From early dawn to evening, birders from far and wide have landed in MacGregor Point Provincial Park for the annual Friends of MacGregor Huron Fringe Birding Festival.
The two four-day weekends (May 24 – 27 and May 30 – June 2) are a birders delight filled with activities that range from birds to butterflies, wildflowers to insects, both inside the park and outside in the region, along with BBQ lunches and special dinners that feature guest speakers.
There are hikes through Bruce County from wetlands to the upper Bruce Peninsula, workshops on bird identification, nature photography and more.
On Saturday, May 25th, well-known birding enthusiast and author, Mike Pickup, was on hand with his latest book in a series of five, “Birding Wetlands in Bruce & nearby Grey (Counties).
Pickup, past chair of the Huron Fringe Birding Festival, has been birding in the counties since 1977 and has also been involved in the Breeding Bird Atlas of Ontario. There are over 348 bird special in the region and Pickup has tallied more than 92 per cent of the recorded species in the area.
“Wetlands are major habitats for birds, either as breeding locations or stopovers during migration,” says Pickup in his recent book introduction. “Wetlands also present an abundance of flora and fauna, as the wildflowers and birds create an amazing array of colour during the different seasons.
Doug Pedwell, who penned the forward to Pickup’s most recent book, says that, “Travelling the area with Mike is an experience … few people can go wrong following the routes outline in Mike’s books and … for the ‘listers’, many of the routes will net you over 100 species in a day during the migration seasons.
At the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Saugeen Field Naturalists in 2016 at the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA), Pickup was presented with an award for his long and dedicated years of service in presenting knowledge and understanding of Ornithology. Mike has assisted and held many positions throughout the area to promote and encourage birding.
His previously completed books include: Birding the Bruce Peninsula; Birding Saugeen Shores including MacGregor Point Provincial Park; Birding Southern Bruce County (all published by The Brucedale Press and Birding MacGregor Park by the Friends of MacGregor.
