Lakeshore Nature Tours

09/08/2016

It is with many fond memories, gratitude, and the warmth of great friendships that Sheryl and I have to announce a change in the status of Lakeshore Nature Tours. I have accepted the position of Program Director for the Cape May Bird Observatory and start next week. It is a great opportunity to share the joys of birding with so many people, all while working to monitor the migrations and conserve the natural world we love.

We had a great spring and summer of tours and birding, topped off with the great Alaska adventure in June. I'll try to keep posting some highlights and photos from those trips, so stay with us for updates. We will be returning to Monhegan Island (one of my favortie places) for a tour in September, and look forward to sharing our results with you.

We hope many of you will visit us in Cape May and experience this magical place. Until then, good birding!!!

28/05/2016

American Avocets are not only beautiful, but have the wonderful feature of upturned bills, with the female outdoing the male. This pair was showing off in Haxtun, Colorado on our recent On Display - Prairie to Pinnacle tour - 4.15.16

08/05/2016

Had a great time yesterday leading the Basics of Birding field trip, for the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, to the Owl Woods and East Spit areas of Braddock Bay. It was a wonderful exposure to migration, with many birds moving along the lakeshore - we tallied 60 species. The migration was most evident with the raptors and blue jays, which kept streaming by us at the East Spit. Several hundred Turkey Vultures led the way, with a smattering of Broad-winged, Red-tailed, and Sharp-shinned Hawks mixed in. Most notable were the minimum of 15 Bald Eagles that seemed to be all around us, in every age group except adult. We even had a Merlin that perched for us and decided to stay a while. The songbirds also kept us occupied, with nice looks at several male Black-throated Blue Warblers, a singing Blue-winged Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Baltimore Oriole (stunning color), Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher, and more! It was a joy to be out with a fun group!!

11/04/2016

A great start to our Colorado tour - white-tailed ptarmigan, all 3 rosy-finches (including Hepburn's), American three-toed woodpecker, Lewis's woodpecker, barn owl, prairie falcon, williamson's sapsucker, mountain bluebird, red crossbills and more - and it's only been a day and a half. More to come!

11/03/2016

Join us on this amazing tour! Check out www.LakeshoreNatureTours.com for our full schedule and Like Us on Facebook to follow along!

SKY ISLAND JEWELS
The Birds of Southeastern Arizona
July 19 - 30, 2016

Hummingirds, Hummingbirds, Hummingbirds and SO MUCH MORE! The colors and sounds of Arizona's Second Spring are amazing, as the monsoon rains of summer bring renewed activity and sightings - as we go from desert scrubland to mountain woodlands. We'll should see over 10 species of hummingbirds swarming around feeding areas, and a host of other wonderful birds and specialties like Elegant Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Montezuma Quail, Spotted Owl, Common Black Hawk, Gray Hawk, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Elf Owl, Phainopepla, Mexican Chickadee, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Five-striped Sparrow, Hepatic Tanager, Botteri's Sparrow, and beautiful warblers - Red-faced Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Olive Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Virginia Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Rufous-capped Warbler, and more!!!!! Join us for an unforgettable trip. More details and an itinerary at www.LakeshoreNatureTours.com/southeastern-arizona. Check out a previous trip on Facebook in the Sky Island Jewels Album.

10/03/2016

ON DISPLAY - PRAIRIE TO PINNACLE
Colorado - April 9-18, 2016

LAST CALL - we have 2 spaces remaining on this incredible tour to the beautiful state of Colorado, INCLUDING A SINGLE FEMALE LOOKING TO SHARE A ROOM - great birds in a spectacular setting! This is probably the last time we will be able to conduct this tour as presently constituted - SO JOIN US NOW!!! Details can be found on the Lakeshore Nature Tours website at www.LakeshoreNatureTours.com/colorado.html.

10/03/2016

A WAVE OF WARBLERS
Northwest Ohio - Magee Marsh, Ottawa NWR & Area
May 15-18, 2016

The anticipation of the colors and songs of spring migration is something that every birder experiences. There is probably no better place to satisfy that feeling than the shores of Lake Erie in Northwest Ohio – recently voted the number one birding site in the U.S. We’ll visit when famous sites like Magee Marsh and Ottawa NWR are inundated by waves of songbirds on their way to northern breeding grounds. We have several spaces remaining on this fantastic spring migration tour, including a SINGLE FEMALE LOOKING TO SHARE A ROOM. Details can be found on the Lakeshore Nature Tours website at www.LakeshoreNatureTours.com/northwest-ohio---magee-marsh--ottawa-nwr.html. Check out our website for the full schedule of exciting birding tours to premier locations in North America, such as Southeastern Arizona, Washington, Cape May, South Texas, and more!!!!

04/03/2016

I'm pleased to announce that we'll once again conduct a Basics of Birding class in Rochester for the Genesee Valley Audubon Society. There will be two evening classes (April 26 and May 5) and one field trip (May 7). Details and registration can be found at www.gvaudubon.org. Join us for some birding fun!

23/02/2016

Here's the upcoming Day Tour schedule for the rest of 2016 - hope you'll join us for a day a fun birding - and don't forget to check our full schedule of Extended Tours throughout North American on the website - www.LakeshoreNatureTours.com.

DAY TOURS 2016

Exploring the Lakeshore - Winter Visitors and Early Migrants (Rochester)
March 13, 2016. The lakeshore near Rochester hosts an assortment of late-winter birds. Diving ducks and sea ducks are numerous at this time of year, and we will search for seabirds, such as Common Loons, Red-necked Grebes, Little Gulls, and more. Spring migration will already be underway and we may observe raptor and passerine species like Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Harrier, Snowy Owl, Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, blackbirds, and winter finches. $15 (half-day tour - morning).

Masters of the Air and Water - Braddock Bay
April 3, 2016. Experience the majesty of migrating waterfowl and birds of prey at the premier spring hawkwatching site in Eastern North America. You will have the chance to view hundreds, or even thousands, of Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and American Kestrels on their way to northern breeding grounds. This tour also focuses on the more uncommon species of raptors, like Bald Eagles, Northern Goshawks, and Red-shouldered Hawks. Learn the dynamics of this amazing flight and the skills needed to identify the many species passing through. We will also observe a wide variety of waterfowl species within the bay and search for roosting Saw-whet Owls and Long-eared Owls. $25 (full-day tour).

Birding the Gorge - A Day at Letchworth State Park
July 10, 2016. As well as being breathtakingly beautiful, the diverse and extreme habitats of Letchworth State Park host an amazing variety of nesting birds. In fact, Letchworth may have more nesting species of wood warblers per area than anywhere else in the world! We will explore the natural history and topography responsible during the peak of the breeding season. $25 (full-day tour).

From Woods to Water - Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
September 4, 2016. Similar to the trip to Iroquois N.W.R., this tour will focus on observing a wide range of bird species. However, on this adventure we will be looking for early fall migrants heading south, as well as resident species. We will explore a diversity of habitats in searching for waterfowl, marshbirds, songbirds, and shorebirds. $25 (full-day tour).

A Wave of Waterbirds - Migration at Hamlin Beach State Park
November 6, 2016. Every fall, thousands of loons, grebes, swans, geese, ducks, jaegers, gulls, and terns migrate along the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Hamlin Beach, designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy, is the premier location for observing this spectacle. This tour is timed to capture the peak of duck species diversity, with over 20 species possible. Peak movements of specialties like Common Loons, Horned Grebes, Brant, Black Scoters, and Surf Scoters are possible, along with jaegers and phalaropes. Winter finches and other songbirds are also drawn to the habitat within the park. $15 (half-day tour - morning).

A River of Gulls - Birding the Niagara River
December 3, 2016. The Niagara River is largely regarded as the premier location in North America for observing a diversity of gull species. Fourteen species have been seen in a single day during this season. We are likely to encounter over 10 of these, with Black-legged Kittiwake, Little Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull and Sabine's Gull distinct possibilities. We will also observe a number of waterfowl and seabirds species that associate with the river. $25 (full-day tour).

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Let us plan a custom tour just for you!

04/02/2016

Now is the time for Owls. On Monday night, we had two Eastern Screech-Owls calling back and forth at our home - one in front of our barn, and one behind. This picture from last year is of the Eastern Screech-Owl that roosted in the barn for almost 6 months. A joy to have around.

06/12/2015

River of Gulls Day Tour
Niagara River - December 5, 2015

Beautiful weather and a fun group made for a great day along the Niagara River. We tallied 43 species while covering Lewiston to Goat Island on the U.S. side and Chippewa to Adam Beck on the Canadian side. Lots of gulls throughout, with thousands of Bonaparte's gulls present. The most notable bird was a leucistic Bonaparte's seen near the Whirlpool rapids. A Merlin posed for us on Goat Island.

Highlights included:

Pied-billed Grebe - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Tundra Swan - 200+
14 species of duck
Harlequin Duck - 3 (1 male, 2 female) seen from Three Sister Islands off Goat Island
Redhead - 1
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Surf Scoter - 1 female across from American Falls
Hooded Merganser - 1
Common Merganser - 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Cooper's Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
Merlin - 1
Purple Sandpiper - 1 on rocks near Harlequin Ducks
Bonaparte's Gull - 5,000+
Little Gull - 2 adult (Lewiston Docks, Devil's Hole)
Iceland Gull - 4
Thayer's Gull - 2
Glaucous Gull - 1 adult above falls
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 5
Great Black-backed Gull - 7

26/10/2015

A walk with members of Save Ontario Shores turned up a nice mix of birds (Shadigee and Robbin Hill Preserve in Lyndonville) on Saturday, including nice looks at Common Loons, Horned Grebes, and White-throated Sparrows, and a single Fox Sparrow.

05/10/2015

Join me for a night about WNY Birds and Birding!

Birds of Western NY - a free community event. October 7th White Birch Lyndonville. See our event page. RSVP appreciated but not required.

23/08/2015

Point Pelee National Park and Area, Ontario
May 14-17, 2015

22/08/2015

Feathered Jewels
Point Pelee National Park and Area, Ontario
May 14 – 17, 2105

Point Pelee never fails to disappoint – and our 2015 tour was no exception! We totaled 137 species over the 4 days, with many species of the sought after warblers and so much more. The bird of the trip had to be the female Kirtland’s Warbler which started off the tour, but King Rail, American Avocet, Chuck-will’s-widow, Acadian Flycatcher, and a multitude of warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, sparrows, and shorebirds helped to pass the time! ☺ I included some of the highlights below. Check out the Feathered Jewels 2015 photo album to enjoy just some of the treats we saw.

Red-breasted Merganser – 50+
Ruddy Duck - 8
Common Loon - 4
Great Egret - 6
Bald Eagle – 4
Merlin – 1
King Rail – 1
Virginia Rail - 1
Black-bellied Plover - 11
American Avocet - 1
Ruddy Turnstone - 7
Least Sandpiper - 6
Short-billed Dowitcher – 25+
Dunlin – 75+
Black Tern - 3
Forster’s Tern - 5
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 2
Black-billed Cuckoo – 1
Eastern Screech-Owl – 1 rufous morph
Great Horned Owl – 2 owlets
Common Nighthawk - 1
Chuck-will’s-widow - 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 4
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 9
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 1
Acadian Flycatcher - 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - 10
Yellow-throated Vireo - 1
Blue-headed Vireo - 4
Philadelphia Vireo - 3
Carolina Wren - 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 25+
Veery - 6
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1
Swainson’s Thrush - 7
Hermit Thrush - 1
Wood Thrush - 8
American Pipit - 4
Cedar Waxwing - 11
23 species of warbler
Ovenbird - 4
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Black-and-white Warbler - 6
Tennessee Warbler – 25+
Nashville Warbler - 2
Common Yellowthroat – 25+
Hooded Warbler – 1 male
American Redstart – 25+
Kirtland’s Warbler – 1 female
Cape May Warbler - 5
Northern Parula - 15
Magnolia Warbler – 25+
Bay-breasted Warbler - 8
Blackburnian Warbler - 12
Yellow Warbler – 250+
Chestnut-sided Warbler – 25+
Blackpoll Warbler - 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 15
Palm Warbler - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 10+
Black-throated Green Warbler - 15
Canada Warbler - 5
Wilson’s Warbler - 4
Eastern Towhee - 1
Lincoln’s Sparrow - 1
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – 3
White-crowned Sparrow – 10+
Scarlet Tanager - 12
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 25+
Indigo Bunting – 10+
Orchard Oriole - 19
Baltimore Oriole – 100+

14/07/2015

Northwest Ohio - Magee Marsh, Ottawa NWR, and Area
May 10 - 13, 2015

23/06/2015

March 25 - April 4, 2015
The Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, and Hill Country.

23/06/2015

The Wonders of South Texas - Tour Summary
March 25 – April 4, 2015

We had another wonderful tour to South Texas - from Fulton to Mustang Island on the coast, South Padre Island to Laredo in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and finishing in the Hill Country of the Edwards Plateau. We enjoyed a boat trip into Aransas NWR and visited many of the special birding locations along the Rio Grande, such as Salineno, Chapeno, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley SP, Santa Ana NWR, Estero Llano Grande SP, Frontera Audubon, Sabal Palm Sanctuary, South Padre Island, and the King Ranch. We recorded an incredible 232 species with many South Texas specialties and Mexican strays. There were many special moments, including 41 Whooping Cranes, a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk, over 100 Least Terns at one spot, soaring Anhingas, and a Black-capped Vireo right next to the visitor center. More pictures to follow. Here are just some of the highlights:

Least Grebe - 3
American White Pelican - 75+
Brown Pelican - 250+
Neotropic Cormorant - 25+
Anhinga - 50+
Least Bittern - 1
Little Blue Heron - 7
Tricolored Heron - 18
Reddish Egret - 75+, including 10+ white morph
Cattle Egret - 25+
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - 10+
White Ibis - 25+
White-faced Ibis – 10+
Roseate Spoonbill – 25+
20 species of duck
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - 250+
Fulvous Whistling-Duck – 10+
Mottled Duck - 9
Cinnamon Teal - 6
Redhead - 25+
Ruddy Duck – 25+
White-tailed Kite - 1
Harris's Hawk - 25+
Gray Hawk – 1 adult
Swainson's Hawk - 13
White-tailed Hawk - 7
Crested Caracara - 50+
Aplomado Falcon - 2
Peregrine Falcon - 3
Plain Chachalaca - 50+
Clapper Rail - 3
Sora - 6
Whooping Crane - 41
30 species of shorebirds
American Golden-Plover - 25+
Snowy Plover - 1
Wilson's Plover - 3
American Oystercatcher - 4
Black-necked Stilt - 50+
American Avocet - 100+
Willet - 50+
Upland Sandpiper – 10+
Whimbrel - 1
Long-billed Curlew - 25+
Marbled Godwit - 10+
Red Knot – 2
Baird’s Sandpiper - 5
Stilt Sandpiper – 10+
Dunlin - 3
Franklin's Gull - 3
Gull-billed Tern - 8
Sandwich Tern - 50+
Least Tern – 125++
Black Skimmer - 200+
Red-billed Pigeon - 7
White-winged Dove - 100+
Inca Dove - 10+
Common Ground-Dove - 11
White-tipped Dove - 25+
Monk Parakeet - 6
Green Parakeet - 125+
Red-crowned Parrot - 2
Greater Roadrunner - 8
Barn Owl - 1
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl - 2
Common Paraque – 3
Chuck-will’s-widow - 2
Buff-bellied Hummingbird - 9
Golden-fronted Woodpecker - 50+
Ladder-backed Woodpecker - 10+
Ringed Kingfisher - 4
Green Kingfisher - 2
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet - 3
Black Phoebe - 2
Vermillion Flycatcher - 10
Ash-throated Flycatcher - 4
Great Kiskadee - 25+
Tropical Kingbird - 5
Couch's Kingbird - 50+
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - 100+
Loggerhead Shrike - 25+
White-eyed Vireo – 10+
Bell's Vireo - 2
Black-capped Vireo – 21
Yellow-throated Vireo - 6
Green Jay - 25+
Chihuahuan Raven - 25+
Cave Swallow - 250+
Carolina Chickadee – 10+
Black-crested Titmouse – 25+
Verdin - 2
Cactus Wren – 2
Canyon Wren - 4
Sedge Wren - 2
Clay-colored Thrush - 1
Long-billed Thrasher - 8
Curve-billed Thrasher - 11
Sprague's Pipit - 1
Louisiana Waterthrush - 2
Yellow-throated Warbler - 6
Orange-crowned Warbler - 7
Golden-cheeked Warbler - 18
Tropical Parula – 2
Hooded Warbler – 1
Yellow-breasted Chat – 2
Summer Tanager - 2
White-collared Seedeater – 3
Green-tailed Towhee - 2
Olive Sparrow - 25+
Black-throated Sparrow – 2
Clay-colored Sparrow – 10+
Grasshopper Sparrow - 1
Seaside Sparrow - 4
Cassin's Sparrow - 4
Lark Sparrow - 25+
Pyrrhuloxia - 7
Bronzed Cowbird - 10
Brewer's Blackbird - 10+
Hooded Oriole – 9
Bullock’s Oriole - 1
Altamira Oriole - 5
Audubon's Oriole - 3
Lesser Goldfinch - 9

22/04/2015

Buff-bellied Hummingbird - Alamo, Texas. 3.30.15

07/04/2015

We just returned from our incredible Wonders of South Texas tour, enjoying all the colors and sounds of the 230 species we recorded, including the loud Green Jay, both audibly and visually. A treat for the senses. A summary and lots more photos will be posted soon!

29/03/2015

White-tailed Hawk - Brownsville, TX.

25/02/2015

Amherst Island, Wolfe Island, and Ottawa, ON
February 14-16, 2015

25/02/2015

A Taste of the North Country Tour Summary
Amherst Island, Ottawa, and Wolfe Island, Ontario
February 14-16, 2015

We had a rewarding, but challenging 20th North Country tour, with some wonderful people. Despite some cold, wind, and snow, we recorded 43 species, with many highlights – most notable were the 9 Snowy Owls, Gyrfalcon, 3 Glaucous Gulls, Iceland Gull, and a male Barrow’s Goldeneye, although the Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspur, and Rusty Blackbirds were entertaining.

Common Goldeneye – 25+
Barrow’s Goldeneye – 1 male
Common Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 10
Wild Turkey – 20+
Bald Eagle – 4 (3 adults, 1 4th yr.)
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 10
Rough-legged Hawk – 2 (1 dark, 1 light immature)
Gyrfalcon – 1 gray morph
Iceland Gull – 1
Glaucous Gull – 3
Snowy Owl – 9 (all 4 age/sex classes)
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 1
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Northern Shrike – 1
Common Raven – 25+
Lapland Longspur – 1
Snow Bunting – 125+
Common Redpoll – 1

15/11/2014

Monhegan Island, Maine
September 14 - 18, 2014