Birder records 100 species for the first time in 32 years

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Another indicator of how great bird watching can be in the Rainy River area was pegged last week.
Long time visitor to Rainy River, Dan Lee of Alberta, and his wife Charlene, conducted a bird count for the Canadian Wildlife Service on Sunday June 20th. “We hit 100 for the first time!” said an excited Lee.
He said they have gotten as high as 97 before, “But that was years ago!” He and his wife have been doing the counts for the past 32 years here. Every summer they take their vacation and come to Rainy River to bird watch.
Unique species that they saw this year are the Marsh Wren, Willow Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Upland Sandpiper and the Red Headed Woodpecker.
They travelled to Stratton, then up through North Branch to Fern’s Road, over to Strachan Road and west to the Rainy River.
“It was just a fantastic day!” said Lee.