Canadice Lake South trails 6/28/26

Friends,

Eaton Birding Society's Canadice Lake South Trail Field Trip was well attended with 10 members attending: Steve and Lori V., Steve and Linda B. Nancy J., Paul E., Allyn P., Lyn J., Holly N., and yours truly. Fortunately, Holly and Saralinda pre-scouted the trail a day before our field trip. They warned that the "Blue Post" trail was chest high grass with hidden, wet, potholes and fallen trees over the trail. Our  trip here in 2026 is two weeks later than 2025. The two weeks made a huge difference in both foliage density, bird abundance, bird variety, and bird behavior. Our plans were adjusted at the last minute. We met at the "Yellow Gate" trail at 7:30 AM. We were greeted by boisterous Hooded Warblers and a group of less vocal Chestnut Sided Warblers. The Hooded Warblers seemed to travel with us as we proceeded down the first hundred yards of the shady, wooded trail. We were not disappointed in seeing and hearing many of our expected favorites. We tallied 38 species in about two and a half hours. Highlights for many were seeing a family of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers work the standing dead trees in the flooded over south Swamp. For others, the highlight was a very accommodating Blue-gray Gnatcatcher who flitted about a sparsely leafed tree right on the trail.  We strained to see a Brown Creeper that Merlin kept picking up. After about fifteen minutes of scanning every tree, he obliged us by making himself visible just off the trail, then flew directly over the group. 

Species included: 

4 Wood Duck

1 Mallard

6 Mourning Dove

1 Virginia Rail (heard not seen)

1 Common Gallinule

1 Green Heron

1 Great Blue Heron

1 Belted Kingfisher

4 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

1 Downey Woodpecker

2 Eastern Wood-Pewee

5 Yellow-throated Vireo

2 Red-eyed Vireo

1 American Crow

1 Black-capped Chickadee

1Tufted Titmouse

1 Tree Swallow

1 White-breasted Nuthatch

1 Brown Creeper

1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 

2 Carolina Wren

5 Gray Catbird

5 Veery

12 American Robin

4 Cedar Waxwing

1 American Goldfinch

4 Song Sparrow

5 Swamp Sparrow

1 Baltimore Oriole

17 Red-winged Blackbird

2 Hooded Warbler

1 American Redstart

2 Northern Yellow Warbler

3 Chestnut-sided Warbler

1 Pine Warbler

1 Scarlet Tanager

4 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Kevin