At about 6:00 pm this evening (March 19) I spotted a Black Vulture over the town of Dundas. I originally spotted the bird while I was driving along Governors Rd. near the Canadian Tire Store; it was soaring around with a few Turkey Vultures. After phoning a few local birders, I lost sight of it moving a bit to the north so drove around town to look for it. About 15 minutes later, I spotted it again in the distance near the Dundas Peak along the Escarpment near the base of the Hwy 8 hill. One of the birders I called was able to see it fly over his house nearby right at that time! A little while later, another birder I called hooked up with me, and we continuied to drive around, and back near the site of my original sighting, at about 7:00 pm, we found the bird again with a larger group of Turkey Vultures. We had great views of it soaring with about 25 TUVUs over the Wentworth Lodge nursing home on South St. Eventually, all of the birds went to roost in some conifer trees in the backyard of the residential area. A few other birders arrived but too late to see it. I won't give the exact location of the roost since it is a quiet neighbourhood with little room for parking, but it was just west of the University Plaza on Osler Rd. The bird might be viewed in the morning soaring around after the birds take flight for the day.
Directions: From Hwy 403 in Hamilton, take the Main St. West exit and head west on Main St. past McMaster University and towards Dundas. Continue straight on this road as it turns into Osler Rd., and after it goes down a large dip, turn left at the first lights into University Plaza. The area to keep an eye is is just west of the plaza. Rob Dobos Dundas, Ont. [email protected]
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