Hi All I know that there haven't been any recent updates for the park and you might wonder what has (or has not) been sighted in the last little while. No one has reported the Townsend's Solitaire in the DeLaurier area in the last week, However, the Eastern Bluebirds that it had been seen associating with are still in the area.
The Visitor Centre bird feeding station is up and running. We have a good number of Am. Goldfinches in regularly, along with juncos, Am. Tree Sparrows and Chipping Sparrows. There are a few White-throated Sparrows around as well. Some of the blackbirds have been visiting the feeder as well, including Common Grackles and Rusty Blackbirds. I did have a Brewer's Blackbird late last week, but I have not seen it since. There is also a Northern Mockingbird hanging around the Visitor Centre area, as well as several Yellow-rumped Warblers. A late Nashville Warbler was sighted in the Sparrow Field area on the weekend, but was not relocated Monday in the blustery and much colder conditions. There continues to be an excellent berry crop in the park - the red cedars are loaded this year, encouraging large flocks of Cedar Waxwings - sometimes there is a flock of 200+ hanging around the Visitor Centre parking lot. We are keeping a close eye out for Bohemian Waxwings and Evening Grosbeaks and will post immediately if any turn up. There are still Red-bellied Woodpeckers around the park, particularly around the Visitor Centre and the DeLaurier trail. A Northern Flicker was sighted Monday on the main park road near the entrance to West Beach. A very large raft of Scaup was spotted earlier this afternoon by Park Patrol Officer Kelly Thompson. I was down to check it out and the flock easily numbers between 200 - 300 hundred thousand, likely spanning a good 6 km along the western side of the park. There were some mergansers mixed in with the flock - and there could be other goodies, but a scope is definitely needed (which I didn't have with me). A lone Double-crested Cormorant is hanging out with a Great Blue Heron at Sanctuary Pond in the north end of the park. The park Christmas Count will be held on December 15th - please contact me if you are interested in attending. Good birding Sarah Sarah Rupert Sr. Park Interpreter/Education Coordinator Point Pelee National Park of Canada Leamington, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
