Greetings: It was a chilly 7C under a cloudless sky. There was no wind at 8:00am, however, it did pick up an hour later. A magnificent morning at the Brighton Constructed Wetland.
An Eastern Phoebe was calling as I entered the Wetland. A very good start indeed. Now the fun stuff - Ring-necked ducks, Green-winged Teals, Blue-winged Teal, American Black Duck, Bufflehead, Gadwall, Northern Shoveller, American Widgeon, Greater Scaup, Mallard, Mute Swan and Canada Geese. Now for something smaller - Common Moorhen, House Finch, Red Winged Black Birds, Song Sparrow, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Killdeer, Common Grackle, Tree Swallow, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flicker, American Crow, Blue Jay. A Northern Harrier above the Wetland, our two Osprey who are now nesting. We look forward to a future hatching and watching yet another little Osprey grow to maturity. Tiny and I heard and then Tiny located the Wetlands first Warbler of the season - Yellow Warbler. The most exciting was for Tiny and I to actually see both the Virginia Rail and the Sora. What a treat! We may not see them the rest of the season (we will hear them for sure) but they showed themselves to us for several minutes this morning. There was additional excitement for a couple of advid photographers as one of the Wetland's resident Mink made an appearance. A most satisfying morning at a wonderful place to bird! Joan for/and Tiny Directions: The Constructed Wetland is located at the SE corner of Brighton. From Hwy 401, take the Brighton exit 509 (Hwy. 30) and follow it south into town. Go south through the two traffic lights, over the railway tracks and follow the main road, now called Prince Edward Street, south. About 1 km south of the tracks, the main road begins to swing to the left and becomes County Rd. 64. As this long turn ends the Constructed Wetlands appear on the right side. Look for the Wetland viewing sign at the east end of the Wetland. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
