The Cornwall-Beauharnois Field Trip 
Bruce M. Di Labio 
Based on earlier sightings of many rare gulls, the Corn¬ 
wall-Beauharnois field trip on November 8, 1986, was expected to 
be a great success. Eighteen area birders gathered to partici¬ 
pate in this event. 
In foggy and drizzling conditions, the convoy made its way 
down the highway, its destination the William H. Saunders Power 
Dam at Cornwall. When it arrived, about 2,000 Common Mergansers 
were feeding below the dam, along with a few hundred gulls. The 
number of Common Mergansers did not approach the 10,000 that are 
known to frequent this area later in the month. The group of 
gulls consisted mainly of Ring-billed and Bonaparte's; however, 
among the milling gulls was one second-winter Little Gull. Also 
seen during the stay was an immature Black-crowned Night-Heron, 
along with the usual sightings common to the area. After a 
thorough check of the power dam, the group made its way to 
McDonald's for coffee. 
After drying out, the birders headed to the Beauharnois Dam 
near Montreal. The birds there turned out to be a great disap¬ 
pointment; the only truly noteworthy bird was a single adult 
Glaucous Gull, which, luckily, was seen by all. The poor weath¬ 
er conditions did nothing to buoy anybody's spirits, and by late 
afternoon everyone headed back to the Cornwall dam for a final 
check. Nothing new was seen, so a decision was made to head 
back for the warmth and comfort of home. n 
Early Winter Field Trip 
Bruce M. Di Labio 
On Saturday, December 6, 1986, a group of 16 birders met at 
the Victoria Memorial Museum to participate in the early winter 
field trip. This particular morning was overcast with occasion¬ 
al flurries. The temperature was hovering near 0°C, and there 
was a strong southwest wind blowing. If it were not for the 
clouds, snow and wind, you would have said it was a beautiful 
day. 
The first stop was at Uplands Airport along Armstrong Road. 
There was little to be observed in this area, but a Snowy Owl 
could be seen at a distance along Bowesville Road. The group 
