Terrie Smith, Peter Hogenbirk and I did the Niagara River today from Niagara-on-the Lake (NOTL) to Fort Erie
Highlights: Fish Crow - 2 or 3 birds at northwest corner of Fort Erie Race Track (near Concession and Catherine Sts.) at 4-4:30 p.m. with about 1500 American Crows - all birds flew out towards the river at about 4:30 p.m. Slaty-backed Gull - one adult above the falls on the American side - Ian Cannell and Norm Murr saw the bird earlier in the day at the same location and refound it for us Black Vulture - 3 at Queenston overlook on the American side Turkey Vulture - 7 - same location Purple Sandpiper - 4 near the barge on the "sandpiper" rocks Little Gull - one juvenile at NOTL river mouth Thayer's Gull - two subadults at Adam Beck Iceland (Kumlien's) Gull - 9+ at Adam Beck - all age classes Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2 at Adam Beck (first winter) and one adult above the falls Glaucous Gull - one first winter near the breakwall POSSIBLE Mew (Short-billed) Gull - I found a juvenile bird above the falls on the rocks near the breakwall - this was a convincing looking first winter bird that mimicked photo #22A.8 in Howell and Dunn's "Gulls of America" - we're putting this out to alert birders so others can hopefully see it and confirm it as a Mew Gull - we had the bird sleeping on the rocks and saw many, but not all, of the salient field marks. As it was asleep during the lengthy observation period (20+ minutes), we did not see the bill, lower breast, belly, tail or legs, but clearly saw the head colour, back and sides coloration and patterning, primaries coloration, upper breast colour and the smaller size of the bird in comparison to immediately adjacent sleeping Ring-billed Gulls. Ian Cannell and Norm Murr chanced by and also saw it and agreed with our assessment of the bird. Notes will be submitted to OBRC for review. Geoff Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
