[Ontbirds]Ivy Lea Provincial Park (1000 Islands) - Bald Eagles and Turkey Vulture - Saturday March 22/08

[Dan Shire]

Ivy Lea Provincial Park is an easily accessed and very reliable spot to 
see bald eagles which over winter near the 1000 Islands Bridge at Ivy 
Lea (between Gananoque and Brockville).

While most of the Canadian Channel in the St. Lawrence remains solidly 
frozen, there is plenty of fast moving open water near Ivy Lea that is 
attracting some early migrant waterfowl. The mainland park is also a 
great viewing spot to watch for eagles, a 5 to 10 minute walk to the 
edge of the river gives an excellent view of the National Park Islands 
where the eagles roost. Parks Canada generally reports at least a half 
dozen bald eagles which over winter each year in the vicinity of Hill 
Island.

On Saturday March 22, there was enough open water in Smuggler's Cove 
(just inside the Ivy Lea park gate) to enjoy close views of common and 
hooded mergansers, lesser scaup and buffleheads (and plenty of migrating 
Canada Geese). Within a couple of minutes the ducks were on alert as an 
immature bald eagle flew over and landed in a white pine at the entrance 
of the cove. We also saw one early turkey vulture (there's still 2 feet 
of snow in the bush) flying over the park gatehouse.  With the receeding 
snow on the shoulders of the highway, a number of raccoon casualties 
were surfacing. A resident reported seeing a lone turkey vulture in 
nearby Rockport about 1 week earlier (March 15) feeding at a deer 
(roadkill).

And, with sunny daytime highs of only about 3C, I was astonished to see 
one (little) brown bat zip out of the house attic Saturday around 4PM. 
There were a few flies buzzing around the grassy base of some trees - I 
suppose the bat has adapted its feeding time to align with the few hours 
of insect activity on these cold early spring days, but it seems a 
precarious date to emerge from winter hibernation.

Take Highway 401 exit # 659 (Reynolds Road) about 1 mile south to the 
1000 Islands Parkway and park in the driveway near the gatehouse. Walk 
the main road south, bearing right (west) to walk beside Smuggler's Cove 
and proceed to the boat ramp for flowing open water.  It's a 5 minute walk.

Dan Shire
Pickering Naturalists.