Phill Holder and I had a great day birding at Presqu'ile. Highlight was super close views of an adult Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Owen Point. Doug McRae aged it as an adult and we all agreed. Its feathers were noticeably worn unlike fresh juveniles. Not a large number of shorebirds but a good variety including an adult Black-bellied Plover, Sanderling, Semipalmated , Least, White-rumped and Pectoral Sandpipers.
We had lunch outside at Bill Gilmour's cottage along Lakeshore Drive where the Rufous Hummingbird was seen recently. Bill's place is "ASA Wright North" and we saw an assortment of birds (and butterflies) attracted to his flower gardens, berry bushes, bird baths, dripping water and feeders. Thanks Bill. Directions: Presqu'ile Provincial Park is south of Brighton off Highway 401. Following signs to the park. The best place for shorebirds is Owen Point. Get a park tabloid at the fee station. It has map showing the location of Owen Point and other birding areas. Morning is best on the natural beach when the sun is at your back. Here's a shorebird OFO guide about Southbound Shorebirds. It's an annotated list and includes dates of arrival and when/where to see them. The shorebird season goes to freeze-up. August is the best month. Print a copy to have in your car to supplement your field guides. http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/southboundshorebirds.php Happy summer birding, Ron Pittaway Minden ON _______________________________________________ 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/
