More than 50 local bird species identified during Sioux Lookout Bird Walk

Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer

Sioux Lookout residents, and visitors, explored the abundance of bird species that the area has to offer during the second Sioux Lookout Bird Walk on June 1.
Organizers shared that this year’s walk was successful and saw an increase in participants from last year.
“We felt that it was a successful day. We saw 54 species of birds,” shared Merle Burkholder, who is a member of the planning committee.
“We had 50 participants, which was up from 39 last year... The planning committee which consists of Edith (Burkholder) and I, Dick MacKenzie, Aileen Urquhart, and Florence Woolner felt very good about the event this year. There is good interest in birding in Sioux Lookout and we have many good places in which to see birds.”
Participants were split up into groups where they then spent the morning venturing to Cedar Bay, Hogg Road trail, Fanning Avenue trails, the corner of Ethel Street and 4th Avenue, the Travel Information Centre and the shorelines of Pelican Lake to search for different local bird species.
This year’s weather saw some birds coming back a little later, but also led to better visibility of the birds compared to last year.
“The migration is later this year because it was so cold, so they’re coming a little later…But the leaves aren’t as far along as they were last year, so you can actually see more,” said Burkholder.
The Bird Walk isn’t officially an annual event, but it’s an event that the planning committee enjoys and hopes to continue.
“It’s not an organized group. It’s just a handful of us that get together and say, ‘This would be a fun thing to do. Let’s do it… It’s an informal thing that we do because we think it’s fun. I’d do it again next year,” shared Dick MacKenzie.
The list of bird species that were identified during the Sioux Lookout Bird Walk consists of: Canada Goose, Mallard, Ruffed Grouse, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, European Starling, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Pine Siskin, and the American Goldfinch.