A Great Christmas

Last Christmas Earl Plato

This afternoon we intended to see some ducks and swans in the Niagara River in Greater Fort Erie. This is not one of the ‘Lake to Lake Duck Watches’ with cousin Keith. It’s a quick run to the Niagara River to Townline Road and back south along the Niagara Parkway. Why? I received an E-mail from birder Marcie Jacklin today. She had passed on the observations of the Peninsula’s great birder, Kayo Roy. That’s why Elaine and I headed out with binoculars and bird/duck guides on this windy and snowy afternoon.
We stopped first to give Christmas greetings and report Kayo’s sightings to birder friend, Bob Chambers, at Snyder. We then headed east on Townlime Road. Here’s what Kayo Roy wrote that we might see at the River - hundreds of Canadas - so. Wait! There’s much more that Kayo said. You hopefully will find - those beautiful white birds - the Tundra swans. The snow was falling in large flakes obscuring our vision. Fifty here - then a hundred Tundras nestled down close to the river’s shoreline. Another fifty or so. Kayo Roy sighted well over 250 of these majestic birds. We then headed for Fort Erie as the wind and snow was picking up. This is not my favourite way to go. I usually head from south to north. It was difficult to stop as the snow had obscured the shoulders. We pulled into a parking spot for there was another spectacular sight. Out on the edge of the main current was a raft. A raft? At least two hundred Canvas back ducks were strung out in a line. Did we see some Redheads too? Now the snow was obscuring good views. We passed some Buffleheads with their black and white markings bobbing on the surface near Niagara Christian Collegiate.
Then the familiar Mallards and more Canada geese appeared. We were approaching our destination that Kayo Roy had said - the north side of Nicholls Marina at Fort Erie South. Kayo had sighted Harlequin ducks - two of them the day before. We pulled into the closest parking lot to the marina. Elaine spotted two ducks. Look up Harlequin duck in your bird book. This is not their range but anomalies of flight occur do occur. Ducks and birds will occasionally get off the usual flyways, This pair was off course. Note the distinctive markings of the male. One beautiful bird, eh? Okay so I am not a Kayo. In the heavily falling snow would I testify that the pair bobbing off Nicholls Marina were Harlequins? Not sure.
I could not honestly mark off the Harleqin on my bird record list. Another time, I hope.
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Christmas Week! Thankful for the gifts and giving along with family times? We spent the Christmas day at the O’Briens in Wainfleet Some twenty of most of our family members got together. We left Ridgeway in snow - plenty of it but Wainfleet had less. Track time?
I was dressed for it. To see animal tracks in rural Wainfleet on Christmas Day requires ‘the gift of coincidence’ Not this day. I began savouring the cooking odours of the 29 lb. Cudney raised turkey. I was hungry - too hungry to venture down to the Welland River across the River Road. I rationalized that not too many animals would be out and about on this Christmas Day.
Back to Marcy Woods before New Year’s Day and animal/bird tracks.