I did a couple of day trips around the county birding this week and came up with the following. First a couple of days ago I went to the Perth Wildlife Reserve and I can recommend this place to any local birder. The entrance road had many warblers and vireos but the highlight was a pair of BB Cuckoos that responded to my call and came within a few feet to check me out. I guess they thought I was as cuckoo as them. The reserve has a couple of trails with a good selection of birds ending in an observation tower overlooking the Tay River marsh. Here you can hear the many resident Common Gallinules. In general you can't see them but if you play 10 seconds of their call they respond. Black and Common Terns also frequent the marsh. Again a pair of BB Cuckoos stopped by to say hello. You can get there by going west from Ottawa to Perth. Go through town until Cty Rd 1 out of the south end of town. A few km south is Wild Life Rd, go east on it to the entrance. It is well ma rked.
Today I drove over to the north west side of the county near a place called Poland. Several Winter Wrens were doing their ecstatic song. Hermit Thrushes were calling om Umpherson road, every marsh has at least one Alder Flycatcher and Blackburnians could be found nesting along the Cty Rd 16 near Poland. Poland is north of Perth by going up 511 until Cty Rd 16 then go west to Poland. Finally I checked out a spot for Bank Swallows and found them nesting in a old quarry on Lanark 5a north of Cty road 12 on the west side of the road. This is just east of the village of Lanark. Iain _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
