I birded the lagoons this afternoon and had some nice birds. The full list is appended at the end of this email, but the highlights included:
2 male Redheads (unexpected at this time of year) 45 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Greater Yellowlegs 8 Least Sandpipers 15 Spotted Sandpipers All shorebirds were in breeding (alternate) plumage and actively feeding on the mudflats. There is excellent habitat of late due to some sludge removal at the lagoons. The habitat should persist well into October if the construction continues as planned. This is a great time of year to bird as, not only are the adult shorebirds already on the move, but other species are wandering after finishing their own breeding cycles or as a result of failed breeding. Lots of family groups also add to the excitement. To the watchful, unexpected birds can appear almost anywhere at this time of year as they disperse after breeding. The lagoons are also wonderful habitat for butterflies, herptiles and odonates. Directions and permit requirements at the end of this email ... Port Perry - Nonquon lagoons, Durham, CA-ON 8-Jul-2012 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM Protocol: Traveling 1.5 kilometer(s) 36 species Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 124 Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) 2 Gadwall (Anas strepera) 1 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 289 Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) 9 Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 2 Redhead (Aythya americana) 2 two adult males! Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 9 family groups - knwon to breed at this site this year Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 32 Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 15 Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1 Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 45 early fall migrants - all in breeding plumage Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 8 Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 136 Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 1 Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 11 known to nest in the area Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 2 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 2 Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1 Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1 Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 7 Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 1 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 2 American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 5 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 4 Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 2 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 3 American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 5 Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 17 Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2 Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 5 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 29 Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 2 Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1 American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 6 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org) Directions: The permits may be purchased at the Durham Region Transfer Site located at 1623 Reach Rd, Port Perry during the following business hours .... Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. To get to the transfer station, travel north on Hwy 12 past Port Perry [Hwy 7A] to the next traffic lights [Regional Road 8 = Reach Rd.] and travel east to #1623 on the north side of the road. The lagoons are located one road north of the transfer site on Concession Rd. 8 [don't get confused as, despite the fact that these roads are both numbered "8", they are two different roads - one is a regional paved road, the other a dirt concession road.]. Access to the lagoons is from the east end of Conc. 8 only as the bridge is out west of the lagoons. Geoff Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com _______________________________________________ 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/
