This morning from 6:45 to 8:30 a.m. I birded the woods and residential streets along a small section of Lake Ontario from Ben Machree Park to the Rhododendron Garden, SW Port Credit. While still not huge numbers the diversity (21 species) was somewhat impressive: Tennessee (1); Nashville (3); Northern Parula (4); Yellow (15); Chestnut-sided (3); Magnolia (5); Cape May (1); Blackburnian (5); Black-throated Blue (7); Cerulean (1); Black-throated Green (7); Yellow-rumped (10); Palm (6); Pine (7); Bay-breasted (1); Black-and-white (12); American Redstart (5); Mourning (1); Louisiana Waterthrush (1); Canada (1) and Wilson's (1). The trees in this are very mature and many of warblers were feeding high in the canopies. This nice mix of coniferous (spruce, pine, larch, firs, cedar) and deciduous trees (maples, oaks, birches, alder and beeches) and well as some major dense stands of low shrubs this area provides a diversity of habitats in a relatively compact and easily covered in an hour of birding. This was a my first Cerulean for this area: a male singing from at the top of large birch at the top of the bank just behind the large mass of mature Rhododendrons (now coming into bloom) just sw of the parking lot of the garden. The Mourning was singing in dense undergrowth just downstream from the first bridge over the creek from lakeshore and near the bathroom building. The Louisiana Waterthrush was along the same creek but just north of the southernmost of the three bridges. Surprisingly, the only species of thrush I saw was American Robin!
Directions: Ben Machree Park is located at the south end of both Pine and Maple Avenues which run off Lakeshore 4 blocks west of Mississauga Road. The Rhododendron Garden parking lot is located only two block further west. The major concentrations of warblers were in the high trees in bottom half of Godfrey's Lane which abutts the se parts of the Rhododendron Garden. There is a small parking lot on the shoreline at the end of Godfrey's Lane (where it meets Ben Machree Drive) which runs south off lakeshore along the east side of the garden; this would get you closer to the center of action. Wayne Renaud _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
