Scattered Reports from 1995


For the week beginning Sunday, March 19

In the city itself, Grackles, Red-winged blackbirds and Robins have been reported.

At Grimsby, about 150 hawks were counted in a two hour period on the weekend. Mostly redtails.

Evening Grosbeaks and (maybe) Pine Siskins on weekend around Apsley.

Kildeer in Scarborough - March 21.

Grimsby - March 25

Another active day at the Grimsby Hawkwatch. It started off slowly, but by noon the hawk count was catching up to the number of observers - (50 +). One bald eagle was confirmed. Many turkey vultures and redtail hawks; more than a few Cooper's Hawk. Red-shouldered and Sharpshinned also seen. On the ground, a Cardinal and Mockingbird incredulously watched the crowd of cars, people, and dogs. White throated sparrow and Flicker calls noted from the woods - it was too big a party for them.
George Cantlie

May 4 to May 9 - Toronto East and North

Whitby area ( Cranberry Marsh, Whitby Harbour, Thicksons Woods ) Scarborough ( Morningside Park ) Toronto ( Base of Leslie Street Spit ) Oshawa ( Second Marsh ) Port Perry ( Sewage Lagoons )

Total number of species sighted personally during these few days was 99. Species sighted to date this year is 128. Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh .... Early and late mornings.....Most varieties of ducks including large flock of about 50 Ruddy Ducks, D.-Crested Cormorant, Virginia Rail (2), Black Terns, Blackburnian and Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrow in Lynde Shores CA.

Whitby Harbour........various times on each trip......only a few gulls here - majority of species and numbers are now showing up in farmers fields in area and Frenchmans Bay

Thicksons Woods.....several mornings and one evening trip.......Pine warbler on two occassions, Northern Waterthrush, Brown Thrasher, growing number of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Nashville Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak(2), House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Second Marsh .........May 9 late morning .... Bonapart Gulls, Little Gulls, Black Terns, Common Moorhen, Bobolink (14), Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Great Blue Herons

Port Perry Sewage Lagoons ......May 8 - early afternoon ..... close to 100 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 8 Greater Yellowlegs, Black Terns, Caspian Terns, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Northern Pintail, and most other ducks.

Base of Leslie Street Spit ...........Black-crowned Night Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Common Tern

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

May 10

Nonquon Sewage Lagoons - for the last two days (May 9 &10) a Ruff has been sighted. This one is Black and Cinamon. It is a spectacular bird! It can be found in the south pond with varriuos other shorebirds. A large variety of ducks and other marsh type birds can be seen at the other ponds at this location. Good luck!

Thickson's Woods had a very large influx of White-throated Sparrows during the evening of the 9th. Literally hundreds - perhaps a thousand or so. Quite the site to see! Happy birding!

Apparently many warblers have been reported in Darlington Provincial Park. I suggest getting there early - as I did not see much around noon on the 10th.

Gord gallant PQKL41A@PRODIGY.COM

Help Preserve Presqu'ile Park

Presqu'ile Provincial Park is located about 150 miles east of Toronto, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Ontario, near Brighton, Ontario, and directly opposite Rochester, New York. This peninsula - actually a tombolo - justs out into Lake Ontario. Being so strategically located, it remains one of Eastern Canada's greatest birdwatching sites. To date, over 313 species have been identified in the park. There is extreme biodiversity in terms of habitat, flora, and fauna. Hence Presqu'ile has the third highest number of nesting species in the entire province. Gull and High Bluff Island are one of the largest colonial waterbird nesting sites on the Great Lakes. To see greater numbers of migrating shorebirds, one would have to travel to James Bay (in the spirng, on one occasion, 10,000 shorebirds landed before a storm. In this huge flock were three purple sandpipers!).

After a lengthy process of lobbying the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the parks management plan will finally be finished. It began in 1979, but was never completed. Such a plan would preserve and protect for future generations what has been described as one of Ontario's most significant endangered spaces. I would appreciate your support in the form of a letter. Perhaps you are familiar with Presqu'ile, or can appreciate how significant this proposed Ramsar site is. For example, with the recent arrival of zebra mussels, thousands more waterfowl are seen around the park (winter counts often exceeded 22,000 individuals!). Even Dr. Roger Tory Peterson is on record as stating that Presqu'ile must be protected from any deterioration. Please refer to Clive Goodwin's newly revised book, "A BIRDFINDING GUIDE FOR ONTARIO".

Up to and including August 17/95, letters can be sent to :

donald_davis@stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca,internet

After that date, they must be mailed to: Donald Davis, 3815 Bathurst St., Apt. #2, Downsview, Ontario M3H 3N1

Letters may be sent to the goverment of Ontario, with a copy to this writer:
Hon. Chris Hodgson, Minister of Natural Resources, Room 6301, Whitney Block, 99 Wellesley St. W., Toronto, Ontario M7A 1W3

I look forward to hearing from you.

Donald A. Davis

Leslie Street Spit - November 4, 1995

Mixed flock of Redheads (Aythya americana) and Lesser Scaup (A. affinis) seen close by the road, sheltering in a small bay from the strong westerly this afternoon. I am sure the scaup were Lesser and not Greater, for the following reasons:

1. Color of the males' bodies was definitely gray, not white or 2 tone, and interestingly, the gray was identical in shade to the bodies of the Redheads swimming alongside.

2. Several female scaup were present with the strongly marked white facial patch at the base of the bill.

George Cantlie.

Tufted Titmouse and Caledon Information

Earlier this year I moved back to Canada from the US and am living near Caledon East while working in Mississauga. We have a couple of birdfeeders set up at home and have been getting the usual stuff. However a Tufted Titmouse showed up on Sunday, Nov 5 for about 5 minutes. It was back again this morning at about 7:30 am before I left for work. It seems to me that that is a tad unusual for that area. Am I correct? Or is my perception of birding north of Toronto a little out of line? By the way there was no mistaking the bird. It was plainly in view just outside our kitchen window, tuft and beady black eye very obvious.

Are there any birding groups based in Caledon or nearby? I would be interested in contacting them if there are any.

Roger Taylor
rtaylor@onet.on.ca

Tufted Titmouse - Picton - November 22, 1995

A tufted titmouse is visiting a bird feeding station east of Picton, on Highway 33 (Glenora Road). The bird first arrived November 20th, and is our third only record of this species for Prince Edward County.
- Terry Sprague
tsprague@telos.ca

Grimsby Hawkwatch - April 1

Cold day; winds light from the S.E. A lot of turkey vultures seen today: 102 were counted in a 1 hour period in the forenoon.

The March statistics (1-26Mar95) at Grimsby show 3700 raptors counted; this is 10% down from the same period last year. 50% of the March hawks were Redtails; next were Turkey Vultures in numbers counted. Many fewer Red Shouldered Hawks were seen compared to previous years. 9 Bald Eagles and 4 Golden Eagles were identified over the March period. Cooper's Hawk was frequently identified, and it is clear that some local birds are staying in the area, and are not migrating northwards.
George Cantlie ac219@freenet.toronto.on.ca
72763.3510@compuserve.com

Whitby Area - April 1

Trip report for April 1, 1995 - Whitby area (Cranberry Marsh, Whitby Harbour, Thickson's Woods).

Total number of species sighted was 45. Birds worth mentioning for each area are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh .... Pied-billed Grebe, Hooded Merganser, Canvasback Duck

Whitby Harbour..... Thayer's Gull (adult), Iceland Gull (1st year), Glaucous Gulls (20), all seen and compared to adjacent Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and Greater Black-backed Gulls.

Thickson's Woods.....Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Carolina Wren, and a Greater Yellowlegs (in marsh area).

Gord Gallant

Official Hawk Watch totals for Grimsby(Beamer)

for March 1-26 1995

Turkey Vulture          541
Bald Eagle                9
Northern Harrier         30
Sharp-Shinned Hawk      133
Cooper's Hawk           114
Red-Shouldered Hawk     383
Red-Tailed Hawk       1,889     
Northern Goshawk          8
Rough-Legged Hawk        56
Golden Eagle              4
American Kestrel         17

Total for month       3,709               

Total for same period last year was 4,157
 

I am happy to post this information as supplied by John Barker to supplement information previously provided by George Cantlie.

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com or gallang@basf-corp.com

Scarborough & Whitby area - April 8

Scarborough (Morningside Park)
Whitby area (Cranberry Marsh, Whitby Harbour, Thickson's Woods)

Weather conditions weren't exactly ideal - cold and windy. Total number of species sighted was 47. Birds worth mentioning for each area are as follows:

Morningside Park - early morning ...... Pileated Woodpecker, Coopers Hawk on territory, and a healthy looking Red-tailed Fox - not Fox Sparrow

Cranberry Marsh .... Wood Ducks in flight and whistling past, 5 Canvasback Ducks, Turkey Vulture, Swamp Sparrow - Fox Sparrow was sighted in Lynde Shores CA earlier this week

Whitby Harbour..... Gulls seen last week were here again this week, Great Blue Heron sighted flying over Whitby Harbour area towards Cranberry

Thickson's Woods.....American Woodcock. Flickers were sighted on the 7th by Margaret Bain and Jim Fairchild along with a few other species that I can't think of at this time -next time I will take notes.

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com or gallang@basf-corp.com

East of Toronto - April 14

Scarborough ( Morningside Park )
Pickering ( Frenchman's Bay, Corner Marsh )
Whitby area ( Cranberry Marsh, Whitby Harbour, Thickson's Woods )

Weather conditions - cold and windy light rain throughout morning. Total number of species sighted personally was 54. Birds worth mentioning for each area are as follows:

Morningside Park ...late afternoon .....Red-breasted Nuthatch, Belted Kingfisher

Frenchman's Bay....early morning .... Bonaparte's Gull (24), Eastern Phoebe, Horned Grebe

Corner Marsh ...........early morning.....Common Loon, Gadwalls, Northern Shovellers, various Gulls and Ducks, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker off Shoal Point Road

Cranberry Marsh .... early morning.....Ruddy Duck (8), Tree Swallows flying over lake

Whitby Harbour........mid morning......Glaucous and Iceland Gulls still seen here again this week

Thickson's Woods.....late morning.......Northern Flicker, Winter Wren

......early morming sightings by Margaret Bain in Thickson's Woods area included..... Red-throated Loon (winter plumage) on Lake with along 4 Common Loons, large amount of Horned Grebes, Tree Swallows flying west, Belted Kingfisher, Rufous-sided Towhee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, N. Flicker, White-throated Sparrow, and Caspian Tern

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com or gallang@basf-corp.com

Whitby Area - April 17

Weather conditions - cold windy and clear. Total number of species sighted personally was 59. Birds worth mentioning for each area are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh .... late morning.....Redhead Ducks, Cormorants flying over

Whitby Harbour........early morning......Glaucous Gulls still seen here and Frenchmans Bay

Thickson's Woods.....early morning......Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Eastern Meadowlark, Savannah Sparrow, Brown Trasher, Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Fox Sparrow Western Grebe seen yesterday by Margaret Bain was not seen here today,

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com or gallang@basf-corp.com

Grimsby Hawkwatch - April 17

A small flock of mature Birders in winter plumage turned out Easter Monday, braving a cold easterly wind under leaden skies.

It is clear the Sharpshin has taken over from the Redtail in terms of numbers, as we are well into April. This was the most common species, followed up by Turkey Vultures.

A bonus today was a count of over a dozen migrating Great Blue Herons, as well as over 30 Common Loons.

The still barren woods bordering the field were noisy with Blue Jay and Flicker calls, and courting Cardinal pairs were active. A walk along the wood trail turned up White br. Nuthatch, Downy and Sapsucker woodpeckers. A neighbour's feeder attracted a flock of Goldfinches and House Finches.

George Cantlie

Official Hawk Counts for Beamer C.A.

March 1993, 1994, 1995

Species                             1993        1994   1995

Turkey Vulture                        61        1458    734
Bald Eagle                             5          23     11      
Northern Harrier                      13          78     39      
Sharp-shinned Hawk                    58         187    175
Cooper's Hawk                         28          93    130
Northern Goshawk                       6          27      9       
Red-shouldered hawk                  284        1246    411
Red-tailed Hawk                     1192        1742   2081
Rough-legged Hawk                     12         38      63
Golden Eagle                           3          7       4
American Kestrel                      11         29      19
Merlin                                 0          2       1
Peregrine Falcon                       0          0       0       
Osprey                                 0          1       0
Unidentified                         341        263     553

Totals                              2014       5194    4230
                        
Figures provided by John Barker 

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

Whitby Area - April 22

Weather conditions - cold and windy throughout morning. Total number of species sighted personally was 64. Spring Migration is certainly picking up! Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh .... very early morning.....Most varieties of ducks including Blue-winged Teal, Vesper Sparrow sighted singing, large flock of Bonaparte's Gulls, Glaucous Gulls and Greater Yellowlegs in field off Halls Road, Brown Thrasher.

Whitby Harbour........early morning......Very few Gulls seen here compared to previous visits

Thickson's Woods.....mid to late morning.......Many (Flickers, Winter Wrens, Golden-crowned and Ruby-Crowned Kiglets singing), Yellow- rumped Warblers, Fox Sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, Rufous-sided Towhee.

No sign of Western Grebe that was sighted on Lake Ontario here last Sunday. Overall - things are looking and sounding much more like spring migration - dispite the cool weather.

Western Meadowlark in Bowmanville area - check Durham Hot Bird alert line at (905)576-2738 for directions.

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

Rare Bird Alert - April 24

This afternoon a Black throated Gray Warbler was found by Collin Jones and Rich Russell at Starkeys Loop, Puslinch TWP, Wellington County.(GUELPH) Ontario.The bird was relocated and The ID confirmed at 5:00 PM by several Birders. This is the first County record and a rare find for Ontario.

Starkey Loop, is about 1.5 Km East of the hamlet of Arkell. From Victoria Rd proceed east to Arkell. Continue east for about 1.5 Km ,On your right look for an old farm house and a hay field; Park at the end of the field and walk uphill on a well used trail to the edge of a Pine Plantation. Go to your right through the pines untill you come to a overgrown pond. The bird was seen in the company of TRWA feeding low.

Good Luck!

Rohan van Twest

Whitby Area - April 29

Weather conditions - cool and partially overcast. Total number of species sighted personally was 58. A few warblers are starting to show up! Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh .... Late morning.....Most varieties of ducks including large flock of about 50 Ruddy Ducks

Whitby Harbour........early morning......few gulls here - now showing up in farmers fields in area

Thickson's Woods.....early morning.......Pine warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Brown Thrasher, several Yellow-rumped Warblers, and possible Nashville Warbler. Solitary Sandpiper in marsh area.

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

May 4 to May 9 - Toronto East and North

Whitby area ( Cranberry Marsh, Whitby Harbour, Thickson's Woods )
Scarborough ( Morningside Park )
Toronto ( Base of Leslie Street Spit )
Oshawa ( Second Marsh )
Port Perry ( Sewage Lagoons )

Total number of species sighted personally during these few days was 99. Species sighted to date this year is 128. Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh .... Early and late mornings.....Most varieties of ducks including large flock of about 50 Ruddy Ducks, D.-Crested Cormorant, Virginia Rail (2), Black Terns, Blackburnian and Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrow in Lynde Shores CA.

Whitby Harbour........various times on each trip......only a few gulls here - majority of species and numbers are now showing up in farmers fields in area and Frenchman's Bay

Thickson's Woods.....several mornings and one evening trip.......Pine warbler on two occassions, Northern Waterthrush, Brown Thrasher, growing number of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Nashville Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak(2), House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Second Marsh .........May 9 late morning .... Bonapart Gulls, Little Gulls, Black Terns, Common Moorhen, Bobolink (14), Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Great Blue Herons

Port Perry Sewage Lagoons ......May 8 - early afternoon ..... close to 100 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 8 Greater Yellowlegs, Black Terns, Caspian Terns, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Northern Pintail, and most other ducks.

Base of Leslie Street Spit ...........Black-crowned Night Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Common Tern

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

May 10

Nonquon Sewage Lagoons - for the last two days (May 9 &10) a Ruff has been sighted. This one is Black and Cinamon. It is a spectacular bird! It can be found in the south pond with various other shorebirds. A large variety of ducks and other marsh type birds can be seen at the other ponds at this location. Good luck!

Thickson's Woods had a very large influx of White-throated Sparrows during the evening of the 9th. Literally hundreds - perhaps a thousand or so. Quite the sight to see! Happy birding!

Apparently many warblers have been reported in Darlington Provincial Park. I suggest getting there early - as I did not see much around noon on the 10th.

Gord gallant PQKL41A@PRODIGY.COM

Thickson's Woods and Cranberry Marsh - May 11

Best spring migration so far this year! Weather was overcast, cool, and occasional showers - ideal for birding in spring migration! Total number of species sighted personally this day was 92. Species sighted to date this year is 154. Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Thickson's Woods.....entire morning.......18 Species of warblers as follows: Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, large number of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Nashville, Black & White, Palm, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green, Northern Parula, Blue-winged and Gold-winged, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia, Cape May,

Also of interest was Rose-breasted Grosbeak, House Wren, a third Carolina Wren for Thickson's Woods Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Thrasher, Wood Thrush, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Oriole, Bobolink, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, Whip-poor- will, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird

Numbers for each are listed in book at entrance to walkway

Cranberry Marsh - Common Tern, Black Tern, Virgina Rail, all Swallows including immature Purple Martin, Hooded Merganser

Note : Darlington Provincial Park - Tyler reported 23 species of warbler at far east end of the park.

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

Another Rare Bird at Port Perry Sewage Lagoons

As of Monday May 15, there has been a Glossy Ibis at the sewage lagoons in Port Perry (Nonquon).

It can be found in the centre pond. Many other shorebirds are present as well. Try to get there before 7:00PM - as it disappears at 7:30 ...possibly to roost for the night. Good Luck and happy birding!

Gord Gallant PQKL41A@Prodigy

Whitby Area & Port Perry Sewage Lagoons - May 15

Weather was cool breezy and sunny. Total number of species sighted personally this day was 74 . Species sighted to date this year is 169. Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Thickson's Woods.....early to mid morning.......11 Species of warblers as follows: Tennessee, Yellow-rumped, Nashville, Black-throated Blue and Black- throated Green, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, American Redstart, Magnolia, Bay-breasted - others may have seen a few others in this location and elsewhere in the general area - viewing is becoming difficult due to the growth of leaves. Birding success can be greatly improved if identification of songs is relied upon more heavily.

Thickson's Woods also had Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush, Veery, several Swainson's Thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, Northern Oriole, Bobolink, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee

For an accurate account of species sighted in Thicksons Woods, check the book at entrance to walkway.

Cranberry Marsh ......early morning.....Common Tern, Black Tern, Virgina Rail, all Swallows, various ducks and gulls.

Port Perry Sewage Lagoon (Nonquon) .........late morning.....Black Terns, Common Moorhen, Coot, Pectoral Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs - numbers decreasing, Dunlin, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover....Ruff and Glossy Ibis appear to be gone.

Whitby Harbour ............Early Morning....Brant feeding on grass at bridge with Canada Geese

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

Whitby, Oshawa, Pickering - May 27

Weather was warm and sunny. Birds worth mentioning are as follows:

Cranberry Marsh ......early afternoon..... Eurasian Wigeon, Caspian Terns, Black Tern, Virgina Rails, Blackpoll Warbler, various ducks and gulls.

Second Marsh .........mid morning.....male Wilson's Phalarope, Willow Flycatcher, Green Heron, Bobolinks, Black Terns, Common Moorhen, Coot, Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover, various gulls and ducks.

Frenchman's Bay ............early afternoon....immature Yellow- crowned Night-Heron feeding in reeds. As this is an immature bird, I would appreciate another opinion as to the validity of this sighting. I was given information from someone I would consider a very good and experienced birder.

Gord Gallant pqkl41a@prodigy.com

Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Frenchman's Bay

This immature bird was found at the South West corner of Frenchman's Bay in the marsh at the extreme south end. It can be seen feeding from reeds while you stand on the road looking into the marsh. I observed it with a 10X pair of binoculars and 30X scope for a half hour. I am not 100% certain that it is actually a Yellow-crowned - as oposed to the common Black-crowned. The birder that informed me about this bird is quite experienced and I would trust his judgement regarding sightings.

I would love to get some feedback on this one. Please E-Mail me at pqkl41a@prodigy.com

Gord Gallant

Help Preserve Presqu'ile Park

Presqu'ile Provincial Park is located about 150 miles east of Toronto, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Ontario, near Brighton, Ontario, and directly opposite Rochester, New York. This peninsula - actually a tombolo - justs out into Lake Ontario. Being so strategically located, it remains one of Eastern Canada's greatest birdwatching sites. To date, over 313 species have been identified in the park. There is extreme biodiversity in terms of habitat, flora, and fauna. Hence Presqu'ile has the third highest number of nesting species in the entire province. Gull and High Bluff Island are one of the largest colonial waterbird nesting sites on the Great Lakes. To see greater numbers of migrating shorebirds, one would have to travel to James Bay (in the spirng, on one occasion, 10,000 shorebirds landed before a storm. In this huge flock were three purple sandpipers!).

After a lengthy process of lobbying the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the parks management plan will finally be finished. It began in 1979, but was never completed. Such a plan would preserve and protect for future generations what has been described as one of Ontario's most significant endangered spaces. I would appreciate your support in the form of a letter. Perhaps you are familiar with Presqu'ile, or can appreciate how significant this proposed Ramsar site is. For example, with the recent arrival of zebra mussels, thousands more waterfowl are seen around the park (winter counts often exceeded 22,000 individuals!). Even Dr. Roger Tory Peterson is on record as stating that Presqu'ile must be protected from any deterioration. Please refer to Clive Goodwin's newly revised book, "A BIRDFINDING GUIDE FOR ONTARIO".

Up to and including August 17/95, letters can be sent to :

donald_davis@stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca,internet

After that date, they must be mailed to: Donald Davis, 3815 Bathurst St., Apt. #2, Downsview, Ontario M3H 3N1

Letters may be sent to the goverment of Ontario, with a copy to this writer:
Hon. Chris Hodgson, Minister of Natural Resources, Room 6301, Whitney Block, 99 Wellesley St. W., Toronto, Ontario M7A 1W3

I look forward to hearing from you.

Donald A. Davis

Leslie Street Spit - November 4, 1995

Mixed flock of Redheads (Aythya americana) and Lesser Scaup (A. affinis) seen close by the road, sheltering in a small bay from the strong westerly this afternoon. I am sure the scaup were Lesser and not Greater, for the following reasons:

1. Color of the males' bodies was definitely gray, not white or 2 tone, and interestingly, the gray was identical in shade to the bodies of the Redheads swimming alongside.

2. Several female scaup were present with the strongly marked white facial patch at the base of the bill.

George Cantlie.

Tufted Titmouse and Caledon Information

Earlier this year I moved back to Canada from the US and am living near Caledon East while working in Mississauga. We have a couple of birdfeeders set up at home and have been getting the usual stuff. However a Tufted Titmouse showed up on Sunday, Nov 5 for about 5 minutes. It was back again this morning at about 7:30 am before I left for work. It seems to me that that is a tad unusual for that area. Am I correct? Or is my perception of birding north of Toronto a little out of line? By the way there was no mistaking the bird. It was plainly in view just outside our kitchen window, tuft and beady black eye very obvious.

Are there any birding groups based in Caledon or nearby? I would be interested in contacting them if there are any.

Roger Taylor
rtaylor@onet.on.ca

Tufted Titmouse - Picton - November 22, 1995

A tufted titmouse is visiting a bird feeding station east of Picton, on Highway 33 (Glenora Road). The bird first arrived November 20th, and is our third only record of this species for Prince Edward County.
- Terry Sprague
tsprague@telos.ca

Leslie Street Spit - December 2, 1995

Northern mockingbird
Great Horned Owl (at least 3 individuals)
Kestrel
Ducks:
	Redbreasted Merganser
	Bufflehead
        Goldeneye
        Old Squaw

George Cantlie
geocant@io.org

Where are the Grosbeaks?

Have all the regular birds coming to the feeder: bluejays, cardinals, woodpeckers, and a lot of chickadees but haven't seen one grosbeak yet and I'm concerned. Everyone that walks by my house asks me the same question "how come you have NO grosbeaks this year?". I don't know what to answer; can someone out there help? I'm in the back woods of Quebec and the winter days and nights are already very cold. Grosbeak watchers, if you're out there let me know if you have any, or if you know where they are.

Gigi back woods of Quebec.
Ginette Vaillancourt (gigi@ViaNet.on.ca)