This month marks the 6th anniversary of Mississippi Mills Bike Month; featuring a wide variety of bicycle-themed events throughout Mississippi Mills, Ontario.
This past Sunday, June 8, 2014, also marked Gilligallou Bird’s 3rd year as a sponsor of Mississippi Mills Bike Month, as well as our 3rd Birders On Bikes event.
For the past 3 years, avid birders and their accompanying bicycles have gathered behind the Gilligallou Bird Store in Almonte and set out on a 15-20km bike ride along a predetermined/scouted route. The 5-hour excursion leads participants through a beautiful ride with scheduled stops in meadows, marshlands, hardwood forests and the observation tower overlooking a lagoon where the group scans the areas for a wide variety of bird species.
We had 30 riders come out to join us on a beautiful Sunday morning as we traversed through some beautiful areas of Lanark County, spotting different bird species as well as other wildlife along the way.
Riders identified over 54 different bird species over their 15km ride, including (but not limited to) a Northern Shoveler, Wood Ducks, Spotted Sandpiper, Red Eyed Vireo, Great Crested Flycatchers and one group was lucky enough to witness a quick acrobatic display put on by a beautiful Northern Harrier.
All in all, the day was a complete success. The weather was wonderful, the ride was excellent and a number of different birds co-operated and let us all have a peek at them while we traveled our route.
For more pictures and information, check out our Facebook Page. We hope to see everyone out for next year’s Birders On Bikes: a part of Mississippi Mills Bike Month!