A brief but heavy rain on Wednesday night put lagoon levels up at Holland Landing this week but also knocked a few migrating birds down, so shorebird numbers have increased since Thursday morning. Nothing rare has shown up, but there is still a bright juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher and one White-rumped Sandpiper present, as well as a newly arrived juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, three juv. Greater Yellowlegs, 40 - 50 more peeps (mainly Least but including at least a dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers) and two Solitary Sandpipers. Shorebirds were in both the fourth and second lagoons today, many of them hidden from view in the vegetation on the south and eastern edges of the latter. It is a good idea to hike the full perimeter of the lagoons (nicely mowed and easy to walk) and to take a good, long look at the southern end of the second cell as that is where at least 50 birds were busily probing for insects amidst the greenery. Both the SB Dowitcher and the Pectoral Sandpiper mentioned were in this area, wandering in and out of view. There are also 150 - 200 ducks present, looking rather drab in post-breeding plumage, but it is still nice to see Blue-winged Teal (which make up more than half of the ducks present), Green-winged Teal (approx. two dozen), and Wood Duck (approx. 10). The rest are Mallards. Bruce Brydon had eight Common Nighthawks at nearby Silver Lakes Golf Course earlier in the week and I observed two yesterday evening at the east end of the lagoons, chasing insects with a sky full of swallows, Chimney Swifts, Cedar Waxwings, Bonaparte's Gulls, and Eastern Kingbirds. When I was a university student in Hamilton about 30 years ago, Common Nighthawks routinely peented their way across the summer sky (especially above the Undermount Tavern it seemed to me). Now they are much harder to find, so it's always a treat to see these angular aerial foragers slicing their way across the twilight. The Mackenzie Marsh in Aurora today had no Egrets, but still held several herons: five Great Blues, two immature Black-crowns, and three Greens. There was also a small group of Least Sandpipers (7 birds), several DC Cormorants, and 22 Caspian Terns, most of whom were loafing on a hidden sandbar on the north side of St. John's Sdrd. (you have to scope it from the top of the southeastern hill beside the driveway near the RR tracks). Ron Fleming, Newmarket Holland Landing and Aurora are in York Region, just north of Toronto. DIRECTIONS: The Holland Landing lagoons are in the north part of the town of Holland Landing, which is between Newmarket and Bradford. Take Yonge Street north through Newmarket and turn right at the stoplights north of Green Lane (you will see Brooklin Concrete and the Newmarket Inn on the east side). Take the long and winding road (credits to Paul McCartney) down to Holland Landing, keep going straight (i.e. do not turn left at the bottom of the hill), then cross the RR tracks and the East Holland River. Continue north past the stoplights at Mount Albert Road, then keep going north through town, past the next lights. About 0.7 kms past Doane Road you will see two white wagon wheels, a Maximum 60 sign, and a red Toronto Sun newspaper box on the east side of the road. This marks Cedar Avenue. Turn right (east) and drive the short distance to its end. Park by the main gate (but don't block it) and walk past the green secondary gate on the north (left). Within a few metres you will see a metal post painted orange on the right side of the path, marking where you can step over the fence and walk back to the gravel road running into the lagoons. Watch for poison ivy, as there is a great deal of it here, especially on the northern margin of the gravel road. The Mackenzie Marsh is in north-central Aurora. Take Yonge Street north through town and turn east St. John's Sdrd. The marsh is less than a km after the turn. Parking is always an interesting challenge. I suggest turning into the driveway at just west of the RR tracks and coming back a bit onto the paved apron beside the sidewalk.
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