BAILLIE FUND GRANTS AVAILABLE: 
     
    
   
   
    
     The James L. Baillie Memorial Fund supports projects that involve 
     
     volunteers in education, research, or data collection concerning Canadian 
     
     birds. In 1995, the Fund distributed $47,800 from the annual Baillie 
     
     Birdathon to support bird research and conservation projects. Grants are 
     
     in the range of $200 to $3,000 and average about $1,000. 
     
    

    
     The 1996 deadline for applications is January 27th. The Baillie 
     
     Fund offers grants for projects that: 
     
    
   
   
    
     o involve research or education; 
     
    

    
     0 contribute to the preservation of Canadian birds; 
     
     and 
     
    

    
     o initiate and support migration monitoring stations 
     
    
   
   
    
     (bird observatories) that monitor Canadian birds 
     
     during migrations. 
     
    

    
     For further information, contact David J.T. Hussell, Secretary, 
     
     James L. Baillie Memorial Fund, Canadian Centre for the Study and 
     
     Preservation of Birds, P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario NOE 1M0 
     
     Telephone 519-586-3531. 
     
    
   
   
    
     FIRST ANNUAL AUTUMN CLASSIC BIRDATHON by J. Dan McAskill 
     
    
   
   
    
     Saturday, October 14th was one of those incredibly warm, sunny, 
     
     autumn days with the hills clad in the spectacular yellows, reds, browns, 
     
    
   
   
    
     and greens of the northern mixed woods. However, the Birdathon was 
     
     planned for the 15th, not for Saturday the 14th, and the weather 
     
     forecast, rain and high winds, was ominous. These were not very good 
     
    
   
   
    
     forecast conditions for the Island’s First Autumn Classic Birdathon. 
     
     Phone calls amidst the team indicated that we would go despite the 
     
     apprehension over the weather. 
     
    

    
     With sunrise still four hours away, the Island Nature Trust’s 
     
     birding team of Ray Cooke, Roberta Palmer, Linda Thomas, and Dan McAskill 
     
     assembled at Beach Grove. Contrary to the forecast, it was a warm night 
     
     with a light breeze. Perfect conditions for owl calling and the 
     
     listening required to hear their often muted replies. 
     
    

    
     I “0‘ So, feeling much better, we were off 
     
     f__‘_Jmflm”mm1“LlaL_‘—_"-— to the birder’s friendly coffee house to 
     
    

    
     fortify ourselves for the trip to ‘the 
     
     primary owling site. The first bird 
     
     sightings were that of cormorants' tails 
     
     silhouetted against their droppings on 
     
     the bridge piers. For sure, this was not 
     
     sufficient detail to register a definite 
     
     species despite our knowledge of the 
     
     site’s autumn composition. The first 
     
     stop on route 5 caused a chorus of dogs 
     
     to register our arrival and we decided to 
     
     forego the calls and move onward. The 
     
     next stop was in Mount Albion and here 
     
     the day started in style with the faint 
     
     but definite response of a saw-whet 
     
     repeated so all could hear it. Then the 
     
    
   
   
    
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