Greater White-fronted Goose and waterfowl at Long Point

Big Creek is finally open and the warm melt water flowing through it is starting to open up a lead in Long Point's inner bay, so this morning when I stopped to check out the bridge on the causeway there I was happy to find about 1500 Tundra Swans, hundreds of ducks and geese and a single Greater White-fronted Goose.

Here's a link to my full checklist from the causeway. With south winds predicted on Friday and Saturday there should be more birds filling into the small bit of open water this weekend!

Even though it is still cold, it does look and sound like March in the area. Check out this video from the IBA Canada YouTube channel that I took a couple days ago:



Thanks for looking and don't forget to support my birdathon for bird conservation!

The Great Canadian Birdathon

To donate directly (credit cards accepted) go to my personal Birdathon page and click "Give Now"

http://birdscanada.kintera.org/birdathon/mikeburrell

For the 18th consecutive year I am participating in the Great Canadian Birdathon (formerly the Baillie Birdathon), the oldest sponsored bird count in North America, raising money for bird research and conservation. As usual, I am participating on a team with my Dad and my brother. We have raised about $20,000 in that time and look forward to adding to that total this year.

Our birdathon team - Dad, Ken and I (photo: Barb Charlton)

If you pledge support to my Birdathon, all of the money raised goes to bird conservation in Canada. Simply click "Give Now" on my Birdathon page to make a donation or contact me directly at mike.burrell.on@gmail.com.

Before you pledge support to my birdathon efforts, please consider instead doing your own birdathon! It is very easy to register and you'll get a warm tingly feeling all over, plus you have an excuse to go birding. If you do a Birdathon for the first time I will happily be your first sponsor!

(photo: Mark Peck)

INCENTIVES – Of course, everyone who pledges to support my Birdathon will get a write-up with photos of the day’s highlights. On top of these incentives, pledges over $10 get an official tax receipt for income tax purposes and pledges over $35 get a year’s subscription to Birdwatch Canada.

How about $5 per woodpecker species? Get creative!

I’m also happy to accept per species or other creative pledges...do your worst! Some ideas for creative pledges are built-in bonuses for particular species/combos or pledges per bird family; really, the sky’s the limit. We usually see between 130 and 150 species during our Birdathon which we do in the Point Pelee area.

On the birdathon, all species count!

Thank you in advance for your generosity!