastern Phoebe flycatching over the turtle pond.

I made the decision on the third day to stay another night in the hopes that the winds might shift to westerlies. They had been blowing mostly from the East all week which is not conducive for bringing birds to the island. Alas, it wasn't to be as Monday brought more of the same, few if any new arrivals or new sightings to add to our list. Part of my decision hinged on the thought of trying to photograph the Woodcock on its nest. With that in mind I walked cautiously into the area of the nesting bird knowing it would only reluctantly leave it's nest if it thought it could be seen.  If you've ever tried to find a Woodcock on the ground in its natural habitat you know it's not an easy task. Even knowing where it would be I really struggled to find the bird, they are so well camouflaged.

I left the Woodcock alone to tend to its clutch of eggs and by mid afternoon we were ready to head for home. We said goodbye to Christo and Allie who were going to make their way back to Ottawa. Carmen and Danielle had left the previous day so I have Mark and Gretchen (and Lucy) to thank for the drive back home. We ended up with a list of 78 species, not too shabby but definitely not the best year we've had on Brier. The long weekend concluded with a terrific supper supplied by Carmen and Danielle, the seafood chowder that eluded us on Brier Island. Here's hoping we have another great trip in store for Spring 2025.