Roused from my winter torpor by Frank Pinilla's recent post, I ventured out to the Holland Marsh west of Newmarket after work today and put in a solid two hours of scanning the tundra-like landscape for Snowy Owls. The weather was absolutely balmy and the visibility was great. I found six Snowies: one east of Aileen Ave, on north of Strawberry Lane just west of Keele Ave, on right beside Wist Road on the roof of the Muck Crops Research Station within throwing distance of Hwy. 400, one west of Holancin Road on the west side of Hwy 400, one west of Rupke/River Road (it has two names, same road), and one just west of the Day St. on Devald Road. This last bird was being harrassed by a male Northern Harrier - the first of that species I have seen locally in months.
All of these locations are within a few kms of Hwy 400, just north of Hwy 9 which runs west out of Newmarket. Other birds of interest in the Newmarket/Bradford area this week include: 1. a Song Sparrow found by Kevin Shackleton at the north end of Bathurst Street in Holland Landing on Saturday; 2. a Horned Lark in the company of a Snow Bunting found by Kevin and I at the same location on Monday; 3. a Hermit Thrush that has been visiting the yard of Wilma Backus in south-central Newmarket for at least 6 weeks; and 4. a White-crowned Sparrow that has been visiting a feeder along Dufferin St. in Holland Marsh across from the Ansnorveldt school. Ron Fleming, Newmarket Newmarket and the Holland Marsh are directly north of Toronto, halfway to Barrie. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
