I did a quick check of the Holland Landing lagoons between 7:45 - 8:15 this
morning but, as Dave Worthington noted yesterday, there was not much there
outside of the more common birds. This week's most interesting species -
Red-necked Phalarope, Stilt Sandpiper, and Short-billed Dowitcher - appear to
have moved on.
Since it was still early I decided to check the Schomberg Lagoons, which are
less than half an hour's drive from Holland Landing. I took Canal Road along
the way and observed five Black-crowned Night Herons skulking at the water's
edge east of Jonkman's Corners (where Canal Rd. meets Simcoe St.), then had
five Great Blue Herons in the stretch west of Jonkman's.
Walking down the gravel roadway at the Schomberg lagoons around 8:45 I was a
little disappointed to see a mixed group of 40-50 peeps and yellowlegs flying
overhead, heading west. I hoped they would turn around and come back as they
so often do, but these birds just kept going. Quickly remembering that I'd
encountered Merlin terrorizing shorebirds at both the HL and Schomberg lagoons
last August and September, I decided to keep my eyes peeled for this feisty
little falcon species. Every perched Mourning Dove became suspect.
As I made the rise at the first lagoon a falcon did, in fact, swing across my
line of vision but much larger than a Merlin. When I got my binos on it, the
bird soon turned to show its conspicuous "Fu Manchu" moustache: it was a brawny
juvenile Peregrine! Thrilling stuff. Hellbent for breakfast, it kept working
the south shore of the lagoon, putting up more and more shorebirds. Even the
big Mallards were ducking their heads nervously when it passed and the normally
quick-to-fly Blue-winged Teal wisely stayed down rather than flushing into its
gunsights.
The falcon moved back and forth over the first lagoon long enough for me to
switch to my scope, with which I tracked it for a full 2-3 minutes as it chased
birds and demonstrated some remarkable accelerations. Still, despite all that
fabled speed and maneuverability, it did not catch one and soon peeled off to
the east, still flying low. It bypassed the second lagoon, where water levels
are high, and dropped out of view into the almost waterless third lagoon,
presumably after other shorebirds. The bird was lost from my view after that
and I did not see it again.
It took awhile for the shorebirds to settle down but within ten minutes of
the falcon's departure most of them were back to feeding, albeit very close to
the shelter of the green foliage at the water's edge and with many a glance
skyward. Most of the birds were in the first lagoon, but some showed up in the
third cell too. I counted about 70 Lesser Yellowlegs (roughly 3/4 of them
juveniles), about 100 peeps (roughly a 70:30 ratio of Least to Semipalmated
Sandpiper), 20+ Spotted Sandpipers, one juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, one
Semipalmated Plover, and two juvenile Short-billed Dowitchers showing buffy
breasts and gold-looking scapulars. There were also a few Chimney Swifts
twittering overhead with the many swallows.
Ron Fleming, Newmarket
To get to the Schomberg lagoons, travel west from Hwy. 400 along Hwy. 9,
which is Davis Drive out of Newmarket. Drive to the lights at Hwy. 27. There
is a Country Style Donuts coffee shop on the NE corner of the intersection if
you need caffeine or a bathroom. Turn left (south), then take the first left
turn you come to (there is Harvest House furniture store at the corner). This
short lane is called Proctor Rd. Drive almost to the end but turn right just
before the Fire Hall and take the short gravel road. Drive to the gate, pull
over so you don't block vehicle access, then walk along the south border of the
fence line until you get to within a few metres of the corner.
You can easily walk over the fence at the bent fence post. Take note that
the little path through the weeds is raised; it would not take much to give
your ankle a nasty turn in the grass-hidden holes on the south side of it.
For those who want to try both lagoons, please check posts about the HL
lagoons from earlier this week for directions to get to that one. To connect
between the two, you would leave the HL lagoons and go left (south) on Old
Yonge St. in Holland Landing. At the stoplights beside the Cango gas station,
turn right on Bradford St.
Drive to the T-intersection and turn right onto Holland Landing Rd. Follow
this to Bathurst St. and do a quick left, then a quick right onto the "real"
Yonge Street, which runs west into Bradford. You will soon pass a Beaver gas
station on the left (south).
When you see the Riverview Restaurant on that same side of the road, signal a
left turn. As soon as you cross the short bridge, take a left onto Canal Road.
It bends right past a wide spot in the river where many people fish. Bend
left and you will come to a stop sign where Canal Rd. meets Pumphouse Rd. Turn
right and follow Canal Rd. all the way over to Hwy. 400 (about a 10-minute
drive). You can keep your eyes peeled for Wood Ducks and herons in the canal,
but bear in mind that you really need to drive carefully on this road since it
is very narrow and has no barriers between you and the water. This is not a
neurotic word of caution: Last winter a young mother and her child slid on some
ice and went into the canal; they did not survive.
If you want to, you can follow the whole arc of Canal Rd. until it meets Hwy.
9 or you can turn left at River Rd. (just west of where you go under the 400)
and get to 9 more quickly. Either way, turn right (west) onto Hwy. 9 then
follow my directions for Schomberg above.
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From: "Bob and Mary Hartley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Subject: [Ontbirds]nighthawks in the City of Kawartha Lakes
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57 night hawks flew over our house last night at 7:45 p.m. Some appeared to
be hunting but not seriously, most flew straight over heading south.
Since they appeared to be migrating they are probably well out of the area
by now.
directions to where they were last night!
next to Emily Provincal park, 3 kilometers north of highway #7 on road 10,
which is between Lindsay and Peterborough.
Mary Hartley
