At 3:30 this afternoon I found a female Smew on the St. Lawrence River about 5 km west of Cornwall. I watched it for about 15 minutes feeding within about 50 m of shore and managed a few terrible digiscoped photos. The bird was loosely associating with a small group of Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneye. It eventually flew out further into the river and joined a larger group of diving ducks.
Jacob Directions: Seen from Highway 2 between Cornwall and Long Sault. Just west of Fickes Road, there is a short, open stretch of river that is viewable from the highway. There is also a bike path here. This is a busy stretch of road, so it may be best to park on Fickes Road and walk the short distance to the west. _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
