Posting for Peter Burke: Exciting news from Simcoe County Kirtland’s Warbler restoration efforts. This week a male was discovered by Reuven Martin at the Simcoe County Museum property along Hwy 26, seven km north of Barrie. It is now up to two birds as of May 27. This is where the initial efforts to make warbler habitat began in 2017, near the town of Midhurst and these are the first birds to appear to use it. People are welcome to observe the birds on the County owned property. Again, like Packard Tract in 2022 and 2023, we ask that people do NOT leave the trails. The males are very cooperative and often perch out on open snags, or even forage beside the trails. You can access the parking lot at https://maps.app.goo.gl/J6gkzTpc8EhkoVheA?g_st=ac (this is NOT the same site where Kirtland's Warblers were in 2022 and 2023!!) Park on the gravel, not the asphalt; there are bathrooms, trails and a viewing platform put up by the county. The birds are in the young jack pine stand SE of the parking area.
Ambassadors are being arranged to be present however we are confident that people will respect the birds and one another. Help people who may have trouble locating them on their own but observe the rules. This is a chance to show the public how fortunate we are to have these birds return to their former range and what conservation/ restoration can do. The county will make a public announcement and there is a good chance non-birders show up to see what is going on. Help to be an ambassador yourself! If you are interested in being an Ambassador for a morning (or more!) please email [email protected] Here are a few more details about seeing the warblers at the Simcoe County Museum. Like many other birds, singing, especially from an exposed perch, is most common in the first couple of hours of the day. Unlike the Packard site, the museum has a number of snags that the birds commonly sing from, especially one of the males. Bring a telescope and you will have fabulous views right from the trail. We are also providing a platform in the next day or two that overlooks the site at the height of the trees. The birds are very tame, and if you are patient, they often come very close to the trail as they forage at mid tree height or lower. You can trace them as they sing quite regularly. The trail essentially encompasses the entire patch of habitat which the birds use so you can easily trace the birds as you move around it. I am confident that both of these males are first spring birds, but they look quite different in the amount of black on their sides and face. The brighter bird seems to dominate over the duller one and appeared first. With so many eyes looking, it will be helpful to see if any more birds join in the coming days. This includes females which do not sing. Unlike Packard, the museum has good structure for nesting, and it is a possibility that a female could still show up. The vegetation is still growing, making for good opportunities to watch the birds at lower levels. This will change rapidly in the next 10 days or so as things fill in. I can’t stress enough what birders can do to promote this to the general public. It is easy viewing- Share the story, share the success and encourage people to go take a look at what we can do together. I often get asked what people can donate to for supporting this. www.oakridgesmoraine.org and use the menu to visit the Kirtland’s Warbler recovery tab to donate there. Your funds will support land acquisition and other needs such as native seed collection, invasive species management. Pass it on. Note: because this species is considered sensitive in eBird, new sightings will not appear their publicly. You can find updates on the Simcoe channel of the OFO Discord server: https://discord.gg/npbCzXVhZ2 -- 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 To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
