Big Day 2023
On May 19th, Georgian Bay Land Trust staff Aaron Rusak and Eleanor Proctor led our second-annual Big Day fundraiser: an attempt to see and hear as many bird species as possible within 24 hours, all for a good cause. Aaron and Eleanor were attempting to break last year’s record of 128 species and raise funds through pledges to support our bird research and conservation work. They achieved both, seeing 131 species and raising over $20,000. This year our Communications Director Sarah Koetsier was lucky enough to tag along on the trip, alongside Ariel Estulin who was documenting the adventure on film. Here’s what the day was like for an amateur first-timer.
12:15 am: The day begins with the sound of Eleanor’s alarm. In an attempt to stay in bed a little longer, I roll over and pull out my laptop, and am thrilled to see an inbox full of new pledges that have come in in the four hours since we went to bed four hours ago. I quickly tally the list with a rush of gratitude to everyone who pledged—we’ve surpassed our fundraising target! Spirits buoyed, it’s time to get out of bed and ready to go.
1:15 am: We’re on the road. Packed into Eleanor’s car with 24 hours of snacks, gear, lists, and warmth layers, excitement and anticipation is high. We’ll be spending the first part of the day driving around the Bracebridge and Gravenhurst area, before transitioning to Georgian Bay in the afternoon
1:40 am: First stop, at a roadside wetland. It’s cold out here! Aaron and Eleanor are hearing all sorts of things in what sounds to me like near silence (except the peepers). They’re good.
2:45 am: A mini-celebration at our second stop as we hear a rare Least Bittern. I’m grateful for the wool car blanket I brought along, which is now wrapped around me as we stand silently outside in near-freezing temperatures. Aaron and Eleanor don’t seem to feel the cold.
3:00 am: Lots of strategizing going on in the car. Which locations are worth the travel time to visit, and which to leave out based on what we’ve already heard. Discussions of the different tactical ways teams can approach a Big Day. I think this would be a good sport for TV—it’s surprisingly gripping.
3:45 am: I’m waiting for the road noise to pass so I can record the natural soundscape—then I realize that it’s ever-present, even at this time of night.
5:00 am: Light is starting to appear in the sky, and our list is up to 22 species. We’re getting ready to walk into our “dawn stop”, a marsh where we anticipate hearing the highest concentration of birdsong of any point in the day.
5:30 am: The world has awoken. Birds are singing, chirping, and calling all over the place, and it feels like we’ve been part of some grand shift, witness to one of the most elemental and unifying forces of nature. Mist rises from the wetland, a Pileated Woodpecker drums very close to the path, and Eleanor teaches me how to recognize the “bee buzz” of Golden-winged Warblers. We spend over an hour at this stop and hear 45 different bird species.
7:18 am: We’re working our way through a series of short roadside stops around Muskoka, driving with windows down to get maximum listening time. Eleanor thinks she has just heard a Black-throated Green Warbler out her side of the car, and we double back to confirm. Some dozing is happening in the backseat.
8:45 am: The roads are filling up with cars and school buses, and I have to remind myself that in normal times, the day is just beginning. We’ve already been out birding for the length of an entire workday.
9:00 am: Milestone passed—our list has hit 100 species!
9:30 am: We get a tip-off from Aaron’s mom Cindy that a rare Ruddy Duck has turned up at the Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons (a birding hotspot), and decide to change course and head there as soon as possible. After a bit of a hunt the duck is spotted, and we add a few other shorebirds to our list.
1:15 pm: We’ve made it to Georgian Bay! We start at the Port Severn Wetlands, where we meet up with one of our volunteer stewards, Aaron uses his scope to look for ducks, and we all sweat a bit under the sun. The temperature has changed dramatically since this morning.
3:00 pm: A highlight of the day for me: two beautiful Red-headed Woodpeckers in downtown Honey Harbour. I’ve never seen these endangered birds in person before, and it feels like a very special encounter.
3:30 pm: We’re finally into the boat, and now it’s a race against time to see the outer island birds before the oncoming rain. First stop is Aaron’s cottage to listen for Prairie Warblers—a classic bird of the Georgian Bay coast—but the storm is coming and they’re not singing. After our best attempts to find one, we have to move on.
5:00 pm: Rain has hit, but we haven’t beaten the record yet. Aaron is in the bow of the boat in his rain gear, looking like an east coast fisherman. The rest of us are huddled under the roof. We’re out by the Pine Islands, bobbing around trying to identify the many ducks and shorebirds through binoculars. It’s a bit too rough to land.
5:21 pm: We’ve spotted a Spotted Sandpiper! Species #129 to break the record!
5:42 pm: And one more for good measure: species #130 is a pair of Long-tailed Ducks. Now, time to head in.
6:15 pm: Back unloading the boat in the shelter of Go Home Bay, we hear the beautiful song of a Hermit Thrush welcoming us home. Species #131, and a reminder that sometimes the loveliest things can happen right in your backyard.
7:30 pm: After a final walk around the island yielded nothing new, and with the rain still steady and record firmly broken, we decide it’s time to head in. The Prairie Warbler will have to wait until next year. A quick dinner and early bedtime are calling.
It’s been a remarkable, whirlwind day. 18 straight hours of birding—I can’t quite imagine how people manage to stick it out for a full 24! I’m going to bed with my head full of the new bird songs I learned and the sound of rain on the roof. Overnight, I dream I hear a Prairie Warbler.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Big Day, including matching donors the Weston Family Foundation, Jackman Foundation, and an anonymous donor. We’re so grateful for your support!
