One of the Fish Crows that was documented (Mourad Jabra) building a nest just west of Burloak Rd in east Burlington in early May was found dead in the park on 18 May. Cause of death appeared to be a head related injury. The bird was brought into the Royal Ontario Museum by Dr Kevin Seymour (ROM Palaeontologist) and was prepared as a study skin a few days later by Brad Millen (ROM Ornithology). The specimen was a female with enlarged ova but there were no collapsed follicles indicating that she had not yet laid any eggs. To ensure the species identification was correct, Dr Kevin Kerr (ROM Post Doc) agreed to genetically barcode a tissue sample from the specimen. The result...Fish Crow! Many thanks to all of the individuals, especially Cheryl Edgecombe, who assisted with this record and specimen collection.
Directions to the ROM - just kidding. Mark Peck - ROM Ornithology _______________________________________________ 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/
