Black-bellied Whistling Ducks May 16, 1994

Seven members of our club were enjoying a trip to Point Pelee, Canada, never dreaming that the great sightings of the day could be topped. Joyce Ellsworth, Molly Harrigan(now McCombs), George Hutchinson, John & Teddie Nims, and Kay & Ken Beerthuis were all staying at Adams Golden Acres Motel in Kingsville. After a day of birding, we decided to check the sewage ponds behind the motel. As we neared the last pond, we saw 12 ducks on the water. As we got closer, mouths dropped open, field guides were pulled out, and frantic motions to get the last few people up quickly ensued. There was no mistaking this easy identification... they were Black-bellied Whistling Ducks! A long, long way from their usual range in Mexico and Texas. We enjoyed great looks at them. They even flew up, circled, and came down again for us to view. As it turned out, our club members were the only ones to sight these ducks before they flew off. We filled out rare bird sightings for the Ontario Rare Bird Commission and added the Black-bellied Whistling Duck to the rare bird checklist for the Point Pelee area since they had never been seen in this area before.