Muskoka: Bala to Bracebridge

Last Thursday on my trip up to Muskoka, I first stopped at Bala to visit a friend.  A year ago a bunch of us stayed at Bill and Janet's summer place and had a good time.  Since I was passing through the area, I stopped in for lunch.

Lake in front of the house

We walked around a bit after lunch, but of course the resident Massasauga Rattlesnake remained elusive!
The CPR mainline passes nearby, and trains are quite regular.

It was a scorcher of a day, but I headed over to Torrence Barrens which was not far away.  It was probably the worst time of day to be there, but it was the only chance I had to check out the place.  I only walked the main trail and was done-in by the time I finished it.  It was unbearably hot and dry. Many plants were almost burnt to a crisp!

Bird life was minimal, but I noted several Eastern Towhees.  A couple of Yellow-throated Vireos were near where the trail crosses the road.  They are somewhat uncommon in the general area, but nice to see.

Last year we had Common Nighthawks flying around, but none were out during my visit this year.

Butterflies included Coral Hairstreak, Common Wood-Nymph, Cabbage White. Not surprising this year due to the extreme hot and dry weather.

Before checking in to the motel, I toured the Grace and Speed museum at the Gravenhurst waterfront. (That was just to get out of the heat!)

Segwun and Wenonah II

After supper, I headed back to Hardy Lake Provincial Park for an evening walk on the short trail.  There, a couple of nighthawks were flying around!

 A few of the birds included Yellow-rumped Warblers.

old highway pavement

I always take a photo of this scene each time I walk this trail!

Next morning I took a walk at the waterfront, then headed up to Bracebridge sewage ponds.  Here is an eBird list:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30978697

Birders are welcome and can access the ponds through Kerr Park off Beaumont Drive.  There are also some woods alongside where passerines can be observed.

American Copper at Bracebridge Lagoons

Mid-morning I went to Allport Marina which is farther out Beaumont Drive, and arranged to get transported over to Browning Island. Shirley, the owner, had not yet arrived from Toronto, but allowed me to get into the cottage.

boathouse

I walked around a bit including going out to the point.  There is a private little bay at the property which is nice.

McIntyre Point

After the Saturday morning walk into the interior of the island (see previous post), we relaxed at the cottage.  Shirley contacted a fellow to come over from Gravenhurst.  He owns a special boat--a gentleman's racer, converted from a Mac-Craft runabout. (Mac's were built in Wallaceburg in the late 1930's and early 1940's.)

He had not owned the boat for long, but did not know the history of the boat.  I am the only one who does!  This boat was used around Toronto Island when new, but later sat in a garage in London for many years.  We looked at it back in 1984 and I thought it was not worth restoring.

September 1984!! (Gravenhurst)

However, the family went ahead, but later gave up after much cost.   The boat sat in limbo for many years, but was later built into a gentleman's racer at Gravenhurst.

I got to ride in this sleek boat on Saturday afternoon!  It give a steady, smooth ride.  And fast!

We also went out in Shirley's Mac-Craft.

Sunday, on the trip home, I stopped at West Perth Wetlands in Mitchell.  It thought it was great with all the shorebirds--the best I have seen in years anywhere.  I saw no rarities, but it was nice to sort through all the birds to end the trip.

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31007515

Browning Island and Lake Muskoka

Wednesday morning saw dense fog, but it was lifting by the time I got to Gravenhurst.  I stopped to check out the Segwun and Wenonah II at the dock.  The Segwun is the oldest operating steamboat in North America.  It was restored and started cruises in 1981.

The Wenonah II is a modern reproduction of a typical large Muskoka steamer.
The Gravenhurst wharf is all fixed up nicely with a boardwalk and several shops.  There is also a new museum and heritage centre.

Segwun on Lake Muskoka

This area and the Muskokas has quite a history and some information can be found at:
http://segwun.com/index.html

Hardy Lake scene

Having a bit of time, I headed west over to Hardy Lake Provincial Park.  I stopped there a year ago and walked around the lake, but this year I took the shorter trail.  It was still foggy and damp.

The first part of the trail follows old road bed.

Birds on the lake included Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Double-crested Cormorant, Wood Duck.  A few warblers and other birds were in the woods, but it was rather quiet.

Later in the morning, I headed up to a marina near Bracebridge to meet Shirley.  We headed over to her cottage.  It was too hot to do much so I just looked around and relaxed.
Browning Island has a deep history dating back to the 1870's when it was first occupied for removal of timber.  There is now a nature reserved in the interior.  The Browning Island Nature Preserve was started in 2004  by local residents who contributed funds to purchase land.  Cottages line the shoreline and most have electricity.  Hydro probably came in the 1940's, as well as telephone lines.

Shirley McIntyre's cottage and boathouse

A tour around Browning Island was in order late in the afternoon.  At the south end, a fellow by the name of Leslie Rue who resides in South Carolina, has a summer place there.  He was President of the Antique and Classic Boat Society of America in 1994.  A large boathouse of several slips contains his collection of antique boats.

1927 Hacker Craft 24' 

Upstairs is a small workshop where he restores canoes and other small craft.  It was quite a privelege to meet Les.  An interesting fellow!

The Mac-Craft at Leslie Rue's

By Thursday, the air had cleared and it was quite pleasant.  We went over to Eilean Gowan Island where there is a trail through the interior of the island.  The interior is actually a nature reserve.  The island is quite large, but we only walked a very small portion.  It was named after Robert Gowan, an original settler.  "Eilean" is Gaelic for island.
It was rather quiet, but a few birds were present such as Phoebe, Peewee, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  We saw several deer, which did not surprise me as I looked at the lack of undergrowth.
Lunch was given at Shirley's friend who lives next to the entrance of this trail, so that was rather convenient!

A boat ride around Eilean Gowan Island precluded a time of relaxation in the afternoon.

Fox Island

Shirley's property (~7 acres) is on the north tip of the island, She has a cove on the west side, and a point of land that borders it on the north.  I hiked out to the point where I found some blueberries.  There used to be lots of blueberries, but tree growth has crowded them out.  I sat on the point for almost an hour, munching on blueberries.  I also found some wintergreen, which as a youngster I learned to recognize when I spent summers at a camp north of Lake Rosseau.  (That is how I got to like Muskoka so much!).

the point and the cove

Later in the afternoon we headed out in the boat down to "Gull Island" which is south of Browning.  It is a CWS nature reserve where Herring Gulls, Great Blue Herons and Cormorants nest.  We circled the island in the boat, observing numerous Cormorants and Herring Gulls.  They do banding there, and a couple of years ago Shirley took some banders there to do their work.

Eleanor Island Bird Sanctuary

While out there, I saw the only butterfly on the lake.  It was a Clouded Sulphur heading somewhere!  Clouded Sulphurs are common right now, as I saw hundreds on the way up to Muskoka and on the way back.  I could not avoid running into many of them!  When I got home, I found one on top of the car engine under the hood.
During that afternoon, a family of Red-eyed Vireos kept coming to feed on some berries next to the cottage.  I was too lazy to get out the camera though.
Bird life was quiet, but the odd Raven came through, as well as some warblers and both nuthatches.  Chickadees were common.  A Spotted Sandpiper was in the cove Thursday afternoon.
Apparently Barred Owls can be heard when they are vocal earlier in the summer.
Shirley indicated that bird life has declined markedly over the years.  She has been coming there all her life, so that tells you something.

Scene near Eilean Gowan Island