Winter Layup

Frontenac & Manistee

A trip along the St. Clair River to look at wintering ducks always includes Sarnia Harbour. Waterfowl congregates in open areas, and while looking for those, I check out the ships in layup. Sarnia has always been a good place to view ships up close.

When I first started birding over twenty years ago, the Sarnia Elevator always had a Peregrine Falcon. It was one of the things you always looked for. Now they nest on the Bluewater Bridge, and quite often are easy to see. Peregrines also nest on the Detroit Edison north of Marine City, Michigan.

Lots of Canada Geese and Mallards are around the harbour. Other ducks are nearby as well. Some years there are lots of gulls, but lately that has not been the case. This is where Dennis Rupert discovered a Ross's Gull in the early 1990's. It was one of his more exciting finds, going by what his daughter Sarah, said.

Dennis was a fixture in the Sarnia area, and saw most of the birds on the local list. He did well in finding rarities. I remember when I found the Ivory Gull, he said that it was the last gull he needed for his local list.

Cuyahoga

It was always a treat to meet up with Dennis while birding. He actually got his start in the Wallaceburg area birding with the Carscallen boys in the 1950's.

Algorail fore and aft

Sarnia has always been a winter destination, even when I was very young. Looking at the ships was the main attraction.

I recently got a slide scanner, and one of the photos shown below, brought back some memories.

Sarnia Bay 1965 (guess who?)