Good afternoon birders, The bird remains on Concession A, 400m west of Hwy 59 with 13 companions.
A flurry of birders, photographers and today New Year listers in particular have enjoyed great views of our resident Smith's Longspur. She's on day 16. I've had the pleasure of viewing her at least a dozen or more times, waiting in particular for times when I can be alone with her. The majority of times however, I've spent more time watching birders than the bird, and myself and a few other 'locals' estimate that around 400 individuals have viewed her. I would like to provide a few observations and tips for those that haven't visited yet, or intend to do so again. She is very loyal to a few small areas which happen to be the same areas that birders park, stand and congregate. She is very confiding, and we should try not to take advantage of that. To disturb the bird the least, and to provide the best viewing opportunities for all, it's best to park at the top of the hill and walk down to the dip/drain area, and not park there. The bird strongly prefers the grassy areas on either side of the road there and in the low-lying wet areas to the south, but tends to avoid it when groups of 3 or more individuals are standing nearby. She'll be very cooperative and come very close if you keep your distance (at least 5-10m) from this grassy patch. The road she is on is also a dead end road with two homes in the immediate vicinity of the bird. As you can imagine the traffic of hundreds of birders is quite a disturbance for these individuals. Please park as far on the side of the road as you can, and try not to park on both sides of road in the same place. This makes it extremely difficult for local traffic to pass. With a short warming trend and the fields void of snow and ice, there is a pretty good chance she'll disperse into the fields again. If snow or ice returns, she may come back to her trusty drain. Good birding, Stu ____________________ _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
