Today's flight was a bit confusing as the winds started light from the north then shifted to the SE and then the SW. One would have expected a modest flight on the north winds, which ended about 10 a.m. DST, but it was not forthcoming. When the winds shifted to the SE, the vultures started flying well to the north of Cranberry. At the same time a front was coming in from the NW at a higher altitude, so the birds were presumably following it leading edge. When the winds turned SW the flight stopped entirely.
A colour marked Great Egret (fuchsia under both wings) was noted. The bird circled the marsh several times and then flew off to the northeast. 108 Turkey Vultures 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks 5 red-tailed Hawks 1 Merlin Other species: one each of Barn Swallow, Marsh Wren and Eastern Phoebe + a few Rusty Blackbirds amongst the 48 species observed. Geoff Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com _______________________________________________ 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/
