Arista Ramblers: Rondeau, May 3-5, 2013

Sunny skies, warm weather, campfires and lots of birds what more could we ask for? Maybe a little more sleep. I think I was just so excited to be back out camping and there was so much to see that I just didn't get much sleep. We had an amazing first week-end away. We were not even to our campsite yet and Duncan was telling me to get my camera. He had spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker while we were filling with water. Well the fun was just beginning. I saw more new birds than I had ever seen and I think the final count for pictures was just over 500 for the week-end. We set up camp and put out some orange slices to attract the Baltimore Orioles. Within half an hour they had come to enjoy a treat and give me the opportunity to get my first photos of them. We toured around for a while had supper and a fire and settled in for the night.
Saturday we hiked the Sugar Spice Trail. I was able to use my micro lens for some spring wildflower photos and Duncan was busy using his binocular's to spot the birds so I could get pictures. We saw a new robin that had just hatched in a nest that was built on a boardwalk on the trail. I was able to photograph a Hooded Warbler. What a beautiful bird. We went to the visitors centre and sat by the beach for a while. We cooked dinner in the crock pot so it was ready when we wanted supper and enjoyed a few hours at the campfire before heading to bed early.
Sunday we biked down to the Marsh Trail and spent time at the look-out. Duncan was able to find some turtles that were busy working on expanding there family and we took in the sights along the marsh. We had brunch, packed up and headed out to hike the Tulip Trail before heading home. It was more than we had expected for our first adventure of the year. We saw so many new birds that I will have to go through all of my pictures to know how many there were. I hope you enjoy some of them as much as we did.