After further consideration and consultation with Peterson and Sibley I feel that I may perhaps have concluded too quickly regarding the identity of the shrike at G. Ross Lord Park. The shrike may well be a Northern, not a Loggerhead. I regret having been carried away in my excitement and precipitous in posting what may be an erroneous report. The shrike is indeed there - it is not a mockingbird, I promise - but it will require a further look and, perhaps, a more experienced birder than I to ascertain its true identity.
This evening - Thursday, March 29 - at 5:30 p.m. in G. Ross Lord Park (in the Bathurst-Steeles area), my wife, Terri, and I had a nice look - several, actually - at a Loggerhead Shrike. We thought we had seen it yesterday evening as well and went back this evening to confirm. We found it, on both nights, along the path that runs between the Fisherville entrance to the park and the Torresdale entrance to the park (the path runs north-south).
Lots of Waterfowl at the Second Marsh in Oshawa. Waterfowl 14 species: Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Mallards, Black Duck, American Widgeon, Northern Pintail,Ring-necked Duck, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Bufflehead, Green-winged teal, and Northern Shoveler.
Gulls 6 species including 1 adult Iceland Gull, immature Glacous Gull, immature lesser black-backed Gull
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, March 25, 2001
More signs of spring this past week to make us even more optimistic. There were three TREE SWALLOWS flying low over the Trent Canal near the Domtar plant in Trenton on Monday. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS continue to show up with more individuals being seen on Hambly Road near Napanee, 2 at Point Petre and one on the Ridge Road, just south of Picton. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and COMMON GRACKLES are everywhere these days, and KILLDEERS are present now throughout the Quinte area. There was an early PINE WARBLER at a Brighton feeder on Tuesday, presumably an early migrant as opposed to an individual that had wintered somewhere nearby. There was a GREAT BLUE HERON east of Stirling this week, one in Frankford and another in Trenton. A SWAMP SPARROW turned up at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area, south of Picton on Monday, and there was an AMERICAN WOODCOCK in a swamp along Scoharie Road, north of Bloomfield on Wednesday. BELTED KINGFISHERS last week were seen at Elmbrook, Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area at the pond there, and at Beaver Meadow. SONG SPARROWS were seen last week in the Cressy area and at Peat's Point.
There was a major movement of CANADA GEESE early in the week with small scattered flocks comprising anywhere from a few individuals to several hundred passing over on a regular basis. A flock of 15 SNOW GEESE was seen flying over Cherry Valley on Wednesday. Last week the usuals were at Wellington Harbour including AMERICAN WIGEON, CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, MALLARD, BLACK DUCK, RING-NECKED DUCK, GREATER and LESSER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE, BUFFLEHEAD, both HOODED and COMMON MERGANSER, CANADA GEESE, MUTE SWANS and one AMERICAN COOT. At the Bucknell's Slough, off Wesley Acres Road, just south of Bloomfield, there were 16 NORTHERN PINTAILS, MALLARDS, BLACK DUCKS and HOODED MERGANSERS on Friday. This area bears watching over the next week or two, but the timing has to be right as the property owner pumps this agricultural field dry early in the season. Other interesting water birds last week included PIED-BILLED GREBES at both Demorestville Creek and on the Trent River, and a HORNED GREBE at Point Petre. There were two WOOD DUCKS at Beaver Meadow.
'Tis the season for owls, it would seem. In addition to the regular complement of LONG-EARED OWLS, BOREAL OWLS, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and SNOWY OWL reported by a visiting Montreal birder, and Alex Scott who patrols the area on a regular basis, there have been some good sightings of at least one species in Prince Edward County as well. EASTERN SCREECH OWLS this past week were heard calling at Big Island (1), Walmsley Road (1), Sandbanks Provincial Park (4), Marisette Road (1), 1 on Welbanks Road and another on Kelly Road. At Point Petre, a LONG-EARED OWL was seen being harassed by 9 COMMON CROWS.
RED-TAILED HAWKS last week included the regular at Mountain View Airport, with others being seen at Fenwood Gardens, Point Petre, Beaver Meadow, and at Hubb's Sugar Bush west of Rednersville. There was a COOPER'S HAWK at Beaver Meadow last week, a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK at Peat's Point, and several NORTHERN HARRIERS seen including 3 at the Big Island Marsh, one at the Sawguin Marsh near Fenwood Gardens and another along Marsh Road at Huff's Island. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen on Huyck's Point Road, and AMERICAN KESTRELS reported from numerous locations during the week.
Some interesting sightings at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area, in addition to those already mentioned, included RUFFED GROUSE (3), 12 WILD TURKEYS, 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS and 4 PILEATED WOODPECKERS. A PILEATED WOODPECKER was also seen east of Stirling, and north of Bloomfield.
As mentioned last week, the complete schedule for the 5th Annual Prince Edward County Birding Festival is now online at www.naturestuff.net . To make it easier, a birding festival banner has been placed on the home page. Clicking on this banner will take you directly to the Festival page without having to navigate through all the 2001 outdoor program. This coming Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. I have the pleasure of being guest speaker at the Springtime in Quinte Garden Show and Outdoor Expo at the Quinte Sport Centre. The presentation, "Paddle, Prop and Walking Stick" will look at Quinte Conservation's outdoor program of canoe/kayak trips, aerial tours and guided hikes, and some of our misadventures over the years. Join us if you can.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to John Charlton, Ian Shanahan, Donalyn and John Legate, Patti Smith, Art MacConnell, Steve Monet, Nancy Fox, Don Craighead, Alex Scott, Neil Hendon, and Lloyd Paul for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 1st. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good spring birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Redhead and Canvasback paired?, Leslie Street Spit, Toronto posted by Anthony DAle on March 25, 2001 at 19:00:21:
Amazingly their wear a mail and female Canvasback in this same pond yesterday (03-24-01) courting.. so I don't know wear the mail went ?? but i hope he comes back.
Craig McLauchlan
In Reply to: Redhead and Canvasback paired?, Leslie Street Spit, Toronto posted by Anthony DAle on March 25, 2001 at 19:00:21:
Amazingly their wear a mail and female Canvasback in this same pond yesterday (03-24-01) courting.. so I don't know wear the mail went ?? but i hope he comes back.
Craig McLauchlan
I'd be interested to hear any comments about this, or at least draw it to people's attention for further study: At the Spit today (March 25, 2001), I observed what I believe to be a male Redhead paired with (or at least courting) a female Canvasback. The male was hanging around while the female dove to feed frequently. There was some interaction between them. The male Redhead was distinctive. The female was more intriguing. It was uniformly light brown coloured, without the notable difference in plumage between brownsish breast and greyer sides and back that a Canvasback should have. The head and bill shape said Canvasback. The bill was uniformly dark, without the markings that a female Redhead would have. The pair was in the newer small pond to the east of the road that runs south from the red bridge. That is, the pond that is visible by looking north as you circle around the large endikement from west to east. The same pond held a pair of Bufflehead, pair of Mute Swan, pair of Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards. There were only a scattering of Redhead elsewhere on the Spit and I saw no other Canvasbacks. I am aware of the previous presence of at least one suspected hybrid in this area (Coady in Ontario Birds, December 2000). Might this pair be: A male Redhead and female Canvasback? Or a male Redhead and female Redead X Canvasback hybrid?
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Once again a great Toronto bird has failed to mack its way on to Ontbirds or any internet form ??.Quite like the Brant last year , Why God only knows ??? becauss I sheer dont ...
But any way their is and has bin a Barrow's Golden eye on the Leslie st spit (or Tommy Thompson park) for at lest a week now , i refound it this morning in the last cell ( furthest south cell) jist wear the red foot bridge is. it is in with a flock of 40 to 60 Com.Goldeneye.This flock like all Goldeneye is quite skittish and wood tack to wing for what seemed know reason ???
All so , I have jist spoken to Jean Iron on her cell (she and others are out looking for this duck) and they are having a hard time ree finding the bird ??..
the Leslie st Spit is found at the foot of Leslie st jist south of the lake shore blvd.
also seen to day wear 2 courting Canvasbacks in the triangall pound ( maby a nother nesting recourd ??) 15 Glaucous Gull's 3 Iceland Gull's , 10 killdeer, Green Winged Teal 1,
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, March 18, 2001
Plenty of signs of spring this past week with close to 20 species of ducks present in the open waters of the county, along with a few other arrivals too. Warmer weather has produced open water from Prinyer's Cove into Prince Edward Bay, Prince Edward Point and along the entire south shore of Prince Edward County. Observers out and about during the week recorded lots of activity with CANVASBACKS, REDHEADS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, NORTHERN PINTAILS and AMERICAN WIGEON appearing at East Lake. There was a high of 13 species of ducks at Wellington Harbour with highlights being GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, 1 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, CANVASBACKS, REDHEADS and HOODED MERGANSERS, along with 1 AMERICAN COOT and 3 MUTE SWANS. The latter was also seen at Consecon Lake near the dam. There were 16 species of ducks at Sandbanks with both GREATER and LESSER SCAUP and LONG-TAILED DUCKS making up the bulk. Hundreds of ducks were at Waupoos today and there were similar high numbers at Prince Edward Point and elsewhere in suitable areas around the county. Presqu'ile Provincial Park had small numbers of GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a male WOOD DUCK among its growing numbers of waterfowl, along with the usual MUTE SWANS, and on Wednesday, 8 TUNDRA SWANS.
Some optimistic signs of spring last week included 3 TURKEY VULTURES circling over Picton on Saturday, and KILLDEERS (2) reported from the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area on Thursday, and separate individuals at East Lake and at Bloomfield the same day, and another at Demorestville on Friday. There were two GREAT BLUE HERONS flying low over Demorestville Creek at County Road 5 just outside Demorestville yesterday, another one near there a day earlier, 2 at Napanee on Thursday, one along Wesley Acres Road at Bloomfield yesterday, and others seen during the week at Presqu'ile. Of course, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS are everywhere right now. Other hopeful signs included a flock of 100 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and five PURPLE FINCHES on Friday near the Kingsford Conservation Area, north of Deseronto, and a BROWN CREEPER and 4 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS at the Outlet Campgrounds (Sandbanks) on Monday.
A pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS is believed to be nesting at Sandbanks Provincial Park, based on observations made there this past week. KESTRELS last week showed up at their traditional areas including Elmbrook and the individual that has become more or less a fixture now on the light standard at Dundas and Bay Bridge Road in Belleville. Three reports of a NORTHERN SHRIKE in the Mountain View/Crofton/Demorestville Road area is quite likely the same bird. There was another seen at the Quinte Conservation Area office on Monday, and another at Big Island the same day. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen at East Lake on Monday and there was a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK at Bayside on Monday. Still lots of hawks on Amherst Island, as well as up to four BOREAL OWLS, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, LONG-EARED OWLS and SHORT-EARED OWLS.
Other birds of interest last week included 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS reported by several observers in the Woodland Campground area of Sandbanks Provincial Park, and small groups of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Don Craighead, Fred Helleiner, David Bree, Pat & Lloyd Paul, John Blaney, Doris Lane, and Alex Scott for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good spring birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
An exhibition called The Making of Audubon's Birds of America is now on at the Metro Toronto Reference Library, Canada Trust Gallery. It is very interesting both for the birds and also for the information about how the illustrations were created.
It is on until March 27 and features part of the original collection that the library owns. It is different from the exhibit which has been travelling in North America recently. The show is open during library hours.
See. http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/Branches/reflib/branch.htm#TRL
Library is located on the east side of Yonge a block north of the junction of Bloor and Yonge (where there is a subway stop), at 789 Yonge Street, M4W 2G8, 416-395-5577. The hours are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10:00-8:00
Friday, Saturday 10:00-5:00
Sunday 1:30 - 5:00 Seasonally
Since we stayed "in town" this week afterall, we decided to make an impromptu drive in north Peel to look for raptor nests. We located about a half dozen hawk/owl size nests of which at least three were active with birds(incubating?)sitting on them. At least one of the nests seems to be occupied by Great Horned Owls while the other two have Red-tailed Hawks. Also seen while driving the roads in the area were 3 Kestrels, 2 Rough -legged Hawks(Highway 7 west of Brampton), a Turkey Vulture in flight near Norval, and a male Harrier flying low over open fields at the intersection of Mayfield and Winston Churchill Roads. We of course saw many Red-tails(mostly paired) in different locations along the way but the Clairville area had the greatest density of them in a given place(obviously still prime rodent habitat-but for how long?). Another interesting sighting was a Northern Shrike at the top a tree just north of the Apple Factory(Miss. Rd and Highway 7), a good place for pie and fat mice? Only the Shrike knows for sure. Brete- Peel Birding Class
In Reply to: 1 Red-necked Grebe in Bronte posted by Gavin Edmondstone on March 16, 2001 at 11:11:01:
Thanks for confirming what we thought we saw on March 9 at about 3 pm. At that time the grebe was further out and swimming in & out of the slips.
Nick Avery
One Red-necked Grebe was back at last year's nest area this morning. Yes, there is a tire in the water so we should have little grebes to watch this year.
I am writing a trip report for our recent visit to Costa Rica. It will be posted to Birdchat. If you would like a copy let me know privately. The trip list is ready now.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
At 5:30 today March 14 2001, I was stopped on my way home from working on a film by a amazing air bailey put on by 5 Red Tailed Hawks as they swooped down on each other and chaste echother throw the air (they acted Like Pergrine Falcons) no hire than the buildings.This all happened over the old brick works which is found on Bayview Ave. jist north of Bloor or jist south of Pottery rd.
As they did this they wear joined by a Red -Shouldered Hawk which jist seemed to love the playing in the sky , I have seen R.T.Hawks do the passing of food display and the grasping of talons which cos them to tumble in a circular spiral towards the ground . but never have I watchet 5 adult's display like this ..
To my amass mint I was the only one watching !! I hope that Frank got to see it from the GO trane??
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
I am in the process of compiling a checklist for species found in the Grange Property in Alton Ontario(just south or Orangeville). I have plants, but I am in need of reliable lists for birds and other wildlife. Can anyone help?
I am in the process of compiling a chechlist for species found in the Grange Property in Alton Ontario(just south or Orangeville). I have plants, but I am in need of reliable lists for birds and other wildlife. Can anyone help?
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, March 11, 2001
A few hints of spring this past week in the Quinte area, but mostly overshadowed by sightings more suggestive of winter. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were present last week at Big Island (6), and in the Bloomfield area (3). Two KILLDEER showed up Wednesday in a barnyard on Jericho Road. There was a GREAT BLUE HERON Friday evening perched in a tree along the north shore of Consecon Lake and a BELTED KINGFISHER was seen again along County Road 5. Another two EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were seen in the Hambly Road area southwest of Napanee, and up to 7 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS at Amherst Island, probably migrants, are indications that the spring migration may, in fact, be underway. And PURPLE MARTINS have arrived in Louisiana, if that's any comfort. There were also 3 GREAT HORNED OWLS and a EASTERN SCREECH OWL all calling at once along Walmsley Road on Thursday.
Elsewhere, it's business as usual. Thousands of ducks were present yesterday on the water between the mainland and the islands at the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area. Among them were an estimated 5000+ LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 2000 COMMON GOLDENEYES, 750 GREAT SCAUP, a few BUFFLEHEAD, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and COMMON MERGANSERS. The conditions at Wellington have changed again, and this weekend there were CANADA GEESE, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, COMMON GOLDENEYES, BUFFLEHEAD, GREATER SCAUP, MALLARD, COMMON MERGANSER, an AMERICAN COOT, and up to five MUTE SWANS (as of today).
On Amherst Island, the numbers of hawks and owls are pretty much unchanged but there is some evidence of movement within the species. There were three BOREAL OWLS there this weekend, and there may very well be four. There are still about a half dozen LONG-EARED OWLS, a few SHORT-EARED OWLS and SNOWY OWLS about, along with good numbers of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS. And there appears to be lots of RED-TAILED HAWKS in Prince Edward County right now. The reliable individual at the Mountain View Airport has been joined by a second individual. RED-TAILED HAWKS were also seen this past week at the corner of County Road 5 and Fish Lake Road, along with other sightings west of Belleville along 401, Prince Edward Point, Old Milford Road, Hillier, Stinson Block, Wellington and Cherry Valley. The AMERICAN KESTREL that spends most of its waking hours atop a light standard at the corner of Dundas Street and Bay Bridge Road in Belleville, is still there, and other sightings this past week were made at Bethel Road and Elmbrook. There was also a report this past week of a MERLIN at Bridge and Ann Streets in Belleville which is regularly seen. Other good sightings this past week included a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at a Waupoos area feeder, a FOX SPARROW still at a feeder at Peat's Point, 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS at a Bloomfield area feeder, along with a WINTER WREN that appears sporadically along Scoharie Road.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Lloyd Paul, Laura Pierce, Nancy Fox, Peter Sporring, Alex Scott, Glen Duetta, Mia Lane, Patti Smith, Steve Monet, Don Craighead and Fred Helleiner for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 18th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday for inclusion in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Today Sunday, Mar.4, 2001 Stan Bajurny and I birded the Hamilton/Burlington/ Dundas area with some nice sightings and now that I am thawed out I will mention a few of these sightings. We first went to the Leander Boat Club (south shore of Hamilton Harbour at the end of Bay St.) to try and find the Laughing Gull last reported on Wed. as this was a life bird for Stan. We spent over 2 hours in the bitter wind and finally gave up (but not before watching a Peregrine Falcon fly past overhead and observe 30+ American Coots) and headed over to La Salle Marina on the north shore of the harbour at the foot of La Salle Marina Road (exit hwy 403 at Waterdown Rd) cross Plains Road and drive straight to the marina. Here were at least 3 male Ring-necked Ducks and a large number of other waterfowl including 100+ Canvasbacks close up and 20+ Trumpeter Swans. We next went to the Carrolls Point overlook in Woodland Cemetary (further west along Plains Road) where again there were a large number of waterfowl including 9 Northern Pintails and an adult Iceland Gull. From here we drove to the North Shore Trails at Cootes Paradise (east of Cootes Drive on York Road and past the green houses to the parking area on the right at the top of the hill). It was quiet birding here but we did find a mixed flock of Goldfinch, Tree Sparrows and 14 Eastern Bluebirds. While here we were told about Long-eared Owls along one of the trails as well as an A. Woodcock and as we returned to the vehicle we had a close up look at a Cooper's Hawk. It was now time to head back and try again for the Laughing Gull. When we arrived we were informed that the bird was not sighted today so we carried on to check out the area. After a while it was plain to see that it was no where to be seen and we were cold. We started to leave when a young couple headed out onto the pier, dropped a half dozen or so buns in the water and left. Within a minute there were 40+ Ring-billed Gulls wheeling and diving on the buns and with them was the Laughing Gull (2:48 PM) it flew around with the Ring-bills for only a couple of minutes without feeding, flew right at us, circled us twice at about 50 feet overhead and flew off east. With smiles we headed up to Hutches for something to eat. While here we decided to try to see the Laughing Gull again so we bought 2 loaves of bread and headed back to the boat club. It was after 4 now and getting colder but the gulls were glad to see us as they ate all of the bread but the Laughing Gull did not put in another appearance but it was no disappointment as while we stood there a bird popped up less than 100 feet in front of us, giving us a great look at a nice Red-throated Loon (around 4:30PM). A pleasant end to a cold day. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON NORMURR@SYMPATICO.CA
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, March 04, 2001
The whims of the wind continue to dictate what species of waterfowl will be present on any given day at Wellington Harbour. Warming conditions later this month should produce some spectacular concentrations, and birders should keep a vigil on this prolific birding area. Sandbanks on Wednesday had only a dozen LONG-TAILED DUCKS in view, although there were 135 COMMON GOLDENEYES. Large numbers of LONG-TAILED DUCKS were present off Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area earlier this week.
Amherst Island still has a nice selection of raptors present including plenty of LONG-EARED OWLS, SHORT-EARED OWLS and SNOWY OWLS. Yesterday, there were at least 2 BOREAL OWLS present, and at least 7 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS in one section of the Pines. There was a SNOWY OWL and a GREAT HORNED OWL at Presqu'ile on Thursday, and another GREAT HORNED OWL at Wesley Acres, south of Bloomfield the following day. RED-TAILED HAWKS are being reported from all over, and includes a regular which can be seen at Mountain View Airport, and another along County Road 4 at Gomorrah Road near Demorestville. Another regular is a dependable AMERICAN KESTREL which apparently finds something of interest from atop a light standard at the corner of Dundas Street and Bay Bridge Road, in Belleville. Although reports of the some 16 BALD EAGLES that were present this winter along the shores of Prince Edward County have dwindled, there were two yesterday at Telegraph Island, immediately west of the Quinte Skyway Bridge, linking Prince Edward County with Deseronto. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen Friday near Barcovan.
Other interesting sightings this past week included a BELTED KINGFISHER staring intently at a small creek in the Elmbrook area, a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at a feeder east of Lake-on-the-Mountain, 14 WILD TURKEYS at Sandbanks yesterday, three YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and 2 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS at Massassauga Point Conservation Area, and an extremely vocal NORTHERN FLICKER at Prospect Avenue in Picton yesterday.
Each year we receive reports of birds that are obviously escapees from local private collections. Among these reports in past years there have been cockatiels, budgerigars and a blossom-headed parakeet. Last year there was a bobwhite walking about Spring Street and Ontario Street in Picton, calling repeatedly. This past week it was a RINGED TURTLE DOVE at Cressy.
The calendar of events for this year's Fifth Annual Prince Edward County Birding Festival is now online at www.naturestuff.net, under Outdoor Events. Join us if you can.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Lloyd Paul, Don Craighead, Joanne Dewey, Jim Collinson, Joe Victor, Alex Scott, and Cynthia Fox for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 11th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday for inclusion in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Today Carol Horner and I stared out in Chippawa Ont. looking for Tufted Titmouse on Thomas st . at #7693 WOW what a place we had 18 species of birds in no time coming to the feeder including three species of Woodpecker's (2 Red -bellied Woodpecker's) and 2 Tufted Titmouse , I wont forget this spot !!
then it was off to the Queenston boat docks , found by going down Dumfries st and follow the sings , to see if we could find any Little Gull's after a vary careful count (going East to west so no other LGull's went through my bins,) I came up with 16 I wood think that their back !!!! We also had a Adult Bald Eagle hear and a Kingfisher ,
We also look for the Harris Sparrow with no luck but was told that it was seen to day at 11:00 am ??
it was then off to Hamilton to see what waterfowl was around the could be add to our day list ? not allot but at the Travail loge in Burlington found at the foot of Brant st . we found the Common Eider and a nice surprise was a Female Harlequin Duck
the day # was 52........spring must be right around the corner....
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
Today I saw all three scoter species on the Toronto lakeshore: several White-winged and one male Surf at Clarke's Beach (at the base of Cherry St.) and two Black at Humber Bay East (at the base of Parklawn Ave.). There was also a distant flock of gulls beside the Ashbridge's Bay sewage treatment plant, visible from Ashbridge's Bay Park. I could clearly see an adult Iceland Gull and two immature white winged gulls, and there may have been more present.
Good birding, Joel
A mockingbird was seen under the Bathurst bridge and in the gully south of Fort York -Feb 28, 14:00- Happy Spring
A mockingbird was seen under the Bathurst bridge and in the gully south of Fort York -Feb 28, 14:00- Happy Spring
A mockingbird was seen under the Bathurst bridge and in the gully south of Fort York -Feb 28- Happy Spring
In Reply to: Re: Great Egret at Humber Bay posted by Chester Gryski on May 08, 2000 at 17:04:41:
hi ya there!! i think you should give some info bout the common egret(great) ok well that is all that i have 2 say ok buhbyeeee
Today at about 1:40 p.m. Jim Richards, Tyler Hoar, Mark Peck and I saw a Turkey Vulture migrating eastward over Varsity Stadium at Bloor St. W. and Bedford Rd.
GC
I am going to Niagara Falls on Friday and would like to try for Snowy Owls between Barrie and Niagara. If any are being seen in that area I would appreciate directions. Thanks!
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by C.Mclauchlan on April 14, 1999 at 09:31:37:
I have a female which just goes to the bottom of the avery and sits there rocking back and forth.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, February 25, 2001
Is it wishful thinking that spring might be on its way? Judging from a few of the reports, one can't help but be optimistic, despite the snow, freezing rain and rain of last night and today. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS last week were seen along Wooler Road north of Trenton, Point Petre, Napanee, Huyck's Point, Milford, and Lake-on-the-Mountain. HORNED LARKS are now being seen regularly along local roadsides, and AMERICAN ROBINS seem to be appearing more regularly than they have in weeks past. While some of these sightings may only be wintering individuals, there is strong indication at Amherst Island that, at least, the NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS are commencing to move through. The number this past week has almost doubled, to 11. As of yesterday, there were also 3 BOREAL OWLS still about, along with 15 - 20 LONG-EARED OWLS, and still a number of SHORT-EARED OWLS, SNOWY OWLS, NORTHERN SHRIKES and both RED-TAILED HAWKS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS.
In Prince Edward County, RED-TAILED HAWKS last week were seen at Mountain View Airport (a regular), 2 along Doxsee Road, 1 at Sandbanks, 1 along Demorestville Road, 2 along Marisett Road and one at Kleinsteuber Road. There was a SNOWY OWL at Barcovan on Monday, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Hillier, also on Monday. There is still a GYRFALCON at Kingston, and it is believed now that there could be two of them.
Some good stuff at Presqu'ile last week including a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, BALD EAGLE, along with WHITE-WINGED CROSBILLS, and an incredible 106 MUTE SWANS. Ducks are starting to move in preparatory to the big waterfowl festival there next month. Among the flocks were GADWALL and HOODED MERGANSER. Meanwhile at Wellington Harbour, shifting winds and ice have sealed off the open water at the government dock, and the pickings were really slim this week with only a couple of MUTE SWANS taking advantage of any open water. Sandbanks Provincial Park had 11 REDHEADS, 36 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, and 96 COMMON GOLDENEYES.
Other good sightings this past week included a PILEATED WOODPECKER at Sheba's Island and at Sandbanks, a FOX SPARROW at a feeder at Peat's Point, and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at #2695 County Road 12 by Athol Bay. A LAPLAND LONGSPUR seen two weeks ago near Wellington, was accidentally omitted from last weekend's report.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to John & Margaret Moore, Lloyd Paul, Ken Kingdon (OntBirds report), Don Craighead, David & Yvette Bree, Fred Henry, Alex Scott and Fred Helleiner (Presqu'ile report) for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 4th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday for inclusion in the next report. Good birding everyone.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Spit Open 24th posted by T. Chipperfield on February 23, 2001 at 09:24:31:
Tamara,
Thanks for taking the time to let users know. It is appreciated. Great to know that interruption to weekend use of the Spit was not necessary.
GC
Please be advised that the Toronto Port Authority will *not* be conducting lakefilling this weekend so Tommy Thompson Park will be open to the public on Saturday February 24th from 9:00am until 4:30pm.
Tamara Chipperfield Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
In Reply to: Re: Cooper's Hawk hunting over Yonge St. posted by Bert on February 23, 2001 at 02:38:25:
Sorry about the last post. I have a Cooper's Hawk show up at my bird feeder daily. He generally perch's atop of the feeder and then dives into the spruce tree beside the feeder and comes out with a finch, occassionally you can catch a glimpse of him snagging a bird out of mid air!! I will say that his success rate is very low, lots of missed attempts! Very entertaining!
In Reply to: Re: Cooper's Hawk hunting over Yonge St. posted by Marcel Gahbauer on February 22, 2001 at 12:02:15:
I have one show u
Welcome to the Second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas!
The second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas is now underway (breeding evidence for Rock Dove, Great Horned Owl, White-winged Crossbill and Pine Siskin having already been received for several squares). It is scheduled to run from 2001-20005. It follows on the highly successful first atlas that was carried out from 1981-1985.
The first atlas has been used province-wide to aid in conservation and protection efforts for Ontario.
This second atlas will be EVEN MORE useful because it will:
* provide a picture of how birds' distributions have changed over the past 20 years.
* highlight any species showing alarming declines
* reveal distributional patterns of abundance
How does the atlas work?
It's simple! Basically, the province is divided up into a grid system. Grid squares are grouped into regions, each coordinated by a Regional Coordinator (RC). Volunteers from across the province choose an area that they would like to atlas, and contact the RC for this region. South of Temagami and Sault Ste. Marie alone, there are 1804 10-km squares, and each one needs to be covered! The north presents a special challenge. Due to the inaccessibility of much of this area, the north is divided in 100 x 100 kilometre blocks, and a sample of 10 kilometre squares in each will be covered. In order to ensure that the province is covered we will also coordinate:
* square bashes (birding "parties", where we get groups together to blitz squares in poorly covered areas)
* northern excursions
Why should I participate in the atlas?
The completion and accuracy of the atlas depends on the dedication of people that have an interest in birds! And it's a gereat excuse to get out and bird watch, while contributing to conservation efforts in Ontario.
What will I do as an atlasser?
Your job as an atlasser, is to bird watch in your square! You will note which birds are present, and look for "possible", "probable" and "confirmed" breeding evidence.
The criteria for these different levels of evidence are detailed in the Guide for Participants (due out in March). In addition, should you be lucky enough to find the breeding site of a significant or colonial species (your Regional Coodinator will give you a list of these), you will be required to fill out detailed information cards for these nests (for the Ontario Nest Records Scheme).
An important addition to the second atlas will be the collection of abundance data. Maps of abundance patterns will provide a picture of "hotspots" for each species and improve our ability to track changes over time. This will be important information for research and conservation purposes. All atlassers will have the option of participating in the collection of abundance data using an established point count protocol. If you have good bird song identification skills, you are enouraged to do some point counts in your square. Doing a point count involves recording all birds seen and heard from a single point during a prescribed five minute period.
What kind of materials will I need, and what materials will I receive?
As an atlasser you will receive a Guide for Participants (that will tell you everything you'll need to know), atlas maps, data forms, an atlasser identification card and a regular copy of the Atlas Newsletter. We'll also provide you with a map of your square and a synopsis of all breeding species (and their level of confirmation) documented in your square during the first Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. All you need to provide are a pair of binoculars, a field guide, a good set of ears and ample enthusiasm!
Can I still participate if I am a little unsure of my field skills?
You sure can! If you are a careful observer and submit only records of which you are certain, you can take part. It's not necessary that you take on an entire square, you can participate as a "casual observer". Also, we will be holding atlasser workshops across the province in April (see below for the Toronto workshop) that will include training on song identification, use of GPS (global positioning systems), how to read and use UTM's and how to do point counts. You can also go to the atlas web site for links to training web pages. If you are just starting out in birding you can also ask your Regional Coordinator to pair you up with an experienced birder until you feel confident enough to go out on your own.
How much time does it take to be an atlasser?
For the principal atlasser of the square, the MINIMUM coverage required is 20 hours over the five year period. However, for the last atlas some people put in over 100 hours per square, while others decided to spread out their effort and take a different square each year. If you aren't comfortable taking a square, you can participate as a casual observer, and spend as much, or as little, time as you are able to. It's really up to you!
Who do I contact if I have questions or problems?
Contact your Regional Coordinator. They are your main contact for the project, and will answer all of your questions!
For the Greater Toronto Area the following people are Regional Coordintors:
Region 12 (Toronto) Glenn Coady 60 Mountview Ave. Apt. 604 Toronto, Ontario M6P 2L4 (416) 763-0137 glenn.coady@swchsc.on.ca
Region 10 (Peel/Halton/Dufferin) Bill McIlveen R.R.#1 Acton, Ontario L7J 2L7 (519) 853-3948 (905) 867-9294 (cell) wmcilveen@aztec-net.com
Region 45 (York) Theo Hofmann 199 Arnold Ave. Thornhill, Ontario L4J 1C1 (905) 889-1554 theo@hera.med.utoronto.ca
Region 46 (Durham) Geoff Carpentier 155 Ravenscroft Rd. Ajax, Ontario L1T 1Y3 (905) 686-6237 carpenge@ene.gov.on.ca
How do I get involved?
To get involved, you can register on the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas web page at:
http://www.birdsontario.org
or through your regional coordinator (a full listing of all regional coordinators for Ontario is available on the web page).
If you do not have access to the web, contact:
Nicole Kopysh Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas c/o Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada 75 Farquhar Street, Guelph, Ontario N1H 3N4 (519) 826-2092 (519) 826-2113 (fax)
Also, if you can, please plan to attend the joint ATLAS LAUNCH/Toronto Area Atlasser Training Workshop at the Kortright Centre (9550 Pine Valley Drive, Kleinburg) on April 14th, 2001 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
For directions to the Kortright Centre see their web site at:
http://www.kortright.org/general.html
As atlassers provide data you will be able to watch the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas maps iteratively build over the course of the Atlas on the web site and in addition to being able to input data on scannable data forms this time around, there will be the ability to enter atlas data directly through the atlas web page.
Please consider joining the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas - start by registering as an atlasser on the web page at:
http://www.birdsontario.org
In Reply to: Cooper's Hawk hunting over Yonge St. posted by Glenn Coady on February 21, 2001 at 18:48:57:
What a sight that must have been! In the west Cooper's hawks have been becoming quite urbanized for some years now; increasingly it seems like the eastern individuals are starting to catch up in this respect.
I've received several reports this winter of a female Cooper's hunting in the St. Clair / Yonge area, mostly at bird feeders in local backyards (and invariably initially identified as a peregrine). It may be that this is the same individual you saw - I'm not certain what their winter range is like, but this seems close enough to be likely.
Marcel
This evening I was walking north on the east side of Yonge St. at about 5:00 p.m. when I noticed (in amazement) an adult female Cooper's Hawk flying around in the intersection of Yonge St and Gloucester St.
It was scaring Rock Doves and European Starlings off of the roofs of nearly all the 19th century storefront buildings up and down Yonge St. eventually capturing a Rock Dove over Dundonald St. and, after subduing it, flying off to the east with it.
One of the European Starlings died also in a window collision in the flurry of activity.
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, February 18, 2001
The ducks, they are a comin'. Ice conditions at Wellington Harbour improved over the last few days, allowing 160 REDHEADS, 120 CANADA GEESE, 1 CANVASBACK, 16 COMMON MERGANSERS, 12 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 10 BUFFLEHEADS, 2 MUTE SWANS, and a quantity of MALLARDS to take advantage of the open waters near the channel on Wednesday. Things are looking up at Prince Edward Point too with some 500 LONG-TAILED DUCKS found down there. At Sandbanks Provincial Park on Thursday, there were 195 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 19 BUFFLEHEAD, and 675 COMMON GOLDENEYES present in the waters of Lake Ontario.
Birder Don Craighead had a good day on Thursday, chalking up five species of woodpeckers with 3 DOWNY WOODPECKERS, a HAIRY WOODPECKER, 2 PILEATED WOODPECKERS, a NORTHERN FLICKER, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER (at a feeder at Civic Address # 2695 along Athol Bay), all seen at Sandbanks Provincial Park.
A PILEATED WOODPECKER was present at Moira Road, 5 miles east of Stirling a week ago Sunday, where there was also a BROWN CREEPER, as well as a few PURPLE FINCHES that have just started coming to a feeder in that location. In Prince Edward County, there was a BELTED KINGFISHER seen last week just north of Picton.
There were two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS doing a spring dance as they slowly flew overhead one observer birding the Woodlands Campground area at Sandbanks last week. RED-TAILED HAWKS last week in the county were seen at Doxsee Road, Sandbanks, Marisett Road, Kleinsteuber Road, Shannon Road, May Road, County Road 4, and at Highway 62 near Mountain View Airport. The AMERICAN KESTREL at the corner of Bay Bridge Road and Dundas Street in Belleville continues to perch atop a light standard where it has been for some weeks.
Other interesting sightings last week included 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS coming to a feeder at #2800 County Road #1, northwest of Bloomfield, 11 WILD TURKEYS south of Ridge Road, 25 AMERICAN ROBINS along Doxsee Road, and single WILD TURKEYS at Point Petre and Waupoos. A male NORTHERN CARDINAL along County Road # 1 in the Bloomfield area is spending much of its time alternating between a bird feeder and a house where it is battering itself against a window as it attempts to discourage its mirrored image from occupying the same dooryard.
At Amherst Island, Alex Scott reported this evening the usual birds, along with 2 BOREAL OWLS, 12 -15 LONG-EARED OWLS and up to 7 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS. Still lots of RED-TAILED HAWKS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, so the pickings continue to be good over there, especially for those in search of SNOWY OWLS, as there were 6 seen in the drive from the east end of the island along the south shore and back to the ferry landing.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Art MacConnell, Lloyd Paul, Albert Boisvert, Don Craighead, Alex Scott, and Margaret Haylock-Capon for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 25th. Bird sightings must be by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday for inclusion in the next report. Good birding everyone.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: The Spit - Open or not?? posted by Norm Murr on February 17, 2001 at 07:04:45:
That should have read "if after a 1 1/2 hour trip on public transportation" Norm Murr
In Reply to: The Spit - Open or not?? posted by Norm Murr on February 17, 2001 at 07:04:45:
The spit was opine today not much out three 1 Snowy Owl ,8 L.E Owl's, 100+ Red Head Duck and lots of R B Gulls, I can not answer the question on weather the spit is opine next weekend in the - 24 c my bran froze and I was past the geat keeper hut by the time I thought to ask , OO well Ill look on the info bored!!! it was locket up tight and ther wear no post's!!
So I drove back out to the geat keeper booth to ask the question ?? well never do this you wood have thought I jist robed a bank with the way I was torn apart for driving my car out to the booth ( even with it being - 24 c) and with this she still dint answer my question on weather the spit is opine next weekend ????? Got to love government rudeness .....
Craig
Too bad that the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority didn't see fit to keep we the public informed about wether a public park is open or not today Sat. Feb.17,2001. I for one wanted to go down there but wasn't sure if after an 1 1/2 on public transportation and a walk from Queen St that I would be turned back to repeat the same in reverse. There has been silence from the TRCA since Feb.2nd except for me being asked to put questions (that I posed here in public) in a letter to TRCA. I feel that what is being dumped and if the spit is open or closed are better aired under public scrutiny, now, not in March when maybe the letter will be answered. I would still like to know what is happening down there. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON
In Reply to: SPIT TOMORROW posted by Norm Murr on February 16, 2001 at 17:54:50:
I sher hope so I am going out looking for owls .. But I have heard nothing at all regarding wether ti is opin ?????
Craig
Does anyone know if the spit is open tomorrow (Sat.Feb17,2001)??? Norm Murr
In Reply to: bird sighting posted by Stephan Labonte on January 01, 2000 at 16:23:15:
Im asking about swan egg swan
In Reply to: bird sighting posted by Stephan Labonte on January 01, 2000 at 16:23:15:
Im asking about swan egg swan
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
The Toronto Harbour is still good for gulls all thought the Ice is receding fast and the last 2 good places are at the RCYC and north ship canal ( or the Keating channel which is rely the mouth of the Don river ) which is found at the east end of Queens Quay E , hear today I found 7 Glaucous Gulls (4 adult 3 juv )2 Iceland Gulls adults and a Thayer's gull along with 52 R.B.Gulls and 20 Herring Gulls . also in with the L.T.Ducks was ( and has bin for some time) the adult Male Black Scoter its bump on its bill is bright orange now.
the other spot is Outer Harbour wear the ice is almost gone but still present to day wear 3 Glaucous Gulls and 3 G.B.B.Gulls and 1 adult L.B.B.Gull the best place to look from hear is the regatta st (but watch you car) which is off of Unwin Ave. east of Cherry st.
The amassing thing today was the large Number of R.B.Gulls seen from hear tacking up spots on the Leslie st spit on Peninsula A and B , I wood say that there wear at lest 300 ..... a sheer sine of spring
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, February 11, 2001
There was a nice mix of birds seen this past week in Prince Edward County and surrounding area. Two uncommon wrens were both reported on the same day, Feb. 7th, starting with a WINTER WREN that can occasionally be seen at Civic Address #2800 County Road 1, and a CAROLINA WREN at #2070 County Road 8 near Waupoos. Neither bird is dependable, but do show up on occasion.
HORNED LARKS are appearing everywhere these days in the Quinte area. There were 20 along Wesley Acres Road on Tuesday, 4 along Marrisett Road, and another 4 along May Road on Wednesday, and a dependable group of a dozen or so on South Big Island Road. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS last week were reported from Hambly Road in the Napanee area (2), and 4 along Melville Road at Consecon Lake. Other "spring" birds included a flock of fully 70 COMMON CROWS at the Hay Bay Genetics Farm at Adolphustown today. There was a flock of about 100 MOURNING DOVES at Sillsville today, also in the Adolphustown area.
At Peat's Point, there are still 2 FOX SPARROWS coming to a feeding station there. The area also had a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and about 25 AMERICAN ROBINS on Tuesday. A flock of 150 AMERICAN ROBINS was a regular sight along South Big Island Road up until the cold snap late in the week. Two PILEATED WOODPECKERS were seen at the Woodlands Campground at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday, and another was seen on Big Island early in the week. There were also 6 WILD TURKEYS across from the Maple Rest Heritage House at Sandbanks on Wednesday, and another 9 along Shannon Road, about 1 km south of the C.R. # 22 intersection on Tuesday. Four MUTE SWANS were seen in Lake Ontario off the Stinson Block early last week.
AMERICAN KESTRELS last week were seen at Bethel Road, Point Petre, as well as the one which spends much of its time on a light standard at Bay Bridge Road and Dundas Street in Belleville. There was a NORTHERN HARRIER at Doxsee Road on Tuesday, and NORTHERN SHRIKES reported at Rossmore and Babylon Road. Royal Road had an EASTERN SCREECH OWL Friday evening and there was a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK on Old Milford Road on Friday.
Of course, the hot spot for raptors continues to be Amherst Island where as of Wednesday there were still lots of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS, 6 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 12 LONG-EARED OWLS, at least 2 BOREAL OWLS and a number of SHORT-EARED OWLS. The Kingston GYRFALCON was last reported on Friday, and the GREAT GRAY OWL off Sydenham Road was last reported yesterday by a Belleville observer. The Blessington Road NORTHERN HAWK-OWL was last reported a week ago today, although it may still be there as it has been since December 1st.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Steve Monet, Earl Tripp, Ralph Margetson, Susan Withers, Wynne Thomas, Don Craighead, Lloyd Paul, Alex Scott, Don Chisholm and Nancy Fox for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 18th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Re: Hooded Merganser on Humber posted by Vicki deBoer on March 19, 2000 at 13:50:09:
the hooded merganser is regarded as oe of the more beautiful waterfowl species. They are very commonly known for their fearlessness towards humans and animals. They are very simular to wood ducks, being that they also will nest in cavities and have also been known to "donate" a clutch of eggs to woodies clutch. they are fish eaters and also eat lesser quantities of aquatic invertabrates and crustaceons.
I saw one in the Woodsworth Greenbelt just south of the Oriole GO station this morning. It was not happy to see me.
In Reply to: Re:Old Records posted by Glenn Coady on February 08, 2001 at 12:39:47:
Will i hope and am sheer that their will be moor !! I am sheer that others have records , that have not bin Include and I hope that they will pass them on !!
Craig
In Reply to: Re:Old Records posted by Craig Mclauchlan on February 08, 2001 at 11:07:15:
Hi Craig,
You are most welcome.
I think you have now likely identified all the new species seen on the Spit since the 1998 Leslie St. Spit Checklist was produced (Heermann's Gull, Ivory Gull). That list had already included the female Black-necked Stilt (with the knowledge it had already been accepted by the OBRC even though they had not yet published that decision).
Glenn
In Reply to: Re: Requested information on Ivory Gull posted by Glenn Coady on February 08, 2001 at 10:03:10:
Thanks Glenn for your Bio. on the Ivory Gull,
I should have stated in my first post why this question was being ask , The steering committee for the IBA ( Important bird area) witch I am on is working on a Conservation plan for the park. The TRCA along with J Carly ( Friends of the Spit) and 13 others have bin working on this and one of the Questions was jist how many birds have bin seen on the spit ?? the last check list was done in 1998 and I am sheer other birds have bin seen since then , like Heermann's gull and Ivory gull
God only knows what ells we might come up with ?????
Craig
In Reply to: Old Records ?? posted by Craig Mclauchlan on February 02, 2001 at 14:05:14:
Hi Craig,
Here is the information you requested on the January 2000 Ivory Gull record.
On January 23, 2000 at about 1:30 p.m. a first basic Ivory Gull was briefly seen flying west past the truck checkpoint on the Leslie St. Spit by Judy Edwards.
It was next independently discovered at about 3:20 p.m. flying from Humber Bay Park East across to Humber Bay Park West by Tyler Hoar and Dave Mudd. It was seen to continue off to the west. Interestingly others searching Humber Bay Park West later mistakenly assumed an albino Ring-billed Gull present had been misidentified as an Ivory Gull.
Finally, the bird was independently discovered by me at about 4:50 p.m. (well before dusk) standing on the ice in Bronte Harbour. It flew up and circled the harbour and then resettled on the ice after I had inadvertently scared several Canada Geese into flight. I watched this bird for over half an hour with a scope. I watched the bird remain on the ice until dark.
In darkness about 2 hours later friends of mine were unable to relocate the Ivory Gull. It was not seen subsequently anywhere on the lake in the next few days despite intensive searches.
Reports of all three independent discoveries of this bird are presently before the OBRC.
I hope this helps,
Glenn Coady
P.S. John Carley of Friends of the Spit keeps a record of all species seen at the Leslie St. Spit for the purposes of updating their checklist. Their checklist conforms with decisions by both the OBRC and TBRC (John is most diligent of assuring this) - copies of the most recent checklist are available from the TRCA.
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Norm Murr on February 01, 2001 at 18:47:59:
Tamara Still waiting for some kind of answer. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Jim Heffernan on January 31, 2001 at 23:31:26:
Dear Jim, I can assure you that I put more than two minutes thought into my posts enquiring about planned Saturday closures at the Leslie St. Spit. I take thorough exception to any contention to the contrary.
The Leslie St. Spit is both an active dumping site and a public park, and as such I believe it is fair game for the public to expect some accountability from the organizations that run both operations to keep the public informed about ANY of the parameters involved in any access changes from the known status quo.
The TRCA's agreement with the Harbour Commission is valid reason for the POSSIBLE need for occasional additional closures. However, the TRCA also has concomitant fiduciary obligation to its users of the site as a park to ensure such closures are both valid as well as SEEN TO BE valid.
I believe both Tamara and Scott have shown their serious commitment to ensuring this is so by their efforts to advise and answer questions on this forum - I would ask no more and no less of them.
Fortunately, two closures have now been averted and hopefully the others will be as well.
I might suggest, respectfully too, I assure you, that you might benefit from a review of your eloquent post to this forum of December 3, 1999 @ 18:30:14
Thanks,
GC
Fellow readers of the U of T Zoology web site,
I will be leading a birding hike at Humber Bay Park East this Sunday, February 11, 2001 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. on behalf of the Citizens Concerned with the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront (CCFEW). Meet at the parking lot at Humber Bay East at 9:00 a.m.
The outing is free and everyone interested is welcome to attend. Hope to see you there.
Glenn Coady
In Reply to: Re: Great Egret at Humber Bay posted by Chester Gryski on May 08, 2000 at 17:04:41:
I'm not sure yet how this report was, it doesn't look like they're is very much info.
In Reply to: Re: Loon Migration posted by Jay Buckley on May 22, 2000 at 16:00:44:
We live in Minnesota and were just up on the North Shore along Lake Superior the end of January. (Tofte, MN just south of Lutsen, MN) We could have sworn we was a loon on Lake Superior!! Is that possible at this time of year?
Thanks,
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, Fabruary 04, 2001
GREAT HORNED OWLS continue to call every night in the Quinte area preparatory to nesting. A total of 16 reports of these large birds of prey came in this past week from local residents. An update this evening on the status of the owls at Amherst Island included four GREAT HORNED OWLS in the totals, along with 15 LONG-EARED OWLS, and 2 BOREAL OWLS. There were a few SHORT-EARED OWLS seen over the fields at dusk this evening. SNOWY OWLS were still around, reported area resident Alex Scott at 6:00 p.m. this evening, but may be down in terms of numbers. However, there are still plenty of hawks for anyone interested in brushing up on this family of birds with good numbers of RED-TAILED HAWKS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, a few NORTHERN HARRIERS and AMERICAN KESTRELS and a couple of NORTHERN SHRIKES.
In Prince Edward County, RED-TAILED HAWKS this past week were seen at Big Island, Point Petre, Massassauga Point, Stinson Block, Waupoos, and Rednersville. There was a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK yesterday afternoon along Fry Road, and a COOPER'S HAWK Thursday along Massassauga Point Road, and another SHARP-SHINNED HAWK near Waupoos.
There are still 2 FOX SPARROWS at a feeder at Peat's Point, and a Cressy feeder has 2 SONG SPARROWS. At Waupoos, there is a WILD TURKEY coming to a feeder, and one concerned feeder operator along Wallbridge Road in the Belleville area has had about a dozen. There was a PILEATED WOODPECKER seen in Wooler today, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS at Point Petre. Massassauga Point still harbours a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS with 32 present there on Friday. There were about a half dozen EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in the Adolphustown area last week.
Waterfowl reported from Point Petre last week included GREATER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE and BUFFLEHEAD. There was no check done this week of Wellington Harbour.
The NatureStuff website has been updated for the month of February. We welcome Frontenac Outfitters of Sydenham as a new sponsor of the Outdoor Events section of the site. Among the updates are a photo of an immature BALD EAGLE at Wellington, and a photo of the BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON that was seen earlier this winter at the east end of Consecon Lake.
A guided hike involving 47 people at the H.R. Frink Centre's Open House today near Plainfield yielded AMERICAN ROBIN, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, BLUE JAYS, both DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKERS, RUFFED GROUSE and CEDAR WAXWINGS.
That's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Bill & Jan Hogg, Margaret & Ian Ferguson, Alex Scott, Lloyd Paul, Wynne Thomas, and Don Chisholm for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 11th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Hi All Today - Saturday, Feb.3, 2001 Stan Bajurny and I went up to Kingston arriving at the Dupont Hot Ponds just after sun up. The Gyrfalcon was no where in sight so we turned around and parked so that we faced the ponds and Cataraqui Bay (West side of the Dupont plant south of Front Road). While there we sat and waited and did not exit our vehicle so as not to spook the waterfowl and the Gyr if it decided to move in. It is while we were so parked that we observed a weird phenomenon. A vehicle driven by some GOOFY GOOMER drove up and down the road continuously from the time we arrived to some time after 9am. This GOOF drove by us no less than 16 times (8 each way) (we kept count). We tried to see what was behind the wheel but each time he came up to our vehicle he sped up, so we never got a good clear look except that he had grey hair. The reason I mention this is that within 10 to 15 minutes of him finally driving off and the 3 vehicles that sat still with the occupants inside were rewarded for their patience as the Gyrfalcon finally flew in and perched on a tree overlooking the hot pond at about 9:30am. Nine of us had great looks as it perched in the tree and on the ice and flew almost directly over us twice. I don't know if this person had any effect on the movements of the Gyr but surely the continuous mindless driving back and forth must have been observed by the Gyr. Maybe I am guessing but after the traffic died down in it came. Maybe if patience is not his long suit he should wait untill someone can go get him and then point the bird out for him. This person in my opinion was surely only thinking of himself and did not have the best interst of the Gyr or fellow birders upmost in his mind. Again maybe I am over reacting but then again maybe I am right. Either way think before you go out next time for a rarity and in closing I hope who ever you are that you were back when the bird was found at noon. Norm Murr NORMURR@SYMPATICO.CA
In Reply to: Re: lapland longspurs posted by Jean-Paul on January 30, 2001 at 14:03:44:
The area is west of Canada's Wonderland, and just west of Kleinburg.
MacGillivray runs north off Rutherford. Shortly after heading north check the fields on your left and right. (Sometimes, at this time of year they may also be seen right on the road).
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Scott Jarvie on February 02, 2001 at 15:22:24:
Scott,
Thank you very much. We do appreciate your efforts to keep us informed of access issues at the Leslie St. Spit. It is quite clear you are making every effort to do so.
I thank you and Tamara for taking the time to do so.
GC
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Norm Murr on February 01, 2001 at 18:47:59:
For everyone's info we have just received word from the Port Authority that the planned Saturday lakefill work will NOT be undertaken on this coming Saturday (Feb. 3) or next Saturday (Feb. 10).
The park will be accessable to the public on these dates. As of yet we have not been able to advise our weekend gate staff of the change for tomorrow, so worst case people may have to park outside the main gates. The good news however...there will be no trucks to worry about.
We do not have any information about the last two Saturdays in February. We will post follow-up info as it becomes available.
Do's any one know ho saw the Ivory Gull Jan 23 2000 on the Leslie st spit ??? wear trying to figerout the # of birds seen on the spit and this wood be a new record..
Craig
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Tamara Chipperfield on January 25, 2001 at 09:17:38:
Tamara It just dawned on me that I responde to my own email when I should have been responing to yours. Duh! The following is the email that I sent to me. ----------------------------------------------- I have just come home from the hospital and I will now try to respond to Tamara's email. Was there a public notice in writing or otherwise concerning these February closures sent to your office or any other office ? and if not, why not. There are 5 days of the week for dumping. Why are they not enough and just WHAT IS BEING DUMPED that can not be dumped during the week ? We the public have only 2 days out of the seven to access the spit and these are during the short daylight hours. What justification has the Port Authority given for the closure of the spit on these 4 days ? Myself and I assume others would like to know if this is going to be a regular thing here or in other public parks under your protection.
Norm Murr
PS I see that Mr. Coady also has some questions. NM
In Reply to: Com. Grackle in the near north posted by Norm Murr on January 16, 2000 at 18:46:02:
Guess those grackles got very cold. Our blue spruce tree in Albuquerque NM is full of grackles. They have a very unusual voice.
In Reply to: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Tamara Chipperfield on January 24, 2001 at 14:34:49:
Whoa people, get a grip on things or the next time there will be a series of Saturday closures, Tamara will let you all drive down on Saturday morning to find out on your own. She was kind enough to save you wasting your time on this occasion, but I really wonder about the next.
If your really that wound up, then take a closer look at her second posting. Read it for cryin' out loud, and then head down to the Toronto Port Authority to do your venting.
Think for a couple of minutes.
Jim H.
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Norm Murr on January 24, 2001 at 18:56:12:
I have just come home from the hospital and I will now try to respond to Tamara's email. Was there a public notice in writing or otherwise concerning these February closures sent to your office or any other office ? and if not, why not. There are 5 days of the week for dumping. Why are they not enough and just WHAT IS BEING DUMPED that can not be dumped during the week ? We the public have only 2 days out of the seven to access the spit and these are during the short daylight hours. What justification has the Port Authority given for the closure of the spit on these 4 days ? Myself and I assume others would like to know if this is going to be a regular thing here or in other public parks under your protection.
Norm Murr
In Reply to: lapland longspurs posted by Don Peuramaki on January 28, 2001 at 06:10:36:
Is it in Toronto?
J.-P.
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Tamara Chipperfield on January 25, 2001 at 09:17:38:
Thank you for responding to my previous question Tamara.
Might I pose a couple of follow-up questions?
I can see why the TRCA would be required to allow closures if the Toronto Port Authority has an agreement with you with language & provisions for weekend dumping given that written notice is provided.
However, dumping activities are regularly permitted 5 out of 7 days each week with public access on only 2 out of 7. Clearly public access days are thus at a premium and should not be over-ridden lightly.
Hence, does your agreement with the Port Authority also require them to file some sort of justification (for public scrutiny) for why proposed weekend dumping cannot be accomodated during the 5 out of 7 days per week the site is routinely open for dumping.
Clearly it would be desirable for there to be a very powerful incentive for construction days NOT to encroach on public access days - what principles will guide the TRCA's future planning to limit these conflicts in the future and how can the public be more involved in the process PRIOR to final decisions being made.
Thanks again,
GC
Hi Birders
The issue date of the next batch of bird stamps is February 1. These are the Birds of Canada series and are 47 cents. Featured this year are Lapland Longspur, Arctic Tern, Golden Eagle and Rock Ptarmigan.
Jean Niskanen Oakville, Ont jniskan@v...
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, January 28, 2001
A nice mixture of bird reports this past week including lots of hawks. There were two immature COOPER'S HAWKS in the Wellington area on Wednesday - one within the village and another just north of the limits. There was a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK today near the east end of Big Island, and another seen yesterday at Elmbrook. Of course, Amherst Island is still the place to go for the latter species where as many as 19 were seen today, along with as many RED-TAILED HAWKS. The island also has at least 20 SHORT-EARED OWLS and up to 11 SNOWY OWLS. Others reported today were NORTHERN HARRIER, BOREAL OWLS, SAW-WHET OWLS, LONG-EARED OWLS (15), AMERICAN KESTRELS and NORTHERN SHRIKES.
In Prince Edward County, NORTHERN SHRIKES were observed on Scoharie Road, Doxsee Road, and Big Island. There has been an AMERICAN KESTREL for most of the week perched on a light standard at Bay Bridge Road and Dundas Street at Belleville. Another was on Royal Road . And 2 RED-TAILED HAWKS were reported at 401 just outside of Belleville today, and another three at one time along Royal Road this past week. The NORTHERN HAWK-OWL was still present at Blessington Road as of Monday - a really dependable individual as it has been present at the same location since the first of December. Two adult BALD EAGLES were present Wednesday at Indian Point, where a BELTED KINGFISHER was also seen along the south shore of the same peninsula.
Wellington Harbour continues to host a few ducks, but success can depend a lot on wind direction and subsequent ice conditions in the harbour. On Wednesday, there was a RING-NECKED DUCK, HOODED MERGANSER, 2 NORTHERN PINTAILS and a MUTE SWAN. Point Petre has "petered" out although some open water in Soup Harbour this week yielded BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, MALLARDS, a couple of RING-BILLED GULLS and about 100 HERRING GULLS. The open water of the Moira River at Station Street in Belleville contained an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, COMMON MERGANSER and 97 MALLARDS on Monday.
A 6-km cross country ski jaunt through the wooded areas and open fields of eastern Big Island today revealed a convention of some 125 AMERICAN ROBINS in a field of buckthorns, red cedars and ash trees just south of Baycrest Marina. Also present were almost as many CEDAR WAXWINGS, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS and approximately 30 BLUE JAYS. Also seen during the trip were RUFFED GROUSE, both HAIRY and DOWNY WOODPECKER, COMMON CROWS, and MOURNING DOVES.
EASTERN BLUEBIRDS on Wednesday were seen at Point Petre (4) and along Kelly Road (3). There is still a FOX SPARROW at a feeder at Peat's Point, and there was a SONG SPARROW Thursday at Warkworth. Also on Thursday, there were two NORTHERN FLICKERS at the far east end of South Big Island Road. Other good sightings included 30 SNOW BUNTINGS yesterday west of Wellington as well as along Royal Road (30), 8 WILD TURKEYS at Warkworth and another unspecified number along Royal Road. Good birds at Presqu'ile last week included both TUNDRA and MUTE SWANS, SNOWY OWL, and ICELAND GULLS and GLAUCOUS GULLS.
Efforts are underway to poll the Napanee area for interest in a possible birding club for that area. Anyone interested in being part of such a group can get more information from Robin Agombar at: robin.agombar@sympatico.ca .
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Lloyd Paul, Nick Quickert, Kay Camp, Wynne Thomas, Markus Lise, Alex Scott, Don Shanahan, Albert Boisvert and Ken Ashton for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 4th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
There were at least 18 Lapland Longspurs at Rutherford/MacGillivray on Saturday morning (probably more), with the usual Horned Larks and Snow Buntings. Easy to pick out in the freshly fallen snow, but flying around and relocating a lot.
In Reply to: Toronto Christmas Bird Count results posted by Marcel Gahbauer on December 31, 2000 at 09:53:45:
In the old Downsview Air Base spied a Snowy Owl. This was in Dec.2000. Is that a common sighting, it was a first for me.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Out on the spit today I was able to find only 1 Snowy Owl , 7 Long-eared Owl all thought I dint check all the areas or put stress on the ones I did find . No Saw-Whet Owl's wear found but lots of white wash was seen . The crows wear having fun with the imm.Bald Eagle chasing it every time it came to land , their was a small but approachable pack of Snow Bunting's 31 ( I had time to count them twice) 1 Northern Shrike and 1 Red T Hawk , in the open water on the west of the park ( which is Toronto harbor's eastern gap) all 3 Scoters wear seen , 1 Black Scoter , 2 Surf Scoter's and 6 White-Winged Scoter's. along with Long Tail duck and a large raft of Scaup and Redhead Ducks.
The nice surprise of the walk was a female Hairy Woodpecker there not seen on the spit every year.
The Leslie street spit ( or Tommy Thompson Park ) is found at the foot of Leslie st south of the Lake shore blvd. hear in Toronto opine only on the weekend to the public and only on Sundays in February and no dogs are allowed.
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
For those of you that are doing a winter list either for the GTA or Ontario there has been a Common Grackle hanging around with E. Starlings all week at the Wendy's Restaurant at Yonge and Trayborn in Richmond Hill. In fact I saw it again this morning. Norm Murr
In Reply to: Common Redpoll posted by Norm Murr on January 26, 2001 at 17:23:37:
Wonderful news. I'd rather a Redpoll anytime over a Groundhog. Does mean six more weeks of Redpolls, Crossbills and Grosbeaks? I hope so.
Mark
It may be a good sign (or not) but this morning on the way to work I observed 12 Common Redpolls feeding in a Birch Tree in Richmond Hill. Norm Murr
In Reply to: Re: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Glenn Coady on January 24, 2001 at 15:02:31:
Under the terms of the joint access agreement between the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and The Toronto Port Authority (TPA), there are provisions for the TPA to access Tommy Thompson Park on Saturdays for lakefilling purposes if the TPA provides written notice of their activities. Since the volume of truck traffic expected by the TPA is high, there are public safety issues.
Tamara Chipperfield Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
In Reply to: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Tamara Chipperfield on January 24, 2001 at 14:34:49:
I echo Glenn Coady's enquiry and also would like to know what kind of construction is taking place that would close a public park and where. Just what kind of construction can only be done on Saturday ???? Norm Murr
In Reply to: Leslie St. Spit closures posted by Tamara Chipperfield on January 24, 2001 at 14:34:49:
Hi Tamara,
Might I invite you, on this fine bulletin board, to explain why the closures will be necessary over that many consecutive weekends and why the construction projects are not able to proceed during the weekdays when the site is already closed?
Thanks in advance,
GC
I just wanted to inform members of the public that due to construction activities and public safety concerns, Tommy Thompson Park (Leslie St. Spit) will be closed the following dates:
Saturday February 3, 2001 Saturday February 10, 2001 Saturday February 17, 2001 Saturday February 24, 2001
The Park will be open to the public on the Sundays from 9:00am until 4:30pm. Thanks for your cooperation.
Tamara Chipperfield Toronto & Region Conservation Authority
I should preface this by saying that I'm not much of a birder, so seeing a sparrow hawk (a large female, I think) at Palace Pier this morning might not be very exciting news. The hawk was perched in one of the saplings on the weedy knoll behind Palace Pier, and it made a dive at something in grass, but missed. I'm chiefly interested in urban wildlife photography (The Globe & Mail used one of my photos of a coyote last spring), especially of foxes, coyotes, otter, mink, deer, and owls. If anyone could give me any tips on where good photo opportunities for these animals exist, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Today Carol Horner and I went for a drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls looking for anything and every thing .... Hilights wear At Grays rd in Stoney Creek at around 10:30am all 3 Scoter's, 5 Black, 17 Surf, and only 4 White Winged ?? At Sayer's Park which is jist one street south of Grays we found the Male King Eider OOOO what a good looking Bird this is.. also seen wear all 3 Scoters once moor. Then it was off to Port Weller to look for the Harris Sparrow ( Thank you to the nice copal that gave us the Location I had left them at home) which was right at the side of the rood within 3 mints of us puling up we spent a half hour watching this sparrow feeding and sunning it self ... and me with out my camera oo well opportunity mist !! you can find ti by going east off of #405 ( Qew) on #81 go north to Stewart rd then east follow it to Church rd turn right and go to Mcnab rd jist through the interaction on the left you will see a thicket with a stream and a area wear sum good Samaritan has bin putting seed out the bird is found hear. Then on to Niagara-on -the-lake to look for Tufted Titmouse on Shakespeare ave. with know luck ?? do's any one know a better area for T-Titmouse other than hear I have not seen them hear the last 4 times I went by ?? we did have Red-bellied Woodpecker hear thought . We then went off to see the gulls on the river we mist Little gull and Burke Korol ( yes Burke my 2000 year list is coming) But we did find a Lesser-Black-backed Gull above the falls and at lest 12 different Iceland Gulls at the A Beck power plant, this should all plumage's from 1yeer to adult .. jist great ..we had 7 Gull speeches .
then on the way back we stop in to the Travelodge hotel in Burlington wear we wear with luck find the Com.Eider on the west side but will we wear their it swam back around to the east, so look on both . Will we wear there we wear told of the Whooper swan at La Salle park ( marina) wear wee found it sleeping on the ice by the boat ramp , this is found by going south on la salle park rd from Plains rd ( # 2) in Burlington .
Once again Birding in Ontario you cant beet it 3 Scoters speeches , 2 Eider speeches , 7 gull speeches ,3 swan speeches and 6 sparrow speeches WOW what a day ....
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, January 21, 2001
Another relatively uneventful week, birdwise, in the Quinte area. GREAT HORNED OWLS are calling throughout the area as they prepare to nest. At least one of the two NORTHERN HAWK-OWLS that has been at the Blessington Road location, east of Belleville, since December 1st, is still there. Owls continue to be the order of the day at Amherst Island where GREAT HORNED, SHORT-EARED, LONG-EARED, SNOWY, and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS continue to be seen by observers, along with up to 4 BOREAL OWLS. There are at least a couple dozen RED-TAILED HAWKS, plenty of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, NORTHERN HARRIERS and AMERICAN KESTRELS. BALD EAGLES continue to be reported around Prince Edward County with reports last week coming from Weller's Bay (2), Point Petre (1), a probable one at Sheba's Island, an amazing 6 in the Glenora to Prinyer's Cove area, two at Amherst Island (where there was also a GOLDEN EAGLE) and one at South Bay. NORTHERN SHRIKES last week turned up at Big Island, Glenora, Amherst Island (5), and Halloway Heights (north of Belleville), and at Presqu'ile.
Bird feeders everywhere are reporting brisk business with large numbers of BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS at many of them, and increasing numbers of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. There is a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at a feeder on Gilead Road where it has been since before Christmas, and two FOX SPARROWS at a feeder at Peat's Point, near Massassauga Conservation Area.
There is a fairly dependable flock of 130+ SNOW BUNTINGS at Mountain View Airport. Others last week showed up at County Road 11 (50), and Pleasant Bay (25). There were small flocks of HORNED LARKS last week at Doxsee Road (28), Big Island (15) and Melville Road (12). A check of the creek near the junction of North Lakeside Road and Link Road, at east Consecon Lake on Friday, revealed the creek almost frozen solid, with no sign of the BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON that was last seen there January 7th. There are still lots of open creeks, including the open waters of Consecon Creek at Consecon, where the bird may still turn up, and it would pay observers to keep tabs on these areas in the event the bird may be hanging out there.
Good birds at Presqu'ile Provincial Park last week included 30 MUTE SWANS, large numbers of REDHEADS, BUFFLEHEADS, COMMON GOLDENEYES, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 100 CEDAR WAXWINGS and many wintering AMERICAN ROBINS.
A bird identification night course which I am conducting at the high school in Picton, through Loyalist College, exceeded the minimum 10 required (14), and there is now some interest in repeating the course in late February in Napanee. If there are any Napanee area residents who would be interested in such a course ($50), please e-mail me at the address below.
The Prince Edward County Field Naturalists will be meeting Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Town Hall. Guest speakers Joanne and Kendel Dewey will be speaking on changing fish populations. The Quinte Field Naturalists meet tomorrow evening (Monday) at the Bridge Street United Church in Belleville at 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker Bea Heissler of the H.R. Frink Education and Science Centre will be exploring "Animal Tracks in Winter." And according to the FON calendar, mother bears begin giving birth this week. I know I'll be there.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to John Charlton, Gladys Spriggings, Ed Heuvel, Bob Sachs, Ken Kingdon, Don Davis, John & Margaret Moore, Bill Gregory, Lloyd Paul and Don Craighead for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 28th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
I finally got tired of looking of the bird feeders in my own yard. This happened because there simply haven't been many birds at them so far this winter.
Instead, I went for a short drive to the Kortright Centre Conservation Area in Vaughan and did a quick walk of their feeder trail (which has been expanded). It turned out to be productive.
Sightings included B.C. CHICKADEE, HOUSE FINCH, MOURNING DOVE, BLUE JAY, CARDINAL, AM. TREE SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH and a very cooperative HAIRY WOODPECKER. There was also a probable sighting of Downy Woodpecker, although I didn't get a good enough look to really say for sure. The Downy should be expected while the Hairy is a little surprising.
It was a nice walk.
Jim Heffernan
There are an extraordinary number of Redheads (about 500) in and around Bronte Harbour right now (Sunday AM). Other birds include 800 Greater Scaup, 5 American Coots, 25 Gadwall, 8 Common Merganser. These birds are close to shore.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Road (Oakville) and go the lake. Most of the Reheads are in the Outer Harbour and most of the scaup are just east of the harbour.
In Reply to: A Different Kind of Sighting posted by Jim Heffernan on January 15, 2001 at 19:53:00:
I too had looked at the book a couple of times in the fall, but without purchasing it, in part because of the price. Interestingly, just as these prices are coming down, there is quite a discussion going on in Quebec about the poor quality of some copies of the book, specifically with respect to the colouration of certain plates (gulls and thrashers seem to be particularly overly-coloured). Birders there are advising that anyone buying the Sibley guide check the book carefully prior to purchase, as some copies are much better than others.
Marcel
This isn't exactly a bird sighting... but some may find it of interest.
I have been eyeing the Sibley guide since it first came out this fall, but the relatively hefty price tag made me wait a few months in the off chance of finding a bargain after Christmas. As it turns out, the wait proved fruitful.
Last week I picked up a copy of the Sibley guide at The Bay in Hillcrest Mall (Yonge & 16th in Richmond Hill) for $24.99!!! This is less than half of the suggested retail price of $53.00. There were still at least two left after my purchase.
This week my wife found it for $33 and change at Costco at Hwy. 7 & Hwy. 400 in Vaughan.
It seems like now is the time to get this book for a low price, for yourself or for a friend.
Jim H.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, January 14, 2001
With a fair amount of snow around now, bird feeder operators in the Quinte area are reporting brisk business at most feeding stations. Our own feeding station has approximately 35 BLUE JAYS, 25 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, 2 HAIRY WOODPECKERS, 3 DOWNY WOODPECKERS, 30 MOURNING DOVES, 6 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, 15 HOUSE FINCHES, 25 TREE SPARROWS, 30 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and 1 WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Other local feeders have reported similar success with additional appearances of DARK-EYED JUNCOS. A Trenton feeder on Monday reported having a female YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER with occasional visits from a COOPER'S HAWK. There was a NORTHERN HARRIER floating by while this person was phoning in his report.
BALD EAGLES continued to show up during the week in Prince Edward County, with six (4 adults and 2 immatures) loafing on the ice at the water's edge at Prinyer's Cove last Friday representing the highest total seen at any one time. Additional sightings this past week came from Weller's Bay, Wellington, and South Bay. No word this week as to whether or not the BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON is still present in the creek at east CONSECON LAKE.
At Amherst Island, the BOREAL OWL population continues to increase on the island with at least 4 in the Owl Woods right now. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS number between 6 and 8 and LONG-EARED OWLS numbering 12 to 15. There are plenty of SHORT-EARED OWLS toward the east end of the island and at least 6 SNOWY OWLS east of the village of Stella and probably 6 to 10 more elsewhere, said area resident Alex Scott in an e-mail to me this evening. There are still lots of hawks on the island, especially ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS with smaller numbers of RED-TAILED HAWKS, NORTHERN HARRIERS and AMERICAN KESTRELS, along with at least 6 NORTHERN SHRIKES. The IVORY GULL can still be seen regularly from the ferry, particularly on the Island side. A male HARLEQUIN DUCK and male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE were also at Amherst Island along the southeast shore as of Friday.
WILD TURKEYS this past week were seen on the Harrington Road just north of Trenton (18), and at the Highway #30 turnoff to Warkworth (8). There were 8 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at Wooler on Friday. Massassauga Point Conservation Area today had 50 to 60 CEDAR WAXWINGS along with numerous AMERICAN ROBINS, and 2 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS.
Highlights of the week from Presqu'ile Provincial Park included GREAT BLUE HERON, 30 MUTE SWANS, BALD EAGLE and up to 500 COMMON GOLDENYE.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to John Charlton, Keith and Sharon Brown, Ken Ashton, Lloyd Paul, Alex Scott, Joanne Dewey, Don Craighead and Don Davis for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 21st. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
While I was tagging along with Brete Griffin's Peel Board of Education Birding Class, we saw the Joyceville NORTHERN HAWK OWL. Joyceville is along Highway 15 not far northeast of Kingston. We found the bird at 09:45 h along 6th Concession Road about 2 km east of the intersection of Highway 15, 6th Concession Road, and a third road, the name of which escapes me. The intersection is confusing, so take your time to figure it out. The bird was in the vicinity of property #2836. Forget about looking for the "big red barn" mentioned in an Ontbirds post. Every second farm in the Joyceville area has a red barn, each of equal size.
We observed the bird from the road as it intently scanned the ground for prey. As it foraged, it moved from perch to perch to search new areas of a deciduous woodlot on the south side of the road opposite a stand of tamarack (larch). The bird also perched in trees in the adjacent field to the west. It called frequently, giving a short, mid-pitched trill. It provided the class's sixth species of owl for the weekend (the remainder were on nearby Amherst Island).
A person living along 6th Concession Road told us that the bird has been around since Christmas.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
With some time to do some birthday Birding to day Carol Horner and my self head off to Burlington to see the Common Eider which gave some great looks and antics as it chaste everything that came near it , it is true if you have never seen one ( this is my 4 in southern Ont.) see this one if you can it is a beautiful female and is up really closes to shore .it can be seen at the foot of Brant st beside the Travail loge .
We then went to the to Hamilton Harbour to look at the 1000 of ducks under the QEW hear we found the Juv. Bald Eagle But the best bird hear was a leucystic( iam sheer I dint spell that right ) white, Red -necked Grebe at first I dint know what I was looking at. WOW was it Ice was it a duck what was it.... sheer is something to see !!!! this is found off of Lakeshore rd park in the parking lot south of the lift bridge and walk towards the Harbour .
A another good one was a 1st winter male Barrow's Goldeneye found off of Grays rd in Stoney Creek ..
Craig
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
Yesterday, January 7th, while participating in the Lake Ontario mid-winter waterfowl inventory, I observed three first-year Bald Eagles at Toronto Island. One bird was perched in a tree immediately west of the Ward's Island ferry dock, another was eating carrion on the ice of the inner harbour just off 1st Street on Ward's Island, and the third was seen flying from Centre Island eastward toward the Leslie St. Spit.
Also seen on our census route was a Common Loon, quite rare in Toronto in January.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Today on the Leslie st. spit on a fast hike from 9:00 to 1:00 their were some good birds Hi lights wear L.E.Owl 14, Snowy Owl 2 , Saw -whet Owl 2 .
Once again after watching a birder( well I am not seer what he was his pack was big a nff to be a camper ) crash throw all the shrubs wear both the Saw - whet Owls wear, backing and destroying rousting area , I ask "PLEASE YOU Don't have to do this" it s not hard to find Owls and it takes a lot longer for trees to grow back, just move slowly and look every wear the braches you are backing off might have a Owl on them !!.If I offend any one please contact me personal Thank you .
On the walk off the spit we found a the best bird of the day a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the bushes near the both gate , Wow that was not expected.
The Leslie St. spit is found south of the lake shore blvd. Off of Leslie St.
Over at Humber bay their wear 2 coots and 3 Trumpeter Swan's one was tagged # 395 the other too were not all though they wear adults . Humber bay park is found south of the Gardiner Expwy off of Park Lawn rd in Toronto
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, January 07, 2001
For birders starting their 2001 Year's List, as well as feeding their Winter List, last week produced some impressive additions. The Consecon Lake BLACK-CROWNED LIGHT HERON obligingly stayed around for January 1st, and as of this afternoon was still in the creek near the junction of North Lakeside Drive and Link Road, feeding less than 10 metres from the bridge. Also sticking around for the 2001 lists are the 2 NORTHERN HAWK OWLS at Blessington Road, both in their usual positions, one opposite Civic Address #3752, and the other just east of Read Road. And to add a little spice to checklists was the first year IVORY GULL at Amherst Island, last seen yesterday.
There appears to be no fewer than at least 16 BALD EAGLES in Prince Edward County this winter. The majority of sightings have been in the Glenora to Prinyer's Cove stretch of shoreline with additional sightings this week at Wellington (photographed), Weller's Bay, Point Petre, and Point Traverse. One turned up today at the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area. There was a SNOWY OWL today at the Stinson Block just west of Consecon, SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS at Amherst Island and along East Lake Road in Prince Edward County, and RED-TAILED HAWKS in the Stirling area, Amherst Island, Big Island, Sandbanks Provincial Park and Northport. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK reports last week came in from Belleville (at 401), Amherst Island (dozens!) and from Brighton. There was a COOPER'S HAWK Tuesday at a feeder at Peat's Point.
Lots of CANADA GEESE around from the many hundreds that often loaf in the Wellington area, to a small flock of 50 feeding in a corn field near Morgan Road on Friday. Elsewhere, Point Petre on Tuesday had good numbers of LONG-TAILED DUCKS, COMMON GOLDENEYES and lesser numbers of BUFFLEHEAD. Wellington Harbour continues to host 3 AMERICAN COOTS, along with a female RUDDY DUCK, and varying numbers of MALLARDS and COMMON GOLDENEYE. On Monday and Tuesday there was a FEMALE hooded merganser there, and a MUTE SWAN there on Tuesday. Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday produced a nice assortment of ducks including 31 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 100 MALLARDS, 857 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 81 BUFFLEHEADS, and 261 COMMON GOLDENEYE.
There were 19 WILD TURKEYS this past week at Sandbanks, 11 at Morrison's Point, and north of the county there were 11 at Hoard's Station. Other good sightings during the week included 60 CEDAR WAXWINGS at Peat's Point, a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER at Sandbanks Provincial Park, 8 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at School House Road (near Pt. Petre), 28 HORNED LARKS along Doxsee Road, and NORTHERN FLICKERS at Peat's Point and Sandbanks.
There are still a couple of spaces left for the Bird Identification course being offered at the Prince Edward Collegiate Institute, commencing January 17th, and continuing every Wednesday thereafter for six weeks beginning at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $54.25 and more information can be obtained by e-mailing tsprague@kos.net. Registration must be made by phoning Cathy Stanfield at 613-476-1545.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Albert Boisvert, Paul Makepiece, Lloyd Paul, Walter Frey, R. Lester, Earl Tripp, John Cornick, Don Craighead, Alex Scott and Bill Gregory for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 14th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Yesterday, January 3rd, I found another Rock Dove nest with two live young in square 17PJ13 in the Islington and Bloor area.
Anyone interested in confirming Rock Dove as a breeder in other squares should look at this time of year, in urban settings, at the undersides of railway bridges, particularly on east-west railway lines, as these provide very sheltered places even on the coldest January days.
GC
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
After putting my self in to sum of the worst weather for birding one could ( I now think birding in Florida might be a good thing in January) west winds coming across the Hamilton harbour with snow and freezing rain and believe them when that say a hi wind worning for the Skyway bridge it means the same for under the bridge .
And for what A half hour(2:35 to3:05 pm) look at a Ivory gull aaa ante, Birding in Ontario great , I was then joined by Dan Burton and as the gull flue around our heads looking for food booth of us forgot about the weather ... it was great ..
>From Eastport Drive, on the Hamilton side of the Lift Bridge, pull into the parking lot entrance immediately before the bridge, then walk west to the end of the pier.
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Red-headed Woodpecker posted by Sandra Eadie on October 16, 1999 at 16:54:50:
I love you
In Reply to: Re: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas - first confirmed species for Toronto Region (Region 12) posted by Al Johnston on January 03, 2000 at 14:36:22:
Hi Al,
The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas will once again survey all breeding species in Ontario, with an added emphasis on colonial nesting species (including Purple Martin), a new protocol for measuring species abundance in each square (using a point count methodology), and a dovetailing of increased participation among the many new participants' efforts into the Ontario Nest Records Scheme.
The square you have identified will be referred to in the new grid system (a slightly altered grid system is now in use vs. that used in the last atlas) as 17PJ37, and as you state it is in York Region (Region 45) and is coordinated by Theo Hofmann. Contact information for Theo is also available on the atlas web site - he will be able to put you in touch with the principal atlasser(s) for that square. He could probably use your help in the field too.
Also, be sure to send me any data you generate in Region 12 (Toronto Region).
Region 12 includes the following squares:
17PJ03; 17PJ04; 17PJ12; 17PJ13; 17PJ14; 17PJ22; 17PJ23; 17PJ24; 17PJ32; 17PJ33; 17PJ34; 17PJ35; 17PJ43; 17PJ44; 17PJ45; 17PJ54; 17PJ55
It is planned that atlassers will be able to look up atlas data (both the 1981-1985 atlas and the present atlas) on-line via the web site this time around.
GC
In Reply to: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas - first confirmed species for Toronto Region (Region 12) posted by Glenn Coady on January 02, 2000 at 12:36:06:
Conratulations Glenn, On recording the first nesting species for the Toronto region. On visitin g, the web site I see that emphasis is going to be placed on birds that nest in colonies such as Gre at Blue Herons and Bank Swallows. I would assume that this would also include Purple Martins. I woul d like to be kept aware of recordings of nestings of this latter species in square 17PU37 region 45 (Whitchurch-Stouffville). I've been trying to attr act Martins with no success since 1991. It would be e encouraging to know that, at least, there were other Martin colonies in the area. Is there any way y that I could keep in touch with the Atlasser who will be assigned to this square? Al
In Reply to: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas - first confirmed species for Toronto Region (Region 12) posted by Glenn Coady on January 02, 2000 at 12:36:06:
Slight correction:
Obviously my two Rock Dove nests were Jan. 1,2001 and not Dec. 1 as typed.
Brain must still be intoxicated by Ivory Gull.
In Reply to: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas - first confirmed species for Toronto Region (Region 12) posted by Glenn Coady on January 02, 2000 at 12:36:06:
Slight correction:
Obviously my two Rock Dove nests were Jan. 1,2001 and not Dec. 1 as typed.
Brain must still be intoxicated by Ivory Gull.
Hello all,
Happy New Year.
Just a quick post to remind people that this year we begin the second 5-year breeding bird atlas for Ontario.
To learn more about the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, or to register yourself as an atlasser, check out the Atlas web site at:
http://www.birdsontario.org
To help out in the Toronto area contact the Regional Coordinator (yours truly) at:
glenn.coady@swchsc.on.ca
To get the ball rolling I have confirmed the first species in the Toronto region for this atlas yesterday, December 1st, finding two Rock Dove nests (one nest with two eggs, one nest with one live young) in the square in which the prominent feature is High Park.
Region 12 is a group of sixteen squares (10 km x 10 km) covering all of Toronto R.M., eastern Peel R.M. and some of s.w. Durham R.M.
I would be happy to have you participate in this region during the second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (2001-2005).
GC
what a great day of birding in and around Toronto , as with every new year's day I went for a walk out the Leslie st spit ( or Tommy Thompson park which is found at the base of Leslie st south of Lake shore blvd E ) I found 21 speeches (up from 10 yesterday) Hilights wear L.E.Owl 23 (yes 23 wow) , Snowy Owl 2 , G.H.Owl 1 and 1 Saw-whet Owl also seen was a Imm Bald Eagle and a light phase Rough -Legged Hawk .
I then heard about the Ivory gull and that it was heading for Humber bay so I rushed there and set up to wait , In vane I gees I should have gone to Hamlton, But with all that time on my hands and with the good eyes of Jean Iron we scanned all the gulls looking for the Laughing gull with no luck ..but still 40 speeches on the first day of the year ( and 01-01-01 to boot) was all right .
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan
A Northern Mockingbird was sighted in Rowntree Mills Park, Toronto on January 1st 2001.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, December 31, 2000
This evening's report on this New Year's Eve is being compiled BEFORE the rum and coke, unlike last week's report on Christmas Eve when my snow squalls turned into "snow squaws!" However, with the exception of some snow this weekend, birding conditions this past week in the Quinte area were quite favourable, although a bit on the chilly side.
As of 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, the juvenile BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was still at the creek near the junction of North Lakeside Drive and Link Road, 5 km east of Consecon, where there is also a BELTED KINGFISHER. The Consecon area this week also produced 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, found Thursday in a flock of about 60 SNOW BUNTINGS. There was also an adult BALD EAGLE seen the same day in the same area, a species that appears to be well distributed in Prince Edward County this winter. There were three BALD EAGLES (1 adult and 2 first year) on Bayshore Road off Highway 33 along Adolphus Reach on Thursday, likely among the five or six that are being seen fairly regularly in the northeastern part of the county. There were also two immature BALD EAGLES at Point Petre on Thursday afternoon. One of the eagles at Prinyer's Cove this week was observed snatching a fish from a commercial fisherman's fish box!
BALD EAGLES have also been seen (up to five) on Amherst Island, again likely part of the large group that continues to scan the waters between the island and Prince Edward County. The raptor population at Amherst Island appears to be building up with numerous RED-TAILED HAWKS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and NORTHERN HARRIERS being reported, along with seven species of owls, including LONG-EARED (20), SHORT-EARED (29), NORTHERN SAW-WHET (8), and BARRED OWL (1). The list also includes a BOREAL OWL, the second of the season for Amherst Island and at least the 4th for the Kingston region this winter.
At least one of the two NORTHERN HAWK-OWLS seen along Blessington Road, north of the county, appears to be around yet, with the last reported sighting this week on Wednesday. There is a female COOPER'S HAWK hunting at bird feeders in the Trenton area, between Highway 2 and Powerline Road, centred around Hennessy Road.
On Thursday, there were 3 AMERICAN COOTS, 1 female HOODED MERGANSER, a female COMMON MERGANSER and a male COMMON GOLDENEYE at Wellington Harbour. Other good duck sightings this past week included 2 male NORTHERN PINTAILS and a male GADWALL near Cove Point along Adolphus Reach.
The NatureStuff website updates are being uploaded onto the site as this is being written. Along with updates on birdfeeding, naturalization, and birding areas, a few of the 2001 Quinte Conservation outdoor programs have been uploaded as well. Available now for viewing are the canoeing and kayaking events, and the guided hikes and tours information.
May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy New Year and once again offer my thanks to everyone who has contributed to this weekly report over the past three years. Have a great New Year's Eve, and may your 2001 bird list be even greater!
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Albert Boisvert, Wynne Thomas, Bill Gregory, Alex Scott, Glenn Owen, Doris Lane, Nick Gromoff, Marc Johnson and Earl Tripp for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 7th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
www.naturestuff/net
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by Gerry Mielke on April 19, 1999 at 23:34:25:
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA. On Christmas morning, we had a Pileated woodpecker on our utility pole. I had never seen one so found it on the internet. He pecked a whole about 4 inches into the pole.........what a site as he was huge!!!!.......took pictures so hope they turn out...........put suet out and we are hoping that he will return!!!
Yesterday (Saturday December 30), well over 70 hardy participants spent the day searching for birds in the annual Toronto Christmas Bird Count. Despite the less than ideal weather, we ended up with rather impressive preliminary totals of 80 species (sixth highest ever) and 49,171 individuals (fifth highest ever, but the lowest since 1995).
The count highlight was an American Woodcock, found in a bit of open water along Black Creek in Downsview Dells Park, and only the second in the history of the Toronto CBC (the other being back in 1952). Other noteworthy finds included a Northern Goshawk (also in Downsview Dells Park), a Ring-necked Pheasant along the North Humber (the first seen on the count since 1994), a Swainson's Thrush east of Woodbine in Taylor Creek Park (only the second ever for the Toronto CBC), and an American Pipit near the pool on Sunnyside beach (only the sixth record ever).
We had seven species this year registering new record high counts: Mute Swan (157; previous high 126 in 1996), Greaters Scaup (5482 vs. 3969 in 1972), Peregrine Falcon (5, ties 1999 record), American Coot (8 vs. 3 in 1997, 1998, and 1999), Iceland Gull (11 vs. 8 in 1999), Glaucous Gull (20 vs. 9 in 1992), and Northern Cardinal (394 vs 392 in 1998).
Other species with unusually high counts included Northern Harrier (4, the most since 4 in 1961), Red-tailed Hawk (72, the most since 76 in 1989), Long-eared Owl (12, the most since 17 in 1961), Short-eared owl (9, the most since 12 in 1951).
On the other hand, we also had unusually low counts for some species, including Canada Goose (1698; fewest since 1002 in 1989), Common Merganser (71; fewest since 62 in 1987), Red-breasted Merganser (41; fewest since 34 in 1988), Great Horned Owl (2; fewest since 1 in 1971), Blue Jay (73; fewest since 66 in 1985), Black-capped Chickadee (735; fewest since 611 in 1988), and White-breasted Nuthatch (37; fewest since 28 in 1984).
We are also listing "Count Week" birds, i.e. those which are seen during the three days before and three days after the count, though not on the count itself. Count Week birds to date have included Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, and Bald Eagle (all at Humber Bay Park), Northern Pintail (Ashbridge's Bay), Common Grackle (at a feeder in north Toronto), and Field Sparrow (near the feeders on Toronto Island).
Conspicuous by their absence were Green-winged Teal (seen on 8 of the past 10 counts), Carolina Wren (7 of 10), Swamp Sparrow (8 of 10), White-crowned Sparrow (6 of 10), Red-winged Blackbird (5 of 10), Purple Finch (6 of 10), Common Redpoll (6 of 10), and Pine Siskin (5 of 10). If you record any of these (or of course any other birds you think might have been missed) within the Toronto circle during Count Week (Wed Dec 27 through Tue Jan 2), please let me know.
Marcel Gahbauer, compiler
A snowstorm seemed like a good time to trudge through the snow to the end of the Bronte pier to see what might be in the sheltered but ice-free water there. Birds seen include 2 Ruddy Duck, 2 Canvasback, 7 American Coot, one or two dozen each of Redhead, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Oldsquaw, American Black Duck and Mute Swan. No Trumpeter Swans today. Hundreds of Canada Geese, 8 with orange neck collars which I could not read for the snow. One Gadwall had a heavy ice build-up on his bill.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (Oakville) and go to the lake.
In Reply to: Pileated Woodpecker posted by Glenn Coady on November 13, 2000 at 15:47:18:
Guess What? I know nothing about birds but at 1:00 pm I heard a loud noise and when I looked in my backyard, I couldn't beleive it. there is a Pileated Woodpecker hanging onto this big old tree, he's made a hole about a foot wide and hes really digging deep (for 3 hrs.straight he hammered)I did not know what type of bird it was until my mom told me, she said its a rare bird, when I went on the internet , the picture of the bird looks the same, but I swear the woodpecker in my backyard is the size of a small crane. I live on the outskirts of Brampton North in a little town called Snelgrove, my house backs onto the Etobicoke creek and acres of woodland. He didnt like this big limb on the tree above where he's digging his hole, so ya know what, he chopped off the whole limb until it snapped and broke. can you tell me are these birds usually this large, hes bigger than my cats!
Hi birders For those interested in Slaty's, you should check out this website, if you have'nt already.Derrick
http://www15.freeweb.ne.jp/animal/larus/slayty.html
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, December 24, 2000
Frequent snow squaws off Lake Ontario has made birding most days less than desirable. Under sunny skies today, we set off for Consecon Lake to check out the wintering BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, only to encounter a wall of blinding snow which continued until we reached home again. We last saw the night heron on Wednesday where we found it on the north side of the bridge intently fishing from an exposed ice-covered rock in the creek less than 30 metres from where we were standing. However, there are other open areas, in Consecon Creek, both at Melville and at Consecon Village where the bird could be hanging out too.
GREAT BLUE HERONS this past week have been seen at Wellington, Sandbanks and Roslin. There were five WILD TURKEYS on Thursday, along Highway #30, north of Codrington and scattered reports of them throughout Prince Edward County in their traditional areas. There was an AMERICAN KESTREL, PILEATED WOODPECKER and a RED-TAILED HAWK yesterday at Massassauga Point Conservation Area.
Prince Edward Point at this time of the year is anything but inviting, but there was a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER there on Saturday, along with a GLAUCOUS GULL, a NORTHERN FLICKER and a BALD EAGLE. There was also a BALD EAGLE (3rd year) seen in flight over the Richardson's Campground at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Wednesday where there were also 75 SNOW BUNTINGS near the Woodland Campground entrance, and a RED-TAILED HAWK along the edge of the woods there. There has been a NORTHERN HARRIER at Big Island since Tuesday.
The NORTHERN HAWK OWL - actually, two of them - were still present in the Blessington Road area, one of which was located just east of Read Road, and the other opposite Civic addrsss #3752. Meanwhile on Amherst Island, the owl population appears to be increasing. Present this weekend were 6 SNOWY OWLS, several SHORT-EARED OWLS, up to 15 LONG-EARED OWLS, 3 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and the resident GREAT HORNED OWLS. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS numbered up to 20 each, and there were also NORTHERN HARRIERS, AMERICAN KESTRELS and one BALD EAGLE present.And there is a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS at the corner of County Roads 10 & 24 in Prince Edward County (Pt. Petre Road junction)
Feeder birds this past week included 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at Elmbrook, a partial albino RUSTY BLACKBIRD at a Walmsley Road feeder near Point Petre, and a continuing NORTHERN SHRIKE at a Big Island feeder.
May I take this opportunity this Christmas Eve to wish all OntBirds subscribers and those who contribute regularly to this report, a very merry Christmas.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Don Craighead, Albert Boisvert, Wynne Thomas, Joanne Dewey, Bruce Ripley, Fred Henry, Bill Gregory, Alex Scott, Marie Clarke, and Lloyd Paul for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated ny 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 31st. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Bird Attack posted by Sharon on December 24, 2000 at 12:44:45:
Each year around this time (early winter), quite a number of people discover that their backyard birdfeeder has unintentionally become a raptor feeder of sorts. In the last week alone, I've responded to 8 e-mails on this subject, all from people convinced that they had a peregrine falcon coming to hunt in their backyard. In reality, however, it was a sharp-shinned hawk or Cooper's hawk in each case. These two species are classified as "accipiters", and are almost exclusively predators of smaller birds. During the summer, both species are fairly reclusive, nesting for the most part in sizable forests, and using their agility and speed to hunt forest songbirds. But in the winter, with many of the songbirds having migrated south, the sharp-shins and Cooper's change their habits. Many of them also migrate, but there are a fair number that remain in Ontario for the winter. Many of these take up residence near active bird feeders, as this is the easiest way for them to find food in the winter.
Once an accipiter has found a "good" feeder, it may well hang around for the entire winter (although more often it seems, they circulate among a number of feeders in an area, preferably with some kind of forest cover for them to seek shelter in when not hunting). Of course this can be distressing if you are trying to attract finches, chickadees, etc. to your feeder and find them steadily being picked off one by one. However violent and unpleasant it may be to watch your dinner guests become meals themselves, this is part of nature too. To my knowledge there's no effective way of deterring accipiters from hunting near a feeder, so the best approach to take is to enjoy the opportunity to watch these highly skilled hunters in action, remembering that few people have such a situation presented to them.
All of that being said, I should address the question of what species you have likely seen. The sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks are the two common "feeder hawks" in southern Ontario, but there is a third member of the accipiter family, the northern goshawk, which occurs occasionally in southern Ontario in winter, but more regularly a bit further north as you are. I'm not as familiar with the behaviour of the goshawk, but since it is much like the other accipiters in terms of its summer hunting behavior, I would imagine that it too is an opportunist come winter and would gladly take advantage of a concentration of birds near a feeder. The goshawk sounds like the closest match to what you saw, as it is the grayest of the three species, and also the largest (intermediate in size between a crow and a raven). Alternatively, a female Cooper's hawk would be similar in size to a crow, but would have more of a bluish-gray colour to its back (if an adult; brown if a juvenile). The sharp-shinned hawk is similar to a Cooper's, but smaller.
Good birding,
Marcel Gahbauer (marcelga@istar.ca)
The first-winter Ivory Gull was seen again this morning at Humber Bay East, and was in the first bay (mostly frozen) east of the parking lot. I arrived shortly after 9 am, and there was already a crowd of 20+ people watching it. When I left around 10 am, the gull was still in the same area. During the time I was there, it made a number of short flights, essentially circling the island at the north end of the bay, and returning to the stump at the east end of the island which seems to be its favourite perch.
This is an absolutely spectacular bird to see in flight. The pure whiteness of its feathers borders on unnatural, and even on a cloudy day like this, the light on its wings created an incredible effect. I encourage everyone to make an effort to see this very rare bird, especially those of you who might otherwise not be too interested in gulls - this bird may well change your mind!
Marcel Gahbauer (marcelga@istar.ca)
I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to lure some birds into my back yard for the past 6 weeks. They are visible as they sit in the tree and watch but none come near the feeders. I have been unable to figure this out until today, gave me a possibility. We have some morning doves, a few crows, a long gone blue jay and that appears to be it. Today however, while looking out the kitchen window, we saw a bird, about the size of a large crow and grey in colour, swoop down and kill a small bird right in our driveway. As we ran out of the house, the attacker picked the bird up and flew off with it. We could not identify the large bird and this is the first time we have seen it. We live in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario. Our concern is that this bird may be in fact the reason that the other birds are not coming to the feeders. If the predator is killing smaller birds it would make sense. Does anyone have any ideas on what type of bird this might be? Thanks.
I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to lure some birds into my back yard for the past 6 weeks. They are visible as they sit in the tree and watch but none come near the feeders. I have been unable to figure this out until today, gave me a possibility. We have some morning doves, a few crows, a long gone blue jay and that appears to be it. Today however, while looking out the kitchen window, we saw a bird, about the size of a large crow and grey in colour, swoop down and kill a small bird right in our driveway. As we ran out of the house, the attacker picked the bird up and flew off with it. We could not identify the large bird and this is the first time we have seen it. We live in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario. Our concern is that this bird may be in fact the reason that the other birds are not coming to the feeders. If the predator is killing smaller birds it would make sense. Does anyone have any ideas on what type of bird this might be? Thanks.
This morning in Bronte Harbour there was a family of 5 Trumpeter Swans. The adults have wing tags but I could not read the numbers. The three young birds appear to be untagged.
Other birds included an adult Glaucous Gull and 2 Ruddy Ducks.
In Reply to: Ivory gull in TO. today posted by C McLauchlan on December 17, 2000 at 18:11:24:
The 1st winter Ivory Gull was found again at Humber Bay today. I saw it on the east side but it had been moving around.
There were 4 Ruddy Ducks, 3 male and 1 female, between the lighthouses at Bronte Harbour this afternoon. There was one American Coot in a patch of open water in the Outer Harbour.
Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (Oakville) and go to the lake.
Dear Fellow Birders
Hi I did a few quick stops in the Hamilton area this morning and the first and best was at LaSalle Marina, were I had 2 Cormorants beside the bridge on the pier, also seen were 19 Coots, 33 Trumpeter Swans, 110 Tundra Swans, 1 Whooper Swan, both Scaup, many Canvasbacks, a few Redheads, Hooded & Common Mergansers. I did a quick search at the Tollgate Ponds but no Snowy Owl, and at Green Rd in Stoney Creek I had many Goldeneye and a few Oldsquaw but that was about it.
Mike Boyd
In Reply to: Re: Night Herons Double posted by Edward Bryenton on May 24, 1999 at 19:55:31:
We have had a Black-crowned Night Heron roosting in a pine tree in our back yard for the past three days. It flies off and returns to the same tree. I understand that these birds are relativly common, however I have not observed one in a residential area before. Possibly a harbinger of some fortune?
In Reply to: is this for the south posted by bruce murphy on December 19, 2000 at 13:36:36:
Sure Bruce, tell us what you are seeing north of Steeles.
In Reply to: is this for the south posted by bruce murphy on December 19, 2000 at 13:36:36:
Sure. I'm interested. North or south of Dundas St.'s ok by me.
Seriously, what you done with those northern finches.
Mark
In Reply to: is this for the south posted by bruce murphy on December 19, 2000 at 13:36:36:
Sure. I'm interested. North or south of Dundas St.'s ok by me.
Seriously, what you done with those northern finches.
Mark
is this list for the south or do you folks want reports from all over the province
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by Ronna Mogelon on December 16, 2000 at 12:11:47:
I just spoke with a bird fancier friend. European goldfinches are common pets. She sees them at shows and a store near Dundas and Dixie in Mississauga sells them. I think they would be in flocks if they were established. I have also seen a budgie (budgerigar) outdoors near my house as have many other people I know near theirs but no one says they are established in the wild here.
Sandra
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, Dec. 17, 2000
What was the best bird seen in Prince Edward County this past week? Oh, I guess it could have been the juvenile BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON that has been at Consecon Lake since December 9th, and was confirmed when I located it this afternoon. The bird is a well defined juvenile and spends considerable time beside a creek that flows into Consecon Lake. I was able to approach it to within 10 metres as the bird struggled to cling to a willow branch in the heavy wind and driving rain. Apparently the bird frequents this creek fairly regularly, but does disappear now and again. From Trenton, take Highway 33 south into Prince Edward County to Consecon and turn east onto Lakeside Drive which follows the north shore of Consecon Lake. Follow Lakeside Drive for 5.7 km to Link Road. The bird may be found at the creek which is just a few metres east of the intersection, and marked with two cement abutments and black and yellow striped caution signs. It is usually in the area where the creek empties into Consecon Lake.
There is a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK along North Big Island Road, just north of Demorestville. The bird was first seen yesterday just west of Allison Road, but today I located it about a kilometre east of that location. It is a well marked adult showing lots of red colouring on its breast and neck.
Why save any of the best for the last? There was a "flock" of BALD EAGLES yesterday working on a carcass on the frozen Bay of Quinte, about 3/4 km east of the Glenora Ferry. Comprising 5 immatures, the birds were first reported on Tuesday and have been seen by numerous observers, who initially reported six birds, two of which were adult birds. So, it would appear there are a few BALD EAGLES to go around this winter, most of which frequent the area between Glenora and Prinyer's Cove.
The NORTHERN HAWK-OWL was seen again today along Blessington Road, about 500 metres east of Civic Address #3544. Also reported today from the same general area were 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS seen hawking for insects, along with a NORTHERN SHRIKE and an AMERICAN KESTREL.
Waterfowl in the Quinte area this past week included 30 TUNDRA SWANS at Morrison's Point today, over 600 CANADA GEESE, 60 MALLARDS and 50 BUFFLEHEAD at Wellington Harbour, also today, and CANADA GEESE, COMMON GOLDENEYE and BUFFLEHEAD at Soup Harbour. At the bridge in Frankford over the Trent today, there were COMMON GOLDENEYES, COMMON MERGANSERS BLACK DUCKS and one COMMON LOON.
The final results from the Prince Edward Point Christmas Bird Count on Saturday are not in yet, but a few of the highlights, other than the five Bald Eagles, were EASTERN MEADOWLARK along Old Milford Road, NORTHERN SHRIKE, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, SONG SPARROW and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.
Feeder birds this past week included a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Prinyer's Cove, a NORTHERN SHRIKE at 23 Sprague Road, a COOPER'S HAWK chasing mourning doves at a feeder in Stirling, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS visiting feeders at both Elmbrook and Fenwood Gardens. There are also three RUSTY BLACKBIRDS at a feeder at Elmbrook. The PINE WARBLER at the Ferguson feeder near Prinyer's Cove which showed up November 19th, was last seen December 10th.
Other interesting sightings included a RING-NECKED PHEASANT today at Quinte Point (Big Island), and 70 WILD TURKEYS near Cherry Valley yesterday. There was an EASTERN BLUEBIRD perched on the windowsill of a Brighton Township resident last week, while others were reported from the Wooler Road area. And last, but not least, the unidentified bird on Belleville's Grove Street last week which had neighbours in a flutter, who initially thought it was a grouse, a pheasant, an owl and a hawk, was actually only a lost and very confused chicken!
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Ian & Margaret Ferguson, Leslie Abram, Don Craighead, Albert Boisvert, John Blaney, Art MacConnell, Doris Lane, Wynne Thomas, Joanne Dewey, Jack Evans, Bill Gregory, and Peter Clute for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 24th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
I am posting this on a friends computer hes the add , But there is a Juv Ivory gull on the Ice near the gazebo at Humberbay west hear in Toronto first found by Leon Schlikter (i hope i spelt that right ) at 12:00 noon to day and still there when I left at 3:30 pm this after noon .
Humberbay West is found south of the Lake shore bvld. look south of the first condominium in Marian area on the ice .
Craig McLauchlan
csam@sympatico.ca
We found an adult male Snowy Owl in the SW corner of the Hamilton airfield. It was fairly active during our 20 min. of observation at about 10am this morning, first sighted just behind the 06B runway sign(as viewed from the fence near the Hamilton Flying Club entrance). We then drove south on Highway 6 and spotted a perched Rough-legged Hawk in a tree west of the road just off of Haldibrook Road. In the field nearby we saw a flock of about 40 Snow Buntings(and a few Horned Larks)actively foraging in the vegetation protruding from the snow. We later added a few Kestrels, a Harrier, a few more light phase Rough-leggeds, and numerous Red-Tails when the drizzle started just after noon and we chose to return home. Peel Birding Class
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by Glenn Coady on December 11, 2000 at 09:46:38:
Thanks for all the information on the European Goldfinch. I saw one, for the first time at my very own feeder. I live in Dunvegan, in Eastern Ontario. After speaking to Elizabeth Le Geyt, the woman who writes the birding column in the Ottawa Citizen, she says that there was a EG seen in Ottawa last winter. I was told by a member of the Vankleek Hill Nature Sociey thet one was seen in Vankleek Hill two years ago. Other than that, information on the bird is scarce, as my field guide has very little information on it and says it is an escapee. If so many people have spotted these birds in various places around North America, is it still possible that they are ALL escapees? I myself have never seen a caged one and I wonder with so many sightings can they really all be escapees?
I have found two reviews of the recent gull conference in Niagara Falls.
http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/namgullconf.html
http://www.best.com/~petrel/NAGC.html
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by Sandra Eadie on December 10, 2000 at 07:43:31:
Sandra,
Let's hope Bermuda's resident introduced European Goldfinches are far enough off N. American shores to prevent any chance of colonization.
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, December 10, 2000
Frigid temperatures this past week all but sealed up some of the traditional areas where waterfowl had been regulars. However, good observation areas still remain in the county. There were 200 MALLARDS and 100 COMMON MERGANSERS off Massassauga Point Conservation Area on Monday, and two HORNED GREBES at West Point yesterday, and 100 BUFFLEHEAD in Soup Harbour on Thursday. Last Friday, the open waters of South Bay harboured a high of 62 TUNDRA SWANS with another 31 on Pleasant Bay the same day. Add those to the 80 or so MUTE SWANS and 1 TRUMPETER SWAN at Presqu'ile Park, and it would appear that anyone wishing to see swans this past week should have enjoyed some good success.
Despite the cool temperatures, there have been a few "summer" birds about including BELTED KINGFISHERS at Consecon Lake, Rawdon Creek (Stirling area); 8 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at Sandbanks yesterday; 2 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS on Wooler Road; AMERICAN ROBINS at Massassauga Point on Monday; and GREAT BLUE HERONS at Stirling, Sandbanks Provincial Park (2), and one at Wellington.
Lots of owls around, especially at Amherst Island where a BOREAL OWL appeared last weekend, along with NORTHERN SAW-WHET, LONG-EARED, BARRED, SNOWY, and 30+ SHORT-EARED OWLS. The NORTHERN HAWK OWL at Blessington Road continues to put on a show for observers in the Quinte area, and yesterday there were two along the same stretch of road. There was a 2nd year BALD EAGLE at Sandbanks yesterday, along with a NORTHERN HARRIER, 2 RED-TAILED HAWKS and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. However, the best place it seems to see ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS this week is Amherst Island where over 20 may be found with as many RED-TAILED HAWKS.
Other good sightings this past week included a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK at Peat's Point on Tuesday, 35 HORNED LARKS on Doxsee Road yesterday and two PILEATED WOODPECKERS at Sandbanks, also yesterday, as well as a NORTHERN SHRIKE along Doxsee Road (a regular there) on Monday. Two LITTLE GULLS were at the mouth of the Outlet River last Sunday.
Feeder birds reported this past week included BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS coming to feeders at Elmbrook and near Rose's Road, just east of Lake-on-the-Mountain, where there is also a DARK-EYED JUNCO (Oregon form).
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Joe Victor, Wynne Thomas, Joanne Dewey, Bob Sachs, Alex Scott, Albert Boisvert, Art MacConnell, Steve Monet, Lloyd Paul, Don Craighead, Bill Gregory, Fred Helleiner and Don Shanahan for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 17th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by Glenn Coady on December 04, 2000 at 18:28:58:
The European Goldfinch is established in Bermuda at the present time. I have seen a couple of large flocks there within the last two years. I know that is not North America but mention it for general interest.
Although I know that NA is very well covered and that any changes would get documented pretty quickly, I also know that the books have not yet caught up with the spread of the Rock Dove and the Zebra Dove in the South Pacific from my own eyes and those of a friend.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
To day was another good birding day on the Leslie St. spit ( which is found at the foot of Leslie St. south of the Lake shore blvd. Hear in Toronto ) I found 3 Snow Owl's , 1 G.H.Owl , 3 N Harrier's, 1 G.B.Heron ,3 Iceland gulls, and will waiting for Harry Kerr to come out for the Snow Owl's ( Harry is now 81 and did the hole spit with me pretty good if I do say so my self ) I had a 2nd winter Laughing Gull flying east to west towards the Toronto outer harbour and should be look for on the Ice with the other gulls off of Cheery St..Its dark slate gray back should stand out .
Also I refound the sandpiper that I had the last time I was on the spit , their is now only one and it is near the inlet at the blue box and today with perfect sun and Harry's great eyes, you could see that the bill was d curved and is a Dunlin not a Baird's as I had send the last time, all though it is still dark brown not gray as one wood espec Dunlin to be in winter plumage . I eat Crow now,
also seen wear W.W.Scoter's , all 3 Merganser's ,C Goldeneye and Bufflehead .
Craig
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Re: Pileated Woodpecker posted by Daryl Muz on May 03, 2000 at 01:18:47:
Today is December 9, 2000. We just saw a Pileated Woodpecker in our front yard.It was a male, we live in Mondovi, Wisconsin, just east of the Mississippi. It was a surprising sight, the first one we have ever seen.
In Reply to: Re: Bird Identification posted by mike wand on November 17, 2000 at 13:58:23:
Thanx Mike. My son and I have since put up a finch feeder and have seen many more of them.(two goldfinches this morning). thanx again and good birding to you, gord
Dec. 16 is the South Peel Naturalists Club Christmas Bird Count. There is a large starling roost at Sheridan College in Oakville (usually with robins) and a large crow roost nearby. Does anyone know where the crows are roosting this year, so that they could be counted during the morning dispersal? I estimated about 2000 crows last Dec 22, 1999. Like last year, they gather 4 - 5 pm just east of Trafalgar Road and Cornwall, just south of the QEW. They are usually still moving around when it gets too dark to observe them. Tonight at 5:00 pm, I saw some flying north across the QEW after dusk. You may respond to me privately.
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by Derrick Marven on December 04, 2000 at 15:08:35:
Derrick,
Yes, no question the European Goldfinch was once established as an introduced bird in New York a century ago, but died out eventually as your Skylark in British Columbia now seems intent on doing.
Yes, undoubtedly European Goldfinch continues to be seen in many jurisdictions of North America. However, I have seen no work showing any quantitative, geographic or temporal analysis for recent patterns of occurrence for the European Goldfinch published that may even begin to support the thesis that it may have been newly, successfully re-introduced to North America either deliberately, unintentionally or through the success of naturally occurring vagrants. Failing that, or discovery of a successfully documented self-sustaining breeding population the so-called "gods at the ABA" have nothing to review or evaluate. The documented breeding population would be needed to evaluate it as an introduced bird. A compelling quantitative, geographic and temporal pattern of occurrence analysis would be needed to make the case for some individuals being genuine Old World vagrants.
As neither has yet been provided in the literature, any evaluation would hence be purely speculative. If a small, viable breeding population did exist I suspect that it would be proven quite soon as European Goldfinch is neither a particularly secretive breeder nor does it rely on very specialized habitat requirements.
True, Eurasian Collared-Dove is a successfully introduced species which may still be marginally supplemented by some escapes from pigeon fanciers. However its spread to North America from the introduction in the Bahamas (likely hurricane aided) with a demonstrated temporal pattern of radiation away from the Homestead, Florida area, was aided by amply documented proof of breeding across an ever-widening portion of North American geography in a very predictable pattern. Even prior to its introduction in the Bahamas this species demonstrated a pronounced proclivity toward range expansion into western Europe from much farther east. No one contends that the Eurasian Collared-Dove was a naturally occurring North American introduction but its success as a newly introduced species, although unintended, is both profound and widespread (and not likely reliant on furher supplementation by escapes) lends itself easily to evaluation as a successful introduction.
The same cannot be said (at least yet) for the European Goldfinch
GC
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by Glenn Coady on December 04, 2000 at 10:03:34:
Hi Glen and birders European Goldfinch was introduced into Bermuda, Eurasian Collared-Dove was introduced into the Bahamas, the goldfinch was also introduced into New York state and has been a around a lot longer than the dove. Both Eurasian Collared-Doves and Ringed Turtle-Dove are seen at most cage bird shows across North America, more so than Eurasian Goldfinch. Along the eastern seaboard of North America from Newfoundland to Florida the Eurasian Goldfinch is being seen with more frequency,good numbers of goldfinchs are seen flying out of holds of cargo ships in eastern ports for years.The Goldfinch is also being seen with more frequency in Iceland i believe. Maybe it's that knowone has found breeding Eurasian Goldfinchs or have they.Just because the leading field guides and the gods at the A.B.A. brush the poor goldfinch aside does not mean that this species does not have a viable population. Derrick
In Reply to: Re: Euorpean Goldfinch posted by Derrick Marven on December 03, 2000 at 19:57:26:
Derrick
Last time I checked, Eurasian Collared-Dove was not likely to be found in local pet stores. I have seen European Goldfinch for sale in local pet shops, albeit not for some time.
I have seen no evidence in the literature that there are any stable, self-sustaining populations of European Goldfinch anywhere in North America.
Clearly, there now are such for Eurasian Collared-Dove.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, December 03, 2000
What a super week for birds in the Quinte area! The highlight, of course, is the NORTHERN HAWK OWL , first seen on Friday at 3752 Blessington Road, north of Marysville. The bird was still there as of 2:30 this afternoon. A number of observers who have seen the bird have placed it anywhere between Civic address # 3616 and 3804. Most have been able to see it easily from the roadside as the bird hunts from various small trees. From 401 turn north on Marysville Road and follow through Marysville, continuing north to Blessington Road and turn left. Or one may leave 401 at Shannonville Road and follow north to Blessington and turn right onto Blessington Road.
And while you are in the Quinte area, you might want to add a PINE WARBLER that is a regular at the feeder of Ian Ferguson at Cressy in Prince Edward County, and has been for some two weeks. The Fergusons have had some spectacular birds in their dooryard over the years including a Say's Phoebe in 1994, and in more recent years a brown thrasher, Carolina wren and a blue grosbeak at their feeders. Take County Road 7 off Highway 33, just west of Glenora Ferry, and follow past Lake-on-the-Mountain to Civic adress #3389. The Fergusons welcome visitors.
There is a SHORT-EARED OWL that is fairly regular along South Big Island Road, just west of Sprague Road. A SCREECH OWL was found injured along Airport Road near Picton yesterday, presumably hit by a car. Owls at Amherst Island have increased to 3 NORTHERN SAW-WHETS in the Cedar Woods as well as between 6 and 12 LONG-EARED OWLS.
Interesting hawks this past week included a well defined NORTHERN GOSHAWK at Point Petre on Wednesday, NORTHERN HARRIERS at Point Petre and Big Island, and RED-TAILED HAWKS everywhere including the regular along County Road 4 between Demorestville and Crofton, a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Doxsee Road, and sprinklings of KESTRELS throughout the county.
LITTLE GULLS have been seen this week along the north shore of East Lake on Thursday (25), and one today flying with a group of other gulls over an open patch of water just east of the South Sidney water treatment plant on the Bay of Quinte.
West Point in Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday had a count of 52 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 14 BLACK SCOTERS, 385 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 490 BUFFLEHEADS, 83 COMMON GOLDENEYES, and a RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Some good birds too this past week at Presqu'ile Provincial Park including a SNOWY OWL, female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, an adult BALD EAGLE, 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, 3 PURPLE SANDPIPERS, 1 ICELAND GULL and a number of AMERICAN PIPITS. Amherst Island last week had a late TREE SWALLOW on Friday, along with 12 DUNLIN.
Other noteworthy birds last week included 50+ WILD TURKEYS at Black River, a RED-NECKED GREBE at West Point, a NORTHERN FLICKER near Warkworth, 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS on Wooler Road and another 4 on McMaster Road northeast of Brighton, 8 COMMON REDPOLLS in Glenwood Cemetery in Picton, and a first winter male KING EIDER at Cobourg.
A total of 35 people attended a birdfeeding seminar at the Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Centre, north of Brighton today, sponsored by Quinte Conservation, Lower Trent Conservation and The Birdhouse (Wooler). This completes the Quinte Conservation outdoor program for 2000, a schedule that has seen an outdoor event nearly every weekend since April 1st. I won't know what to do come Sundays from now on, but I will start by going birding next weekend!
The NatureStuff website has been updated for the month of December with updated information on what birds to expect in Prince Edward County this month, a look at the Sandbanks Provincial Park campgrounds as a birding spot, new information on backyard naturalization and birdfeeding, new outing information for both the Quinte Field and Prince Edward County Field Naturalist groups, and 6 new aerial photos of the county in the Gallery. The Outdoor Rambles column is "Political Correctness or Insanity."
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Jim & Eleanor Istead, Ken Kingdon, Albert Boisvert, Jack Duetta, Lloyd Paul, Fred Helleiner, Robert Sachs, Chris Grooms, Don Craighead, Wynne Thomas, Ian Ferguson and John Blaney. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville), and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 10th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Euorpean Goldfinch posted by Margaret Ellis on December 01, 2000 at 14:26:20:
When i first arrived in Ontario back 1981 i saw several European Goldfinchs and for the next 10 years i saw at least one and more every winter, it was suspected that these were escapees. It is quite obvious that this species has survived and is breeding in the wild, i wonder when the Ontario Records Committee is going to accept this species, they seemed to have no problem accepting Eurasian Collared-Dove which has'nt been around hardly any time at all. Derrick
For the last couple of weeks we have had a European Goldfinch feeding at our finch feeder, last seen at 1:30PM today, Thursday Dec. 1st., 2000. We live in the country close to Limehouse, Ontario which is between Georgetown and Acton. I understand there have been some seen near Guelph, is it possible that they are breeding in this area.
In Reply to: Re: Gulls today on the L.St spit posted by Jean-François on November 27, 2000 at 18:53:17:
I find the best area to look at Bonaparte's gull is at the Niagara river wear 1000 gather at this time each year the closer you can get to the water the better like the boat docks at Queenston is good . all the ones I wachit wear ether feeding or heading west along the lake towards Niagara.
Craig
In Reply to: Gulls today on the L.St spit posted by Craig Mclauchlan on November 26, 2000 at 17:54:57:
Dear Craig, Interested by your message, I would like to go to the Leslie st Spite to see the gulls and learn about them. Can you tell me where in the park I can see the Bonaparte's Gulls?
Thank you,
(P.S.: Sorry for my english, I come from France.)
J.-F. H.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, November 26, 2000
There was a very nice assortment of birds present around the Quinte area this past week to whet the appetite of those who are anxiously waiting for the first of December and the official start of the winter list. With any amount of luck perhaps some of these will stay around for a few more days. There was a RING-NECKED PHEASANT today strolling along the shoulder of Highway 62, near the Norris Whitney Bridge at Rossmore. Heavy rains today did not deter a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER from visiting a suet feeder at Prinyer's Cove. Also representing the woodpecker family was a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at the Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Area, 11 km north of Brighton, last weekend, and a NORTHERN FLICKER near Fenwood Gardens on Tuesday.
Waterfowl in the area included 12 NORTHERN SHOVELERS and 4 HOODED MERGANSERS at Peat's Point on Monday, and another 12 NORTHERN SHOVELERS on the Bay of Quinte and 12 TUNDRA SWANS at South Bay on Thursday. The appearance of TUNDRA SWANS during November and December has become an annual event at South Bay, and one day last week there were 24 seen there. Lots of MALLARDS and a few BLACK DUCKS at Wellington on Thursday where there were also 6 cold DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS looking for open water in the then frozen lake. There were also 2 late COMMON SNIPE at Wellington Harbour, also on Thursday.
GREAT BLUE HERONS last week were present at Peat's Point (Monday), and Prinyer's Cove (Thursday). A FOX SPARROW appeared at an Elmbrook feeder on Thursday, and several others were seen the same day along the Long Point Road on the way to the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area. Also seen in that area were SAVANNAH SPARROW, SONG SPARROW and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW as well as several flocks of HORNED LARKS and SNOW BUNTINGS. A flock of 30 SNOW BUNTINGS was seen, also on Thursday, at the corner of Hwy 62 and County Road 1, just north of Bloomfield.
On Thursday, there was a sub-adult BALD EAGLE at the foot of Welbanks Road, and there and at Point Petre there was a total of 8 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS seen, with at least that many RED-TAILED HAWKS. Amherst Island on Wednesday produced both NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL and LONG-EARED OWL in the Owl Woods.
One birder covering the West Point area of Sandbanks Provincial Park on Wednesday scanned the open lake for two hours before one of the county's famous fierce snow squaws of last week forced him to retreat. Highlights were 1 COMMON LOON flying over the lake, 2 HORNED GREBES, 250 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 185 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 350 BUFFLEHEADS, 42 COMMON GOLDENEYES, 51 BONAPARTE'S GULLS and 10 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS. A NORTHERN CARDINAL and 73 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES were also checked off in the area.
Other notable sightings last week included a group of four AMERICAN PIPITS along Long Point Road; COMMON GRACKLES, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS in the same general area as well as CEDAR WAXWINGS and six EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, all on Thursday. There were also 14 WILD TURKEYS near the Mariner's Museum at South Bay.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Don Craighead, Lloyd Paul Joanne Dewey, Nick Quickert, Steve Monet, Dick Bird, Doris Lane, Leslie Abram, and Robert Sachs for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville), sponsors of today's Bird Feeding Seminar in Belleville, and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 3rd. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
It is amassing on a rainy day like today wear I should have staid at home but the strong East wind was jist calling out to much and their wear jist to menay good Bird's , I jist don't know which Birds to start with .
Well their wear 9 speeches of Gulls on the spit to day, Bonaparte's gull 51, Ring Billed Gull , Herring Gull , Glaucous Gull 1, Iceland Gull 3 , Thayer's 1, L.B.B.Gull 1 ad, G.B.B.gull 17 and my second in 10 years B.L.Kittiwake 1 juv. ....WOW glad I dint go to Niagara .
also on the spit their wear 2 Bairds Sandpiper's , and a relay Imm Snowy owl .. all and all well worth getting wet for, right to the bone.....
the Leslie st spite is found at the foot of Leslie street south of the Gardiner expwy hear in Toronto ont ..
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Nov.20 - Nov. 26, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
Another very slow week -only 11 birds. The counting this year at High Park will stop completely after Thursday, Nov. 30. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Nov.20-26: Turkey Vulture 0, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 0, Sharp-shinned Hawk 0, Cooper's Hawk 1, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 10, Rough-legged Hawk 2, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 0, Peregrine Falcon 0, Other 0, Unidentified 0, Total raptors 11.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,766, Osprey 40, Bald Eagle 19, Northern Harrier 48, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,361, Cooper's Hawk 91, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 178, Broad-winged Hawk 17,283, Red-tailed Hawk 2,537, Rough-legged Hawk 19, Golden Eagle 16, American Kestrel 364, Merlin 26, Peregrine Falcon 25, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 231, Total raptors 26,013.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
As posted by Willie earlier all wear still present at 4:00 pm to day also seen wear Lesser B B Gull 1 , Thayer's gull 2, but with all those eyes I am sheer something good will be found ...If you dont see the Sabines Gull look right up tight aganst the wall right blow the falls or in the water I no of soom that mist it ...
and O yes the Sabine's Gull was # 300 for Ont. for the year..
Craig
Sabine's Gull continues to feed in the mist below the Canadian Falls.
The female Harlequin Duck continues to feed behind the low rock island that is visible from the pulloff on the downstream side of the control gates in Chippawa, Ont. (above Niagara Falls). She is often tucked in so close to the island that you cannot see her but she is more visible when on the upstream side of the island with Common Goldeneyes.
Good birding! Willie
Since December 1 is but a week away winter listers may be interested in a Spotted Sandpiper on the rocks by the eastern lighthouse in Bronte Harbour. The bird has an injured leg. I will not be able to check on this bird again since I am going to the gull conference this weekend and to a wedding in Amarillo next weekend.
Other birds seen this morning include 2 American Coots, 25 Gadwall, 4 Mute Swans, 3 Common mergansers, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, lots of Bufflehead and Oldsquaw (call me a traditionalist).
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (now reopened) and go to the lake.
In Reply to: Re: Juvenile Night heron posted by Marcel Gahbauer on November 10, 2000 at 19:33:46:
THanks,
A few years ago, prenternet, we spotted a great blue on New Years's morning.
THis is agreat way to keep up and learn from people like Marcel.
Thanks to all
In Reply to: High Park Hawk Watch - Nov.13-19 posted by Howard Shapiro on November 20, 2000 at 22:20:27:
I'd like to wish congratulations to the 2000 High Park Hawk Watch counters on a very successful season for both numbers hawks and attendance and enthusiasm.
Very well done!
GC
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Nov.13 - Nov. 19, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
A very slow week as the hawk migration is near an end if not over entirely However, we did count our 26,000th hawk of the season. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Nov.13-19: Turkey Vulture 0, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 0, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Cooper's Hawk 1, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 5, Rough-legged Hawk 2, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 0, Peregrine Falcon 0, Other 0, Unidentified 2, Total raptors 9.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,766, Osprey 40, Bald Eagle 19, Northern Harrier 48, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,361, Cooper's Hawk 91, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 178, Broad-winged Hawk 17,283, Red-tailed Hawk 2,527, Rough-legged Hawk 19, Golden Eagle 16, American Kestrel 363, Merlin 26, Peregrine Falcon 25, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 231, Total raptors 26,002.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, November 19, 2000
Depending on where one birded in Prince Edward County today, there was either snow - in fact, several inches of it from Picton south, while northern portions of the county received only a dusting, and there was no trace of snow at all in Ivanhoe where a birdfeeding workshop was held today presented by Quinte Conservation and Madoc Home Hardware.
And while on the topic of snow, SNOWY OWLS this past week were seen at Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Timber Island off the shore of Prince Edward Point, and at the Quinte Conservation Area in Quinte West. Another was seen sitting atop the pole marker for the beach emergency telephone at Sandbank's West Lake Sector (Lake Ontario beach). Other owls this week included NORTHERN SAW-WHET and LONG-EARED OWLS on Amherst Island, and a SHORT-EARED OWL at the Mountain View Airport at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday morning. A NORTHERN HARRIER has also been at this same airfield all week.
There was a COOPER'S HAWK at the Sidney Conservation Area, south of Stirling, on Tuesday, and AMERICAN KESTRELS seen at Mountain View, Ben Gill Road, Hillier, Bloomfield and Salmon Point. There were several RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS at Prince Edward Point on Saturday, along with 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS. A fairly dependable RED-TAILED HAWK can be found in the Demorestville area where it alternates between Gomorrah Road and the causeway to Big Island. And just west of Trenton, there has been an immature NORTHERN SHRIKE hunting along a fenceline there.
Sandbank's West Point on Monday had a nice selection of waterfowl including 6 HORNED GREBES, 1200 scaup, 900 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 5 SURF SCOTERS, 2 BLACK DUCKS, 58 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, and 680 BUFFLEHEADS. Peat's Point on Friday had 2 HOODED MERGANSERS, 16 MALLARDS, and 32 CANADA GEESE the following day. The Moira River at the H.R. Frink Centre near Plainfield produced 36 COMMON MERGANSERS and five HOODED MERGANSERS on Wednesday. Back in Prince Edward County, MUTE SWANS continue to turn up here and there in open lakes and bays. One observer at Salmon Point on Tuesday witnessed three taking off, the noise of their wings not unlike several Cessnas accelerating down a runway.
Waterfowl continue to draw observers to the Trenton waterfront where on Wednesday there were 24 AMERICAN COOTS, 11 RUDDY DUCKS, 6 GADWALLS, 12 COMMON GOLDENEYES and 4 AMERICAN WIGEON.
GREAT BLUE HERONS last week turned up at Trenton, Frink Centre, Sawguin Marsh at Hwy 62 and C.R. 28, Consecon Lake, and at Consecon Creek at Highway 62. Other noteworthy sightings this past week included FOX SPARROWS at feeders at Elmbrook and at Sandbanks Provincial Park, PURPLE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS at Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN and SANDERLING still hanging around on Amherst Island, and another three PURPLE FINCHES at Sandbanks Provincial Park.
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS this past week were visiting feeders east of Milford, Prinyer's Cove, and another discovered today in trees beside the road just west of the Outlet Sector entrance at Sandbanks Provincial Park. Also present at Sandbanks today, at West Point, were 7 AMERICAN PIPITS and a SNOW BUNTING.
The Quinte Field Naturalists meeting at Belleville's Bridge Street United Church on November 27th, at 7:00 p.m., will feature Francine MacDonald from the Federation of Anglers and Hunters who will speak on "Invasive Species." The following evening, The Prince Edward County Field Naturalists will be having their "Members' Night" commencing at 7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Town Hall. And the next birdfeeding seminar presented by Quinte Conservation will be taking place November 26th, at 2:00 p.m. at the Foster Ward Community Centre in Belleville, co-sponsored by Backyard Birds of Quinte.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Nick Gromoff, John Walmsley, Joanne Dewey, Ron MacIntosh, Doris Lane, Don Shanahan, John Blaney, Don Craighead, Lloyd Paul, David Bree, and the Kingston Field Naturalists for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 26th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Bird Identification posted by Gord Cappellazzo on September 14, 2000 at 10:08:10:
Hi Gord sounds like you have a male and female American Goldfinch their, the male is all bright yellow with black wings. the female is greenish yellow.hope this helps you out. mike
CHICKADEES STARTED WINTER FEEDING IN RICHMOND HILL
I wonder why Animal Control was inspecting the beach just beyond the Beaver lodge at the swing bridge on Saturday (Nov.11/00) afternoon ????
In Reply to: Re: Leslie st spit to day posted by Al Johnston on November 13, 2000 at 14:05:53:
Yes it is rear to see Raven in the GTA and in 10 year's birding on the spit I have only seen 3 , but Raven is getting moor common in our area and I expect moor to be seen . Also I dint mack it clear anoff that it was not seen with the crows , it was on the west side of the spit and the crows wear on the east side
All so I have only ever seen Purple Sandpiper twice and N Gannet well that was a first ...
Craig
Yesterday afternoon, November 12th, I saw three Yellow-rumped Warblers in the tall conifers in the northeast section of the grounds of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric hospital at Kipling Ave.
This Saturday, November 11th I saw a male Pileated Woodpecker in the south end of Village Wood Park off Chalmers St. in Bronte.
In Reply to: Leslie st spit to day posted by Craig McLauchlan on November 12, 2000 at 16:34:22:
Hi Craig, Thanks for the Spit report. I was particularly interested in your spotting a raven amongst the crows. Is it not quite unusual to see a a raven this far south. Thanks again. Al
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Nov.6 - Nov. 12, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
The weather was most uncooperative this week. We had only one day of observation in which hawks were counted this week, November, 11. All the other days this week had unfavorable winds from the east or south or rain. The season is winding down and now nearly all of the migrating raptors are Red-tailed hawks. We expect our season to close in the next week or two. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Nov.6-12: Turkey Vulture 0, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 0, Sharp-shinned Hawk 0, Cooper's Hawk 2, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 114, Rough-legged Hawk 2, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 0, Peregrine Falcon 0, Other 0, Unidentified 7, Total raptors 126.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,766, Osprey 40, Bald Eagle 19, Northern Harrier 48, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,360, Cooper's Hawk 97, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 178, Broad-winged Hawk 17,283, Red-tailed Hawk 2,522, Rough-legged Hawk 19, Golden Eagle 16, American Kestrel 363, Merlin 26, Peregrine Falcon 25, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 229, Total raptors 25,993.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, November 12, 2000
A nice scattering of waterfowl reported this past week to start off this week's report. Wellington Harbour and West Lake are always profitable areas during the waterfowl migration in both spring and fall. Today, there were WOOD DUCKS, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and MALLARDS present during a quick scan of the rafts present there. Earlier in the week (Tuesday), there were 2 NORTHERN SHOVELERS and a CANVASBACK present at Wellington. Pleasant Bay on the west side of the county offered 2 MUTE SWANS today. The 2 BRANT at West Point are still around, and on Tuesday there were MALLARDS, BUFFLEHEAD, scaup and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and 1 BLACK DUCK in Athol Bay, just off Sandbanks Provincial Park. Over in the Point Petre area today, there was a mixed flock of approximately 80 to 100 AMERICAN GOLDENEYE and BUFFLEHEAD in Soup Harbour. A week ago yesterday, a local duck hunter reported seeing lots of GADWALL, a few AMERICAN WIGEON and NORTHERN PINTAIL in the Big Island Marsh near Northport. And there were also 3 AMERICAN COOTS in Mohawk Bay at Deseronto on Wednesday. Some good sightings among the 123 species recorded last weekend at Prince Edward Point during the Kingston Field Naturalists Fall Round-up included a RED-THROATED LOON, all three species of scoters, and an unspecified number of RED-NECKED GREBES.
A Prince Edward County Field Naturalists outing to the bar at the mouth of Pleasant Bay today resulted in some noteworthy sightings including 50 DUNLIN, 4 KILLDEER, 50 SNOW BUNTINGS and a GREAT BLUE HERON. There were two AMERICAN WOODCOCK at Prince Edward Point a week ago Sunday, and 25 SANDERLINGS at West Point on Tuesday.
NORTHERN SHRIKES this past week included one seen today along Highway 33 just north of North Beach Road, and another at Sprague Road on Big Island on Tuesday. The latter bird was perched atop a 60-foot TV antenna while just one field away, a PILEATED WOODPECKER called loudly as it flew from tree to tree eventually arriving in the neighbour's yard just across the road.
A few other interesting sightings this past week included a NORTHERN GOSHAWK that collided (but recovered) with a window at Point Petre, a HERMIT THRUSH and LITTLE GULLS at Prince Edward Point last Sunday, along with BLUE-HEADED VIREO, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, PURPLE FINCHES, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and both species of kinglet. There were 8 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS in West Lake at Wellington today.
Among the bird feeder reports this week was a FOX SPARROW at an Elmbrook feeder on Thursday, where up to 6 PURPLE FINCHES have been visiting off and on as well. Throughout the Quinte area, there have been scattered reports of TREE SPARROWS at feeders along with DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and a GRAY CATBIRD that had been coming to a feeder near Wellington up until a week or two ago.
The 11th annual Birdfeeding Seminar in Picton this afternoon resulted in 104 people attending. Presented by Quinte Conservation and Picton Farm Supply, the event took place at the town's Tip of the Bay Hotel and Marina. Next Sunday's seminar will be held at the Centre Hastings Hall in Ivanhoe, commencing at 2:00 p.m.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Joanne Dewey, Tracey Dean, Ken Kingdon, David Bree, Wynne Thomas, and the Kingston Field Naturalists for their contributions to this week's report. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 19th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone !
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
www.naturestuff.net
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Other Good birds seen on the Leslie st spit along with the N Gannet ( which was a new bird for me on the spit ) wear Common Raven seen on the bass along with 36 Crow's , 4 Kestrel's , 1 R.T.Loon , 6000 L.T.Ducks ( oldsquaw) 1 Purple Sandpiper ( # 297 for the year) , 21 snow Bunting's , 2 G.H.Owl's -1 the subarcticus , 2 Snowy Owl - both imm. and 1 N.Shrike.
jist sum great birding right in the hart of the city ( well on the heal )
Directions the spit can be found at the foot of Leslie st south of the Lake shore blvd. and is open for all ( except Dog's ) on the weekend 's only
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Juvenile Night heron posted by George Daszkowski on November 07, 2000 at 08:08:11:
Over the past few winters, there have actually been a number of Black-crowned Night Herons wintering in the GTA, primarily along the lower Mimico Creek (just north of Lakeshore) and the lower Don River (around Queen Street). Each year at least some of these individuals have been juveniles.
I don't know for certain why these herons are staying around in winter when they previously have not (at least not so regularly), but I suspect it may simply be because they can. That may sound a bit strange, but the motivation to migrate is driven much more by the availability of food (or lack thereof) than climatic considerations. We are witnessing the same with southern Ontario's peregrine falcons, which are increasingly remaining here throughout the winter. In the case of the night herons, the lower Mimico and Don have warm enough water that stretches generally remain unfrozen, and evidently the night herons have been able to make do with this limited fishing habitat.
All of that being said, it is of course possible that the individual you have seen may yet migrate. Contrary to popular belief, many birds do not migrate as family units. Rather, it is often the adults of a population which travel together, and the young of the year which band together in a seperate group. Migration is instinctive, and the young birds are fully capable of finding their way without the help of others.
So, to make a long story short, there's no need to worry about the lone heron - whether it chooses to stay around for the winter or undertake a late migration remains to be seen, but in either case it should do fine on its own.
Marcel Gahbauer
In Reply to: Re: B.C.Chickadee and spiders? posted by Glenn Coady on November 29, 1999 at 11:04:18:
hi mother butt pluger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@############################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))).
Yesterday I saw damaged, greatly discounted copy of "The Sparrows of United States and Canada" (Academic Press) in a store on the east side of Yonge south of Gerrard. I don't remember the price, but I think it was around $10, give or take a few dollars. The store is one of those shoestring operations that sell publishers' remainders out of recently vacated shops.
In Reply to: screech owls posted by C.S.A.McLauchlan on August 22, 1999 at 21:59:38:
ll7tl97l7rl99ll9l99l9l9l9l9l9l9l9979l79667
Again Stan Bajurny and I travelled the Long Point Route and the following are some of the high lights.
- Pied-billed Grebe - 31 - - Ruddy Duck - 275 - - Mute Swan - 74 - - Tundra Swan - 142 - (including juveniles) - - Hooded Merganser - 27 - - Great Blue Heron - 18 - - Northern Harrier - 8 - - Sandhill Crane - 37 - (some dancing - just having fun - ?) - - Long-billed Dowitcher - 8 - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1 - Dunlin - 411 - - Killdeer - 66 - - Black-bellied Plover - 176 - - Pileated Woodpecker - 2 -
Norm Murr
NORMURR@SYMPATICO.CA
Sunday I saw a solitary juvenile night heron roosting in the Adamson Estate on Port Credit's waterfront.
Any hope it will migrate on it's own?
Please send me a detail report on giant chromosome(genitics and cell and molecular biology) urgently. thanks.
Please send me a detail report on giant chromosome(genitics and cell and molecular biology) urgently.
In Reply to: Re: White Pelicans? posted by Marcel Gahbauer on November 05, 2000 at 21:49:49:
I was in such a hurry to look good that I didn't even think of the obvious.
I will now lock myself in my room with a beginner's guide to common birds.
;^)
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Oct. 30 - Nov. 5, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
Things were much quieter this week as migration is most likely slowing down. We counted 347 total raptors for the week. Today north to north west winds brought 119 birds including 100 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Golden Eagle, 2 Northern Harriers, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk and a Merlin. However, the birds were hard to see since they were flying high in mostly clear skies. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Oct. 30 - Nov. 5: Turkey Vulture 3, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 8, Cooper's Hawk 3, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 20, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 283, Rough-legged Hawk 5, Golden Eagle 1, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 2, Peregrine Falcon 0, Other 0, Unidentified 19, Total raptors 347.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,766, Osprey 40, Bald Eagle 19, Northern Harrier 48, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,360, Cooper's Hawk 95, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 178, Broad-winged Hawk 17,283, Red-tailed Hawk 2,408, Rough-legged Hawk 17, Golden Eagle 16, American Kestrel 362, Merlin 26, Peregrine Falcon 25, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 222, Total raptors 25,867.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
In Reply to: White Pelicans? posted by Dave Bailey on November 05, 2000 at 14:07:31:
...or perhaps Tundra Swans, which would be more commonly expected in this area.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, November 05, 2000
It's starting to look more like winter. Flocks of hundreds of SNOW BUNTINGS have been swirling over Ross Pond, north of Belleville, in the last few days. And a NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen today along the old railway bed near Benway Road, in Prince Edward County.
Elsewhere, numbers of late migrants and winter arrivals of ducks are beginning to build. On Monday, there were 250 AMERICAN COOTS, 17 RUDDY DUCKS, and one each of NORTHERN PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON and NORTHERN SHOVELER in the Bay of Quinte behind the A & P store in Trenton. Over 3,000 scaup, 1,500 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 315 BUFFLEHEAD, and 40 COMMON GOLDENEYES were checked off in the West Point area yesterday, and at the east end of Huff's Island Road there were 20 HOODED MERGANSERS, 30 MALLARDS and 2 REDHEADS on Tuesday. Up to five BRANT continue to loaf around on the shoals across from the banding station at the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, and there were another two at West Point today. Swans have been seen this past week at Consecon Lake (8) and at Sheba's Island (2), but it is not known at this time whether they were MUTE or TUNDRA.
Meanwhile, at Melville Road today, there were an estimated 2500-3000 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, and large numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS everywhere in any wooded area near Consecon Lake. A mixed flock of COMMON GRACKLES and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS at Bengill Road on Tuesday was estimated to number at least 1,000. There were three DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS still hanging around in the Wellington Harbour area on Monday, but small numbers of these birds well into November are not uncommon.
Shorebirds present this past week comprised 52 SANDERLINGS, 6 KILLDEER, and 2 DUNLIN at West Point yesterday. Birders should watch this area and Prince Edward Point for purple sandpipers during this month.
Other good sightings this past week included a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in the Woodland Campground area yesterday, AMERICAN KESTRELS at both Doxsee Road on Saturday and along Bengill Road on Friday (likely the same individual), a GREAT BLUE HERON at the Sheba's Island causeway today, a possible GRAY JAY near Roblin today, and 4 PURPLE FINCHES and 18 HORNED GREBES at Prince Edward Point on Tuesday.
The first birdfeeding seminar of the season presented by Quinte Conservation and co-sponsored by O'Neill's Farm Supply took place today at the Flipside Entertainment Centre in Napanee with 77 people attending. Next Sunday's seminar will be held at the Tip of the Bay Hotel and Marina in Picton, commencing at 2:00 p.m.
Our thanks to John Blaney, Don Craighead, Dick Bird, Matthew Hedges, Albert Boisvert, Lloyd Paul, and Cheryl Mound for their contributions to this week's report. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 12. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone !
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: large white bird posted by Bill K. on November 05, 2000 at 09:39:57:
That's all I can think of. Egrets don't usually fly in formation. Nice sighting!
09:15 Sunday 5 Nov.2000 I have just spotted 3 large white birds flying low on Lake Huron near Port Elgin. Large about the size of a great Blue Heron, flying low like Cormorants, all white from what I could see. About 500 to 600 yards off shore. Can anyone identify these ?
In Reply to: Pileated Woodpecker posted by Robyn Dowsett on February 10, 2000 at 08:32:40:
These are very distructive Birds. They have done a lot of damage to houses where I live (Minn). Reciently they gouged a 3" whole in my house stucco siding. I use red streamers to attempt to keep them away.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
To day on the Leslie st spit (Witch is found at the foot of Leslie st south of the Lake shore blvd.) their was a number of good birds but the hi lights wear owls. 1 Vary imm Snowy Owl and 2 Great Horned Owl 1 being the Subarcticus race this are vary pale owls showing little brown , also there was 1. N.Saw-whet Owl .
now with that sead I do not and will not tell wear on the Spit I see Owls , I don't mind telling that there their but in the past their has bin some vary ignorant birders and Photogiers ( if I offend any one pleas email me privet thank you ) that have gone out of their way to get a closer look not only putting stress on the Owl but braking branches and small Trees , I saw this happen to day ...gee is this not the reason we all have $1000.00 of dollars worth of optics around our necks .... Please Keep your distant will looking at Owls ... nothing changes if you get closer except you have to foacas closer.. thanks ..
all so seen to day L.T.Duck 4000, A.Pipits 4, N.Shrike 1 ,Tundra Swan 9 ( ? wear have they bin hiding) N Goshawk 1 , C Loon 10 , RT Loon 1
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Bluebird sighting posted by Murray Seymour on October 30, 2000 at 16:28:21:
Just to add to the consensus, I agree that this is not at all late for Eastern Bluebirds. Moreover, the location where you saw them has been reliable for them in late fall, at least for the past few years. This is, incidentally, the only area within the City of Toronto (to my knowledge) where bluebirds are nesting annually.
Marcel
In Reply to: Heerman's Gull posted by ray mitchell on October 30, 2000 at 08:52:19:
After seeing all the photos so far, I now fell that this is not the Toronto gull , this gull is going throw a molt right now wear the Toronto gull was not ,it had finish molting ..
Craig
In Reply to: Flocking starlings posted by Marcel Gahbauer on August 10, 2000 at 20:56:25:
I work at Lawrence and Dufferin and this is the first year that I have seen so many starlings (I presume that is what they are) roosting in the trees on our grounds. Two weeks ago I went into our landscaped area and parking lot on the south side of my office building. The birds were making a terrific noise and filled all of the trees on site (approx. 100) as well as roosting on the tops of buidings and advertising billboards. This evening (2 November at 4.30 p.m.) on looking out of my window I noticed them flocking onto the building and billboard across the street on the north side of our building. They have disappeared now (5.00 p.m.) presumably to go to the treed area.
I found this unusual enough to look for an explanation on the web and found this site. Is it unusual or have I just not noticed before? (I have worked in this office for 15 years)
In Reply to: Re: Heermann's Gull at Ft. Desoto, Florida - excellent photos available posted by Glenn Coady on November 01, 2000 at 09:48:25:
I hoop that other photos are posted I am still on the fence over wether this is the Toronto Gull or not but this are better than the first ..
As for banding the Toronto gull I tried to have this down and contacted many experts that have banned gulls in the past , including Heermanns gull all sead no that they dint want to get involved for fear of the fallout that may occur ..... To bad
Craig
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull posted by Glenn Coady on October 31, 2000 at 12:34:19:
Already the aging of the Heermann's Gull at Ft. Desoto in Florida is being questioned.
Decide for yourself.
Excellent photos by Lyn Atherton can be viewed at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~bonniedabird/Heermann.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~bonniedabird/Heermann2.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~bonniedabird/Heermann3.htm
Of course this little exercise would be superfluous if we had simply arranged to have someone like the Toronto Bird Observatory slip a little piece of numbered aluminum around one of those dark legs - hindsight is always 20/20 I guess. Perhaps if it puts in another appearance at Polson St. someday we could have another opportunity.
In Reply to: Heerman's Gull posted by ray mitchell on October 30, 2000 at 08:52:19:
Wes Biggs posted this discripshon in a emaill to J Irons and sent on to Me hope no one minds me ree posting it .... Craig
Wes Biggs >> > Florida Nature Tours, Orlando 407/363-1360 fnt@gdi.net >> >> Hi there Jean: >> >> Yes, I saw the Heermann's yesterday. It's not your bird I'm >> sorry to say, it is a classic first winter bird. It had a sort >> of dull pinkish flesh color on the base of the bill with a dark tip. >> The bill color could in NO way be described as "orangish". >> The plumage was a uniform dark brown, with NO white scapular >> crescent or creamy tertial crescent. The overall color was not >> the intense, rich dark brown of a second winter bird. Also I >> don't think the Florida bird was as tame (yet), as your bird. >> Good luck with locating your lost gull. I hope he is in as nice >> a place as Ontario. >> >> P.S. We should be able to get some photos on the net soon, >> >> Wes Biggs >> Florida Nature Tours, Orlando 407/363-1360 fnt@gdi.net
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull what age was that bird posted by Mark Cranford on October 31, 2000 at 19:51:46:
You must meen the Polson st or docks gull dont you ???? hahaha I dont think it ever got to the Knob hill this was a joke.....
Craig
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull posted by Norm Murr on October 31, 2000 at 17:58:08:
I have jist reseved Pictures of this gull and ther bouth from the front .... yes it is a Heerman's but ours ?????
dont no yet ..
Craig
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull posted by Glenn Coady on October 31, 2000 at 12:34:19:
I admit I did not pay a lot of attention to the Knob Hill bird. But there did not seem to be much variation in plumage between when I first saw the bird and the last time (not sure right now when my last viewing was). My impression was that this bird was in longterm 1st basic. Does anyone have any recent photos did it become second basic?? Are we sure this bird fit any formal plumage?
To paraphrase the good doctor from Star Trek "I'm a lister dammit not an ornithologist" and what are solitaires (Townsend's) doing in Ontario apple trees?
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull posted by Craig McLauchlan on October 30, 2000 at 21:25:18:
Of coarse if a picture were put on the internet I assume that Jean or Craig would recognise there own adopted little one !!!
In Reply to: Bluebird sighting posted by Murray Seymour on October 30, 2000 at 16:28:21:
Murray No Murray it is not late for Eastern Bluebirds as we are now right in the middle of their migration time and in fact it seems that the majority of them have not passed through the Toronto area yet. Watch for the big movements of American Robins and this will also be the time for E. Bluebird movement. Some of the bluebirds winter in Southern Ontario each year, usually south and west of Toronto but they are not unusual around here at this time of year. The only restrictions for them seem to be suitable habitat to come set down during their migration to rest and /or feed on berries, etc. This very last weekend I observed 29 of them with 21 being in the same flock, feeding, singing (yes singing) and generally goofing around. Norm Murr
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull posted by Dave Worthington on October 30, 2000 at 20:18:16:
This assumes that the just-discovered bird in Florida has been properly aged. Not always a safe assumption.
In Reply to: Bluebird sighting posted by Murray Seymour on October 30, 2000 at 16:28:21:
Hi Murray, It does seem a little late but Terry Sprague, in his weekly bird report from the Quinte area, tells of 10 Eastern Bluebirds being sighted on the 27th. Al
In Reply to: Trumpeters at Humber Bay posted by Joel Kits on October 29, 2000 at 18:11:31:
hanks for the post, Joel. I have passed your sighting on to Harry Lumsden, founder of the Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program. Al
In Reply to: Re: Pileated Woodpecker posted by Daryl Muz on May 03, 2000 at 01:18:47:
Just saw 2 Pileated Woodpeckers on an Oak tree in my front yard. I live in central Florida, are they rare for this area?
In Reply to: Re: Heerman's Gull posted by Dave Worthington on October 30, 2000 at 20:18:16:
is ther any photos or a websight for this Gull???
Craig
In Reply to: Heerman's Gull posted by ray mitchell on October 30, 2000 at 08:52:19:
A contributor to the Florida Hot Line says that the Heermann's Gull being seen there at Fort De Soto is a 1st winter. This would rule out it being our Toronto bird as it would be going into 2nd winter plumage
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Sighted 2 male, 1 juvenile bluebirds at the Rouge along the rail line nort of Bear Road landfill access road. I don't know if this is rare or unusual, I haven't personally seen a bluebird for 50 years. Seems a little late in the year.
In Reply to: Re: Looking for Common Redpolls and Snow Buntings posted by Hench on January 12, 2000 at 19:28:00:
This is cool site
1.-I wonder what the chances are the Heerman's in Florida-(see mail section birding on the net for florida) is our Toronto gull? 2.-Scietifically, is a tern a gull?
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Oct. 23 - Oct. 29, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
Saturday and Sunday were the highlights of the week. Strong winds from the general direction of north made for good numbers to be counted at High Park. Red-tailed hawks were the majority of birds as they came through in big numbers. The flight on the weekend began when the site opened and continued till close on both days. The other notable siting was 3 Immature Golden Eagles on Saturday. One correction should be noted. Last week an accounting error turned 6 Red-tailed hawks into Broad-winged hawks. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Oct. 23 - Oct. 29: Turkey Vulture 11, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 50, Cooper's Hawk 7, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 72, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 1,342, Rough-legged Hawk 3, Golden Eagle 3, American Kestrel 3, Merlin 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, Other 0, Unidentified 54, Total raptors 1,549.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,763, Osprey 40, Bald Eagle 98, Northern Harrier 46, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,352, Cooper's Hawk 92, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 158, Broad-winged Hawk 17,283, Red-tailed Hawk 2119, Rough-legged Hawk 12, Golden Eagle 15, American Kestrel 360, Merlin 24, Peregrine Falcon 25, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 1203, Total raptors 25,513.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, October 29, 2000
Birders from the Kingston and Picton areas today found a few things moving around at the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, mostly AMERICAN ROBINS. One such flock just east of the Ducks Dive Shoppe produced a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, the first to be seen in Prince Edward County since 1998. A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen west of the Ducks Dive where there was also a RED-TAILED HAWK. Another of the latter species was seen west of the banding station where also seen was a GREAT HORNED OWL and 8 PURPLE FINCHES. Prince Edward Point Harbour contained CANADA GEESE, GREAT BLUE HERON, 1 BLACK DUCK, 96 MALLARDS and one immature DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. Four BRANT were present for much of the morning on a point of land east of the banding station. The Point Traverse woods was quiet except for several isolated groups of DARK-EYED JUNCOS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Also present at Prince Edward Point today were LONG-TAILED DUCKS, HORNED GREBE, PINE SISKINS, MOURNING DOVES and EASTERN MEADOWLARKS.
The final tally for last weekend's NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL banding is as follows: Oct. 19th, 70 plus one recapture which had been banded in Pennsylvania on October 30, 1998. There was also 1 BARRED OWL banded. Oct. 20th - Only 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS were banded all night. Oct. 21 - Strong winds resulted in no owls being banded. Oct. 22 - 54 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS plus one recapture which had been banded in Minnesota on October 2, 1999 Oct. 23 - 10 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS banded.
On Friday, there were some 60 BONAPARTE'S GULLS hawking for ladybugs out of the air at Massassauga Point Conservation Area. Meanwhile at nearby Huff's Island Road, birder Dick Bird (no kidding) found a dead YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER and a dead COMMON MOORHEN late last week. Things were more promising however on the Point Petre Road where 10 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were seen today along with four RED-TAILED HAWKS. There were two COMMON SNIPE reported at the Sheba's Island causeway in West Lake on Monday. West Point at Sandbanks Provincial Park the same day produced a DUNLIN, 1 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, 6 SANDERLINGS, and 6 AMERICAN PIPITS.
There was a PILEATED WOODPECKER and 4 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS on the multi-use trail near Rawdon Creek, north of Belleville late last week. SNOW BUNTINGS have been seen at Prince Edward Point (2) on Monday, and Big Island (1) on Saturday. There was also a PECTORAL SANDPIPER at the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area on Monday.
Except for a PURPLE SANDPIPER at Presqu'ile Provincial Park on Thursday, the best shorebirding appeared to be east of Prince Edward County, in the Kingston area. Amherst Island last Saturday yielded observers 5 GOLDEN PLOVER, 20 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, 15 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 2 HUDSONIAN GODWITS, 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 4 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 4 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, all seen on the Kingston Field Naturalists property at the east end of the island. The two HUDSONIAN GODWITS wree still there on Thursday. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was also seen on the island last week, and another was at Point Petre in Prince Edward County today.
The NatureStuff website (address below) has been updated for the month of November with updates in the birding and bird feeding section along with new ideas on backyard naturalization. The Outdoor Rambles column this month talks about our successful pelagic trip to Main Duck Island on October 14th. This annual trip is so popular that next year's trip in October is now full ! However, anyone wishing to put their name on the waiting list for next year's trip ($60), please e-mail me immediately at the address below.
Our thanks to Cheryl Mound, Lloyd Paul, Wynne Thomas, Dick Bird, Ron Weir, Don Craighead, and the Kingston Field Naturalists for their contributions to this week's report. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 5th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Today at about 5 pm we saw two trumpeter swans in the water between the east and west parts of Humber Bay Park. One had no visible tag, the other had a wing tag #394. There was not much else around, but we did see 10 other waterfowl species and four merlin (all in the air together).
Good birding Joel Kits
Anyone still dragging a snow goose for the year should find one in the ponds going northbound on 407 just above the 403 interchange, between Dundas and Dixie. Also some roughlegs cruising around there in the mornings.
-Keegan
In Reply to: Re: High Park Raptor Watch - Thanks posted by Glenn Coady on October 24, 2000 at 09:26:26:
Great to read that your time was well spent at Hawk Hill in High Park. I think it is one of the goals of the Hawk Watch to be a welcoming place where non birders can find out more about migrating raptors. It is so pleasing that we have accomplished this for at least one person.
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Oct. 16 - Oct. 22, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
Sorry for the late report but I was busy moving from Sunday until 3am Tuesday. This was the week in which we think the large movement of buteos has started. On Saturday, October 21 Northwest winds inspired 37 Red-shouldered Hawks and 184 Red-tailed hawks to fly by High Park out of 362 total raptors. The other days with large numbers were Wednesday, October 18 when 345 raptors were counted including 191 Turkey vultures and 7 Golden Eagles and Thursday, October, 19 when 231 birds were counted, including 6 late Broad-winged hawks. On an otherwise slow Sunday, October 22 a single Common Raven was sighted. Lastly, this week we broke our previous single season total of total raptors of 23,232 set in 1998. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Oct. 16 - Oct. 22: Turkey Vulture 332, Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 1, Northern Harrier 6, Sharp-shinned Hawk 155, Cooper's Hawk 25, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 51, Broad-winged Hawk 7, Red-tailed Hawk 334, Rough-legged Hawk 5, Golden Eagle 10, American Kestrel 10, Merlin 4, Peregrine Falcon 1, Other 0, Unidentified 54, Total raptors 998.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,752, Osprey 40, Bald Eagle 98, Northern Harrier 44, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,302, Cooper's Hawk 85, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 86, Broad-winged Hawk 17,289, Red-tailed Hawk 771, Rough-legged Hawk 9, Golden Eagle 12, American Kestrel 357, Merlin 23, Peregrine Falcon 24, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 149, Total raptors 23,964.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
In Reply to: High Park Raptor Watch - Thanks posted by Mike Quigg on October 22, 2000 at 12:14:57:
What a nice post. I am sure you will always be welcome at Hawk Hill.
GC
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by George Daszkowski on April 20, 1999 at 09:53:04:
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by George Daszkowski on April 20, 1999 at 09:53:04:
There was a pileated woodpecker in my yard this past spring (May,2000) poking at a downed tree. What a sight! I live in Oswego, NY, on the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario. Have lived here 20 years and never saw one before or since. Have there been any other sightings in this area?
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, October 22, 2000
Quite a week in the Quinte and Prince Edward County area, and beyond. Starting the summary from outside the general reporting area, there was still an OSPREY hanging around the nest site at Third Depot Lake, northwest of Verona on Thursday. Also present around both Third and Fourth Depot Lakes were RED-TAILED HAWK, TURKEY VULTURE and GREAT BLUE HERON.
Other late records, this time in Prince Edward County, was a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at Point Petre on Wednesday, a MAGNOLIA WARBLER at West Point on Tuesday, and a SOLITARY VIREO, also at West Point on Friday, along with a PALM WARBLER.
EASTERN BLUEBIRDS this past week have been seen at Prince Edward Point last Sunday, and a flock of 20 on Monday in the Barry Heights subdivison area of Trenton. Birds at Massassauga Point on Monday included 50 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, 18 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, both WHITE-THROATED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, NORTHERN FLICKER, COMMON LOON, and AMERICAN ROBINS.
The West Point area in Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday produced 4 WINTER WRENS, 2 FOX SPARROWS, 2 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, one each of SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and RED-TAILED HAWK and 13 WILD TURKEYS. On Lake Ontario, there were 3 COMMON LOONS, 9 HORNED GREBES, 475 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 2 BLACK SCOTERS, 38 COMMON MERGANSERS, 125 BONAPARTE'S GULLS and 3 LITTLE GULLS. Four BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were also tallied, but the following day produced 30 SANDERLINGS, 6 DUNLIN and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER.
Notable waterfowl in the area this week have included BRANT in scattered flocks off Prince Edward Point (3 on the point opposite the banding station on Friday), LONG-TAILED DUCKS (Oldsquaw), 200 GREATER SCAUP in Soup Harbour, and 40 MALLARDS and two AMERICAN WIGEON at Peat's Point on Friday. There were also 2 RED-NECKED GREBES off Prince Edward Point a week ago today.
Owl banding at Prince Edward Point commenced Thursday and will continue through Tuesday. Under clear skies and winds from the northwest (ideal for saw-whet owls) a total of 71 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and 1 BARRED OWL were banded, but with shifting winds to the south the following night only 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS were banded, and none on Saturday.
Other interesting sightings around the Quinte area last week included a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Prinyer's Cove on Friday, GREAT HORNED OWLS at both Big Island and Prince Edward Point, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS at Peat's Point on Friday, and 30 SANDERLINGS and 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS at Pleasant Bay on Wednesday.
Our thanks to John Charlton, Don Craighead, David Bree, Doris Lane, Lloyd Paul, Wynne Thomas, the Kingston Field Naturalists and Todd Norris for their contributions to this week's report. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 29th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www,naturestuff.net
This afternoon (Oct 21) there were 19 Pectoral and 2 White-rumped Sandpipers at the north end of Pickering's Frenchman's Bay. At first glance it looked like there were at least twice as many shorebirds present, but the others were actually all Green-winged Teal probing the mudflats for food.
Over at Corner Marsh the only shorebirds I could see were 3 Killdeer. Ducks there included Pintail, Wigeon, Shoveler, Gadwall (the most abundant by far), Mallard, Black Duck, Common Merganser, and more Green-winged Teal. There were 16 Great Blue Herons along the north shore - a surprisingly low number for here at this time of year.
Good birding,
Marcel Gahbauer
Sorry to take up this post, But I really wanted to Thank the people at High Park yesterday for making my day. I went to High Park for a drive with my dog, as I got out of the car, I seen all these people standing on the hill with binoculars, I went to see what they were watching. I was amazed at what I learned as my dog and I sat there, and watched these beautiful hawks glide over. I wished I had my binoculars, As they counted the different kind of hawks, and vulture's that whould pass by. It was very exciting And I never new that they migrated around the lake until yesterday. I left High Park like an excited little boy, running home to tell everyone what I did that afternoon. It really made my week. I'm not sure if I will get to go back to High Park before they all migrate. But I wanted to Thank All the people that were there for teaching me something new. Mike Quigg
Again Stan Bajurny and I motored on twards the Long Point area and again here are some of the highlights of the 69 species seen.
Pied-billed Grebe - 78. Ruddy Duck - 1181. Mute Swan - 81. Tundra Swan - 23 (including immatures). Great Blue Heron - 21. Great Egret - 8. American Bittern - 1. Rough-legged Hawk - 4. American Coot - 1200+. Sandhill Crane - 27. Common Snipe - 18. Greater Yellowlegs - 43. Lesser Yellowlegs - 54. Dunlin - 116. Black-bellied Plover - 142. Killdeer - 13. Bonaparte's Gull - 63. Little Gull - 10. Eastern Bluebird - 11 ( all males).
Norm Murr
Hi everyone! I am going to Panama City Beach, Florida in 2 weeks and wanted to know what the birding is like there. I have never been to Florida so expect to see birds I won't recognize. I bought the new Sibley's guide-- it's great. Thanks Glenn for posting about it. Can anybody tell me what to expect? Thanks.
On Sat.,Oct.14,2000 Stan Bajurny and I drove on down to the Long Point area again and the following are some of the high lights of the 83 species seen on our trip.
- Pied-billed Grebe - 102 - Ruddy Duck - 500+ - Mute Swan - 131 - Tundra Swan - 9 - American Wigeon - 350+ - Green-winged Teal - 800+ - Ring-necked Duck - 50+ - Great Egret - 9 - Green Heron - 1 - Sandhill Crane - 12 - American Coot - 1200+ - Greater Yellowlegs - 27 - Lesser Yellowlegs - 55 - Long-billed Dowitcher - 8 - White-rumped Sandpiper - 1 - Dunlin - 500+ - Hudsonian Godwit - 1 - Black-bellied Plover - 350+ - Bonaparte's Gull - 129 - Little Gull - 5 - Caspian Tern - 7 - Forster's Tern - 16 - American Pipit - 34 - all in same small field. - Eastern Bluebird - 3 - Savannah Sparrow - 29 - all together on edge of same small field that the A. Pipits were in. - Eastern Meadowlark - 6 - together
Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON NORMURR@SYMPATICO.CA
In Reply to: Van Wagners Beach,Burlington,Oct.15,2000 posted by Norm Murr on October 16, 2000 at 03:59:14:
Some more high lights from Van Wagners Beach. This time on Monday, October 16,2000
Brant - 348, Scaup - 1000+, Oldsquaw - 4000+, Black Scoter - 2, White-winged Scoter - 17, Peregrine Falcon - 1, Sanderling - 7, Iceland Gull - 1, Pomerine Jaeger - 5, Parasitic Jaeger - 16 Unidentified Jaegers - 3 Red-throated Loon - 2 Common Loon - 17 Northern Mockingbird - 1
Norm Murr
In Reply to: Van Wagners Beach,Burlington,Oct.15,2000 posted by Norm Murr on October 16, 2000 at 03:59:14:
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
As predicted by the above Toronto birder today at Van Wagner's beach was fantastic ( well good) I arrived at 9:30 and stayed until 1:30 and this report is only what I saw , others saw more , Com.Loon 17 ,Red T Loon 3, Brant 348, Can Goose 22 ,W W Scoter 21 , Surf Scoter 1 , Black Scoter 2 , L.T.Duck (Oldsquaw) 1000+ ,?scaup 2000+, Parasitic Jaeger 10, Pomarine Jaeger 4 , ? Jaeger 2 , Iceland gull 1 imm , N Mockingbird ( it wouldn't be Van wagner's with out a Mockingbird) and 1 imm Female Peregrine Falcon .
Not bad for a Monday too bad I have to go back to work tomorow.......
Location thanks too Thomas A. Crooks
: Van Wagner's Beach (Hutch's restaurant): Heading towards Niagara on the QEW, take the skyway bridge and exit at Woodward ave. and double back under the expressway and take the Beach road which is a right turn at the first light. From Niagara, take Hwy 20 (Centennial parkawy) and travel along the lakeside past Centennial park to the beach area.
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
This Saturday, October 14th, as part of a swing through many sites in northern Durham region, Leslie Johnston and I discovered a juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher in the easternmost pond at the Nonquon sewage lagoons. It was with a Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 Dunlin and 3 juvenile Least Sandpipers.
Key to its identification are: the plain gray tertials with very fine rufous edgings with no internal markings; the predominantly dark tail which contrasted strikingly with the white rump and lower back which formed a small white triangular patch above the much darker tail; the gray foreneck and upper breast; the scapulars with large unbroken dark centres and thin bright rufous edges; the extraordinarily long bill even for a Long-billed Dowitcher (between 3.0 and 3.5 loral distances, closer to the latter); the "keek, keek" vocalization each time it flushed; not to mention the date on that morning's newspaper. I understand it was still present yesterday.
Also still present, and to our astonishment still singing, was a Marsh Wren. We also saw 115 Bonaparte's Gulls there and 23 Northern Pintail.
At the Beaverton sewage lagoon we saw 134 Lesser Scaup and a single Oldsquaw as well as 2 Eastern Meadowlarks.
GC
Some highlights for Sunday off and at the beach in a steady easterly wind.
Double-crested Cormorant - 167 Brant - 266 - with bulk sitting close in on lake after 4pm Scaup = 500+ Oldsquaw - 2000+ Surf Scoter - 11 White-wunged Scoter - 37 Merlin - 1 Sanderling - 3 Dunlin - 42 Red-necked Phalarope - 1 Bonaparte's Gull - 112 Pomarine Jaeger - 4 Parasitic Jaeger - 16 - most after 3:30pm Unidentified Jaeger species - 4
All in all a good day with more easterly winds today - Monday Norm Murr
In Reply to: High Park Raptor Watch - Oct.9-15 posted by Howard Shapiro on October 15, 2000 at 22:20:44:
Hi, sorry for the mistake. The Total Raptors seen so far should be 22,966.
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Oct. 9 - Oct. 15, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
This week's pattern was the reverse from last week's. On Monday we counted 960 Turkey Vultures topping the 846 the day before and setting an all time high for our site (previous high was 930 on Oct. 3, 1996). However, the rest of the week was very quiet. Of the 1,705 raptors seen this week, 1280 were seen on Monday, Oct. 9. The only other busy day was Wednesday Oct. 11 when 355 birds were counted including 151 Turkey Vultures and 145 Sharp-shinned Hawks. The other highlight of the week was the first two Golden Eagles of the season for our watch. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Oct. 9 - Oct. 15: Turkey Vulture 1,118, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 279, Cooper's Hawk 15, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 20, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 207, Rough-legged Hawk 3, Golden Eagle 2, American Kestrel 29, Merlin 5, Peregrine Falcon 1, Other 0, Unidentified 25, Total raptors 1,705.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 2,420, Osprey 39, Bald Eagle 18, Northern Harrier 38, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2,145, Cooper's Hawk 60, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 35, Broad-winged Hawk 17,282, Red-tailed Hawk 437, Rough-legged Hawk 4, Golden Eagle 2, American Kestrel 347, Merlin 19, Peregrine Falcon 23, Other(Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 95, Total raptors 21,261.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
Friday morning (Oct. 13) I noticed two birds in Lake Ontario that had all black heads and necks and looked to be slightly bigger than Mallards. Unfortunately, this was from the upper deck of a moving GO train with the sun behind the birds so I couldn't really tell what they were.
Today (Sun, Oct. 15) I was again taking the train downtown and saw the two birds again with much better lighting. The heads and neck appeared all black (approx. 75 feet with no binos from a moving train) and the back was brown like a Canada Goose. When the two birds startled at the train and took off there was a very obvious white V going from the wings to the tail. The birds are slightly biger than mallards but not by much. If they aren't Brant Geese, I have no clue what they are.
The unfortunate part is that the location I've seen them is along the shore of Lake Ontario between Port Union Road and Highland Creek. This stretch has no access unless you wish to take your life into your hands and trespass along a busy section of train tracks. The area is just west of Rouge Hill GO station. Your best bet is to catch the train between Rouge Hill and Guildwood and hope you get very, very lucky. If you do spot them from the train, you get about 3 to 5 seconds to look at them.
Cheers, Chris
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, October 15, 2000
All kinds of good birds last week, and all kinds of neat places from which they were viewed. Wynne Thomas of Point Petre, while aboard a grain carrier heading down the lake on Tuesday had some company about a mile off shore from Main Duck Island. Two BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS, 1 MAGNOLIA WARBLER and 2 DARK-EYED JUNCOS flitted around the ship for about an hour before disappearing again over the lake.
Main Duck Island is located about 12 miles off the south-eastern tip of Prince Edward Point. During a pelagic trip there yesterday, organized by Quinte Conservation, 46 species of birds were checked off. Within a half hour (the boat trip to the island takes 2 hours), a PARASITIC JAEGER was seen barreling through a flock of cormorants and gulls off the tip of Swetman Island, thanks to the sharp eyes of Margaret Bain of Cobourg who was with our group of 11 birders. Other highlights on the trip included 1 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 1 NORTHERN HARRIER, 2 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 1 COMMON TERN (late), 300 MALLARDS at the lighthouse, 6 AMERICAN WIGEON, 4 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 6 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, 4 BROWN CREEPERS, 1 GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER (late), 30 EASTERN PHOEBES, 2 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, 150 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 1 FIELD SPARROW, 3 AMERICAN PIPITS, 1 HERMIT THRUSH, 3 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, and a female BLACK SCOTER (at Prince Edward Point).
Birder Bruce Ripley, birding Prince Edward Point on Saturday found 6 HORNED GREBES, 300 GREATER SCAUP, 2 OLDSQUAW and 2 MUTE SWANS. On Amherst Island, he found 1 HUDSONIAN GODWIT, 6 GOLDEN PLOVERS, 30 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 3 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 40 DUNLIN, 1 immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.
There was a DUNLIN at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday, but the best viewing was at West Point where large numbers of WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, COMMON MERGANSERS and SURF SCOTERS were tallied. There were 5 AMERICAN WIGEON and 48 MALLARDS at Peat's Point Thursday.
Birders wishing for one last look at RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS before winter sets in are advised to drive to Black River in the vicinity of the cheese factory where a flock of 1,000 has been present since Monday. Another flock of BRANT (15) was seen flying off the tip of Big Island this morning, likely part of the same group of 33 that passed over the same area last Sunday. Other good sightings this past week included 10 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS frequenting one yard in the Waupoos area, and four WINTER WRENS at the Prince Edward Point harbour yesterday.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 22nd. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: Hamilton Jaeger's posted by Craig McLauchlan on October 05, 2000 at 16:38:35:
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
I am not sheer why I haven't seen this posted on Ont.Birds ( maybe to busy playing in hollywood north ) but Carol and I jist came back from seeing the imm. Brant at Sunny side Beach hear in Toronto , Sunny side is found jist south of High Park off of the Lake shore Blvd. west, the Brant was jist west of the Breyer's ice cream stand you have to look around from three we saw it in the water ..
I don't no how long it has bin there (or hear) but no that many of the top Toronto birders have seen it .....
best of luck I hope it stays around
o and P/S I had a new back yard Bird for North Toronto this week along with the E.Screech owl calling a Long-Eared Owl was heard one night .... must be fall
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Guaranteed (almost) Mockingbirds posted by Dave Bailey on October 14, 2000 at 11:28:08:
I obviously need another coffee. In future I'll try not to post the same message twice.
I know they're not all that uncommon, but there are still people like me who will go out of their way to see these birds, often thought of as southern species. And it gives me a chance to insert a SHAMELESS PLUG. If you want to see a resident pair of mockingbirds then go to the TORONTO AEROSPACE MUSEUM, 65 Carl Hall Rd., on the old Downsview Airbase. Stand with your back to the entrance doors and look in the bushes to your left across the road, and you may be rewarded. Then turn around and head inside. We are still very much a 'work in progress', and admission is by voluntary donation. Birders welcome!
I know they're not all that uncommon, but there are still people like me who will go out of their way to see these birds, often thought of as southern species. And it gives me a chance to insert a SHAMELESS PLUG. If you want to see a resident pair of mockingbirds then go to the TORONTO AEROSPACE MUSEUM, 65 Carl Hall Rd., on the old Downsview Airbase. Stand with your back to the entrance doors and look in the bushes to your left across the road, and you may be rewarded. Then turn around and head inside. We are still very much a 'work in progress', and admission is by voluntary donation. Birders welcome!
We went down to Humber Bay East on Monday. There wasn't a lot of activity, but it was still quite nice. We saw: both kinglets 2 goldeneye, 1 g. scaup, 2 shoveller, 2 black duck, plus plenty of canada geese, mallards, wigeons white throated, white crowned, field, and song sparrows 4 rusty blackbirds 1 pewee
Good birding Joel Kits
In Reply to: Re: Birding Periodicals posted by Raymond Mitchell on November 04, 1999 at 14:50:52:
I Can Draw Birds.
Antonio Pasquale Raco Traditional and Digital Illustrator
E-mail Address: cirellaraco@hotmail.com
Please accept this letter as request for a portfolio interview. I have over 15 years of experience working as an artist with a strong concept in inventing unique designs and illustrations using traditional methods.
Through my experience as a Traditional Illustrator I have composed many drawings suitable for editor ial work. As a Graphic Design Artist I have create d logos and illustrations using PhotoShop and Illustrator. For Toronto Image Works, which is a school and a service bureau, I composed a painting of a fish that they will be using on their new postcards. At Mcrae Imaging I designed a new company logo and business card for them. The All Nations Flag Company employed me to compose many Illustrations for their flags,banners and hardware .For Michael Rosenberg, The Flexible Thinker, I have completed a Graphic that will soon be appearing on his website along with my trade mark. My objective is to provide traditional or digital illustrations for any business. I have successfully completed a course in Digital Publishing & Imaging at Toronto Image Works.
I look forward to hearing from you to further discuss my qualifications and how they may match your company or other companies that you may know of. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Antonio Pasquale Raco
In Reply to: High Park Raptor Watch Oct.2 -8 posted by Howard Shapiro on October 08, 2000 at 23:23:49:
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Oct. 2 - Oct. 8, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
What started out as a fairly quiet week ended today with a large movement of Turkey Vultures with a good mix of other raptors thrown into the bargain, including our seasons first Rough-legged hawk. The 846 Turkey vultures seen today are the second highest one day total in the eight year history of our sight. Also counted today were 228 Sharp-shinned hawks, 11 Red-shouldered hawks, 96 Red-tailed and 1,224 total raptors of 11 species. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Oct. 2 - Oct. 8: Turkey Vulture 950, Osprey 2, Bald Eagle 2, Northern Harrier 3, Sharp-shinned Hawk 473, Cooper's Hawk 17, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 11, Broad-winged Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 128, Rough-legged Hawk 1, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 54, Merlin 4, Peregrine Falcon 22, Other (Swainson's Hawk) 0, Unidentified 19, Total raptors 1,672.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 1.302, Osprey 39, Bald Eagle 18, Northern Harrier 37, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1,866, Cooper's Hawk 245, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 15, Broad-winged Hawk 17,282, Red-tailed Hawk 230, Rough-legged Hawk 1, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 318, Merlin 14, Peregrine Falcon 22, Other 1, Unidentified 70, Total raptors 21,261.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Oct. 2 - Oct. 8, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
What started out as a fairly quiet week ended today with a large movement of Turkey Vultures with a good mix of other raptors thrown into the bargain, including our seasons first Rough-legged hawk. The 846 Turkey vultures seen today are the second highest one day total in the eight year history of our sight. Also counted today were 228 Sharp-shinned hawks, 11 Red-shouldered hawks, 96 Red-tailed and 1,224 total raptors of 11 species. Our totals this far are:
Species....................Oct. 8.....Oct. 2 - Oct. 8....Year to Date Turkey Vulture................846............846................1,302 Osprey..........................-..............2...................39 Bald Eagle......................1..............2...................18 Northern Harrier................1..............3...................37 Sharp-Shinned Hawk............228............473................1,866 Cooper's Hawk...................7.............17...................45 Northern Goshawk...............................-....................1 Red-shouldered Hawk............11.............11...................15 Broad-winged Hawk...............1............. 1...............17,282 Red-tailed Hawk................96............128..................230 Rough-legged Hawk...............1..............1....................1 Golden Eagle....................-..............-....................- American Kestrel...............54.............54..................318 Merlin..........................1..............4...................14 Peregrine Falcon................2..............7...................22 Other(Swainson's Hawk)..........-..............-....................1 Unidentified...................14.............19...................70 Total.......................1,224..........1,672...............21,261
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 metres above sea level and 38 metres above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8 seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the centre of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993.
The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
-- Howard Shapiro email: howard.shapiro@utoronto.ca
Dear Fellow Birders
Hello went down to the spit today and while there wasn't a lot of birds present there were enough to keep me happy. There were a few Yellow-rump Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, as well as a Palm Warbler. Also there was a B-C Night-heron, 5 Coots, Pintail, both Scaup, R-N Ducks, Redhead, Oldsquaw, Shoveller, Bufflehead, and Green-winged Teal. At the blue box there was a large number of W-T, Song, and Swamp Sparrows, and 2 Monarch Butterflies!, but also of note was that when I was out there there was ice pellets and a few flakes of snow coming down, and its only the first week of October! Also of note, when I got to the base of the spit I noticed a large number of Turkey Vultures migrating by, I ended up counting 135 in about 15 minutes (3:20-3:35) and they were still coming, I would love to see how many the High Park hawk-watch got today.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, October 08, 2000
' Tis the season for YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in the Quinte area. Yesterday and today they seemed to be the predominant bird wherever one went this weekend to bird. Other warblers are around, too. There was a NORTHERN PARULA and a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER at Massassauga Point Conservation Area last Sunday, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER and PALM WARBLER in the West Point area on Tuesday, and a NASHVILLE WARBLER in the Richardson's Campground at Sandbanks Provincial Park yesterday. Also present in the campground were 2 WINTER WRENS, 1 BROWN CREEPER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, both GOLDEN-CROWNED and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and in one area of tense tangles and trees, at least 5 NORTHERN CARDINALS.
West Point yesterday had 7 HORNED GREBES and about 30 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Don Craighead, birding the same area on Tuesday, managed to find 21 HORNED GREBES, 2 SURF SCOTERS, 108 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and 2 COMMON MERGANSERS. Also seen in the area were FIELD SPARROW, 2 HOUSE WRENS, 2 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS and 1 BLUE-HEADED VIREO.
TURKEY VULTURES were also on the move this weekend with 12 being seen circling over the Cedar Sands Trail at Sandbanks yesterday, and another 40 to 50 observed over Smith's Bay, a few miles north of the park.
There was a moulting male HARLEQUIN DUCK at Presqu'ile Provincial Park last Sunday. Today, 33 BRANT were observed in flight over the east end of Big Island, a rather early date in this area for such a number. While RUFFED GROUSE may be encountered wherever one walks in wooded areas, birder Lloyd Paul was startled to find one nonchalantly perched on a telephone wire along Highway 62 this morning. Other interesting sightings this past week included a HERMIT THRUSH and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area yesterday, and an OSPREY found dead along Black River on Monday.
The NatureStuff web page has been updated for the month of October with updated information on backyard naturalization, what birds to expect in the area this month, birdfeeding suggestions and a feature on West Point under Birding Opportunities in the area. There is a new column on fall colour, along with six new owl photos in the bird gallery. Have a look see. Now that we have our own domain, a much shorter address to remember (see below), although the old address will still work.
Those people who have signed up for the birding boat cruise to Main Duck Island this coming Saturday will be contacted later this week for confirmation of details. Plans are also under way right now for the November birdfeeding workshops taking place this year in Picton, Madoc, Belleville, Napanee and the Brighton area.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 15th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
In Reply to: New Sibley Guide to Birds available today posted by Glenn Coady on October 03, 2000 at 12:03:30:
all I can say is WOW WOW WOW I bout 2 ..
Craig
In Reply to: New Sibley Guide to Birds available today posted by Glenn Coady on October 03, 2000 at 12:03:30:
The book is available from Chapters.ca through the Internet, search for ISBN 0679451226. Shipping costs about $5. Chapters quotes 3 to 5 week delivery, it may be a default, because the stores have lots of copies.
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
This mooring will standing waiting for the N/E winds to pick up ( witch they dint) I got good yet long looks at 2 Long Tailed Jaeger's, dark and 1 light Parasitic Jaeger, witch jest goes to prove what the good birders In Hamilton have bin telling me for years ..... "You don't need strong East winds (all though it helps) you jest need hungry Jaeger's " I am glad I asked ..
Van Wagner's beach is found east of the QEW on Lakeshore rd or Beach blved look for Huces restaurant
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Re: Rattray Marsh Pileated Woodpeckers posted by Alison King on May 18, 1999 at 10:53:03:
I was walking up to my garage and some bright red and black color, and it was approximently 2 feet long and it had a jet black body, with a part white head with a bright red spikey thing on his head also.......I think it was feeding on termites on a dead log. Then a few days later The same woodpecker showed up again!!! I think it is a really beautiful bird.
After spending the mooring looking for Boreal owl's in most of the saw-whet owl areas with out luck hear in the Toronto area , I decide to on the bass of the Leslie st spit to see if their was anything around and I am glad I did .... their was a good fall out of Warbler's starting with 3 Palm's ,1 Golden winged , 7 Y.R.Warbler's and both B.T.Blue and B.T.Green also seen their wear 10 Rusty Blackbirds ,1 Kestrel, 1 Cooper's hawk and 9 S.H.Hawk's wear counted flying by but my favourite was a Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher witch sat in front of me for 11 minutes not 6 feet of the ground nock out looks ..
the Leslie st spit is found south of Lake shore blvd. east at the foot of Leslie st , the spit is closed to Birders throw the week but the bass is opine all of the above wear seen in the west woods and the swamp .
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
Fellow birders,
I just got a look at the new Sibley Guide to Birds last night (It should be avalable widely today). As predicted this guide is a quantum leap better than any guide to North American Birds I have yet seen.
The guide covers 810 species (thus leaving out many of the accidentals covered in the National Geographic Guide unfortunately). It also deals extensively with most geographic subspecies/populations, morphs and many hybrids.
Overall the plates are universally excellent across all bird families, with multiple illustrations of most species to show gender-based, geographic and seasonal plumage variation (i.e 12 Western Gulls depicted, 12 Whimbrel, 20 Parasitic Jaegers, 8 Whitebreasted Nuthatch, etc.)
The range maps are quite good, including extralimital occurrences and migration corridors, but species with limited ranges are unfortunately still depicted on N. America-wide maps losing any semblance of detail. Canadian ranges of birds are not quite as accurate as U.S. ranges in my experience.
There is a much beefier treatment of voice vs. the NGS guide.
Virtually all species are depicted in flight, both at the top of a wingbeat (underwing) and the bottom (upperwing) - a nice touch!
For such a large guide the text is sparser than I would have liked, Sibley preferring to put most of the text information in point form around the plates themselves to point out field characters.
That a single author/artist could produce so vast and comprehensive a work (6600+ illustrations alone)is truly staggering.
The one knock against this guide is that it is not (and does not purport to be) a FIELD guide - not unless you go into the field with luggage. This guide is 6.5" x 9.75" x 1.4" thick (544 pages). If that is its greatest weakness though it is scarcely a problem - for this level of detail is well worth enduring such a bulky guide.
It has a good index, and an excellent treatment of bird topography and molt.
It is bound well with a hybrid flexi-cover (not truly a hard cover or soft cover) with flaps on both front and back covers to use like bookmarks/page dividers.
Bravo to the National Audubon Society for sponsoring such a triumphant achievement and to Alfred A. Knopf publishers for such an excellent job of printing and binding.
Price is $35.00 U.S. / $53.00 CDN
I highly recommend this book - it is destined to swell the ranks of excellent field birders.
I'd give it a 9.8 out of 10.
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, October 01, 2000
Shorebirds, swallows, warblers, and even a few special birds to cap off the sightings of this past week. Warblers are still passing through with YELLOW-RUMPED being the predominant species, along with isolated sightings of BLACK-THROATED GREEN at Peat's Point, BLACK-THROATED BLUE at West Point, and PALM WARBLERS at Big Island. Don Craighead, birding the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area at Kingston came up with NASHVILLE, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW-RUMPED, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, PINE, PALM, BLACKPOLL, and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS on Tuesday, with the highlight being a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.
There was a flock of 100 TREE SWALLOWS at Highway 62 and Huff's Island Road from Monday through today. This sizable flock has been around for several days and has also been seen skimming the waters of Muscote Bay and the Sawguin Creek. A BARN SWALLOW was also seen with the group today along Huff's Island Road. The waters of the county have been producing other interesting birds too including a GREAT EGRET halfway down the West Lake sandbar at Sandbanks Provincial Park last weekend, and three GREEN HERONS prancing about on a lawn at Lake-on-the-Mountain. There was an AMERICAN BITTERN at the Big Island Marsh on Thursday, and a flock of 125 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS near the corner of Marsh Road and Massassauga Road.
Lake Ontario at West Point on Monday turned up a nice flock of 101 HORNED GREBES, 2 COMMON LOONS, 46 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and a SURF SCOTER. Also seen in the West Point and West Lake Sector sand bar area were 61 TURKEY VULTURES, a NORTHERN HARRIER, 10 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, 3 COOPER'S HAWKS, 8 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 3 AMERICAN KESTRELS, 4 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, 6 EASTERN WOOD PEWEES, 2 RED-EYED VIREOS, 805 BLUE JAYS, 36 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, 32 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, 22 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and a DARK-EYED JUNCO.
A small flock of SANDERLINGS has been present along the beaches of Sandbanks for much of the week ranging in size from about 15 to 30. In addition to those, Park Naturalist David Bree found on Monday, a LEAST SANDPIPER, 1 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, 3 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 3 KILLDEER and 3 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. While canoeing the Outlet River its entire length and into East Lake until turned away by a duck hunter poised in a duck blind, we found 1 HORNED GREBE, 1 GREAT BLUE HERON, and a GRAY CATBIRD in the area of the wood yard. Upon arriving at our campsite a NORTHERN GOSHAWK passed overhead, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER serenaded us repeatedly for four straight days. Unlike other years when screech owls would lull us to sleep, none turned up this year, but a GREAT HORNED OWL called nightly from the Woodland Campground forest. This area also produced 7 WILD TURKEYS. While kayaking the Lake Ontario shoreline from West Point to the Outlet River Mouth, I came upon a HERRING GULL feasting on what appeared to be the carcass of a carp. Standing motionless behind the gull in an almost fan shape were a RING-BILLED GULL, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, COMMON CROW and a TURKEY VULTURE as they patiently waited their turn at the special of the day.
Other interesting finds this past week included a BOREAL OWL at Newburg on Friday, COMMON MOORHENS at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area on Tuesday, a WESTERN KINGBIRD at Big Creek Road in the Kingston area, 3 late BOBOLINKS on Amherst Island and a EURASIAN WIGEON at Wolfe Island on Thursday.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 8th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: September 25 - Oct. 1, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
This was a quiet week compared to the previous two weeks with 418 raptors counted this week. About half of the birds observed this week were on Thursday, September 28 when 226 total raptors were observed of which 163 were Turkey Vultures. Since then only 15 raptors have been observed. However, with bit of luck and the right weather large numbers of Turkey Vultures should be passing our site sometime over the next two weeks. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Sept. 10 -17: Turkey Vulture 192, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 3, Northern Harrier 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 139, Cooper's Hawk 5, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 18, Red-tailed Hawk 27, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 18, Merlin 1, Peregrine Falcon 4, Other (Swainson's Hawk) 0, Unidentified 8, Total raptors 418.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 352, Osprey 37, Bald Eagle 16, Northern Harrier 34, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1,392, Cooper's Hawk 28, Northern Goshawk 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 4, Broad-winged Hawk 17,281, Red-tailed Hawk 102, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 261, Merlin 10, Peregrine Falcon 15, Other 1, Unidentified 50, Total raptors 19,584.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
In Reply to: monarch butterfly migration posted by Eglantina Canales on September 07, 1999 at 23:16:20:
i want info on monarch buterfly migration....just basic facts please....for a school report
This Saturday, September 30th, I will be leading a Jim Baillie Memorial outing on behalf of the Toronto Ornithological Club to the Leslie St. Spit at 8:00 a.m.
This all-day outing is free to all those interested. Pack a lunch and plenty of enthusiasm and come on out and join us.
GC
In Reply to: monarch butterfly migration posted by Eglantina Canales on September 07, 1999 at 23:16:20:
ghdfzngwerzdnhtrsfgyheardbreadftgerdf
On Saturday September 23, 2000 I was leading an outing for the Citizens Concerned with the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront at Colonel Samuel Smith park.
We began just as the heavy overnight rains were subsiding only to give way to fairly dense fog out at the point.
We did manage to see a few interesting sights including:
A juvenile Black-bellied Plover with two juvenile American Golden-Plover.
No less than 19 Northern Mockingbirds!!! Including 9 birds together on one fence. A new peak count for the Greater Toronto Area. It must have been a very productive local breeding season.
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, September 24, 2000
A rather busy week in the Quinte area, with a few interesting sightings showing up. On a scheduled Quinte Conservation tour of Algonquin Park on Saturday, we decided to check out the old airfield and try our luck in finding the SAY'S PHOEBE that turned up a day earlier. We failed in our efforts but did manage to find PALM WARBLERS, COMMON RAVENS and AMERICAN PIPITS before resuming our tight schedule.
Closer to home, a canoe paddle through the Sawguin Marsh dredging project in Muscote Bay on Friday while on a fish sampling project turned up large numbers of ducks including BLACKS, MALLARDS, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, and a WOOD DUCK . Also seen were GREEN HERON, GREAT BLUE HERON, SWAMP SPARROW and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. A lone COMMON TERN was also seen and it, or another, was observed the following day at Big Island, a few kilometres to the east. Also present skimming low over the waters of Muscote Bay for most of the morning was a flock of 75 TREE SWALLOWS. And we DID find some fish.......
Shorebirds at Presqu'ile Provincial Park on Friday included BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, and BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. A MERLIN was also seen.
Don Craighead, birding the sand bar and West Point area of Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday found 5 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 14 SANDERLINGS, a LEAST SANDPIPER and a LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Warbler species included a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, 5 PALM WARBLERS and a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. Also seen was a PHILADELPHIA VIREO, 1 EASTERN WOOD PEWEE, 25 NORTHERN FLICKERS and 20 CEDAR WAXWINGS.
Birding the Sandbanks dunes and panne area this morning, Don found a heavy movement of BLUE JAYS (2,200) and SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS (46) in progress, but also managed to chalk up 11 TURKEY VULTURES, 2 NORTHERN HARRIERS, a COOPER'S HAWK and a MERLIN. Warblers included BLACK-THROATED GREEN (3), PALM (11), MOURNING (1), and WILSON'S (1).
Some good birds on Monday at Prince Edward Point were 12 HORNED GREBE, BALD EAGLE, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, WINTER WREN, and YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER and 2 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES. There was an early male OLDSQUAW still in summer plumage by the Prince Edward Point lighthouse. One can't help but wonder if this is not the same individual we saw on July 31st in South Bay.
The Prince Edward County NatureStuff website now has a new, much shorter address: www.naturestuff.net. However, the site has been designed so that the old address will continue to work for those who already have it bookmarked. October updates will be online by next Sunday.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 1st. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.naturestuff.net
A few brave and dedicated members of the Peel Birding Class met at Humber Bay this morning but moved on to a local Tim's to wait out the rain. After returning to the parking area at about 845am we searched without success for the Stilt and Pectoral Sandpipers seen a few days earlier. We did see numerous Killdeer and a Sora Rail on the mudflats SE of the walking bridge. In spite of the fog, we managed to find a Catbird and 5 species of warblers(Common Yellowthroat, Palm, Cape May, Magnolia, and Nashville)in the trees surrounding the west parking area. After a Belted Kingfisher flew by we decided to call it an early day and made plans for the next weekend with fingers crossed.Peel Birding Class
This morning (Thursday, Sept.,21,2000) at 9:54 am I observed an adult light phase Swainson's Hawk very low over the railway tracks at the pedestrian crossing between Weldrick Road E. and the western end of Hillsview Drive. This bird provided a 5 minute steller view as it circled over me. Norm Murr
Yesterday, I saw about 7 hummingbird in High Park. When will they leave Canada to go south? Shouldn't they be gone already?
Good birding,
Mark
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: September 10 - 17, 2000. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, J. Coey, H. Currie, N. McHugh, & H. Shapiro.
This was one of the more exceptional weeks in the history of the High Park Raptor watch. Strong northwest winds and a cold front on Friday and Saturday brought record numbers of Broad-winged Hawks. On Friday, September 15 we had 10,399 Broad-winged hawks and 10,920 Total raptors, both single day records in the 8 year history of the watch by far (the previous 1 day record for Broad-winged Hawks- 4,802 - was set last year). On Saturday, September 16 another 3,298 Broad-winged Hawks were were recorded bringing our seasonal total for this species to 13,709 (previous seasonal high 11,361 set in 1998). One last highlight on Saturday was a Swainson's Hawk. Our totals this far are:
This Week, Sept. 10 -17: Turkey Vulture 30, Osprey 17, Bald Eagle 7, Northern Harrier 26, Sharp-shinned Hawk 706, Cooper's Hawk 11, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 13,704, Red-tailed Hawk 36, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 175, Merlin 2, Peregrine Falcon 4, Other (Swainson's Hawk) 1, Unidentified 15, Total raptors 14,732.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 37, Osprey 31, Bald Eagle 9, Northern Harrier 30, Sharp-shinned Hawk 946, Cooper's Hawk 14, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 13.709, Red-tailed Hawk 55, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 202, Merlin 3, Peregrine Falcon 5, Other 1, Unidentified 32, Total raptors 15,704.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, September 17, 2000
Shorebirds in the Quinte area continue to pass through with Presqu'ile Provincial Park ranking high in the variety that is turning up. Last week there were 19 species of shorebirds recorded on Gull Island alone with some of the more notable species being DUNLIN, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER and WILLET. To the east of Prince Edward County, the Amherstview Sewage Lagoons have turned up LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and LEAST SANDPIPERS. There was a PARASITIC JAEGER on Amherst Island on Monday as well as two MERLIN on the Kingston Field Naturalists property at the east end of the island.
Among the hawks seen last week at Sandbanks Provincial Park were 13 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS. Another 40 were checked off at Prince Edward Point last Sunday. There was an immature BALD EAGLE again at Massassauga Point Conservation Area on Friday. There was a MERLIN at Point Petre on Monday, and a substantial passage of AMERICAN KESTRELS in that area on Friday with 12 being seen in the space of 1.5 km along the Point Petre Road, and large numbers being seen in the area all day.
Prince Edward Point last weekend had good numbers of warblers with CAPE MAY, PRAIRIE, WILSON'S, CANADA, NASHVILLE, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, and BLACK-THROATED GREEN. There were about 30 PALM WARBLERS at the Point on Thursday, along with OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, 6 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, a LINCOLN'S SPARROW and two LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES. Don Craighead, birding West Point and the West Lake Sector sand bar area found many of the same warblers listed above, but also added YELLOW-RUMPED, PINE, BLACKPOLL, BLACK-AND-WHITE and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. Presqu'ile Provincial Park, on Friday, had a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.
CANADA GEESE have been on the move since early last week with small numbers seen almost daily passing over the Bay of Quinte at the Norris Whitney Bridge while on my way to Belleville. Another observer saw a flock of 100 nearby near the corner of County Road 28 and Massassauga Road. Winter is in the offing.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 24th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: Re: Lambton Woods posted by Amos Swimmer on September 13, 2000 at 16:19:21:
The only scheduled walk I'm aware of during the first two weeks of October is the Toronto Ornithological Club's outing to the Toronto Islands on Saturday October 7. This is a free trip, and everyone is welcome to attend.
Meet for the trip at the ferry docks at the foot of Bay Street around 8 am, in order to catch the 8:15 ferry. This will be an all-day trip, so be sure to bring a lunch, something to drink, and comfortable footwear.
I'm always wary of making predictions for trips, but in the past this outing has produced large numbers of kinglets, sparrows, and hermit thrushes, plus a scattering of late warblers and other migrants. However, depending on the weather conditions before and during the trip, waterfowl or raptors could take the spotlight instead. We'll have to wait and see what the day delivers this year...
Very likely there are other organized trips taking place in early October. If anyone knows of any which are open to the public, please post the information here too.
Marcel
The hawk count reports from various locations on Friday and the early morning weather information on Saturday buoyed our hopes for another good hawk flight on Saturday. We set out early for Hawk Cliff from Miss. and encountered our first kettle of Broadwinged Hawks at 9am about 2km east of Simcoe. There were about 40 hawks in the kettle as it began to develop just over the road(highway 3)and provided us with our best looks at them for the day. As we continued SW towards our destination, we spotted a kettle in some dark clouds near Vienna(just north of Pt. Burwell) at about 1030am. When we pulled off the road for a better look we realized that the kettle had close to 2000 Broadwings(and a few others) in total. The top of the kettle had just begun streaming to the SW while the bottom of the kettle continued to grow with birds from below our visible horizon to the east. It was a sure sign that we were going to have a productive day. We hurried to Hawk Cliff and they already had 26000 Broadwings by the time we arrived at about 1115am. We stayed long enough there(about 2 hours) to see about 15000 Broadwings along with a few Bald Eagles and numerous Sharp-shinned Hawks and Kestrels(We heard the final totals for the day there were close to 100000 raptors-about 98% of which were Broadwings!). On the way back home we stopped at The Monarch's Landing just east of Port Burwell on route 42 to visit their butterfly garden. We were rewarded with good looks at Spicebush and Monarch larvae, a Buckeye and of course numerous migrating Monarchs(a few treefrogs as well).The numbers of migrating Kestrels amazed us as we drove east along 42(which runs beside the lake) to Pt. Rowan. In some instances we saw up to 6 individuals hunting from the "wires" within a few meters of each other along the road and we estimated that we saw at least 200 Kestrels just on the drive home. It was an incredible day and we were all grateful that our timing was good with respect to the weather conditions. On the 403 near Brantford a Cooper's Hawk flew across the road in front of us to give us a total of 10 raptor species for the day. It was the big day that almost all bird and/or hawk-watchers dream about.
Today between 1:10 and 2:00 p.m. I counted 318 Broad-winged Hawks in 8 kettles over Breadalbane St. just west of Yonge St.
The large white clouds covering about 50% of the visible sky made them very easy to pick out. Undoubtedly some I likely missed in areas of blue sky.
Also seen were 1 Osprey, 3 Red-tailed Hawks, 16 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 4 Turkey Vulture and 4 American Kestrels
GC
I need help identifying two birds I saw this morning. The first one is sparrow sized with a yellow belly and two black lines on either side. The wing is black with white line(s) on it. The second bird is sparrow sized,light olive green with a white line coming from it's eye with a black line above and below the white line. Both birds remained in the trees flirting from branch to branch pecking at the leaves. This leeds me to believe that their both warblers, but which ones. Any help will be greatly appreciated. ps- counting these two birds, I've had at least twenty different birds visit my backyard thru out the summer. thx gord
In Reply to: Flocking starlings posted by Marcel Gahbauer on August 10, 2000 at 20:56:25:
Each evening at dusk, every bird (starling) for miles around gather at our house to go down our chimney. They don't bother us, but the neighbors kind of grumble. The local Audubon Society says that they are just nesting here on their way south. They come every fall and every spring.
In Reply to: Lambton Woods posted by Marcel Gahbauer on September 09, 2000 at 22:05:19:
I will be visiting Toronto for 2 weeks at the begining of October and would like to join you on one of your field trips. Couls you send me info of where and what time to meet.I live in S. California. Thank you
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, September 10, 2000
BALD EAGLES made the headlines last week in the Quinte area. There were three adults at Prinyer's Cove on Monday, 1 immature at Massassauga Point last Sunday, one adult at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday, and an adult along Glenora Road on Wednesday. There was also an immature BALD EAGLE seen on Swetman Island on August 27th. It is quite possible that the same individuals were involved in a few of these sightings.
OSPREYS last week were observed at Prinyer's Cove and Massassauga Point. Hawks were moving through in great style at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Tuesday when 2 NORTHERN HARRIERS, 28 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, 2 COOPER'S HAWK, 2 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, 3 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, 10 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS and one MERLIN were checked off by Don Craighead.
Another visit to the park by Don on Saturday resulted in good conditions for warblers. Tallied were 15 species comprising 7 NASHVILLES, 2 NORTHERN PARULAS. 3 CHESTNUT-SIDED, 15 MAGNOLIAS, 2 BLACK-THROATED BLUES, 1 YELLOW-RUMPED, 11 BLACK-THROATED GREEN, 2 PRAIRIES, 4 PALMS, 2 BAY-BREASTED, 4 BLACKPOLLS, 9 BLACK-AND-WHITES, 12 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, 7 WILSON'S and one CANADA. One the same day at Sandbanks, while having lunch at the Lakeshore Lodge site at West Point after I finished leading a guided hike for a Toronto group, a very noisy PILEATED WOODPECKER flow over our heads and obligingly landed in a maple for every one to see within a few feet off the group.
While kayaking the Salmon River between Roblin and Croydon through a massive silver maple swamp on Wednesday, there were plenty of birds about. A few of those we noted in numbers were AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, CEDAR WAXWINGS, BELTED KINGFISHERS, GREAT BLUE HERON, HAIRY WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, and BLUE JAY.
While the migration of many birds seems to be well under way, there are others who are still nesting. A nest with well advanced MOURNING DOVES was found in one of the trees on our property on Monday. Late nest dates are not uncommon with this species and the latest we have on record is a nest with young found at Northport on September 28th in 1969.
Prince Edward Point a week ago Saturday had few migrants according to the Kingston Field Naturalists report. Observers there did find a MOURNING WARBLER, 4 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 40 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 6 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, and 30 SANDERLINGS near the lighthouse. Presqu'ile Provincial Park continues to fare better with shorebirds, and yesterday Don Craighead found BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, KILLDEER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SANDERLINGS, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, LEAST SANDPIPERS, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER along with NORTHERN SHOVELERS and LESSER SCAUP. Lloyd Paul on Thursday saw a PEREGRINE FALCON chasing shorebirds there along Beach 4. Lloyd also had a nice assortment of warblers at the lighthouse with 10 species including NASHVILLE, BLACK-AND-WHITE, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW-RUMPED, YELLOW, WILSON'S, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and AMERICAN REDSTART. Fred Helleiner had a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at the park today, at Calf Pasture Point.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 17th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
The Peel Birding Class ventured to Oshawa on Saturday in anticipation of a good movement of fall songbirds, we were not disappointed. We encountered our first "wave" of warblers at the beginning of the Second Marsh woodland trail on the west side of the main marsh area just east of the water treatment facility. We had excellent close views of several potentially confusing warbler species in their fall plumages. In the first wave we saw Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Black and White, American Redstart, Nashville and Northern Parula Warblers. The mixed species flock also had a Blue-headed Vireo, Black-capped Chickadees(of course), and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. We also had a Great Egret fly over our heads towards the lake. From here we went to the east side of Second Marsh and parked adjacent to the entrance of Darlington Provincial Park. We took a wooded trail heading south towards the lake and almost instantly came across a second wave of warblers. Highlights of this mixed-species flock included Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Common Yellowthroat, Pine, Tennessee, and Wilson's Warblers(and others already mentioned). In total we finished birding this area with at least 15 warbler species in about 2 hours of effort. On the way back towards Toronto we stopped at Cranberry Marsh to add a few raptor(only 4 species), shorebird(about 8 species), and waterfowl(about 8 including both geese and ducks). By the end of the day(about 2pm) we had recorded approximately 61 species. Based on this and other birding reports, it seems that Saturday was an excellent day to be out birding in suitable habitat all across southern Ontario. Hopefully everyone got that chance! Peel Birding Class
Yesterday, September 9th, I led a birding outing for the South Peel Naturalists' Club to Toronto Island.
Almost from the moment we arrived at Hanlan's Point ferry dock we were blessed with a very large fall-out of warblers in the old willows and poplars south of the ferry dock and east of the Island airport. Some of the trees were practically dripping with warblers. We took better than 3 hours just to bird across an area a few hundred metres from the ferry dock.
We estimated the total numbers of warblers to be between 800 and 1000 individuals. Of these our group managed to identify barely more than half the birds since they were moving around so fast while feeding. It was positively exhilarating!
Of those birds we did manage to pin down we identified the following 20 species warblers:
Tennessee Warbler 5; Nashville Warbler 8; Northern Parula 4; Chestnut-sided Warbler 40; Magnolia Warbler 35; Cape May Warbler 2; Black-throated Blue Warbler 4; Yelow-rumped Warbler 1; Black-throared Green Warbler 20; Blackburnian Warbler 8; Pine Warbler 2; Palm Warbler 1; Bay-breasted Warbler 170; Blackpoll Warbler 30; many "Baypoll" Warblers; Black-and-white Warbler 25; American Redstart 100; Ovenbird 3; Common Yellowthroat 1; Wilson's Warbler 40; and Canada Warbler 4.
Other notable birds seen were 7 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 35 Red-eyed Vireos, and a Whimbrel. A good hawk movement included Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, Broad-winged Hawk and Osprey.
Thank you to all those who attended the outing.
BTW, we heard that at Mugg's Island they banded about 90 warblers including at Connecticut Warbler.
GC
This morning (Sept 9) Don Burton led a group of roughly two dozen on a Toronto Ornithological Club outing at James Gardens / Lambton Woods. A total of over 50 species were observed, including 13 warblers.
The highlight of the morning was a Whip-poor-will seen perching in Lambton Woods near where the main feeder is in the winter. We were also entertained by a very vocal and highly active family of Belted Kingfishers that seemed to follow us along the river. 3 Greater Yellowlegs were scattered along the Humber too.
Among the warblers, the most common by far were American Redstarts and Magnolia Warblers, followed by Black-and-white and Chestnut-sided. Also seen were Nashville, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Ovenbird, and Common Yellowthroat.
The next free TOC outing will be held on Saturday September 23 at High Park. Everyone is welcome. Meet leader Herb Elliot at the parking lot inside the Bloor Street entrance at High Park Avenue at 8 am. This trip will last until approximately noon.
Please e-mail me if you would like additional information on the coming trip (or on the subsequent ones scheduled for Sept 30 at the Leslie Spit and Oct 7 on the Toronto Islands).
Marcel
September 9, 2000
This weekend is a migration weekend with bird hikes, bird banding and hawk watching today. Tomorrow (sunday) the bird banding is replaced with Monarch tagging. The birding hike is at 9:30 am, hawk watching 11am to 3pm and Monarch tagging is at 1pm.
Highlights from today
Dave Shirley found a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER this afternoon on the beach near the large poplars. Shortly there after Dave and I relocated the Buff-breasted and a Baird's Sandpiper at the west end of the beach where the Red Knots were. Yep the knots were not in the park this afternoon. 1 Red Knot was located this morning with the main shorebird flock near the log cabin. This afternoon the flock (92 birds/5 species) included 67 Sanderlings, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, and 1 Baird's Sandpiper. The flock is feeding below the campground but will fly back and forth to the west end of the beach when disturbed.
1 vocal Whimbrel flew east along the lakeshore at 5pm this evening
90 raptors (7 species) were observed from the look out between 11 am and 3 p.m. highlights included a immature Northern Goshawk which flew less then 25 feet from the observers at approximately 3pm.
other highlights included: A definite movement of passerines overnight
5 species of flycatchers, 14 species of warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 2 Oldsquaw, Common Loons, and lots of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
Directions
Darlington Provincial Park
Hwy 401 to exit 425: Courtice Rd ( first exit east of Oshawa ). Turn south on Courtice Road to Darlington Park rd. and follow it into the park.
Tyler Hoar Oshawa thoar@home.com
In Reply to: Durham Birds today posted by Craig McLauchlan on September 08, 2000 at 18:23:59:
Sept 8 2000
4:30 pm @ Darlington P.P.
Shorebirds Most shorebirds are now feeding at the east side of the park below the campground cliffs. On the west end of the beach there was the 4 Red Knots, and 1 Bairds Sandpiper among the 9 shorebirds. There is now considerable amounts of algae along the beach between the log cabin and the east end of the park. In this area there was 127 birds including 1Ruddy Turnstone, 47 Sanderlings, 1 Pectoral and 4 Baird's Sandpipers.
Cranberry Marsh at 6:00 pm
There appears to be a probable Botulism Outbreak. I counted 214+ dead ducks around the marsh consisting of at least 5 species. 7 Shorebird species were present included 6 Short-billed Dowitchers,and 1 Solitary Sandpiper.
Tyler Hoar
Today Carol Horner and I went back out to see what was around the Durham are. We started out at Darlington Provincial Park which is found south of the 401 east of Oshawa by taking exit # 425 and follow the signs , we find that going to the far west side of the park and following the trails to the south (towards the lake) you have the best luck , Today we found 4 warblers species hi light was 1, N Waterthush. On the beach we found 5 species of shorebirds, hilight was 1 Baird's sandpiper and 4 Red Knots. ( Tyler Numbers of species to follow)
Then it was off to Cranberry Marsh which is found at the foot of Halls road south of Victoria st, west of Brock st in Whitby. Here we found 5 species of Warblers hilight 1 N.Parula. There were 7 species of shorebirds hilights were 5 Golden Plover's 1 still showing almost breeding plumage and 2 were in a bright Juvenile plumage, just wonderful to look at. Also seen was 1 Great Egret, a Merlin and a Coopers Hawk .
For a bad weather day for fall migration we had a great and wonderful day
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
Hello All,
This long weekend was quite busy in my very little yard. This activity was not limited to the feeders.
The feeders were busy with House Sparrows (of course), Am. Goldfinches, Blue Jays, a couple of Common Grackles, the local pair of Cardinals, Mourning Doves, House Finches and Black-capped Chickadees. The return of the Chickadees seems to mark a change of the season, as they are not regular summer visitors.
In addition, there was a fairly spectacular indication of fall on Saturday. It was a cool and wet day compared to the last days of August. It was also the first day for warblers in my yard. I have a single tree, a Honeylocust, and its branches extend to within a few feet of the house, offering good views from both the main and second floor windows. In late morning, a single Wilson's showed up for a few minutes. Later in the afternoon, two N. Parulas made an appearance. I had excellent long looks from upstairs - the birds were within 4 to 6 feet of the window for a few minutes.
All in all, a nice surprise.
Jim H.
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by George Daszkowski on April 20, 1999 at 09:53:04:
Yesterday afternoon while working in my garden I heard an unusual bird call and looked up to see 2 pileated woodpeckers on a tree at the edge of our lawn. We live in a small sub-division in Salisbury, NB about 15 km from Moncton, NB. We watched them for quite some time with our binoculars. We have not heard or seen them today.
Station: High Park, Toronto, Ontario View Period: Aug. 28 to Sept.3, 1999. Station co-ordinator: Don Barnett Counters: J. Barker, D. Barnett, H. Currie, Carl Hills, N. McHugh, & H.
Shapiro.
This is the first week of the High Park Raptor Watch. We opened officially on Sept. 1, 2000. However, observation occurred on a 3 day before then. Weather conditions so far have mostly been unfavorable for raptor migration and our low number reflect this. We expect things to pick up in a week or so with the migration of Broad-winged hawks. Peak days of migration for this raptor have occurred from September 8-21 over the 7 year history of this sight. Best days for viewing high migrant numbers occur with winds from the north and a cold front. Our totals so far are:
This Week, Aug. 28 - Sept. 3: Turkey Vulture 0, Osprey 0, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 7, Cooper's Hawk 0, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 1, Merlin 0, Peregrine Falcon 0, Gyrfalcon 0, Unidentified 0, Total raptors 10.
This Year: Turkey Vulture 1, Osprey 4, Bald Eagle 0, Northern Harrier 3, Sharp-shinned Hawk 9, Cooper's Hawk 2, Northern Goshawk 0, Red-shouldered Hawk 0, Broad-winged Hawk 0, Red-tailed Hawk 3, Rough-legged Hawk 0, Golden Eagle 0, American Kestrel 2, Merlin 0, Peregrine Falcon 0, Gyrfalcon 0, Unidentified 0, Total raptors 24.
High Park Site Description High Park is located just west of Downtown Toronto. The park is operated by the City of Toronto Parks Department. This is a 400 acre wooded park, dominated by a Black Oak Savannah. The Count site (Hawk Hill) is located on a small hill at the north end of the Grenadier Restaurant parking lot. It is located about 1.5km (1 mile) north of Lake Ontario, at an elevation of 110 meters above sea level and 38 meters above Lake Ontario. The site location is N 43 degrees 37 minutes 03.8seconds, W 79 degrees 28 minutes 56.5 seconds. This station is at the highest point and near the center of the park; a steep slope that descends to a large pond is immediately west of the station. Full time counts have been recorded here since 1993. The following are partners in our raptor migration monitoring in the Greater Toronto Region: City of Toronto Parks and Culture Department, Toronto Ornithological Club, and Local Naturalist's Clubs.
Early Sat. morning we heard(briefly) a Screech Owl calling on a private property near Collingwood. Not sure whether it was a breeding resident or a migrant but it seems to be pretty far north for this species. Are there any recent reports of breeding evidence further north? We also found a Mourning Dove sitting on a nest, good luck to her! At Tiny Marsh we found two separate pairs of Trumpeter Swans,one pair was near the nature center while the other pair were in the NE quadrant and had two gray(adult-sized) juveniles with them. Wood Ducks were numerous and allowed for a careful sudy of their eclipse plumage. The resident Merlin was also active near where we had seen it fly down and snatch a young marsh bird(believed to be a moorhen) a few weeks earlier. Other birds seen included Osprey, American Bittern, Green Heron, Rusty Blackbird, Blue-winged Teal, Common Moorhen, Belted Kingfisher, Spotted Sandpiper, and several Great-blue Herons. We were disappointed to miss the Black Terns, perhaps they have moved on. P.S. We did not find out about the "strange white bird of prey" near here until after our return home, perhaps a laptop would be a worthwhile investment! Good birding! Peel Birding Class
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, September 03, 2000
Shorebirds continue to turn up here and there in Prince Edward County, but not to the extent they are at Presqu'ile where this past week some of the highlights included BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, both species of yellowlegs, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, RUDDY TURNSTONES, LEAST and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and SANDERLING. A PARASITIC JAEGER, seen yesterday flying along Beach 3, was a highlight.
In Prince Edward County, SANDERLINGS, RUDDY TURNSTONES, SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and LESSER YELLOWLEGS have been present along the beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. On Tuesday along the West Lake bar at Sandbanks, there were 46 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, 2 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS an AMERICAN KESTREL, and three RUFFED GROUSE checked off while the wooded areas contained a MAGNOLIA WARBLER, 3 AMERICAN REDSTARTS and a WILSON'S WARBLER. A short distance away, at West Point, 6 RED-EYED VIREOS were present the same day along with one each of BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER and AMERICAN REDSTART.
West Point can be a prolific area during both spring and fall migrations. Today, birder Don Craighead found a nice assortment there including a COMMON LOON, 3 NORTHERN FLICKERS, EASTERN TOWHEE, and 2000+ WHITE-WINGED-WINGED SCOTERS far out in the lake, made up of many males with the rest appearing to be female and juvenile birds. He also found a PILEATED WOODPECKER in the area.
No update on the ambitious PILEATED WOODPECKER that chiseled out a four-inch hole in the steeple of the County Museum in Picton, but there were two others last weekend that were seen working on a tree stump at a home on Moira Road, east of Stirling. Home owner Art MacConnell also found a VEERY and a dead OVENBIRD, the latter having collided with his window. Thirteen WILD TURKEYS also turned up in the area.
The final canoe/kayak evening birding tour of the summer season wrapped up the series on the Napanee River at the Napanee Conservation Area on Monday evening where CASPIAN TERN, PIED-BILLED GREBE, MALLARD, GREAT BLUE HERON, GREEN HERON and BELTED KINGFISHER were seen. Another four kilometre stretch of the river was explored Wednesday night from Springside Park to within a short distance west of Strathcona where MALLARD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, GREAT BLUE HERON, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT and NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD were tallied. A flock of 50 CEDAR WAXWINGS kept pace with us for most of the distance. Another all day canoe paddle on Third Depot Lake and into Fourth Depot Lake, north of Verona, on Tuesday yielded many of the same birds along with an OSPREY which remained around its nest in a dead pine at the north end of the lake.
The NatureStuff website updates for September are now on line. Posted is new information on backyard naturalization, birding areas and what birds to expect in Prince Edward County during this month. There is also new information on bird feeding, the Quinte Field Naturalists and a new column which this month discusses "Controversial Cormorants." The wildflower gallery has also been updated.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 10th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
Wow!!!
This morning at 7:00 a.m., I went out looking for the Great Egret. I tried yesterday, but was unsuccessful. This morning, however, I was luckier. What a marvelous image to see such a beautiful Egret pass next to a Great Blue Heron, bother a cormorant, all before a Night Heron, who watched with indifference.
Thanks to all of the Birders who made mention of this bird and therefore enabled me to witness this sight.
The duck pond can be found on the south-east corner of High Park. (For access to the pond, enter High Park by the road on Parkside Drive between the Main Gate and the overpass just before Lakeshore Blvd. There are about 20 parking spots available.)
Regards, Jean-François Hic
In Reply to: White-winged Dove posted by Derrick Marven on August 31, 2000 at 22:26:00:
Derrick No this is definately not true. Norm Murr
In Reply to: Article about wired Peregrines in Globe and Mail posted by Sandra Eadie on November 01, 1999 at 06:59:04:
Nate and his siblings have returned back to Toronto from their wintering ground in south America. Come and see their progress, maps, daily postings, and this years tracking project with Nate once again wearing a transmitter, along with peregrines from Toronto, Quebec, and Rochester New York have been included in this years track-em project 2000 - 2001 Also We are the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, a Canadian Registered Charity here in Canada, (located in Toronto Ontario currently), and have been involved in peregrine (anatum sub) recovery, restoration, monitoring, and satellite tracking of same for the past two plus years. We are one of the only few private groups still hacking and releasing anatum's back to the wild. The peregrine is still very much endangered here in Ontario, as well as five other provinces in Canada despite the federal downlisting. We have installed nest web camera's, http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/Web_Cams/index.htm (on both the wild urban nest here in Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Etobicoke), as well as in the two hack boxes at Richmond Hill - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/rhtop.html, and Guelph - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/gutop.html Ontario, and our Osprey camera last year - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/mbtop.html In addition to the hacking, we have also fostered young anatum peregrines in to failed nest sites, where the eggs of proven pairs that did not hatch. We have been involved in the satellite tracking of several (four) juvenile peregrines last year, and followed them to Columbia South America and back to Ontario Canada (last year), and this years project track-em includes up to ten peregrines. We have tagged several again from Ontario, and now Quebec, and one in New York State (from the Rochester site at Kodak) - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/programs/trackem/track.html. The Kodak bird is a Canadian peregrine that was produced here in Toronto Ontario. We have a interesting site, and offer daily updates on most projects including the individual nest sites that we are monitoring. We have expanded our charitable mandate to include 'All' endangered /threatened raptor species (raptors at risk), and will be adding new projects to include other raptors at risk.
In Reply to: Article about wired Peregrines in Globe and Mail posted by Sandra Eadie on November 01, 1999 at 06:59:04:
Nate and his siblings have returned back to Toronto from their wintering ground in south America. Come and see their progress, maps, daily postings, and this years tracking project with Nate once again wearing a transmitter, along with peregrines from Toronto, Quebec, and Rochester New York have been included in this years track-em project 2000 - 2001 AlsoJust a short note to ask you for a link on your web site to ours, and permission to add your link(URL) to ours. http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/ We are the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, a Canadian Registered Charity here in Canada, (located in Toronto Ontario currently), and have been involved in peregrine (anatum sub) recovery, restoration, monitoring, and satellite tracking of same for the past two plus years. We are one of the only few private groups still hacking and releasing anatum's back to the wild. The peregrine is still very much endangered here in Ontario, as well as five other provinces in Canada despite the federal downlisting. We have installed nest web camera's, http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/Web_Cams/index.htm (on both the wild urban nest here in Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Etobicoke), as well as in the two hack boxes at Richmond Hill - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/rhtop.html, and Guelph - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/gutop.html Ontario, and our Osprey camera last year - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/mbtop.html In addition to the hacking, we have also fostered young anatum peregrines in to failed nest sites, where the eggs of proven pairs that did not hatch. We have been involved in the satellite tracking of several (four) juvenile peregrines last year, and followed them to Columbia South America and back to Ontario Canada (last year), and this years project track-em includes up to ten peregrines. We have tagged several again from Ontario, and now Quebec, and one in New York State (from the Rochester site at Kodak) - http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/programs/trackem/track.html. The Kodak bird is a Canadian peregrine that was produced here in Toronto Ontario. We have a interesting site, and offer daily updates on most projects including the individual nest sites that we are monitoring. We have expanded our charitable mandate to include 'All' endangered /threatened raptor species (raptors at risk), and will be adding new projects to include other raptors at risk.
Hi Birders I was talking to a friend recently who told me that WWDO were quite common in Toronto tell me this is'nt true. Derrick
In Reply to: Re: High Park posted by Glenn Coady on August 28, 2000 at 09:37:27:
Just to add to Glenn's comments, there has been a Great Egret at this location in late summer the past two (maybe three?) years. I have also seen one in the Humber Marshes just north of the Queensway in late August / early September the past couple of years. Whether all of these sightings are of the same individual bird or not I don't know, but it's possible. If the recent pattern continues, this egret should be around for another couple of weeks at least.
Marcel
It may only be late August, but fall migration is already well underway. Many shorebirds have been streaming south for weeks, and more recently the nighthawks, swallows, warblers, and others have started to move as well. We even already have several "winter ducks" (Canvasback, Greater & Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead) down at the Leslie Spit.
To celebrate the annual migration, the Toronto Ornithological Club is offering a series of four free walks over the next six weeks, designed to captured a wide cross-section of the species moving through our area. Each trip is led by an experienced member of the TOC, and everyone is welcome to attend. All walks are accessible by public transit.
These outings are in principle aimed at intermediate birders, but beginners and experts alike are always welcome too. Trips such as these offer great opportunities to learn valuable field identification tips from more experienced birders, so if you're getting frustrated by confusing fall warblers, shorebirds, etc., come on out to these walks. We won't turn you into an expert overnight, but I can almost guarantee you'll see interesting birds and learn something on each outing.
Details on the September/October walks are posted below. I will try to attend as many as possible myself, and look forward to meeting some of you there. Please feel free to e-mail me (at gsteve6@attglobal.net) if you have questions regarding directions, or anything else.
Marcel Gahbauer, President - Toronto Ornithological Club
TOC FALL OUTINGS: Saturday September 9 - Fall Warblers at Lambton Woods - 8 am to noon Leader Don Burton. Meet in the parking lot of James Gardens (off Edenbridge)
Saturday September 23 - Fall migration at High Park - 8 am to noon Leader Herb Elliot. Meet in the parking lot inside the Bloor St. entrance at High Park Avenue
Saturday September 30 - Shorebirds and other migrants at Leslie Spit - 8 am (all day) Leader Glenn Coady. Meet at the foot of Leslie Street; bring a lunch
Saturday October 7 - Late migration at Toronto Islands - 8 am (all day) Leader Hugh Currie. Meet at the Toronto Island ferry docks at the foot of Bay Street to catch the 8:15 ferry to Hanlan's Point; bring a lunch
Hello,
I'm new to this board and as an interested "novice" in birding, I wanted to share what I'm sure was my first eagle sighting. I was camping at the Leslie Frost Centre in Haliburton this past weekend. I saw man turkey vultures and ravens on our first day. The following day, I spotted a very large raptor from our camp site. At first, I thought it was another turkey vulture. Upon further investigation, I realized that it was not only larger, but it also had a different form. It soared over the campsite for 5 minutes and I was able to get a good look at it despite the fact that it was 200 to 500 metres away. I then used binoculars that were not very powerful and I noticed yellow talons, a large bill and brownish plummage.
Could it have been a golden eagle? Are they present in Haliburton? Or was it an immature bald eagle?
Any info would be greatly appreciated..
RR
In Reply to: High Park posted by Kerri on August 25, 2000 at 04:17:04:
Hello Kerri,
The bird in the north half of the south duck pond is indeed a Great Egret and from what I can see is having a ridiculously easy time feeding and I suspect will thus be there for some time to come.
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, August 27, 2000
It was a pretty routine week in the Quinte area, sprinkled with a few good sightings. OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS were observed this week at both Sandbanks Provincial Park on Monday, and another in Kingston on Wednesday. Also in the Kingston area on Wednesday, there was a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE in the northwest Amherstview Sewage Pond. The beaches at Presqu'ile racked up a few good shorebirds this past week including BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, STILT SANDPIPER and BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER.
There was an OSPREY at Point Petre on Wednesday, along with SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS on both Tuesday and Friday. Also on Tuesday, there was an INDIGO BUNTING, EASTERN WOOD PEWEE, 7 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and a YELLOW WARBLER. Warblers were in fine fettle at Sandbanks' West Point Area on Friday where Don Craighead found 9 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, 7 MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, 1 BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, 3 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 3 WILSON'S WARBLERS and 1 TENNESSEE WARBLER. Birding the sand bar portion of the West Lake Sector of the park, Don managed to add 2 BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS, 11 BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS, 2 CANADA WARBLERS, 1 NASHVILLE WARBLER, 2 BLACKPOLL WARBLERS and 2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS to his list. Added too on that day were 6 RED-EYED VIREOS, 3 GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, 11 WOOD PEWEES, 2 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, 1 GREEN HERON and 67 BONAPARTE'S GULLS.
A canoeing and kayaking birding tour Monday evening of the Black River Mouth area, McMahon's Bluff and Morrison's Point yielded another OSPREY, along with EASTERN WOOD PEWEE, CASPIAN TERN, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, 5 GREAT BLUE HERONS and a TURKEY VULTURE.
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS are not usually seen in measurable numbers in the Quinte area until mid-October, although there are a couple of August dates on file. Indications are, however, that small numbers are beginning to show up in Quinte waters right now, with about a dozen seen by Wynne Thomas in Soup Harbour during the latter part of last week.
O'Hara Mill Pioneer Village and Conservation Area at Madoc today had a few birds around during two guided hikes there this afternoon with EASTERN WOOD PEWEE, RED-EYED VIREO, HAIRY WOODPECKER, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, BLUE JAY, and YELLOW WARBLER being seen. Two GREAT HORNED OWLS have been calling nightly at Big Island this past week, and SCREECH OWLS were reported from the Hillier area early in the week.
The last canoeing and kayaking birding tour of the season will be taking place Monday evening along the Napanee River, meeting at the Napanee Conservation Area at 6:30 p.m sharp. There are still three seats left on our Algonquin Provincial Park motor tour coming up on September 6th. More information may be obtained by e-mailing me, or calling Quinte Conservation during the week at 613-968-3434 (Extension 111). Sorry, but the Main Duck Island tour scheduled for October 14th is sold out.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 3rd. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
I decided to go to the Cranberry hawk watch for the morning. 7 hours later and we had a great day of birding in Durham.
It started with a spectacular hunting display put on by a Juv.Female Peregrine Falcon ( the band was on the right leg and black and we could only read a 7 on top and 00 on bottom?) and was immediately followed by an equally spectacular hunting display by a Merlin which came right in for some great looks. After talking to Tyler Hoar and hearing about the large number of warblers (10 including Blue wing) and a Red Knot he had found at Darlington provincial park we decided to take a look for ourselves. Upon arriving we had the juvenile Cooper's Hawk fly over our heads almost immediately. Following the trail around MacLaughlin Bay we took Tyler's advice and listened for the Chickadees, and sure enough they led us to a large flock of warblers. We had 12 species of warblers including Mourning, Blackburnian, Blackpoll, Yellow, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Black and White, Black-throated Blue, Wilson's and Pine. We did not find the Blue-winged. Also in this flock were Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Red-eyed Vireo. Following the trail to the beach we found 19 Sanderlings and 1 Red Knot. Also of note were 12 Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Broad-winged Hawk and 1 Osprey.
The first outing of the fall season had a great start with a Sora Rail foraging at the edge of the loosestrife in the small marsh at Humber Bay West. A Warbling Vireo was heard in the willows and two Trumpeter Swans were seen along with a raft of other waterfowl in the bay. We spotted a Red Fox curled up in an old swan nest at the edge of the cattails(perhaps waiting for an unsuspecting marsh bird to walk by) and saw a lone immature Black-crowned Night Heron in the water under the Lakeshore bridge. From here we travelled to Presqu'ile Prov. Park with a quick stop at Cranberry Marsh on the way home. The birding highlights are as follows: 10 shorebird species(including a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and a Short-billed Dowitcher),9 warbler species(including Wilson's, Ovenbird, Am. Redstart,etc.), 6 raptor species(Osprey, Sharp-shinned, Northern Harrier, etc.),3 heron species, and 9 duck species. In total we had over 60 bird species, a little bit of everything it seemed. Not a bad start to the fall season! Peel Birding Class
In Reply to: Toronto NightHawk's posted by Craig Mclauchlan on August 26, 2000 at 21:27:00:
Dear Fellow Birders
Out here in Oakville there were quite a few Nighthawks migrating through tonight near Kerr and Rebecca, I was not able to count them all, but I would estimate there were about 60-70.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
Over the last 3 nights, Common nighthawk migration has been in full flight ( haha) here in north Toronto at Mt.Pleasant rd and Lawrence av. Starting Thursday night with 119 Common Nighthawks and 52 swifts, Friday night only 25 N.H and 7 swifts and tonight 18 N.H and 24 swifts...
I am sure this is just the start and is only going to get better.
P.S the Heermann's gull has been a little harder to find this last week due to activities at the Docks parking lot, . but I am told that it is still around the Toronto harbour.
Craig
Hello fellow birders,
Walking through High Park yesterday evening, I came across the usual mallards, canada geese, and great blue heron on Grenadier Pond. At the Lower Duck Pond were 2 immature and 2 mature Black-crowned Night Herons. I also saw an egret at the north end of the duck pond. It's the first time I've seen it here. Has any one else seen it?
Kerri, Swansea Village, Ontario
In Reply to: Flocking House Sparrows posted by Marcel Gahbauer on January 26, 2000 at 11:19:41:
hi, my name is Rhonda. Gary is a friend of mine, whom is also a bird lover. He has started a company called Real Bird homes. He has made a lot of friends on the internet and they now talk dailey as a group of bird lovers, mostly Blue birds. They are having a big discussion on house sparrows. If you would like to email him on this matter I am sure he would give you more information on this matter. I am sure they would love to include you in their bird lovers group. Just ask him . Tell him Rhonda Taylor sent you. His bird houses are approved by the North American Blue Bird Society. Their group may help you to attract many types of Birds. Good luck.
In Reply to: Re: Blackbirds and Grackles posted by bigdog on May 03, 2000 at 11:22:25:
Today, August 24th, I had five grackles...one with white and black striped wings! I've never seen one of those. Have any of you?
Dear Fellow Birders
Hello was birding down in the 16 Mile Creek north of Upper Middle Road in Oakville, and managed to get a few good birds. I had 4 Nighthawks and many Chimney Swifts migrating past, as well as 1 adult and 1 imm. Green Heron at the Storm Drainage Pond, and a Mockingbird with 2 young on Neyagawa Blvd.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
In Reply to: Re: Owl mystery solved posted by raymond mitchell on August 21, 2000 at 11:53:44:
http://www.owlpages.com/species/e_screech/index.html
In Reply to: Re: feeding Cedar waxwings posted by Jim Heffernan on June 18, 2000 at 15:11:48:
Hi; We've recently aquired a juvenile cedar waxwing we believe the parents parished due to our window. Two were found underneath it. The baby whom we found under the berry tree is partial to apple sauce it cannot as yet fly but seems to have adapted to its new environment of grass clippings and branches in a box. We require further information on helping it. Any is appreciated. Sincerely, Keeper of Zorro.
Yesterday, August 1, I saw 53 Caspian Terns (33 adults & 20 juveniles) at the breakwall at Whitby Harbour. Also 17 Great Black-backed Gulls as well.
With counts at both the Leslie St. Spit and Polson St. recently of greater than 150 birds, including high proportions of juveniles, it would appear that Caspian Terns had a good nesting season on western Lake Ontario.
Indeed, after an absence of over a decade, they are now nesting again at the Leslie St. Spit.
GC
In Reply to: Owl mystery solved posted by Rog on August 19, 2000 at 16:33:26:
Could you share the site with the screech owl call?
i was wondering why the finches that were at my place are gone? the places they were staying are now occupied by bees. is this why they are gone? i live in mn. and it is now Aug. 20th.,2000 thank you so much for your help.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, August 20, 2000
A rather interesting week in the Quinte area. A canoe and kayak birding tour down the Outlet River at Sandbanks Provincial Park on Monday produced a mixed flock of gulls at the river mouth including GREAT BLACK-BACKED, RING-BILLED, HERRING and BONAPARTE'S, along with 3 CASPIAN TERNS. The shoreline along Log Cabin Point yielded a GREAT BLUE HERON and a GREEN HERON. We also came upon two juvenile "jay birds" peering at us through the screen of an open patio door of one cottage, obviously progressing through a stage of molt, for they surely had nothing on!
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS this week were also seen at Soup Harbour (16), West Point (2), Robinson Cove at Big Island (1), and Huyck's Point (3). Local waters this week also turned up WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Don Craighead, birding West Point at Sandbanks, came upon two separate flocks of 28 and 27 on Thursday. He also tallied 15 CASPIAN TERNS, 8 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and 13 BONAPARTE'S GULLS in that same general area on Saturday.
While the shorebird migration is in full swing at nearby Presqu'ile Provincial Park, the beaches and mud flats along Prince Edward County's south shore have failed to turn up anything too spectacular. Some of the better shorebird areas south of Army Reserve Road likely have a few species turning up, but only the foolhardy dare the questionable roads down that way after this summer's relentless rains.
Birds seen on Monday along the West Lake Sector beach area of Sandbanks Provincial Park by Don Craighead included 1 NORTHERN HARRIER, 4 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, 1 AMERICAN KESTREL, 1 AMERICAN WOODCOCK, 4 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, 35 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 2 RED-EYED VIREOS, 1 GRAY CATBIRD, 3 BROWN THRASHERS, 30 CEDAR WAXWINGS, 2 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, 2 NORTHERN CARDINALS and 4 BALTIMORE ORIOLES.
West Point on Thursday produced a nice mixture including 10 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 1 CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and a RED-TAILED HAWK. Warblers seen were 1 TENNESSEE WARBLER, 2 MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, and 3 BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS. There were PINE WARBLERS there yesterday, along with an AMERICAN REDSTART, 2 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS and a WILSON'S WARBLER.
On Wednesday at the Frink Centre near Plainfield, there were 4 VIRGINIA RAILS, 1 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, 3 BELTED KINGFISHERS AND 6 SWAMP SPARROWS, among the more noteworthy sightings of the day. Meanwhile, back in Prince Edward County on Thursday, there was a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK seen at East Lake as well as a GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER along Welbanks Road, and a COOPER'S HAWK seen on Kelly Road.
Quinte Conservation is sponsoring another canoeing and kayaking birding tour on Monday evening, commencing at 6:30 p.m. Those interested are asked to meet at the Black River Cheese Factory boat launch for a tour of the Black River Mouth, Prince Edward Bay and McMahon's Bluff. Next Monday's tour in the Napanee River will be our final evening birding tour of the summer season.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 27th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday night to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
Carol Horner and I started off today looking for but not finding the Heermann's gull at the Polson Street parking lot. So, it was off to the Leslie Street Spit (which can be found at the foot of Leslie Street south of the Gardiner Expressway here in Toronto). The Spit's highlights were 14 Hooded Mergansers, 1 juvenile Green Heron, 1 Bufflehead, 1 Canvasback, 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 9 adult Great Black-backed Gulls (including 1 that was seen this past winter at Polson Street showing white wing patches??), 2 juvenile Great Black-backed Gulls, and 63 Caspian Terns. But the best bird was the juvenile Heermann's Gull seen about 11 am flying over the south end of the spit, known as the mudflats.
Tonight, in North Toronto, the flight of Nighthawks has just ended with 17 Nighthawks flying by.
Carol Horner and I started off today looking for but not finding the Heermann's gull at the Polson Street parking lot. So, it was off to the Leslie Street Spit (which can be found at the foot of Leslie Street south of the Gardiner Expressway here in Toronto). The Spit's highlights were 14 Hooded Mergansers, 1 juvenile Green Heron, 1 Bufflehead, 1 Canvasback, 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 9 adult Great Black-backed Gulls (including 1 that was seen this past winter at Polson Street showing white wing patches??), 2 juvenile Great Black-backed Gulls, and 63 Caspian Terns. But the best bird was the juvenile Heermann's Gull seen about 11 am flying over the south end of the spit, known as the mudflats.
Tonight, in North Toronto, the flight of Nighthawks has just ended with 17 Nighthawks flying by.
Back in July I posted a note about owls in our backyard near Shepard & Bayview. I found a site which had owl calls available. My wife was able to identify the call of our visitors as be of the Eastern Screetch owl.
Are they likely to refer in the fall?
In Reply to: Re: Early duck migrants posted by Norm Murr on August 14, 2000 at 19:00:17:
August 18 at 8 am 2nd marsh/Darlington Provincial park Early waterbirds 2 Common Goldeneyes off 2nd marsh 1 female black Scoter and 1 red-necked grebe off Darlington P.P. In the park, several small mixed flocks of Warblers (10 species), Vireos( 3 species) and chickadees including 2 blue-winged Warblers
Tyler
In Reply to: High Park Hawk Watch - Year End Totals posted by Howard Shapiro on November 28, 1999 at 21:25:44:
We would like to know when the Fall 2000 Hawk Watch begins? I recently moved up to the Toronto area this Summer and am a member of the Birding Club of Delaware County Pennsylvania (BCDC). We would like to get involved with the High Park Raptor Watch. Please advise at your earliest convenience. Thank you.
I just looked out the window and saw a Great Egret in Bronte Marsh.
Bronte Marsh is just north of the Lakeshore Rd. bridge over Bronte Creek in Oakville.
Dear Fellow Birders
Hi I made a quick stop at Rattray Marsh today and found a few good birds, the best being a Great Egret in the marsh area, also present were 59 Red-necked Grebes staging offshore, and 1 Horned Grebe mixed in, also in the marsh were 14 Lesser Yellowlegs.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
In Reply to: When Henslow's Sparrows Sing posted by Anthony Lang on June 23, 2000 at 15:09:55:
Le Conte's Sparrow is another species which does an awful lot of night singing. Also another species often hard to hear over the din of the daylight hours.
GC
In Reply to: Re: Early duck migrants posted by Norm Murr on August 14, 2000 at 19:00:17:
Yes, as Norm has hinted, any potential nesting Bufflehead in southern Ontario would be a new breeding species for the Greater Toronto Area as well as remarkable for ANYWHERE in southern Ontario.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had documentation of such an occurrence.
GC
Dear Fellow Birders
Was over to the Hamilton lakeshore to see whats around and there wasn't a whole lot, at the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters there was 4 types of Sandpiper including Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper, at the Toll Gate Ponds there were a few Lesser Scaup and Redhead, including one female Redhead with 4 young. At LaSalle Marina there was a Scaup and a Coot along with 4 Trumpeter Swans. A note though is that the bridge leading to Pier 25 (Windermere Basin) is under construction right now.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
In Reply to: Early duck migrants posted by Glenn Coady on August 14, 2000 at 13:10:17:
NONQUON SEWAGE LAGOONS 5 Bufflehead seen on Sat.,Aug.12,2000. These birds may be offspring of a record setting southern Ontario breeding. I base this only on a conversation with a birder met there that said he had observed a female with ducklings 3 or 4 weeks ago. This is the only information I have about this information. The gentleman had a european accent (German). Maybe if he or anyone else with information can place an email here or contact Glen Coady. Norm Murr
Yesterday, August 13th, at 8:10 a.m., the Heermann's Gull was back again at the parking lot at the west end of Polson St. after an absence of three days.
GC
This weekend I saw the following early migrant ducks:
Common Goldeneye 5 Aug. 12/00 Humber Bay Park East Bufflehead 1 male Aug. 12/00 Humbr Bay Park East Common Goldeneye 1 Aug. 13/00 off Mugg's Island Long-tailed Duck 5 males Aug. 13/00 off Ward's Island
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, August 13, 2000
Some rather interesting observations this past week, not so much in the actual species themselves, but rather, in what they were doing. At Hillier, a COOPER'S HAWK became wedged in between the plastic in the windows of a greenhouse, and had to be rescued. In Picton, a PILEATED WOODPECKER has mistaken the steeple of the old Anglican church which is now the Prince Edward County Museum, for a tall, very hollow and cavernous tree, and has chiseled out a four-inch hole within a few feet of the top. The woodpecker had previously riddled the entire west side with test holes as if checking out the resonance, and as of today had succeeded in reaming out a suitable entrance which can also be seen from inside the steeple. Elsewhere in the county two GREAT BLUE HERONS weren't so lucky with their daily activities. In one day alone last week, there was a dead one found at Roblin Lake, and that afternoon, another hit by a car along Swamp College Road.
More fortunate this year apparently was a pair of GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERS which have successfully nested for the fourth year in a row in a nesting box on Pitt Street in Picton. The box is located in a heavily populated residential area, although the site is within a short distance of the Macaulay Mountain forested area. Another successful nesting was apparent in the Bon Echo area where an adult PEREGRINE FALCON was seen on Tuesday at Weslemkoon Lake, along with three juvenile birds.
The migration is on as TREE SWALLOWS continue to gather on utility wires around the Quinte area. The shorebird migration is in full swing at Presqu'ile Park, with plenty of juvenile birds arriving on the beaches there. Fish Lake had 8 COMMON LOONS on Friday, and there are no doubt other areas where similar concentrations of these birds may be found. A COMMON LOON was present Saturday on Little Mellon Lake at Sheffield Conservation Area, south of Kaladar. The bird seem unfazed by the large number of canoes and kayaks and anglers in motor boats in this relatively tiny lake. On a hike conducted by Quinte Conservation along the 4-km trail, there were several EASTERN TOWHEES heard and seen, as well as SWAMP SPARROWS, BLUE JAYS and numerous EASTERN KINGBIRDS.
On a birding tour of West Lake from Wellington to Garratt's Island on Monday in which 7 people in three canoes and 2 kayaks took part, there were 20 COMMON TERNS and 15 CASPIAN TERNS seen during the trip, as well as an adult and two juvenile BLACK TERNS near the harbour. Monday's tour will explore the birdlife along the Outlet River at Sandbanks Provincial Park, and along the East Lake Marsh, leaving the County Road 18 boat launch at 6:30 p.m. Next Monday's tour will be along the Black River mouth and into South Bay to McMahon's Bluff.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 20th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday night to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: immature bald eagle of of Oakville posted by darren andrew on August 12, 2000 at 07:51:40:
Not unusual. I saw my first immature bald was quite a shock a few years ago. It was too big to be most things I guessed at but it wasn't until I understood the difference in colouration btween mature and immature that I allowed myself to be sure.
In one week a couple of years ago i saw two matures and one mature in a week
hopefully this will be a year like that. I'll keep watching in Port Credit
Last week I saw what I am sure was a immature bald eagle floating above the Oakville shoreline. classic eagle shape but no white head, all brown with a tuft of white on its chest. It wasnt a turkey vulture or a osprey as I have seen lots of them. Darren
In Reply to: Flocking starlings posted by Marcel Gahbauer on August 10, 2000 at 20:56:25:
Marcel,
I have been noticing large flocks (200 - 300 birds) of mostly juvenile European Starlings on each visit I have made to the leslie St. Spit the past two weeks. At this site I chock it up to pre-roosting meandering before making for the Gardiner Expressway for the night.
Juvenile to adult ratio seems high this summer - I suspect it was a good breeding year.
GC
For the past two weeks, and especially the last 5-7 nights, an ever-growing flock of starlings and grackles has been massing at Rowatson Park (west end of Guildwood) nightly. The starlings tend to begin coming in around 6 pm, with the grackles following an hour or so later. For an hour plus after that, there is a constant din as the birds chatter incessantly from the tall ash trees along the north edge of the park.
This in itself is not so remarkable, as this type of flocking happens here annually. What's odd is that in the past I haven't seen the numbers build like this until much later in the season - late August at the earliest, and usually September or even October for the starlings at least. Has anyone else noticed unusually early flocking behaviour in recent weeks?
Marcel Gahbauer, Scarborough ON
Please check the following link.
The Red-necked Grebe family with three chicks is now mobile in the Outer Harbour having abandoned the remaining two eggs. The nest in Bronte Creek opposite Stoneboats Restaurant has at least one egg. Another pair was flying circles over the lake.
There were six swallow species present this morning.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (Oakville) and drive to the lake.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, August 06, 2000
Signs of the fall season continue to appear as TREE SWALLOWS by the hundreds gather on utility wires around the area. Mostly, this is occurring in areas near wetlands where these birds roost at night. The hydro wires at Massassauga Road had hundreds of swallows every evening all last week. There were about 3,600 one day last week along one set of wires at Big Island's east end, and some mornings there are approximately 5,000 along, and on, the causeway between the island and the mainland.
A lot of individual sightings last week. On a canoeing and kayaking birding tour during very questionable weather on Monday evening (same night as the storm at Guelph) our group was surprised to find an OLDSQUAW riding the waves near the west end of South Bay. Also seen on the tour were COMMON TERN, BLACK TERN, MALLARD and GREAT BLUE HERON. There was a MUTE SWAN with young at Consecon on Tuesday, and still a BLACK TERN at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area at East Lake on Monday.
Up to four OSPREYS can be seen at the corner of County Road 28 and Massassauga Road where a pair has nested successfully for several years on a pole mounted platform. An injured COMMON NIGHTHAWK was found yesterday on Long Point Road, west of Prince Edward Point which was later taken to a rehabilitation centre. There were two immature BALD EAGLES along Army Reserve Road near Dainard Road on Wednesday, and a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was reported from Brummell Road last Saturday. Naturalists at the Visitor Centre at Sandbanks Provincial Park report that the PINE WARBLER is still singing there where it has been since spring. And there are still WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS singing along Sprague Road at Big Island and along the Cedar Sands Trail at Sandbanks Provincial Park.
Quinte Conservation will be hosting a canoeing/kayaking birding tour Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Sandbanks Provincial Park. We will checking out the area along the sand dunes between Wellington and Garratt Island. Please meet at the Beach Street boat launch in Wellington. The evening paddle next Monday will be at the East Lake Marsh and the Outlet River.
The NatureStuff web site has been updated for August with new information on birding areas in the county, what birds to expect in the area during August, along with new aerial photos in the Gallery.
That's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 13th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday night to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
Yesterday (Aug. 3) I saw a sure sign that the hawk watches will be firing up soon - a migrant Osprey moving east over the Ashbridge's Bay sewage treatment plant.
GC
In Reply to: Turkey Vultures posted by Mike Boyd on October 06, 1999 at 16:31:38:
I am trying to find out more about turkey vultures. We have 75 to 80 birds roosting near our place every night, and I watch their behaviour with a spotting scope. I am looking for more information about their lifestyle, breeding habits, nesting, etc. etc. Thanks
I hope this notice of publication will be of interest to most readers of this web page. Thank you to Andy Rubaszek for permission to post this notice.
*** New Publication ***
The Toronto Ornithological Club is pleased to announce the recent publication of its latest title:
"The Greater Toronto Area Bird Checklist & Reporting Guidelines - 2000" by Glenn Coady and Roy B.H. Smith
This 84 page publication serves the following four objectives:
1) It provides an authoritative, up-to-date checklist of the Birds of the Greater Toronto Area including all 390 species of birds ever known to have occurred in the GTA and all 190 species of birds documented as breeding in the region. The Greater Toronto Area comprises the regional municipalities of Halton, Peel, York and Durham in addition to the City of Toronto. Included is a chronology of the growth of the Toronto bird checklist since 1858.
2) Provides reporting guidelines so that observers will have criteria to use to determine which of their observations would be most valuable for submission and inclusion in the Toronto Ornihological Club's electronic database of GTA bird records, as well as which observations should be documented for either the Toronto Bird Rarities Committee (TBRC) for local or seasonal rarities, or to the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC) for rarities of provincial significance. Contact information for submitting observations to the Toronto Ornithological Club database as well as for submitting documentation to the Toronto Bird Rarities Committee and the Ontario Bird Records Committee is provided, as is a useful form for rare bird documentation.
3) Provides observers with a series of all-time and seasonal peak counts for almost every bird species on the checklist so that observers will know at a glance whether one of their observations may represent either an all-time or seasonal high count for any species observed so that their observations can be recorded and documented.
4) Provides a reasonably comprehensive guide to the local ornithological literature (>1200 references) as well as detailing sources of much of the unpublished material pertaining to local bird occurrence.
Information on price as well as how to order this publication can be obtained from:
Winnie Yung 121 John St. Thornhill, Ontario L3T 1Y3 (905) 889-4017 wyung@idirect.com
You may also wish to enquire about these titles still available form the Toronto Ornithological Club:
Birder Extraordinaire - the life and legacy of James L. Baillie (1904-1970). by Lise Anglin (1992) 143 pp. Published in conjunction with the Long Point Bird Observatory.
Ashbridge's Bay - an anthology of writings by those who knew and loved Ashbridge's Bay. edited by George M. Fairfield. (1998) 136 pp.
Those wishing to submit observations to the Toronto Ornithological Club database please use the following address:
Toronto Ornithological Club Records Committee c/o 801 King St. W., Ste. 804 Toronto, Ontario M5V 3C9
or by e-mail at: rbhs@sympatico.ca
Last night (July 31) at about 6:45 p.m. Leslie Johnston and I saw the first-summer Heermann's Gull back in its usual Polson St. haunt after an absence of nearly two weeks. It has obviously become a very discerning diner as it showed no interest at all in bread we threw out for the gulls, juvenile Ring-billed Gulls being the prime beneficiaries. Having no smelt, sardines or caviar with us, we decided to leave the Heermann's Gull to its own devices and to alert others of its reappearance.
Also, we saw many Caspian Terns (a small colony of which have resumed nesting at the Leslie St. Spit again) both in the inner harbour and along the Leslie St. Spit.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, July 30, 2000
A rather quiet week throughout the Quinte area with few reports arriving. There was a GREAT EGRET at a small lake just west of Trenton today. Presumably the same individual was involved in another sighting just north of Trenton, at Glen Miller one day last week.
There was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on Thursday at Prince Edward Point, just east of the banding station, likely the same bird that nested near the building this summer.
A canoe and kayak birding tour on Lake-on-the-Mountain on Monday which attracted 14 people resulted in a nice assortment of birds being seen along the shoreline including both CASPIAN TERN and COMMON TERN, COMMON LOON, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, YELLOW WARBLER, GREAT BLUE HERON, a family of BELTED KINGFISHERS, and at least 3 GREEN HERONS. GREEN HERON was also present today at O'Hara Mill Pioneer Village and Conservation Area, north of Madoc where 1,100 people turned up for Heritage and Family Day. Two guided hikes in which 54 people took part resulted in COOPER'S HAWK being seen along with RED-EYED VIREO, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, YELLOW WARBLER, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH and several families of MALLARDS.
Other noteworthy sightings around the Quinte area included a LECONTE'S SPARROW last Sunday on Amherst Island, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER at the same location, LEAST BITTERN calling nightly at the Big Island Marsh, numerous CHIMNEY SWIFTS in Picton, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at both Big Island and Barcovan Beach, and several BONAPARTE'S GULLS reported today in the Bay of Quinte off the northeast corner of Big Island.
Another canoeing and kayaking birding tour will be held Monday evening in the South Bay Marsh, departing at 6:30 p.m. and returning by 8:00 p.m. Participants are asked to meet at the South Bay public boat launch off County Road 13, just south of the Mariner's Museum. On August 7th, we will be touring the sand dune shoreline of Sandbanks Provincial Park from Wellington to Garratt Island.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 6th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. next Sunday night to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: Bronte Red-necked Grebe update July 16 posted by Gavin Edmondstone on July 16, 2000 at 11:25:37:
The three chicks at the original nest are now almost adult size but still have their stripes. The adults continue to incubate two dirty looking eggs. This nest is in the northeast corner of the Outer Harbour.
Nest 2 on the east edge of the Outer Harbour is abandoned.
Nest 3, opposite Stoneboats Restaurant in Bronte Creek, had three eggs last weekend but the unstable tire that it was built on tipped dumping the eggs.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (Oakville) and drive to the lake.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, July 23, 2000
A somewhat slow week in the Quinte area for birds, but there were a few sightings that were worth mentioning. Those readers who have not yet seen the ANHINGA in the London area that has been around since July 17th, should really make an effort to do so. This is a very special bird that, to my knowledge, has only been seen twice before in Canada, both sightings in Ontario, and one of them in Prince Edward County. The first record was from Sault St. Marie is 1881, and the second record was from Prince Edward County in 1904, near Wellington. "Birds of Prince Edward County", 1984, by Sprague and Weir, gives a detailed account of both sightings, and they are also mentioned in Godfrey's "Birds of Canada."
A 14-km kayak tour today on the Bay of Quinte from Herchimer Street in Belleville west to the Quinte Conservation Area, and back again, produced some interesting birds along the way. Seen were several families of MALLARDS, 6 CASPIAN TERN, 1 COMMON TERN, 2 BELTED KINGFISHERS, 8 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 9 GREAT BLUE HERONS and 1 OSPREY.
On Monday evening, a canoe/kayak birding tour on West Lake in the Sheba's Island area in which 18 people took part yielded little in the way of birds except for two BLACK TERNS and numerous MARSH WRENS calling from the cattail marsh near the causeway. There were several COMMON YELLOWTHROATS heard calling and a sizeable flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS was seen along the mainland shore.
Bits and pieces of the 4,000-acre Jack Pine Barrens at Kaladar were explored all day Tuesday with some of the highlights being CEDAR WAXWINGS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, SWAMP SPARROWS, WARBLING VIREO, RED-EYED VIREO, SCARLET TANAGER and GREAT BLUE HERON. This is an amazing area with numerous records of rare and interesting flora and fauna. Both Quinte Conservation and the Kingston Field Naturalists are planning to arrange a field trip there next year.
Lloyd Paul, birding Wolfe Island last Sunday, came up with 46 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, 471 TREE SWALLOWS, 36 SAVANNAH SPARROWS, 30 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, 15 BOBOLINKS, 5 AMERICAN KESTRELS and 2 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS.
Black Road just south of Demorestville reported a successful nest of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS this summer with 3 leaving a PVC nest box on Thursday. Bluebirds appear to be more common in the southern part of the county than they are in the northern half where this particular nesting occurred.
Two local naturalists groups, the Quinte Field Naturalists and the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists now have separate web pages which may be viewed on the NatureStuff web site. Just click "Organizations" from the side bar menu of the home page, and follow the prompts.
Quinte Conservation will be hosting a canoeing/kayaking birding tour at Lake-on-the-Mountain on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. Lake-on-the-Mountain is located off Highway 33 near Glenora, 9 km east of Picton. The next guided canoe/kayak tour will be in the South Bay Marsh on July 30th.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 30th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff
Hello
I live near the mouth of the Mouth of Highland Creek in Scarborough. Early in the morning in the summer I occasionally hear what appears to be the cry of a loon. Is this possible or is could it be another bird with a sound somewhat similar
In Reply to: Pileated Woodpecker posted by Robyn Dowsett on February 10, 2000 at 08:32:40:
I saw a Pileated Woodpecker at my friends house on Sunday July 16, 2000. He lives in Spring Valley, which is in Houston. It was very odd considering that there is not much forrest area around him. The bird must live in his vicinity, I told him to keep his eye out for it.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, July 16, 2000
Despite this month being considered the time of the year when bird activity is at its lowest ebb, there is still much around the Quinte area to keep one occupied. Continuing signs of the fall migration at hand are turning up as increasing numbers of TREE SWALLOWS appear on utility wires around the Quinte area. Every morning this past week, at 6:30 a.m., there have been between 1,500 and 2,000 swarming on the causeway over the Big Island Marsh and perching on the adjacent hydro wires. Other indications of the fall migration in progress is the growing number of early shorebirds passing through, including a nice mixture on Amherst Island last week. Seen last weekend, according to the Kingston Field Naturalists report, were 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, a DUNLIN, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and 8 LEAST SANDPIPERS. Other shorebird species will show up as we get into August.
A canoeing and kayaking tour at Fish Lake in which 12 people in 5 canoes and 3 kayaks took part, turned up a family of BLACK TERNS, comprising 2 adults and three juveniles. Also seen were MALLARDS and 2 COMMON LOONS, several GREAT BLUE HERONS and BELTED KINGFISHERS. The east marsh of the lake had a large number of MARSH WRENS calling.
BLACK TERNS were also present this week at West Lake. There were 8 CASPIAN TERNS at Muscote Bay yesterday where 2 NORTHERN HARRIERS, 2 TURKEY VULTURES and an AMERICAN KESTREL were also checked off. The wetlands of Presqu'ile Provincial Park last week offered PIED-BILLED GREBE, 4 CASPIAN TERNS, 1 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, 8 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 15 MARSH WRENS and 36 SWAMP SPARROWS. Presqu'ile also had 2 AMERICAN WOODCOCK, 1 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 2 RED-TAILED HAWKS, a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER , 2 PINE WARBLERS and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. There were at least 6 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS singing today near the north end of Sprague Road on Big Island, and others this past week were tallied at Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area, and Sandbanks Provincial Park. Big Island also produced a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW today in one of three areas on the island where they have been known to nest.
One observer, while driving from Kingston to Belleville on Wednesday, found SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and an immature BONAPARTE'S GULL at a flooded quarry on Highway 2, just east of Shannonville. Young OSPREYS at the well known pole platform nest at the corner of County Road 28 and Massassauga Road, south of Belleville, are preparing to take flight according to a resident there. And another nest turned up this year atop a hydro pole on County Road 64, west of Carrying Place, near the old railway crossing.
Other good sightings this past week included a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD feeding a fledgling near the Goodyear Plant, near Napanee, a juvenile ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK coming to a feeder at Big Island, INDIGO BUNTING in the pannes at Sandbank's West Lake area, a dead NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH below a garage window northwest of Bloomfield as well as one male and two female EVENING GROSBEAKS at a feeder at the same location.
Quinte Conservation will be offering a canoe/kayak birding tour of the West Lake wetland near the causeway at Sheba's Island Monday evening at 6:30. Turn off County Road 12 at Isaiah Tubb's Resort and follow the causeway to Island Road and meet at Civic Address # 92. Next Monday's tour will be at Lake-on-the-Mountain.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 23rd. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
Nest 1 No change, three growing chicks and two eggs being incubated. Easy to see east of the picnic dock.
Nest 2 is now on a tire back where it was. Two presumably dead eggs are being incubated. Good photo opportunity but some garbage in nest. On east shore of Outer Harbour near nest 1.
Nest 3 is still being tended but no eggs. Opposite Stoneboats Restaurant in Bronte Creek.
All other nests are abandoned.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (Oakville) and drive to the lake.
In Reply to: Re: Owls in North York? posted by Justin on July 07, 2000 at 17:12:52:
They disappeared about 2 weeks ago.
In Reply to: Re: Swans molting and mating posted by Craig McLauchlan on July 14, 2000 at 13:08:46:
The Birder's Handbook . A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. by P.R.Ehrlich D.S.Dobkin,D.Wheye....
so sorey about that..
Craig
In Reply to: Swans molting and mating posted by George Daszkowski on July 12, 2000 at 08:21:30:
This is a book you might want to pick up it answers almost all questions that I have asked my self . And it can be found on the sail tables for about $12.99 , I by a copy every time I see one for friends and Christmas presents ( ops I just told how cheep I am hahaaa) worth picking up if you can not find it look at the world bigs book store. Craig
In Reply to: When Henslow's Sparrows Sing posted by Anthony Lang on June 23, 2000 at 15:09:55:
I am surprised to hear that they sing so much at night ? But I am also surprised that it is thought that their song is always sead to be Little and week and low , I must say that I have only herd 4 or 5 signing malls in Ont. but all I felt wear low strong and piercing , especial the 1 this year , when it sang its hole body from its tall right throw shock it was great to wach and could be heard from the other side of the field it was in ..
Just my 2 cents..
Craig
I am not sheer how many people are interested in Gulls ? But as I get feather into look at this species I have found and enjoyed some greet birds hear in the Toronto area and on the net.
This is a web page with some great photos of gulls especial of the Slaty Backed Gull that was found by Bob Yukich at Sunnyside beach in 1999 I thought all might like to look at this it is the first time I have seen them..
http://www.bway.net/~lewis/birds/gulls.html
Craig
In Reply to: American Bittern. posted by Craig McLauchlan on April 02, 2000 at 17:16:28:
What's the difference between the American Bittern that you sighted and the Least Bittern's that roost at the Adamson Estate in Port Credit?
In Reply to: Turkey Vultures posted by Mike Boyd on October 06, 1999 at 16:31:38:
My boyfriend and his brother recently wrapped about 30 round bales. While this process was being done several Turkey Vultures were flying overhead, in about two days the plastic on the bales has been destroyed and they will have to re-wrap the hay. They both feel that it was the Turkey Vultures that ripped the plastic...Is this possible? Other wrapped bales have had the plastic poked at by crows but not ripped apart....
There is a large concentration of swans (30+) in and around Port Credit. There is a large group cruising up amd down the lakefront. They all seem to have molted but they do not seem to be territorial.
This morning I saw a group flying (8-10).
So the question is, when do swans mate, do they molt every year or if not when?
Thanks
In Reply to: Re: pileated woodpecker posted by Colleen on June 25, 2000 at 19:58:30:
I live in qualicum beach b.c.(vancouver island)we have 2 pileated woodpeckers living at the back of our house
In Reply to: Bronte Red-necked Grebe update posted by Gavin Edmondstone on July 08, 2000 at 10:56:05:
Observations made Sunday evening.
Nest 1: still 3 chicks and 6 eggs.
Nest 2: The birds are trying to rebuild the nest but have lost interest in the eggs.
Nest 3: reoccupied.
Nest 5: same as yesterday.
Nest 6: New nest under construction- under the dock at the most westerly gate.
There are a total of at least 7 pairs in the area.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, July 09, 2000
It's hard to imagine that signs of the fall season are here already. TREE SWALLOWS are already beginning to gather on Quinte area utility lines preparatory to their southward journey. Small numbers have begun lining up on the hydro wires at Big Island adjacent to the Big Island Marsh where large numbers traditionally roost at night. A large flock of about 200 was seen Thursday at Hay Bay comprising mainly TREE SWALLOWS with some BARN SWALLOWS.
Elsewhere though it seems to be business as usual with sightings this past week made primarily in wetland areas involving both resident birds and some migrants. On Tuesday, there were 12 BLACK TERNS, 1 LEAST BITTERN, 5 COMMON MOORHENS, 11 GREEN HERONS, 13 COMMON LOONS (including a family of 4), 1 CASPIAN TERN and a GREATER YELLOWLEGS at Camden Lake. Both GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS were also present at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. UPLAND SANDPIPERS this week were seen along Hinch Road in the Napanee area, and also along Marisett Road in the East Lake area of Prince Edward County. SPOTTED SANDPIPERS with chicks were seen in the Napanee area, and there were four present at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management area on Wednesday.
The south end of Odessa Lake on Tuesday contained a nice mixture of birds including 8 VIRGINIA RAILS, 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS, 2 BLACK TERNS, 2 CASPIAN TERNS and a family of 3 COMMON LOONS. COMMON LOON was also seen Monday night along the Bald Head Peninsula during a kayak tour in Weller's Bay in which 11 kayakers and canoeists took part. Also seen and heard were COMMON TERN, EASTERN KINGBIRD, SWAMP SPARROW, GREAT BLUE HERON, GREEN HERON and MARSH WREN.
Don Craighead, threading his way with his kayak amongst fallen trees and decaying stumps in the Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area on Wednesday found 4 VIRGINIA RAILS, 1 SORA, 3 LEAST BITTERNS, 4 COMMON MOORHENS, 10 BELTED KINGFISHERS, 2 BLACK TERNS, 1 COOPER'S HAWK, 7 GREEN HERONS, and 9 GREAT BLUE HERONS. Distribution of BLACK TERNS appears to be very encouraging this year with a nice colony of them at the south end of East Lake, with another 5 being seen in the marshy area at the north end of the lake, as well as five being observed on Consecon Lake this past week where there was also a family 3 COMMON LOONS.
Other good sightings this past week included a family of 9 WOOD DUCKS at the north end of East Lake, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at Black River and at Big Island, OSPREY at Green Point, South Bay and Black River, and CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW, NORTHERN HARRIER, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, and ORCHARD ORIOLE at Point Petre. An ORCHARD ORIOLE with 2 young were seen at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. At least six LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES were tallied in the Newburgh area last week along with 10 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. There was a BARRED OWL at Presqu'ile on Wednesday.
Quinte Conservation will be hosting a birding kayak/canoe tour on Fish Lake tomorrow (Monday) evening at 6:30, meeting at the Mia Lane Fine Art Studio at 365 Fish Lake Road. Next Monday's evening paddle will be at Lake-on-the-Mountain, east of Picton.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) who now have their own web site, designed by Websites Naturally at: www.backyardbirdsofquinte.com . This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 16th. Sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: Re: Bronte Red-necked Grebes Hatched posted by Gavin Edmondstone on July 03, 2000 at 21:44:17:
In response to popular demand here here are observations made this morning (July 8) at the Red-necked Grebe colony in Bronte Harbour:
Nest 1: Still three chicks and six eggs. For the first time in four years of watching these birds I saw one chick behave aggressivly towards another. A chick that had just been fed was pecked by a sibling. This nest is very easy to observe on a tire east of the picnic dock in the Outer Harbour.
Nest 2: Still 5 eggs but the nest structure has deteriorated and the eggs are wet. The birds were working hard, if not effectively to fix it. Good photo opportunity while it lasts but there is garbage in the nest. This nest is on vegetation adjacent to east shore of the outer harbour by the fenced in boat storage area.
Nest 3: Abandoned. I have never seen any eggs in this nest although others have. This nest is on a tire in Bronte Creek opposite Stoneboats Restaurant.
Nest 4: Abandoned a week ago.
Nest 5: New discovery! This nest is under a dock and I can't tell what is in it but there was a sitting bird this morning. Located west of Nest 1 near a tire which is not being used at an east-facing jog in the main dock. This nest not easily seen and is not possible to photograph.
The American Coot is still around and immature Common Terns are present.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (in Oakville) and drive to the lake.
In Reply to: Owls in North York? posted by Rog on June 10, 2000 at 07:35:41:
none of you have posted anything further...but I'm dying to know! what kind of owls did they turn out to be?
Any news from Rattray Marsh in Mississauga? Any recent sightings? I'm going there soon and am wondering what I can expect to see....
In Reply to: Indigo Bunting posted by P. Max Perren on June 13, 2000 at 15:14:32:
I found one Indigo Bunting in High Park in the woods just east of the north end of Grenadier Pond on June 23.
In Reply to: Bronte Red-necked Grebes Hatched posted by Gavin Edmondstone on June 26, 2000 at 15:00:03:
As of this evening there are three Red-necked Grebe nests in Bronte.
1)The origial nest on a tire in the northeast corner of the Outer Harbour: 3 chicks and 6 eggs.
2) On floating vegetation on the east side of the Outer Harbour: 5 eggs.
3) On a tire in the creek opposite Stoneboats Restaurant: no eggs yet.
Another nest was lost when the tire it was on was reclaimed by a boat that required it.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, July 02, 2000
June finished off with a few good sightings around Prince Edward County and the Quinte area in general. Birds are being seen more frequently these days with young in tow. On Tuesday, a female MALLARD stopped traffic in both directions while she marched her 10 ducklings across the County Road 4, some distance north of Picton. Traffic also screeched to a halt Saturday on busy Highway 49 near the Picton Golf Course when another female MALLARD proceeded to lead her family toward Picton Bay. An EASTERN PHOEBE buzzed me early this morning as I kayaked through a cement culvert under Highway 62 at the Sawguin Creek Marsh. Closer examination in the darker recesses of the cement bridge revealed a nest plastered against the wall. Somewhat late for egg incubation, but then, everything's crazy this year with weather and timing.
Sawguin Creek, west of Highway 62, also had a GREAT BLUE HERON, MARSH WRENS, SWAMP SPARROWS, NORTHERN HARRIER and AMERICAN BITTERN this morning. A visit to the Weller's Bay Marsh in the southwest corner of Weller's Bay at the Bald Head Peninsula, revealed pretty much the same assortment, along with a pair of COMMON LOONS which I approached with the kayak to within 50 feet.
Don Craighead of Belleville, kayaking East Lake yesterday, found PIED-BILLED GREBE, COMMON MOORHEN, AMERICAN COOT and a colony of about 50 BLACK TERNS. He also found the latter species a day earlier at the west end of Amherst Island where he counted 46. A VIRGINIA RAIL, LEAST BITTERN, OSPREY, and a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO were also checked off.
There were also LEAST BITTERNS this week at the Cataraqui River in Kingston and once again at Big Island where one can be heard calling fairly regularly near the corner of South Big Island Road and Sprague Road. At a wetland near Bath on Wednesday, Don Craighead rounded up a good list of birds including 40 nesting pairs of GREAT BLUE HERONS, 24 nests of BLACK TERNS, an OSPREY nest, and sightings of PIED-BILLED GREBE, RED-TAILED HAWK, COMMON MOORHEN, AMERICAN COOT, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, COMMON SNIPE, 2 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, BELTED KINGFISHER and CEDAR WAXWING.
Other good finds this past week included an OSPREY at the Quinte Skyway Bridge west of Deseronto, 1 male RING-NECKED PHEASANT taking a stroll along Wilson Road north of Wellington, 2 UPLAND SANDPIPERS at Big Island, and a GREEN HERON in the Wellington Harbour.
The guided evening hike into the Moira River Scuttleholes at Latta last Monday drew 37 people, but there was nowhere to go! High water and heavy rains this spring transformed the normally dry river bed where last year we enjoyed seeing cordgrass, sneezeweed, fringed loosestrife and ladies-tresses growing through the cracks in the rock, into an area awash in raging water and rapids. However, in the limited dry land left for us to walk on, we heard ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, CRESTED FLYCATCHER and EASTERN TOWHEE.
The May-June Monday night evening walks are being replaced for the next two months with canoeing/kayaking birding tours in different locations around Prince Edward County. Tomorrow evening (Monday) at 6:30 p.m. we will check out the Weller's Bay Marsh. Take County Road 39 from Consecon west for 3 kilometres and turn right onto Edward Drive. Follow for one kilometre to end of road. Next Monday we will be meeting at the Mia Lane Fine Arts Studio at 365 Fish Lake Road off County Road 5, south of Demorestville for a birding tour of Fish Lake.
The NatureStuff website has been updated for the month of August. Lots of new bird photos by Don Craighead, and updated information on what birds to expect in Prince Edward County this month, new birding areas, bird feeding ideas, and information on selecting native plants for your water garden. A new Outdoor Rambles column and new information in the Mammals and Invertebrates section as well. The URL is contained below.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 9th. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: Re: Foster Bird Program posted by G. Mielke on June 11, 1999 at 21:37:32:
I have a Wren nest in a wreath by my front door. She and I have shared the porch long enough for her to build and hatch last thur or fri. Today 6.26.00 I've decided she's gone. It's dark now and she's not on the nest. Should I feed the 5 orphans or just let them die? What would I feed them? Any help?? please. I can't just let them die. Haven't seen her at all this pm from 5:30 to now 10:44. Thanks Deb
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by Gerry Mielke on April 19, 1999 at 23:34:25:
I spotted a pileated woodpecker in my backyard in Mid June 2000. What a cool bird! I had to know what it was. Is it unusual to see one in Southern New Hamphire???
As of this morning (Monday) at least three Red-necked Grebes have hatched in the nest in the Bronte Outer Harbour Marina. I was told that the first hatching took place about a week ago. There is a second nest on a tire on the east side of the creek opposite Stoneboats Restaurant. I could see no eggs. We just returned from Alberta where Red-necked Grebes are conspicuous nesters in many wetlands. Most of those birds are still incubating.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Road (west Oakville) and drive to the lake. The hatchlings are near shore at the east end of the Outer Harbour by the picnic dock.
In Reply to: pileated woodpecker posted by Ian on June 25, 2000 at 11:01:22:
Good evening,
Pileated woodpeckers are common north of Coburg especially in the northumberland forest area on the way up to hastings. It can be found daily in that area in small numbers (1-4).Usually you will hear this species more than you will see it once the leaves come out. When you are out in the woods look for trees with rectangular woodpecker holes (foraging holes). If you find them then there is probably a Pileated Woodpecker on territory in the area. I hope this helps
Tyler Hoar
In Reply to: pileated woodpecker posted by Ian on June 25, 2000 at 11:01:22:
I just returned from Hastings where I saw a Pileated Woodpecker on the shores of the Trent Canal.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, June 25, 2000
A somewhat brief synopsis this week as few reports came in. Some interesting sightings during the first two weeks of June in the Point Petre to Prince Edward Point area which came to my attention last week, include a singing male WILSON'S WARBLER along Simpson Road in the Point Petre Provincial Wildlife Area on June 8th, and also on that date, an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, west of Simpson Road. PURPLE FINCHES were heard singing during the same time period along Ostrander Point Road and at Prince Edward Point. While there are no nesting records in Prince Edward County for the latter species, one would suspect that this species may now be nesting in the area. There was also a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO calling at Prince Edward Point on the 10th, likely the same individual that has been around the area for some time. The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD which has been a regular at the Prince Edward Point banding station since early spring, is now nesting, in an undisclosed location near the building.
Guided hikes in the rain have become so commonplace in the Quinte area now that few of us pay any attention anymore. One such hike into the wetland at the Frink Centre at Plainfield by members of the Kingston Field Naturalists today yielded a GREEN HERON, PIED-BILLED GREBE, CANADA GEESE, SWAMP SPARROWS and MARSH WRENS. Along the edge of the boardwalk where a VIRGINIA RAIL was seen on Monday evening, a SORA called several times just a few feet in from the boardwalk. Other birds heard singing in the coniferous forest beyond included WOOD THRUSH, VEERY and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. For the plant enthusiasts there was a Bog Twayblade orchid bravely growing in a tiny pile of natural refuse atop a small floating log.
Ross Lake, north of Belleville, had a GREAT EGRET on Thursday, observed by Bob & Cheryl Mound. The bird landed on a dead tree on the south-west corner of the lake where it remained for some time. The same lake also has a pair of COMMON LOONS with two young in tow.
The last evening hike of the season will take place tomorrow evening (Monday) at the Scuttleholes, at 6:30 p.m. From Highway 37 (10 km north of Belleville), take Hoskin Road into Plainfield. At the Stop sign, take Scuttleholes Road over the bridge and follow for 2.4 km to an unmarked parking lot on the left. The Monday evening series continues through July and August in the form of kayaking and canoeing birding tours into popular wetlands around the Quinte area. The Weller's Bay wetland west of Consecon will be explored on Monday, July 3rd. Meet at the end of Edward Drive at 6:30 p.m.
The Prince Edward County Field Naturalists meeting Tuesday evening will be a chance to ask whatever nature related question you are curious about, in "Stump the Naturalists." The panel will consist of David Bree, Yvette Bree (both park naturalists at Sandbanks Provincial Park), and Terry Sprague. Meeting takes at 7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Town Hall.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated on Sunday July 2nd. Good birding everyone and our thanks to observers who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
Hi folks. I live 20 km north of a little town called Cobourg, ON. Cobourg is about an hour east of Toronto.
We've been having a pileated woodpecker visit us for a few years now. Is this the usual range for this bird?
Just wondering... Thanks:)
Ian
In Reply to: Monstrous Rock Dove posted by Joel Kits on June 23, 2000 at 21:07:16:
The oversized Rock Dove reappeared today and I was able to confirm its identity. In the light of day, it seems to be slightly smaller, midway between crow and raven.
Good birding, Joel Kits
Hi all. This bird fits under the "Very Strange" category. Today at about 7:50 pm, I saw a large bird (about raven sized) sitting on a house across the street. My first thought was of a crow with a tiny head, or maybe a turkey (ie small head, very full in the chest. I couldn't see the hindparts). However, when it flew about 10 seconds later, it gave the distinct impression of a Rock Dove -- it seemed to have pale wing linings, pointed wings, correct proportions, even an appropriate flapping sound. The only problem is, as I said, that it was about the size of a raven. I guess it was some pigeon fancier's "my dove's bigger than yours" experiment.
Good birding, Joel Kits
The latest Wilson Bulletin has a short communication about singing times of some grassland species in Illinois. They found that Henslow's Sparrows sang at night more than any other time of day! I imagine that their weak little song travels farther in the calm air of the night. The researchers found that they missed 43% of Henslow's Sparrows using the roadside Breeding Bird Survey protocol!
In Reply to: Re: Owls in North York? posted by Rog on June 20, 2000 at 08:47:31:
Rog; Being that the owls are recently fledged young they will not have as prominent ear tufts as shown in most field guides of adult birds. Have you checked the trees around your home to see if you can find where they are roosting. They are quite good at hiding themselves so closely scrutinze the trees especially close to the trunk. You can e-mail me if you'd like some help.
I watched a Egret sitting on the end of the Oakville pier the other morning plucking off alewives as the fluttered on the surface. It was sitting with a few Night Herons and about a 150 various gulls including one Henderson Gull I think there called it had a small blck head. Not sure how rare and Egret is but its the first one I have ever seen around here.
Darren
In Reply to: Re: Owls in North York? posted by Dave Worthington on June 12, 2000 at 21:01:13:
The owls don't have the "horns" that I see in pictures of Screech-Owls. They are also very small and make the mewing sounds that characterize saw-whets.
Unfortunately, since the first night when four of them sat on our deck, they have appeared only intermittently and near dark, so it's been difficult to get another good look at them.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, June 18, 2000
It would be very difficult to top the LEWIS'S WOODPECKER north of Brighton this past week, but Belleville birder Don Craighead had some good findings at Presqu'ile Provincial Park and in Presqu'ile Bay. His total on Monday included COMMON LOON, PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN BITTERN, LEAST BITTERN, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, VIRGINIA RAIL, COMMON MOORHEN, AMERICAN COOT, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, MARSH WREN, SWAMP SPARROW and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.
There was also a LEAST BITTERN at the Big Island Marsh on Wednesday, where 3 AMERCAIN BITTERNS were seen flying over simultaneously. WOOD DUCK, VIRGINIA RAIL, COMMON MOORHEN and 2 BLACK TERNS were also checked off. LEAST BITTERN also turned up at Hay Bay on Friday where some of the above species were also noted, along with 2 OSPREY on a platform nest. Another platform nest in the Big Island Marsh contained 2 OSPREY, and in the adjacent fields, there was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD.
Camden Lake, north of Camden East yesterday had no fewer than 10 COMMON LOONS on the water in one area, along with BLACK TERN, COMMON SNIPE, and along the roadside - VESPER SPARROW, SAVANNAH SPARROW and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.
Lloyd Paul, birding the county on Wednesday, had quite a discovery when he found 3 UPLAND SANDPIPERS at the junction of Highway 62 and Ben Gill Road, one on each of three consecutive telephone poles! Macaulay Mountain on Monday evening had its usual complement of woodland birds including WOOD THRUSH, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, WINTER WREN and GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. Other interesting sightings this past week included RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Consecon Lake, an INDIGO BUNTING visiting a feeder at Napanee, and a GRAY CATBIRD which is a regular guest at a suet feeder on Big Island.
Sandbanks this week had a NORTHERN PARULA singing loudly at the Park office on Tuesday and a CANADA WARBLER in the Woodland Campground on Saturday. It is interesting to note that Sandbanks has summer records for both species that date back to 1972. Other warblers noted at Sandbanks this past week were BLACK-AND-WHITE on territory, as well as YELLOW WARBLER, OVENBIRD and AMERICAN REDSTART. Nearby Soup Harbour at Salmon Point still has more than a dozen RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS.
Despite only a 30 percent chance of rain today, a two-hour hike at Sheffield Conservation Area, south of Kaladar in which 20 people endured a steady relentless rain from start to finish, resulted in a number of interesting birds being seen and heard. The tally included 3 RUFFED GROUSE, BLACK-AND-WHITE-WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, PRAIRIE WARBLER (singing), GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, VEERY, WOOD THRUSH, RED-EYED VIREO, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Flowers in bloom included Sorrel, Star Toadflax, Golden Corydalis, bunchberry, and water-arum.
Quinte Conservation will be hosting a birding hike at the H.R. Frink Centre tomorrow (Monday) evening at 6:30 p.m. The Frink Centre is located on Thrasher Road, 9 km north of Belleville off Highway 62. The famed Scuttleholes, located just north of the Frink Centre off Hoskin Road at Latta is the location of the final evening hike of the spring next Monday at 6:30 p.m. The Monday evening events continue through July and August in the form of kayaking and canoeing birding tours. Complete details are at the web site below.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 25th. Good birding everyone and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: feeding Cedar waxwings posted by MikeM on June 17, 2000 at 16:03:09:
I have had Cedar Waxwings feeding in my yard today - but not from any seed. That's a critical point.
The waxwings in our area are attracted to the fruit bearing trees and bushes in our neighbourhood. The ones in our yard have been busy stripping the unripened fruit from our Downy Serviceberry bush. This shrub also attracts robins at this time of year.
There are several species of trees and shrubs which they might find of interest at various times of the year (Mountain Ash leaps to mind). However, serviceberry bushes are relatively compact (or can be kept that way) and produce a lot of fruit.
If you really want waxwings in your yard, then you'll have to consider planting some fruiting trees/shrubs.
Jim Heffernan
For the first time ever, a cedar waxwing has been seen on our property. What feed is suitable for them? Currently, we are feeding oil sunflower seeds and niger seeds. Thanks for the help! Mike
This evening at 6 pm there was an Eared Grebe on Cranberry Marsh. When I left it was floating with the 2 bufflehead pairs at the nw side of the alder island directly across from the north boardwalk off Halls road.
Also in the wet fields on Halls road, there was an Adult little Gull in the fields with approximately 150 Bonapartes(only 2 adults rest immatures)
In Reply to: Need help with some bird egg... posted by Adam on June 13, 2000 at 19:10:53:
Brown-headed Cowbird
Howdy, outside my house I have a Robins Nest in a tree, and Robins eggs are blue. In the nest is 4 blue eggs, and 1 brown-speckled egg, which is larger. I have heard about some birds kicking one of the previous eggs out, then laying their own, and when it hatches it kicks the other birds out. If you could help me identify this egg, that would be great =)
I saw Indigo Buntings on Friday in the Etobicoke Creek area. It was north of the CNR tracks, just north of Lakeshore. There was both a male and a female.
I saw a an Indigo Bunting in the Etobicoke Creek area on Friday. It was just North of the CNR line and there was both a male and a female. The birding in this area has been pretty good all spring. There is a Kingfisher in residence at the CNR bridge.
In Reply to: Late migrants posted by Marcel Gahbauer on June 08, 2000 at 19:48:40:
At the Leslie St. Spit birding festival on June 10th I saw a Lincoln's Sparrow on the Spit at the base of peninsula B - I certainly think this qualifies as a late migrant that you might be interested in.
In Reply to: Re: Bird Festival at the Leslie St. Spit posted by Dinah Hoyle on June 12, 2000 at 10:12:41:
Good to hear that the birding festival was a positive experience for you. Thank you for attending.
GC
In Reply to: Owls in North York? posted by Rog on June 10, 2000 at 07:35:41:
I would agree with Dave that at this location the overwhelming likelihood is that these owls are indeed Eastern Screech-Owls. BUT, Northern Saw-whet Owl has nested right in the city before, albeit several generations ago, in the Cedarvale ravine.
Perhaps for the sake of accuracy these should be checked. I would be willing to check this out if the birds were still present.
GC
In Reply to: screech owls posted by C.S.A.McLauchlan on August 22, 1999 at 21:59:56:
In Reply to: Owls in North York? posted by Rog on June 10, 2000 at 07:35:41:
I live in the Bayview/Shepard area and I would suspect that the owls you are seeing are Eastern Screech-Owls. I have seen them on a few occasions in the Forest Grove Ravine below the church. I once saw a Saw-Whet Owl there also but that was in Nov. I'd be happy to come by and take a look if you'd like to e-mail me.
In Reply to: Bird Festival at the Leslie St. Spit posted by Glenn Coady on June 08, 2000 at 19:02:12:
The bird festival was great! It was fantastic to see into the black crowned night heron nests with wonderful scopes that one would never carry out that far on foot (at least without getting back strain!).
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, June 11, 2000
A nice mixture of birds this week from different individuals who were birding in their favourite haunts in the Quinte area. And reports came in from far and wide, and not just from the immediate Quinte area. Way up in the Jone's Falls area, north of Gananoque, David Boyd on Wednesday had a close look from about 20 feet at a GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER that had decided to leave its forest habitat and explore the open area near this person's office window. No less impressed with his particular sighting was Mike Reive of Thomasburgh who was driving home from his job at the H.R. Frink Centre when he came upon an UPLAND SANDPIPER along Highway 37. Stepping out of the car for a photograph he came upon another with one chick in tow.
Back in Prince Edward County, Wynne Thomas at Salmon Point had an interesting day today with sightings of BROAD-WINGED HAWK, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, WHIP-POOR-WILL, and in Soup Harbour a tally of 50+ RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, 1 COMMON MERGANSER, and a second summer GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL.
Birder Don Craighead of Belleville, on the go for much of the earlier part of the week, explored some of the more questionable areas off the main roads along the southern stretches of the county and came across LEAST BITTERN, WOOD DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, OSPREY, NORTHERN HARRIER, VIRGINIA RAIL, PIED-BILLED GREBE, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, COMMON SNIPE, BELTED KINGFISHER, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, MARSH WREN and SWAMP SPARROW in the Ducks Unlimited Impoundment along Simpson's Road, east of Point Petre. He also located a nice count of 20 BLACK TERNS in the same area.
Further exploring another Ducks Unlimited area - this one at Gull Pond, Don tallied another LEAST BITTERN, GREEN HERON, WOOD DUCK, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, VIRGINIA RAIL, COMMON MOORHEN, AMERICAN COOT, AMERICAN WOODCOCK and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. A count of the GREAT BLUE HERONS nesting here revealed 107 nesting pairs, along with a pair of nesting OSPREYS.
Elsewhere in the county, Don found an UPLAND SANDPIPER on Lighthall Road, and another along Dainard Road where he also checked off CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW. Crowes Road, north of Milford, had AMERICAN KESTREL, WILD TURKEY and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. Over on Maypul Layne, also near the village of Milford, he found another UPLAND SANDPIPER, RED-EYED VIREO, SAVANNAH SPARROW, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, BOBOLINK and EASTERN MEADOWLARK.
Other good finds in the county and surrounding areas last week included a LONG-EARED OWL calling on Wednesday just east of Milford; MUTE SWANS at Big Island, Pleasant Bay and West Lake; RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area, and a PRAIRIE WARBLER singing at the Sheffield Conservation Area south of Kaladar.
In other bird news, the CAROLINA WREN nest at Hill Street in Picton was unsuccessful and was abandoned after three weeks. Sometimes happens when you don't have a mate! The nest was a curious structure consisting of a dome shaped nest with a long tunnel of grasses leading to it, built under a tarp draped over a large item in the breezeway of the Hill Street home. The female got as far as incubating five eggs before the nest was abandoned. This bird had been in the area since last winter.
Quinte Conservation will be conducting an evening hike tomorrow (Monday) at 6:30 p.m., at the Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area, located along County Road 8 (Union Street) on the eastern outskirts of Picton. Next Monday's hike will be at the H.R. Frink Centre, on Thrasher Road off Highway 37, 9 km north of Belleville. Join us if you can.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 18th. Good birding everyone and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
I finally found out what happened to the first nest on the floating tire. On our return from Pelee the nest with five eggs had vanished. A couple of days later a tire appeared again and the birds have re-nested. I was told that the problem was the water level went up and the tire floated the cinder block anchor and so the nest was lost. The Bronte Outer Harbour Marina people are thinking about putting more tires for the other pairs in the marina. One tire has gone unused likely because it floats to high so they realise that they have to pick the right sort of tire.
Directions: Exit QEW at Bronte Rd. (Oakville) adn drive to the lake. The nest is near shore at the east end of the outer harbour.
There is a group of owls in our backyard, the first we've seen in 15 years of living in our house near Bayview & Shepard. I'm no expert, but they look like saw-whets. I was wondering if anyone else has seen owls in this area?
R.
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by C.Mclauchlan on April 14, 1999 at 09:31:37:
please send any information on the subject thankyou
In Reply to: Re: European Goldfinch posted by C.Mclauchlan on April 14, 1999 at 09:31:37:
please send any information on the subject thank you
The peregrine falcon chicks at Toronto's two nests are almost ready to take flight for the first time! The three males at the Etobicoke nest (north side of Bloor, east of Islington) might take off as early as Saturday morning, and the two males and one female at the downtown Toronto nest (18 King Street East, east side) could follow within as little as a day or two.
As in the past couple of years, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation is organizing volunteers to help keep watch over the fledglings for the first couple of weeks of flight, in case the birds get into trouble and need some human help. In the past couple of years, CPF volunteers have performed several rescues of newly fledged peregrines which ended up on the streets, at risk of being run over.
The "Fledgling Watches" will be operating dawn to dusk for one to two weeks, depending on how quickly the peregrines fledge, and how soon they acquire strong flight skills. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR BOTH SITES! If you would like to help keep an eye on the peregrines, whether for a couple of hours one day, or on a more regular basis, please e-mail me at gsteve6@attglobal.net or phone the Canadian Peregrine Foundation at (416) 481-1233. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible (please bear in mind that we may have our hands full with the birds!)
Additional information is also available on the CPF website at www.peregrine-foundation.ca/tops/totop.html (for the Toronto site) and www.peregrine-foundation.ca/ettop.html (for the Etobicoke site).
Marcel Gahbauer, Canadian Peregrine Foundation
Yesterday morning I stepped outside the front door at home and was surprised to hear a Black-throated Green Warbler singing across the street. This is a residential area in southeast Scarborough - certainly not a place where I have seen this species in summer before (or would expect to see it), so I imagine this is simply a very late migrant. I'm curious - has anyone else seen unusually late migrants of any kind around Toronto in the past week? If so, I would be interested in hearing about them.
Marcel
This Saturday, June 10th, at the Leslie St. Spit a dedication ceremony is planned at 11:00 a.m. at the swing bridge to celebrate the recent classification of the Leslie St. Spit as a globally Important Bird Area (IBA) as part of a world-wide process initiated by BirdLife International.
In conjunction with this occasion, a two day bird festival is being organized jointly by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Toronto Ornithological Club (TOC), the Friends of the Spit, Toronto Field Naturalists (TFN), and the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (FON).
Both Saturday June 10th and Sunday June 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., visit viewing stations staffed by Canadian Wildlife Service, TOC, TFN and FON experts and participate in several short interpretive walks.
Please join us in celebrating this recognition of Toronto's unique example of urban wilderness. Bring your friends, your binoculars, sunscreen and lots of enthusiasm. All are welcome and admission is free. Shuttle service has been enhanced for this occasion.
Hope to see you there.
GC
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, June 04, 2000
Server problems - again - has resulted in this report being somewhat late. As a result, last minute reports from observers Sunday night were not received resulting in a just a brief synopsis of the past week.
Despite the migration winding down, there has been plenty to see in the Quinte area this past week. However, during a canoe paddle down the Sawguin Creek today (Sunday) there was a surprising scarcity of birdlife in spite of the calm winds and sunny morning. Close to 30 or so MARSH WRENS were heard, along with sightings of NORTHERN HARRIER, SWAMP SPARROW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, AMERICAN BITTERN, GREAT BLUE HERON and YELLOW WARBLER. Don Craighead, kayaking the creek at 6:30 that morning found a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO near County Road 28.
An hour spent along a hydro right of way just north of Halloway Heights (north of Belleville) on Thursday in search of unusual plants, resulted in a nice mix of birds found in the bordering deciduous woods. Heard during our search were SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, OVENBIRD, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, WOOD THRUSH, INDIGO BUNTING and both WARBLING and RED-EYED VIREO. For plant enthusiasts who may be interested, the area turned up copious amounts of Seneca snakeroot, wood-betony, round-leaved pyrola, round-headed bush clover, hog peanut, star toadflax and the regionally rare low bindweed.
Carolyn Barnes, exploring the County Road 13 area toward Prince Edward Point on Monday found a good assortment despite the red cedars being hit hard again this year with a type of cedar blight resulting in trees that appear next to dead. She found s female EASTERN BLUEBIRD, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, GRAY CATBIRD, two EASTERN MEADOWLARKS and YELLOW WARBLER.
Highlights from the Kingston Field Naturalists May Bird Roundup on May 20-21st, resulted in a list that would be the envy of any birder. Included in their total, and all seen in the Prince Edward Point area, were LEAST BITTERN, SURF SCOTER (10), COOPER'S HAWK, MERLIN, YELLOW RAIL, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, SCREECH OWL, LONG-EARED OWL, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, PRAIRIE WARBLER, LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, SUMMER TANAGER, and finishing the list off with two HENSLOW'S SPARROWS.
Next Monday evening, June 12th, our weekly evening hike will be taking place at Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area, commencing at 6:30 p.m. Macaulay Mountain is on County Road 8 on the eastern outskirts of Picton. This always proves to be a profitable hike with lots of interesting birds guaranteed to show up. The following Monday, we will be at the H.R. Frink Centre, followed by the Scuttleholes, north of Belleville for our last evening hike of the spring. The program continues through July and August in the form of evening canoe and kayak birding tours.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte and will be updated at 7:00 p.m., my I.S.P. willing, on Sunday, June 11th. Good birding everyone and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: Re: Red-necked Grebes in Bronte: 3 eggs posted by Gavin Edmondstone on May 27, 2000 at 17:22:35:
As of this evening there were 5 eggs. There are three other pairs and a single bird in the marina. We were told that the tire which held the original nest broke free from its anchor. We were also told that a nest made by one of the other pairs contained two eggs before it fell disappeared, presumably because it drifted away or fell apart.
This mourning on the west side of the base of spit there was a singing mourning warbler, female blackpoll, female bay breasted, a chestnut sided, redstarts, magnolias, yellows, yellowthroats, red eyed and warbling vireos, thrasher, swainson's thrushes, orioles, catbirds and a few spotted sandpipers.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, May 28, 2000
The final week of the peak spring bird migration in the Quinte area, and while things are gradually winding down, there is still some interesting stuff out there to be found. BLACKPOLL WARBLER numbers have increased considerably and last week were found not only in the traditionally good birding areas, but wherever there was suitable habitat . On Thursday, there were over 40 BLACKPOLL WARBLERS at Prince Edward Point 20 of which were in the vicinity of the lighthouse. I am very thankful I was not there to hear them as their high thin notes are as irritating as someone dragging their fingernails down a blackboard. Regular sightings of BLACKPOLL WARBLERS were also encountered this weekend throughout the provincial wildlife area east of Point Petre. There was even one singing Monday in a lone red cedar at West River side Park in Belleville.
Other good finds at Prince Edward Point last week were a male HOODED WARBLER on Thursday as well as an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. There were 19 species of warblers present the previous day including a female GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, 5 PHILADELPHIA VIREOS, A GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH and about 50 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES. An AMERICAN PIPIT was found on the pebble beach. Unfortunately there was no banding report from the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory this weekend but it can be assumed , with the marked increase in the tempo of the migration since the cold weather of a week ago, that banders enjoyed a successful week. The Kingston Field Naturalists' May Spring Round-up last Sunday turned up BLACKPOLL WARBLER, MOURNING WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER and CANADA WARBLER. There was a CERULEAN WARBLER there on Thursday.
Elsewhere in the county, observers this weekend doing a plant and butterfly survey along the south shore of the county from Point Petre east to Charwell Point had great success coming up with some nice finds. CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS were found in several locations, and a visit to Gull Pond verified that the GREAT BLUE HERONS are nesting again with about 80 nests occupied. There was a MOURNING WARBLER at Point Petre, and in addition to both ALDER and WILLOW FLYCATCHERS being encountered throughout, by far the most profitable location was at Charwell Point. In addition to 3 GREEN HERONS, 6 GADWALL, 1 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON and a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, there was a nice mix of shorebirds including 20 DUNLIN, 1 RUDDY TURNSTONE, LEAST SANDPIPERS and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS. Approximately 20 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER were present in a field off County Road 10, south of Cherry Valley. Also in shorebird news, one visiting birder to the county on Monday watched as 40 WHIMBRELS staged a flypast at West Point, in Sandbanks Provincial Park.
There will be an evening hike tomorrow (May 29), commencing at 6:30 p.m., at the Massassauga Point Conservation Area. Take County Road 28 off of Highway 62, just south of Belleville, and follow Massassauga Road to the conservation area parking lot. The evening hike next Monday will take place at Belleville Marsh.
Backyard Birds of Quinte who present this report, are comfortably located in their new location in the Reid's Dairy complex on Bell Blvd. in Belleville. Details of upcoming hikes and field trips may be obtained there, or by checking http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/ .
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 4th. Good birding everyone and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: Birds in Durham region posted by B. Griffin on May 28, 2000 at 10:36:23:
Clarification-The Sandhill Crane was at the Nonquon Sewage lagoons near Pt. Perry.
In Reply to: Red-headed Woodpecker posted by Sandra Eadie on October 16, 1999 at 16:54:50:
oky doky
Just a quick message to show birds of interest seen while birding in Durham yesterday.
-Sandhill Crane feeding in 2nd lagoon east of "upgraded" lagoon site(approx. 7am)
-pair of Orchard Orioles in residence yard at south end of Thickson's road(around 7pm)
-about 8 Whimbrel along with several other shorebird species settling in for the evening on the mudflats of Cranberry Marsh(at 730pm)
Dear Fellow Birders
This afternoon I made a quick stop at Bronte Prov Park east and managed to find 2 imm. male Orchard Orioles. They were located right at the end of the road in the Poplar trees.
Directions: Exit the QEW at Bronte Road and go north to Upper Middle Road and turn left and park at the end of the road.
In Reply to: Re: Foster Bird Program posted by G. Mielke on June 11, 1999 at 21:37:32:
A baby Robin fell out of their nest What should I do?
In Reply to: Re: Red-necked Grebes in Bronte: new nest posted by Gavin Edmondstone on May 25, 2000 at 22:16:57:
The new nest has 3 eggs as of this afternoon. One egg looks to have been laid recently.
In Reply to: Re: Red-necked Grebes in Bronte: new nest posted by Gavin Edmondstone on May 21, 2000 at 21:06:54:
A grebe was sitting tight on the nest this evening so there must be eggs but I did not have time to wait for the bird to stand allowing a count.
Two other pairs were gathering sticks to attempt to make nests. There is a floating tire not being used.
For at least the last couple of years, one or more turkey vultures have been hanging out around the Highway 401 / Liverpool Road area in Pickering, primarily around the Clearnet office building on the northeast corner. I hadn't heard anything about them this spring, but while driving past this morning, I spotted a single vulture soaring low over the Clearnet roof, so it would appear that at least one is back.
Marcel
In Reply to: Toronto Waterfront posted by Howard Shapiro on January 03, 19100 at 17:26:33:
how interesting!
I have seen 5 Scarlet Tanagers in the last two days at the Toronto Golf Club/ Etobicoke Creek area. There is also a Sharp-Shinned Hawk and Red Tailed hawk nesting in the area.
In Reply to: Loon Migration posted by C McLauchlan on May 06, 1999 at 07:21:08:
where exactly do they go on their migration. I need the length, spots and location. I also need when they leave and when they get back to canada. If you could emiail me back with those answers asap it would be much appreciated. I am 15 and I am doing a report on loons and it is due very soon, so please I need your help. I need to know everything that you know about loon migration.
In Reply to: Red-necked Grebes in Bronte: nest missing posted by Gavin Edmondstone on May 19, 2000 at 17:45:50:
There is now a new nest tire with nest material but no eggs yet. I have not yet been able to find out what happened to the old nest.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, May 21, 2000
Prince Edward County was hopping all this week - and it was all for the birds. The Prince Edward County Birding Festival, May 13th to the 20th, resulted in 161 species of birds being tallied, 152 of those recorded at Prince Edward Point. Among those attending were birders from Quebec, Alberta, Pennsylvania, Manitoulin Island, Kingston, Perth, Smith's Falls, Ottawa, Minden, Toronto and Madoc. My wife and I were available all week to lead bird hikes at the Point, sometimes three per day. Other bird hikes were conducted by other birders at Sandbanks and Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area. The week concluded with over 20 OFO members spending much of the day at the Point.
Migration was steady with a good variety of birds seen each day, but no major waves. Rain and wind and cooler weather on Thursday slowed things down considerably which never really did recover, although good sightings continued to turn up. During the OFO trip, an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER thoughtfully hung around the area where our trailer was set up as we were having lunch. Our home base for the week was a prolific area with warblers flitting around the trailer almost daily as well as a male ORCHARD ORIOLE which sang for five minutes from an apple tree beside our trailer, and a CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW that sang several notes from a red cedar across the road before moving on. Also seen and heard from that location was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, WHIP-POOR-WILL and on Saturday, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER.
Rainy weather on Thursday kept birds low, but no lower than a WORM-EATING WARBLER which skulked about in a patch of prickly ash at the inner edge of the woods at Point Traverse, occasionally probing the unopened leaves of a shagbark hickory before resuming its search in the lower thickets. This was topped only by a WHITE-EYED VIREO that stayed around for a full two days near an open area west of the main woods and was seen by many who looked for it.
Total warbler species for the week was 28 with BLACKPOLL WARBLER and WILSON'S WARBLER appearing in greater numbers toward the latter part of the week. Expected to be seen in larger numbers was MOURNING WARBLER with only one checked off on Monday. There were almost daily sightings of both BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER and it is presumed the same individuals were involved in many of the sightings. Other good sightings at Prince Edward Point during the Festival week included GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, BALD EAGLE, LEAST SANDPIPERS, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, a lingering AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, and numerous LINCOLN'S SPARROWS.
Elsewhere in the county a somewhat early WHIMBREL was found by one group at the lakeshore at Simpson Road, east of Point Petre on Wednesday, a RED-THROATED LOON at Little Bluff Conservation Area on Tuesday, and 20 BUFFLEHEAD still hanging about on Wednesday at Point Petre. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, COMMON GOLDENEYE and OLDSQUAW were also seen during the Festival week.
CLAY-COLOURED SPARROWS appear to be at several locations in the county this year including three sites at Big Island (north of Demorestville), behind the banding station at Prince Edward Point where we found several singing yesterday, along two back roads off Army Reserve Road, along Babylon Road and also along Ostrander Road.
Once the results of the annual Kingston Field Naturalists May Bird Round-up arrive, held this weekend, likely more exciting sightings in the Quinte area will come to light. The Prince Edward County Birding Festival was presented this year by the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists, Quinte Conservation, Prince Edward Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, and Taste the County. Coffee and donuts were provided by Tim Hortons and free bottled water was made available to all birders (8 cases !) compliments of Coca-Cola Ltd. Our thanks to everyone who made this year's Festival a success.
Quinte Conservation will be conducting a evening walk at West Riverside Park in Belleville tomorrow evening (Monday) at 6:30 p.m., and next Monday's evening hike will be at Massassauga Point Conservation Area. More information from the e-mail address given below.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 28th. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
The Red-necked Grebe nest on a floating tire in Bronte Harbour is missing. There is another tire with no nest further west. A total of five grebes were seen.
In Reply to: screech owls posted by C.S.A.McLauchlan on August 22, 1999 at 21:59:38:
In my yard I have two owl houses. In one house is screech owl[ brown phase].Shehad her babies and moved on. In the other owl house is a screech owl [gray phase]. She is still nesting there. It's very exciting.
In Reply to: Red-headed Woodpecker posted by Sandra Eadie on October 16, 1999 at 16:54:50:
lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalslalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalallalallalalallalallalallalalalalalalalalalala;alalalalalalalalalal
Another frail attempt to imply that birding can be just as good somewhere else besides Pelee.
Had a very interesting couple of a hours at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga.
Warblers seen Mourning Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blackburian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Warblers heard but not seen Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat and Blackpoll Warbler (lots - I hates it when Blackpoll sing and I can't find them)
My grandmother just returned from her annual weekend trip to Pelee. On numerous occasions in the past I have joined her. This past weekend she and a few others (including my uncle Pete Read, of the London Peregrine chapter) saw a group of about 10 AVOCET's. This shorebird is a western bird.
Speaking of rare sightings, a few years back I saw a male Cinnamon Teal in Richmond Hill. Anyone else seen this beautiful bird in the G.T.A. recently?
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, May 14, 2000
A blustery kick-off on Saturday to this year's Prince Edward County Birding Festival at Prince Edward Point. Among those attending the opening ceremonies were Minister of Agriculture and Food and Agri-Food Lyle Vanclief, Prince Edward-Hastings MPP Ernie Parsons, Community Conservation Planner for Important Bird Areas Ted Cheskey, and Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory vice-president Brian Joyce. A rather good omen was an ORCHARD ORIOLE which landed in small apple tree a few feet from the opening ceremonies. Numerous birders from Montreal, Kingston, Belleville, Picton and Toronto checked the new sightings board today for recent arrivals and current birds. An 8:00 a.m. one-hour bird hike this morning at the Point Traverse corner resulted in 76 species. Among the 16 species of warblers tallied were GOLDEN-WINGED, OVENBIRD, NORTHERN PARULA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKPOLL and TENNESSEE. Default warblers today were YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and YELLOW WARBLER with AMERICAN REDSTART trailing close behind. The festival continues through the week with Saturday concluding with a presentation on attracting birds to your garden at the Waring House and Inn, the annual general meeting of the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory at the Picton Town Hall, and an Ontario Field Ornithologists field trip to Prince Edward Point. An immature SUMMER TANAGER at Prince Edward Point was reported early yesterday morning by two Toronto birders.
A large group of Rochester birders were guided around Tuesday and Wednesday by two local bird guides. Among the interesting finds at Prince Edward Point and Sandbanks Provincial Park were BLACK TERNS at both the East Lake boat launch at County Road 18, and the Sheba's Island causeway off County Road 12. There was a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in the Woodlands Campground at Sandbanks, 2 WOOD DUCKS in a flooded gully at West Lake, an UPLAND SANDPIPER along Babylon Road and a total of well over 20 GRAY CATBIRDS. The best find was an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER at West Point which obligingly sat on the old Lakeshore Lodge foundation in a thunderstorm not more than 20 feet from our vehicles. It has been at West Point since last Sunday. Another early OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was seen at Presqu'ile on Tuesday.
Trenton area birder Nick Quickert birded the county a week ago Saturday and came up with 2 BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS and a PRAIRIE WARBLER. Kingston birders Bob Lemon and Mike Evans got a LAWRENCE'S WARBLER (Blue-winged/golden-winged hybrid) at the Point last Friday. Other good birds down that way include a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD which tends to hang out around the banding station, a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON south of Army Reserve Road today, and an OSPREY at South Bay on Saturday. There was also an OSPREY today at the west end of Big Island, just north of Demorestville.
The Quinte Field Naturalists exploring the Prince Edward Point area on Saturday found a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO near the lighthouse, and two BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS in two separate locations, also near the lighthouse. They also found a displaying pair of NORTHERN HARRIERS near Milford and an adult EASTERN BLUEBIRD in the fields at Prince Edward Point.
Poor weather during much of the week resulted in equally poor banding success at the Point, except for BLUE JAYS. Sparrow species were low, although there was a LINCOLN'S SPARROW today along with three PINE SISKINS. INDIGO BUNTINGS appeared yesterday, according to Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory president Eric Machell.
There are two bird hikes scheduled for tomorrow (Monday) at Prince Edward Point - one at 8:00 a.m. and the other at 6:30 p.m., both conducted by Terry Sprague. Bird hikes continue every morning this week, concluding on Friday. Sandbanks Park Naturalist, David Bree will be leading a bird hike at that park at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday. And as part of the birding festival activities continuing all this week, Dr. Martin Edwards of Kingston will be speaking at the Tip of the Bay Hotel and Marina Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. Join us if you can.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville), and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 21st. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
For those who want a Brewer's Blackbird on their Muskoka List they can find them where we found them last year again. This is at Falkenburg Rd. and Beatrice Lane on the southwest corner. Please, Please do not enter the field at any cost for the birds are seen from the road in the morning. Found by Ken Walton and seen by Lynn Sayers & Jon Grandfield May 8, 2000.
For those who want a Brewer's Blackbird on their Muskoka List they can find them where we found them last year again. This is at Falkenburg Rd. and Beatrice Lane on the southwest corner. Please, Please do not enter the field at any cost for the birds are seen from the road in the morning. Found by Ken Walton and seen by Lynn Sayers & Jon Grandfield May 8, 2000.
For those who want a Brewer's Blackbird on their Muskoka List they can find them where we found them last year again. This is at Falkenburg Rd. and Beatrice Lane on the southwest corner. Please, Please do not enter the field at any cost for the birds are seen from the road in the morning. Found by Ken Walton and seen by Lynn Sayers & Jon Grandfield May 8, 2000.
Last night Mark Cranford and I were able to hear at least one Yellow Rail ticking in the sedge marsh on Wylie Rd. in Carden Township north of Kirkfield. We heard the bird for a few minutes at 7:15 PM and briefly later. The bird called spontaneously without any encouragement from us. By the time it got completly dark it was raining so we declared victory and drove home.
Some other noteworthy birds: American Bittern Sedge Wren Whip-poor-will
In Reply to: Hilton Falls C.A. posted by Brete Griffin on May 09, 2000 at 18:58:31:
Brete,
I would be interested to know what else you find on re-visits to this site this summer. Louisiana Waterthrush has indeed nested at this exact location in the past.
Thanks for letting us know.
Glenn Coady
In Reply to: Kentucky Warbler posted by lesia on May 07, 2000 at 12:31:31:
Lesia,
A very nice find. Worth re-checking because although it is likely a migrant it could become a territorial bird. Kentucky Warbler has never been confirmed as a breeding bird in Ontario but sooner or later I suspect it will be - and hey, why not by you?
Thanks for letting us know about it.
GC
On May 10, I observed an unusual plumage on a male Red-winged Blackbird at 14-mile Creek behind my house in Oakville. The male was all black except for a light beige throat and a larger area of beige beneath the throat, wrapping in a semicircle around the neck. The two areas coalesced and were really noticeable as he sang, throwing his head back. The rest of his plumage was normal such as his shoulder colours. He sang in response to another male nearby as if he was on territory.
Went out today with my grade 10 science class to Hilton Falls and managed to "hear" at least 11 different warbler species while doing our annual ecology fieldtrip.
I am sure there were more around but it was a challenge to hear above the "din" created by my students as they were coping with their first ever experiences with blackflies.
As soon as their bites heal, I am sure they will remember the more enjoyable aspects of our fieldtrip.
The birding highlight was a singing LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH at the waterfall/picnic area, in the stream just above the falls. Hilton Falls C.A. is a great birding spot not too far out of town with a system of well marked trails through a variety of habitat types. Take the Milton exit from the 401 and go north on Hwy.25 and then go west 9km on Regional Rd. 9. Enjoy the month of May while it lasts!
In Reply to: Great Egret at Humber Bay posted by Dave Bailey on May 07, 2000 at 20:17:37:
The egret was still there on May 8 at 4:15 pm. It was just south of the footbridge sitting on a stsick in the water. It was approximately oppositte the dock on Humber Bay West.
Around the east hill in Humber bay East was a catbird, brown thrasher, redstart, yeloow warbler and an unknown flycatcher.
In Reply to: Kentucky Warbler posted by lesia on May 07, 2000 at 12:31:31:
Dear Fellow Birders
Went looking for the Kentucky Warbler, but to no avail, I couldn't find it. I did find a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW at the end of Upper Middle Road on the south side. Also present were a Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Gnatcatchers, House Wren, R-E Vireo, B&W, Yellow, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
In Reply to: Red-necked Grebes in Bronte: 4 eggs posted by Gavin Edmondstone on May 06, 2000 at 20:39:44:
There are now five eggs in the Red-necked Grebe nest in Bronte Harbour. Today we saw two additional pairs.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, May 07, 2000
Everything is shaping up for the 4th Annual Prince Edward County Birding Festival, May 13-20, and spring migrants are ready for their audience. All the regular species of warblers have shown up now, with an early BLACKPOLL WARBLER turning up on Friday at Prince Edward Point. Other good sightings down there this past week included CAPE MAY WARBLER on Friday (one was also seen at Waupoos on Friday), ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (banded on Thursday) and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER (also on Friday) and HOODED WARBLER on Saturday. Both Thursday and Friday saw large numbers of migrants pour into the Prince Edward Point area. On Friday the Point Traverse woods were alive with PALM WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, YELLOW (first one of the year showed up at the Quinte Conservation Area on May 2), BLACK-THROATED BLUE, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, YELLOW-RUMPED (300) and BLACK-AND-WHITE. Other good sightings in a relatively small area right at the Point Traverse corner included NORTHERN PARULA, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, WILD TURKEY (heard calling), BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, INDIGO BUNTING and BALTIMORE ORIOLE (of the 20 seen, six were in one tree!)
ORCHARD ORIOLES have been present nearly all week at the Point, with a high of three being seen on Thursday. WOOD THRUSH, HERMIT THRUSH, VEERY, and SWAINSON'S THRUSH have all been seen there this past week as have GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, SHORT-EARED OWL and SCREECH OWL. There were several finch species seen today passing through on their northward journey including EVENING GROSBEAKS, PINE SISKINS and PURPLE FINCHES. BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and BLUE JAYS were also noted moving.
It's a hive of activity right now down there and we hope some of this stuff will still be passing through next week for the birding festival. The new bird sightings board was installed at the Ducks Dive Charters and Cottages on Friday. This Board will be monitored during the Birding Festival Week, and information will be available to the public as well at this location, including checklists, schedules and a Birding Site Guide to Prince Edward County.
RED-EYED VIREOS, one of the latest of the vireos to arrive, have also announced their presence in the Quinte area with one being seen at West Point early this morning. There was also one singing energetically in the woods at the Frontenac Outfitters (outside Frontenac Provincial Park), north of Sydenham Saturday morning. West Point also had an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER this morning, and a CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW on Friday.
Large numbers of both WHITE-CROWNED and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS are passing through right now, and rare is the feeding station that doesn't have a few of these hanging around.
Other good sightings around the Quinte areas this past week were WHIP-POOR-WILL at Elmbrook Thursday night, MUTE SWAN at the Big Island Marsh all week (seen today in Bay of Quinte), and at Presqu'ile Park on Thursday - a half dozen GREAT EGRETS, 2 RUDDY TURNSTONES and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. A sighting I made yesterday near Belleville which was a first for me was that of a GREAT BLUE HERON which took off at my approach where it had been fishing along shore, whereupon it flew several hundred feet out into the open bay, settling in the deep water with the grace of a gull. It remained there for five minutes or so, then took off quite effortlessly.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte (Belleville) and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 14th. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
http://www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
Yes, a Great Egret, right at the mouth of the creek. The Mute Swans kept disturbing it at first, but eventually it settled down. First one I've seen since March, but then I was cheating by being in the Everglades ;^)
We heard a Kentucky warbler this morning at 8:30 am at Bronte Park East just off the hydro right of way. We counted 14 warbler species as well as Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tananger, and Rosebreasted Grosbeak.
Each year, Bird Studies Canada holds the Baillie Birdathon, an event which since 1976 has raised nearly $2 million for bird conservation projects across Canada.
The rules are simple - participants identify as many species as they can in a single 24-hour period in May, anywhere in the world. Each participant collects money from sponsors who pledge their support with either a flat rate donation or a fixed amount per species seen. (Note: an income tax receipt is automatically provided for all donations of $10 or more).
Of course, the more people who participate in the Birdathon, the better. It's not too late to register for this year - if you would like to sign up, contact Birdathon co-coordinators Ron Ridout or Mary Ellen Hebb at 519-586-3531 or rridout@bsc-eoc.org.
Alternatively, if you don't have the time or inclination to do a Birdathon of your own, you can still help bird conservation efforts by pledging to support me in my Birdathon. I expect to do it around mid-May in Durham Region, and hope to see at least 125 species. If you would like to sponsor me, please send me a private e-mail at gsteve6@attglobal.net, indicating the flat rate or amount per species that you would like to pledge.
Thanks in advance,
Marcel Gahbauer, Scarborough ON, gsteve6@attglobal.net
There are now 4 eggs in a Red-necked Grebe nest in Bronte Harbour. The nest in on an anchored floating tire near shore in the Bronte Outer Harbour Marina. This is the same spot as was used last year.
There was at least one other pair but no sign of another nest.
Directions: Bronte is in the west end of Oakville. Exit the QEW at Bronte Road and follow it to the lake. Turn left and go to the east end of the marina.
In Reply to: Toronto Island posted by Brete Griffin on May 06, 2000 at 16:18:58:
I forgot to mention that we ended the day with a visit to our favorite "watering hole" at Bloor & Islington just across the street from the nesting Peregrine. We went inside to see taped footage of the 3 chicks(only days old)being fed this morning. The Canadian Peregrine Foundation needs help from volunteer birders to monitor the sites when the young fledge and to help in other ways. Please stop by and give them your support(time and/or funding),for more info follow the link at Canadian Peregrine Foundation
Fantastic weather,but disappointed that the earliest ferry to Hanlan's Pt. is at 815am on the weekend, perhaps if enough birders phoned the Toronto Harbour Commission....... We got off to a slow start warbler-wise, perhaps because we chose to work from Centre Island back to Hanlan's, the reverse of how we usually work the island. The most warbler species were recorded between 10 and 1130am, more than likely because this was the time that we worked the "big tree" area just east of the airport property fence. Highlights of the morning are as follows: 12 Warbler species- Cape May,Black-thr.Green,Black-thr.Blue, Yellow-rumped,Northern Waterthrush,N.Parula,Palm,Yellow, Black and White,Am. Redstart,Magnolia, and Chestnut-sided. We also had seven sparrow species(not including House)and 3 thrush species- Hermit,Veery,Swainson's. Other species seen included House Wren, Purple Martins at box, Baltimore Oriole, Great-crested Flycatcher, Rose-br. Grosbeak, Green and Black-crowned Night Heron, Northern Harrier, several singing Warbling Vireos and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a Red-eyed Vireo. We missed the Scarlet Tanager that another group saw but got a Least Flycatcher just before boarding the ferry to return. The island was exceptional again! Peel Birding Class
Dear Fellow Birders
Had a not bad day birding in the 16 Mile Creek in Oakville, had a Wood Thrush, 3 Gnatcatchers, 3 Baltimore Orioles, 2 Catbirds, 1 Nashville, 2 B&W, 1 B-T Green, 1 Pine, 3 Yellow-rumps, and many Yellow Warblers.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
In Reply to: Re: gray jays posted by Erin on May 04, 2000 at 11:06:19:
I spent some time looking today with out any luck,all though this is a large area , and without narowing it down jist to hard to gess wear thay might be . But once agen congrads great bird to see in the GTA......
Craig
In Reply to: Grackles and red-winged blackbirds posted by Jack and Margaret Broxholme on February 27, 2000 at 08:07:17:
i almost got eaten by a crow!
In Reply to: Grackles and red-winged blackbirds posted by Jack and Margaret Broxholme on February 27, 2000 at 08:07:17:
so wat, i almost got eaten by a crow!!!
In Reply to: Re: gray jays posted by Craig McLauchlan on May 03, 2000 at 20:42:10:
Well, this is very interesting to me. I looked it up in my book again last night. I was told yesterday that gray jays are smaller than blue jays - my book says gray jays 10 - 13 inches; blue jays 12. My book says the gray jay has different calls one of which is a scream - I don't think a low almost unheard call would be called a scream and what I hear is definitely a scream. I have had quite a good look at them from my third floor deck. You are welcome to walk through my neighbourhood. I live at the end of Wellesley St. E. which dead ends at a park.
A friend described an unusual behaviour and I was wondering if anyone had more information to give? He was describing a small brown sparrow-sized bird, which he did not identify as a House sparrow although on further questioning said it could have been a female. At any rate, the bird was in his Cherry tree picking off flower petals and dropping them. Does anyone have any ideas about this behaviour? Was the bird trying to get at the nectar or something else? Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks Howard
In Reply to: Peregrine falcon? posted by Bev on May 03, 2000 at 21:33:20:
It could very well have been a Peregrin. There is a breeding program located at the Richmond Hill Town Offices in that (Beaver Creek) area.
In Reply to: Re: Cowbirds and imprinting posted by Jim Heffernan on May 02, 2000 at 19:22:17:
Hi Jim,
Yes, that's actually quite a good explanation. Evolution through natural selection likely is how the cowbirds came to avoid imprinting on their hosts. Presumably it was once a "normal" bird, imprinting on its parents, and a mutant "non-imprinting" gene arose in one or more individuals, which due to breeding circumstances, had a higher level of fitness than the others - and over time, this became the dominant gene.
It certainly would be interesting to know when this trait evolved, and how long it took to entrench itself in the population. But I suspect that's a question that's not nearly as easy to answer...
Marcel
Spotted a hawk-like bird that very much resembled a Peregrine falcon (dark back and head, tan chest, short beak) today while biking home from school at Leslie St. & Hwy 407... I recently saw a program (I think), that said these birds were released in this area (Toronto) again... could this have really been a Peregrine falcon?
In Reply to: gray jays posted by mc2 on May 03, 2000 at 10:49:53:
I am with Glenn I wood love to follow up on this birds and wood be there at first light (all thought I was hopping to go to the Island tomorrow) But with everything You must give to receive and with out even a intercession to look from my thought is Blue jay.... why??? Gray Jay' s call is not like any other in the Jay family it is low and like the bird hardly ever heard..
But if I am wrong good for me I wood love to see this bird in the GTA
Craig
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Yes it is hear in Toronto the 1st winter Heermann's gull and I have bin told that it never left , I jest wasn't finding ( being brown in blends in now with everything) there isn't much of a change jest some moor white showing on the face and for heed ..
Polson st is found running east / west from Cherry st south of the lake shore blvd in Toronto.
also on the bass of the Lesley st spit wear seen 1 N Waterthrush and a (adult) White-Throated Sparrow showing know white on the throat ti was all grey other than that it was normal , I don't know what to think about that one?????..
Craig
Craig.S.A.McLauchlan Toronto/Ont/Canada/World. csam@sympatico.ca
In Reply to: Re: gray jays posted by Erin on May 03, 2000 at 15:33:16:
It is hard to be sure what you are seeing. I suspect not Gray Jays.
Normally, I would offer to help by checking out such a sighting as I have done countless times before, but as your posting is anonymous (without full name and e-mail address) I am not inclined to follow up on anonymously attributed sightings. I hope you solve your riddle.
Even if these were Gray Jays I would be wary that given the prolonged resident nature of the birds in your neighbourhood they could be transplanted birds. People tend to keep (read: take) trusting corvids as pets. This does seem unlikely for two birds though but nothing surprises me much anymore.
GC
In Reply to: Re: gray jays posted by Glenn Coady on May 03, 2000 at 14:27:18:
These birds have been in my neighbourhood for the past couple of years. I did not hear or seen them prior to that time and was told by a neighbour that they are gray jays and that they had just appeared around the time I asked him. If they are not gray jays, what would they be? They have a very distinctive scream that is definitely of the jay family and they are gray in colour. I looked them up in my bird book and they appear to me from the description and picture to be gray jays.
In Reply to: gray jays posted by mc2 on May 03, 2000 at 10:49:53:
Quick Answer: No !!!!! Nearest resident Gray Jays are better than an two hour drive northeast of Cabbagetown.
More thoughtful Answer: Gray Jays periodically irrupt southward in fall on a very irregular schedule, sometimes in numbers. This has not happened in the Toronto area in a generation. The last modest flights were in the 1970's. Flights in 1839 and 1951 were very pronounced with flocks of birds seen in Toronto.
Although not impossible it is not likely your friend is correct.
However, I would be delighted to be proven wrong.
GC
In Reply to: Blackbirds and Grackles posted by Elizabeth McKernan on February 29, 2000 at 14:08:43:
thats fantastic!!!
i have a friend that lives in cabbagetown in toronto (wellesley & parliament). my friend claims that a there are gray jays in the area. are gray jays this far south?
In Reply to: Re: Pileated Woodpecker posted by Matthew Haataja on April 22, 2000 at 21:10:26:
The dimensions of a house to attract the wood pecker is 2400 sq ft 2 storey 3 bedroom and you guessed they are pecking at the stained cedar wood siding on my house in central Alberta. Anyone know why??? I've already determined with some limited research and ruled out termites.
In Reply to: Cowbirds and imprinting posted by Marcel Gahbauer on May 02, 2000 at 16:17:14:
Hi Marcel,
I'm not sure if this is an entirely satisfactory answer or not - but it's what I can offer. You hinted at the reason in your own question.
Consider the cowbird that tries to reproduce with cardinals because that is what it 'imprinted' on. This cowbird will never reproduce, will it. Therefore, it won't have any progeny and the trait of imprinting is lost.
Simply put, it is only the cowbird that fails to imprint that will reproduce and the non-imprinting trait passes on to subsequent generations. Perhaps when the species was first appearing there were cowbirds that did imprint. They wouldn't last. It would only be the trait of non-imprinting that would persist.
It simply must be the case for these nest parasites to persist.
Jim
A friend stumped me with a question the other night - why is it that young cowbirds do not imprint on the adults which feed them at the nest?
Certainly birds of prey are well known for easily becoming imprinted on humans, and to the best of my knowledge this is generally true for other birds as well. Yet obviously the cowbird does not imprint in the same way, or else they would be seeking to mate with cardinals, sparrows, warblers etc. when they mature, rather than other cowbirds.
Does anyone have an explanation for this?
Marcel
Please Excuse my spelling ,I am Dyslexic thank you for your understanding.
Birds found on the bass (witch is all that is open from Monday to Friday) of the Leslie st spit to day wear G.Yellowlegs 2, B.Thrasher 2 ,B.Creeper 4 , Palm warbler 1, E.Towhee 1,Least Flycatcher 1,B.and W Warbler 2,Yellow Warbler 1,N,Waterthrush 1and the best of all a life bird for me on the spit breeding plumage female Wilson's Phalarope 1.......
the Leslie st spit is found at the foot of Leslie st south of the Gardiner expressway (witch is being torindown as we reed).
P.S has any one seen a 1st year Heermann's gull any wear???? if so send it home it is mist !!!!!
Craig
In Reply to: what is this little bird? posted by cathy on May 02, 2000 at 12:55:09:
House Finch-interesting bird because it is not native to Eastern North America-Around 1948 a small number were released in long Island New York and have colonized Eastern North America-now there are millions--They can raise lots of broods in 1 year-perhaps 5 different broods so they mulitply quickly Once in a while instead of reddish areas around the head on the males-it can be orange or slightly yellow although I have never seen the latter
There is a little bird that has just built a nest in a twig wreath I have on my front door. We live north of Toronto. I'd like to know what it is, very tiny, brownish, male looks like he has a blush red upper body/head. They layed 4 tiny pale blue eggs, we can see them through the window on the door.
In Reply to: A question posted by David Bailey on April 30, 2000 at 09:46:03:
Some years there is a Cliff Swallow colony under the Lakeshore Rd. bridge over Bronte Creek in Oakville and some years there is not. I don't know what factors determine if there will be one in a given year. Availability of mud with the appropriate consistancy may be a factor.
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, April 30, 2000
Where does one begin? It is the usual story at this time of the year once the spring migration gets into full swing in Prince Edward County. The highlight of the week was a BOREAL CHICKADEE at Prince Edward Point. Volunteer with the banding program down there, Don Craighead, said he couldn't believe it was a boreal when he removed it from the nets early that morning, but the identity was confirmed by bander Eric Machell. Today, there were good numbers of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES noted flying over the lake, a movement that isn't always as obvious in the spring as in the fall.
In other banding news at Prince Edward Point, there were 37 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS banded on Thursday, with another 74 banded the following day, and 84 banded on Saturday. Other highlights included a PINE WARBLER on Friday, 16 HERMIT THRUSHES and a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL yesterday, along with YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS, BLUE HEADED VIREO and PALM WARBLER. The first NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH to turn up in the Quinte area was heard singing by Quinte Conservation's newly hired environmental planner Stephen Monet on Thursday at the office parking lot in Belleville. There were four waterthrushes banded yesterday at Prince Edward Point. High banding days at Prince Edward Point were Friday (184) and Saturday (191).
Warblers at Prince Edward Point today included numerous YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS along with several PINE and PALM, BLACK AND WHITE, and BLACK-THROATED GREEN. There was a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER seen yesterday.
CLIFF SWALLOWS have been seen actively building their mud nests at the Prince Edward Point lighthouse, 50 on a building at Point Petre, and a small number on the large hanger at the First Nations Airport, west of Deseronto. There was an EASTERN KINGBIRD seen at Prince Edward Point on Wednesday. Don Craighead, walking the lakeshore from Prince Edward Point almost three km to Gravelly Bay found 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and a pair of CANADA GEESE with 8 goslings in tow. There were several pairs of CANADA GEESE with goslings along the Wetland Ecology Boardwalk at the H.R. Frink Centre today near Plainfield, along with PIED-BILLED GREBE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, MALLARD, NORTHERN HARRIER, and MARSH WREN.
The two CAROLINA WRENS nesting in a carport on Hill Street in Picton now have two eggs. It has been several years since this species has been found nesting in Prince Edward County. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS have been noted nesting in the Oak Hills area, just south of Stirling, as well as investigating a nesting box in the Waupoos area. WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS have been noted in large numbers this week at Point Petre, and have been turning up in most backyards and at bird feeders throughout the Quinte area. There were 3 EVENING GROSBEAKS at a feeder in Elmbrook, and another one noted at Prinyer's Cove several days ago. A late SNOW BUNTING was at Point Petre on Monday.
A pair of NORTHERN SHOVELERS turned up at Black River a week ago Sunday, and another pair was seen at the mouth of the Outlet River at Sandbanks Provincial Park. Approximately 20 REDHEADS were seen in on West Lake Saturday.
Other good sightings this past week included a GREEN HERON flying over Ben Gill Road yesterday, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK in the Point Petre area on Monday, a MERLIN at Prince Edward Point on Wednesday, and an UPLAND SANDPIPER last Sunday on Amherst Island.
The NatureStuff website at www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/ has been updated for May with new information on what birds may be expected in Prince Edward County for the coming month, and some personal thoughts on summer bird feeding. There is an article on Prince Edward Point about the significance of this point as a bird migration area, and the Outdoor Rambles column complements it with an article on the "Butterflies of the Bird World" (warblers). There is new information on ground covers on the Naturalization page, and the gallery has been updated with some great wildflower photos by Jo-Anne Lewis. All new bird photos throughout by photographers Don Craighead and Laura Pierce. And don't forget to check out the schedule for this year's Prince Edward County Birding Festival under Outdoor Events.
In other news, Backyard Birds of Quinte moved this weekend to their new location in the Reid's Dairy Plaza on Bell Blvd. in Belleville. If you're in Belleville this week, be sure to drop in to their new store. Bell Blvd. runs east and west between North Front Street and Sidney Street and is almost within sight of 401.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. This report has been brought to you by Backyard Birds of Quinte and will be updated at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7th. Good birding everyone, and our thanks to contributors who make this report possible.
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario, Canada
tsprague@kos.net
www.pec.on.ca/naturestuff/
In Reply to: European Goldfinch posted by Jim Heffernan on April 13, 1999 at 19:47:04:
April 30 2000 One European Goldfinch sighted,seen with American Goldfinch Ottawa Ontario.
Early migrants continue to trickle through, some of the highlights of our outing on Saturday: -a Winter Wren building its nest about 5 feet from the boardwalk on the Jobe's Woods trail, we watched for some 15 minutes as she made frequent trips to get lining material for the nest -a Solitary Vireo foraging high in a flowering Red Maple where presumably most of the insects were -Four species of warbler in total, several Black-throated Greens,numerous Yellow-rumps,"heard" a Northern Waterthrush near the tip, and a few Pine Warblers were vocalizing in the campground area -Excellent up-close and personal views of diving Caspian Terns and Great Egrets foraging for food -Northern Harrier and Pileated Woodpecker were also seen in the area, a pair of Brown Trashers were highly visible at the tip and we had great looks at Purple Martins as well -Several species of waterfowl could still be observed from the Calf Pasture area Peel Birding Class
I should have asked this question last year, but I didn't know about this board then, so here goes.
There used to be a large Cliff Swallow colony under the pedestrian bridge crossing the Rouge marsh. Last year I noticed that the nests were all gone. Anybody know what happened?
In Reply to: wildlife backyard habitat? posted by Jean-François Hic on April 27, 2000 at 19:24:30:
Journey North has a nice section on Backyard Habitat Resources, follow the link at Journey North
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by DAN CHARLES RASH on January 01, 19100 at 18:09:41:
I spotted two pileated woodpeckers in Washington, D.C. on April 26th, 2000 at approximately 3pm. They were the most beautiful and striking birds I have ever seen! They appeared to be doing some sort of dance - mating maybe? It was so exciting!
In Reply to: Re: sighting of Pileated Woodpecker posted by George Daszkowski on April 20, 1999 at 09:53:04:
I saw two pileated woodpeckers in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 26th. They appeared to be doing some sort of mating dance or something. They were the most beautiful and striking birds I have ever seen!
Would anybody know of a site with information on wildlife backyard habitat? I'm trying to attract cardinals and need to know what type of tree is appropriate for nesting or feeding purposes.
Thank you in advance,
Jean-François
In Reply to: Bronte grebes posted by Marcel Gahbauer on April 24, 2000 at 17:57:33:
I've just arrived and was wondering if I could get directions to Bronte Harbour and the grebes. You can reply to me personally if this is something everyone else already knows. Thanks.
In Reply to: Bronte grebes posted by Marcel Gahbauer on April 24, 2000 at 17:57:33:
Dear Fellow Birders
I went to see the R-n Grebes today, and there were 3 pairs there (6 birds), all of which were courting. There was a pair in the west end, centre of the harbour, and the pair in the east end had started trying to build their nest in a tire put out for them.
Also present were 2 Coots and a Pied-billed Grebe.
Mike Boyd Oakville, Ontario
I understand that the Red-necked Grebes have been back in Bronte Harbour for quite a while already (although I have not had a chance to see them yet myself this year). I had heard that the harbour was not planning to provide the grebes with floating tire platforms this year, but I have just heard from Bruce Hood that the same tire used last year (inside the protected strip between the docks and the shoreline) has been placed out again.
The grebes became tremendously popular in the local community last year, and with good reason. The nests in the harbour provides an incredible opportunity to observe these beautiful birds at much closer range than you could ever hope to anywhere else. Daphne Hood reported seeing 5 Red-necked Grebes in the harbour this afternoon, so chances are good there will be at least two nests again this year (like in 1999) and possibly even three.
Marcel
In Reply to: Osprey posted by Gerry Mielke on April 23, 2000 at 22:25:08:
A pair of Osprey has been nesting at the Mountsberg Reservoir for the past couple of years (raising one chick successfully in 1999). They are back again this spring. This isn't far from where you are, so it's possible that it's one of the Mountsberg Ospreys off on a feeding excursion. That being said, there are more than enough fish in the reservoir itself, so I suspect that the Osprey you saw is likely a different one, which may or may not hang around the area.
Marcel
In Reply to: Re: HELP WITH ID!! posted by Barbara Taylor on April 23, 2000 at 20:50:55:
I must've given a good description because a few of you ,correctly as it turns out, guessed that my new friend is a mourning dove.
Thanks a lot, David Fleischer
On this Resurrection Day (Easter) I had a wonderful ornithological treat. Our neighbours have a reservoir containing some bass and other fish and we have a few ponds on our property with a small swamp at the back. Well, an Osprey flew up from the neighbors reservoir and landed on a tree in our swamp and sat there eating his fish!! A crow came and sat nearby probably hoping he would drop some of his food for it. I watched this beautiful creature from our gazebo. He stayed for about 15 minutes. I live near Freelton, which is about half way between Hamilton and Guelph. I have seen Ospreys up north in the Canadian Shield but never on my property!!
In Reply to: HELP WITH ID!! posted by David Fleischer on April 23, 2000 at 16:44:14:
Sounds like your bird could be a Mourning Dove. Here are some websites with images (the first website has lots of photos including a close-up of the dove's head showing the pale blue ring around its eye and the slight downward curve at the tip of its bill):
1. http://www.crypto.com/photos/dove/
2. http://www.clark.edu/Academics/AppliedTech/EP/BioWeb/wildlife/birds/dove.htm
3. http://www.rom.on.ca/cgi-bin/cbcb/fieldguides.pl?region=Toro&taxon=Birds&doc_type=guide&page_no=4
On Saturday afternoon I was out at Cranberry Marsh and saw a quite interesting sight. I was watching a Northern Harrier lazily coasting along when 3 Mallards hove into view. One of these Mallards struck the Harrier, causing the latter to fall a good distance before beating a hasty retreat. I have often seen Crows and Red-winged Blackbirds harrassing hawks but have never seen a duck do anything like this. Does anybody have any idea as to whether this would be a deliberate strike by the Mallard, or just a case of an accidental collision? There were a good number of Tree Swallows and waterfowl in the air on Saturday that it resembled a bird-equivalent of the 401.
Other birds around included several Yellow-rumped warblers, Eastern Phoebe (3), Rufous-sided Towhee, Belted Kingfisher, lots of White-throated Sparrows and both Kinglets.
Paul Fletcher fletcher@psych.utoronto.ca
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA - Sunday, April 23, 2000
The almost constant rain all week long created fresh hope for waterfowl watchers over the last several days. For us, it was only a matter of looking out our front window where MALLARDS swam nonchalantly on our front lawn. The cornfield at Kaiser Road and County Road 8 which had such high numbers of dabbler ducks earlier in the season, later to all but dry up, is flooded once again with good numbers of MALLARDS, BLACK DUCKS, NORTHERN PINTAIL, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER and CANADA GEESE. Ducks were also the order of the day at Prince Edward Point when an estimated 150,000 OLDSQUAW flew north past the Point during a six-hour period on Monday. Other interesting waterfowl seen down that way over the week included GREEN-WINGED TEAL and WOOD DUCK on Thursday, and HORNED GREBES and RED-NECKED GREBES in Prince Edward Bay off Little Bluff Conservation Area on Wednesday.
Lots of good sightings from Prince Edward Point. There was an EASTERN TOWHEE behind the bird banding station last weekend, along with large numbers of DARK-EYED JUNCOS and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS moving through today. Three YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS and BROWN THRASHER were banded today, and a COMMON REDPOLL was banded on Friday - first time this species has ever been banded at Prince Edward Point since 1995. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS and CLIFF SWALLOWS have been present there since Thursday. The latter was also present at Point Petre on Friday. As many as 500 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS have also been present at the Point during the week. Overall, not a bad week at Prince Edward Point given the weather and low banding success due to many of the net lanes being under water.
TREE SWALLOWS have been seen in swarms over area lakes and rivers snatching what insects they can find in the unseasonably cool weather. There were about 100 at Point Petre most of last week, and on Monday there were several hundred swooping over the Moira River in Belleville. Hill Street in Picton has had a couple of good birds this past week. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen briefly on Wednesday, and a CAROLINA WREN has been busy building a nest in a car port at the same address. This wren has been present since the winter.
Other interesting