My Green Big Year; by Deryl Nethercott
The Sarnia area has several very good birding locations. Canatara Park is possibly the best birding location in Lambton County. Other locations offer a variety of habitat types for both nesting and migrating species. The position of Sarnia on Lake Huron at the mouth of the St. Clair River allows for good lake watching and funneling of migratory birds. Before I even started, I thought 225 species was probable, possibly 240 if I could find shorebirds.
At sunrise on my first day of green birding, I set off on foot through 2 to 3 inches of fresh snow. I walked into Canatara Park, heading west towards the Sarnia Yacht Club. The ongoing snowfall and 30 kph north wind limited visibility to less than 50 meters. When I arrived, I couldn’t even see the dock where a Snowy Owl was reported the day before. This felt like strike number one.
As I turned north towards the Sarnia Lighthouse, the full force of the north wind hit me directly in the face. Snow flakes turned to snow pellets and stung my exposed skin. At the lighthouse, I could barely see Lake Huron and there was little chance of adding the White-winged Scoters I had expected. Now with two strikes, I started to question my decision to Go Green. My consolation prize was an Iceland Gull that nearly hit me in the head as it zipped past.
When I turned south towards the Bluewater Bridges, the snow pellets had turned to ice pellets. In these conditions, I expected the resident Peregrine Falcons to be perched on the south side of the bridge away from the wind. Coming up empty-handed after a fairly thorough scan, I came to the conclusion this was strike number three.
Discouraged, I considered my options. From here, I could walk home in about 20 minutes where I would be warm, dry and comfortable. I could ask my wife to share the eBird checklists from our January 1st group event. I would have 50 species on my year list without any further suffering! However, I had made the mistake of announcing my Green Big Year to a group of local birders the day before, and I suspected the ridiculing I would receive would be far worse than the current temporary physical issues. After all, it was only 2 hours into my first day. I turned south and soldiered on.
Despite the poor viewing conditions, I spotted a Great Black-backed Gull soaring past before something smaller and faster flew through my view. I followed the movement and watched a Peregrine Falcon land on the south side of the bridge. In less than 15 minutes, I added a female Harlequin and a Common Loon, both unusual in the Sarnia area during winter. I also flushed a Belted Kingfisher. I felt rejuvenated!
The next day I drove my car to work before the sun crested the horizon and I returned home as the sun was setting. For the next few weeks I was restricted to birding on weekends. Because I drove my car to work, I could not count any birds spotted during the commute or during the work day. I would quickly learn to regret this rule as I watched several species fly across my windshield.
By mid-January I was running out of new species to find within walking distance so found my trusty old mountain bike in the garage. As I pumped up the tires and dusted off the seat, I tried to remember the last time I actually went for a bike ride in the winter. I bundled up and braved the -5 Celsius wind chill for the first official ride of my green year.
One day in late January, snow accumulated throughout the day. After work, I pulled out my snowshoes and went for my only birding hike on snowshoes. I heard the trill of an Eastern Screech Owl which was my target for the adventure. About one week later I completed my only birding adventure on cross country skis. Older people with poor balance and minimal vertical stability should probably avoid birding from skis. Unfortunately, the weather conditions around Sarnia never afforded another opportunity for a second trip on either mode of transportation.
My first rare bird chase truly was a wild goose chase. A Snow Goose had been spotted late on Friday afternoon and I wanted it on my list. By the time I arrived home from work it was too late to make the trip. With accumulated snow and ice, a bike ride was out of the question. The next morning I started walking at sunrise and arrived in time to see the goose before the birds flew off to their feeding area.
Several winter species were taunting me from the outskirts of the City in mid February. I scanned the 7 day weather forecast and spotted a day with sunshine and air temperature above 5 Celsius. I pedaled east across the City following a very sheltered and safe route. As I turned south for the final leg of the journey, I felt the full force of the 40 kph headwind. At times I thought my bike was going backwards, or perhaps I was pulling a truck. In the future I would pay more attention to all of the forecast details before embarking on a lengthy bike ride. There is a possibility I exceeded the posted speed limit on the return trip.
Eventually, I found my first truly rare bird. While successfully chasing a Greater White-fronted Goose, I decided to check another pond on my way home. A tiny Ross’s Goose was swimming among the flock of Canada Geese!
At the end of March, my working career ended and I started my next job as a professional retiree. The number of bicycle rides increased dramatically as the weather improved. On one of those rides I watched a Greater Yellowlegs fly into a flooded area within a construction zone. The bird landed in a temporary storm water pond, right at the end of an unfinished street. This shallow pond became my shorebird habitat for the next few months.
In general, spring migration through the Sarnia area was very disappointing. Several species I expected to see were never reported in Canatara Park in 2022. However, I did manage to locate one Acadian Flycatcher and one Connecticut Warbler within the park, to complement my list of regular migrants.
One day in May I was birding about 15 km from home when I got caught in a severe thunderstorm and was thoroughly soaked. I was offered a ride home but declined. My rules for green birding required me to close the loop back to the starting location by an acceptable green method. Otherwise I couldn’t count the birds I had added during that excursion.
In early June, I started to make deliberate trips to locate nesting species that were missed during spring migration. Eventually I was out of possible species and now faced a decision about whether or not to extend my original boundary. With a tiny bit of encouragement, I completed an 80 km round trip to the Sombra area on Father’s Day. Although I only added one species, I considered the trip to be a useful measuring stick for my physical ability.
Only two days later, I left home at sunrise and rode my bike to Pinery Provincial Park. My wife met me in the Park and we birded together for the entire day. After staying overnight in the area, I checked a few more locations before cycling home. This trip added seven species to my list and over 150 km to my distance travelled by bike. By the end of this ride I was down more than 25 pounds from my starting weight in January!
The southbound shorebirds started to trickle through the area in early July. I was pleasantly surprised to find a Whimbrel one morning on the beach in Canatara park. A few days later I dragged my kayak over to the beach and tried paddling along the shore to expand my search area. This effort netted more Spotted Sandpipers but no additional species for my Green Year.
In early November, I found a deceased Purple Gallinule on the beach in Canatara Park. This might be the very first record for the species in Lambton County and I believe this was my most important find of the year. On December 1, I spotted a LeConte’s Sparrow in Canatara Park which I consider my best find of the year.
Throughout my entire year, I recorded my progress on eBird and maintained a written journal. Every birding trip was recorded with details about method of transportation and distance travelled. In total, I walked almost 900 km and travelled nearly 2,100 km by bike. In addition, there was one trip on snowshoes (4 km), one on cross country skis (5 km) and a short paddle in the kayak (4 km).
At the end of the year I had exceeded my expectations, having observed 247 species! I never had a flat tire or mechanical problem with my bicycle although I did wear out a few parts. The only casualty during the year was my very old cell phone that drowned in the thunderstorm. My budget for the year was initially set at zero; however, I eventually coughed up a few bucks for some safety gear and better footwear. While I had the respect and admiration of many local birders, a few thought I was just plain nuts. I plan to continue green birding because I truly enjoy it!
