A few decent-sized flocks of a few thousand showed up in late February but it seemed that we still had more to come. That took place yesterday when migrating flocks appeared over Cornwall heading east, very close to the normal arrival date of the main movement. Today there were 20,000 off Westleys Point on South Service Rd east of South Lancaster. Initially 9,000 were feeding in a cornfield on the north side of Hwy 401 but at 8:45 they headed back to the middle of the river. Later in the morning I saw 11,000 more move into the area from the north. These birds likely came from the Riviere Beaudette floodplain at Green Valley on Cty Rd 34 because there were no geese present, whereas a few thousand had been hanging out there earlier in the week. If there had been more water rather than a trickle, the birds may have remained along Riviere Beaudette for the day instead of heading south to the St. Lawrence after the morning feed.
When the unsettled weather clears by Monday, smaller area rivers will have an increased flow. Green Valley area will likely flood, being attractive to the geese again. Some low fields across the region will also be flooded. In the coming week we may see some flocks appear in areas north of Hwy 417. Key there is the Bear Brook floodplain at Navan, the floodplain east of Bourget and five minutes north of St. Isidore at Fournier along the South Nation River. More geese will remain further north once regional sewage lagoons are free of ice. Brian Morin -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
