Birders, *I did a day of birding in York Region on Friday, just checking sites out for breeding birds (next to no migrants were seen). At the south end of Cook's Bay, as seen from a small park/boat launch off Lake Drive in Keswick, I had an American Coot, 1 Gadwall, 20+ Black Terns, 3 Common Terns, and 2 Forster's Terns (which I believe are quite uncommon in the region). * * * I also had a good list of somewhat uncommon (for York Region) birds including Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-shouldered Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper & Hooded Warbler (at an undisclosed site). * * Black-billed Cuckoo, Grasshopper, Clay-colored, Field & Vesper Sparrows, Eastern Towhee, Bobolink & Ruffed Grouse (all at the Cawthra-Mulock Reserve). * * Golden-winged Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk, all 6 swallow species, and others in various spots around northern York Region. * * The Holland Landing sewage lagoons had some decent shorebird habitat in the first cell. Very few birds were seen including a very late Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Northern Shoveler, 18 (adult & young) Wood Duck, 1 Gadwall & a drumming Pileated Woodpecker but no other shorebirds (not even a Spotted Sandpiper). * * Reesor Pond held my only Semipalmated Plover (and outside of Killdeer & Spotty, I had no other shorebirds than these 4) for the day, along with 1 female Ruddy Duck*.* * * Also, for the last 3 nights, just as it gets dark (9:30ish) - I've had a singing Sedge Wren out behind my house along with a displaying American Woodcok (which I've been hearing since late April). I am in Richmond Hill in the MacLeod's Landing neighbourhood which is located on the west side of Yonge Street north of Jefferson Sideroad. The wren is in the conservation lands between Yonge Street & Bathurst Street and is near a small kettle lake called Philips Lake. I presume that the bird could be heard from the Oak Ridges trail that runs through this area. The trail crosses Yonge between Stouffville Road and King Road in north Richmond Hill. There is parking on the east side of Yonge (where there is an old housing sales centre) and to get to the Wren you'd have to walk approximately 1km WEST from Yonge Street (cross at the new lights) - if taking this walk, follow the gravel trail until you get past the westernmost of the houses in our neighbourhood, the wren should be heard from here. The bird has only been heard at dusk or in full darkness but sings consistently for at least 30 minutes.
Cheers & good birding, Frank Pinilla Richmond Hill, ON DIRECTIONS: * * *Cawthra-Mulock Reserve* - Dufferin Street north of Hwy 9 and about 1km past Miller Sideroad there is a new gravel parking area for the reserve, follow the trail across the field and under the hydro line - here you will hear 4 or 5 Clay-colored Sparrows (a couple are quite close to the trail and can be well seen from here), and 1 or 2 Alder Flycatchers. Up the hill to the right you should listen for Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolink & Eastern Meadowlark. Keep following the trail to an old orchard and an old square brick silo, this area had a Black-billed Cuckoo and a couple of Towhees, following the trail through a small creek valley and up the other side takes you to a Cedar bush, find the trail that runs to the right (east) and in the heavier parts of the forest are often Ruffed Grouse, keep following this trail until it drops down to the right to a small pond, along here I had Mourning Warbler singing, Scarlet Tanager, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Belted Kingfisher, amongst others. *Holland Landing Sewage Lagoons *- where Yonge Street turns to the west (north of Newmarket, before Bradford), turn right at Holland Landing Road, which eventually becomes Yonge Street again. Follow through the town of H.L. until you reach Cedar Street, turn right and park at the end, gate to lagoons is straight ahead. *Reesor Pond *- just north of Hwy 407 on the west side of Reesor Road in Markham. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
