On the way up to Algonquin Park today, Jerry Ball, Drew Monkman and I saw several large flocks of finches 'gritting' on Hwy 127 between Maynooth and Whitney. The finches were Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls with a few American Goldfinches. At one point there were half a dozen Evening Grosbeaks in the trees. The feeders in the village of Whitney were very active with a lot of the same finches, one large flock of Evening Grosbeaks, and, in one crabapple tree, three Bohemian Waxwings.
Finches in the park were surprisingly scarce, with no redpolls, one Pine Siskin flock of about 60 birds and a few other small groups. We did see three Red Crossbills on Opeongo Rd and one small flock of White-winged Crossbills at the start of the Spruce Bog Trail. The usual large flock of Evening Grosbeaks and a few American Goldfinches were at the Visitors Centre. Also on Opeongo Rd we had two Boreal Chickadees, one seen and one heard, eight Gray Jays, and a single Golden-crowned Kinglet. We also saw three Boreal Chickadees on the Spruce Bog Trail, and four Gray Jays. The final great sighting was an Eastern Wolf at km37 crossing the road in front of us, pausing on the top of the snow bank and looking at us, and then calmly trotting into the woods - a life mammal for all three of us. Tony Bigg _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
