[Ontbirds]Great Egret pair at Bruce Pit, Ottawa
A relative rarity for Ottawa, there were two Great Egrets fishing the Bruce Pit today at 4:30. I observed them for only about ten minutes as I had just paused for a quick check on the way to pick up my son from camp, but they were actively fishing the north and east portions of the quarry pond. Photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/silliopolous/1227844116/ Directions: Take 417 to 416 south and take the first exit (Hunt Club) from the 416. Turn left (east) onto hunt club, cross over the 416, and then take the first left (Cedarview Road). Go north on Cedarview about 1km to the Bruce Pit parking lot on your right. The quarry pond is immediately north of the parking lot. Note, scan the tree in the middle of the field in Fosters Farm as you pass it on Cedarview. It is a frequent perch for local raptors. Michael Broughton, Ottawa. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds]Re Shorebirds at Mitchell
Folks The West Perth Wetlands remain a happening place for migrating shorebirds. Wednesday night the Stratford Field Naturalists saw, amongst the numerous shorebirds, four Red-necked Phalaropes in the centre-east cell at the east end. A return trip today yielded the same four birds as well as 3 Short-billed Dowitchers, a Stilt Sandpiper, 3 Black-bellied Plovers, a number of Pectoral Sandpipers, as well as a Woodcock. Dave Brown estimated that there are about 300 shorebirds in the ponds. The lagoons remain ideal shorebird habitat. Location: The wetlands are in Mitchell at the south end of Wellington St of Ontario Rd., the main drag. Must fly Ken Clarke Stratford, ON [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ Show Your Messenger Buddies How You Really Feel http://www.freemessengeremoticons.ca/?icid=EMENCA122 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds]Aug.24 at cranberry-Baird's, Willet; Official start to raptor watch-Aug.25
I look forward to another good season of migrant raptor counting from the south platform of Cranberry Marsh in southwest Whitby. Indeed, we have snuck in 3 pre-start days! Today the following non-raptors were seen on/over the wetland--1 Baird's sandpiper, 1 Willet, several Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, 2 Soras, 1 Black-bellied Plover; 3 Green Herons, 8 Black-crowned Night herons, 40+ Great Blue Herons, 34 Great Egrets. Today we watched the latter agilely doing aerial acrobatics and one carried a 2-m. stick around the wetland! A Black-billed Cuckoo was noted yesterday. Among the local raptors were 2 juv. Turkey Vultures, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Osprey. We noted only 2 migrating raptors-both Ospreys Friday, August 22, 2007 at CMRW --Observation time--8am to 11am (hawk-time) Counter--Doug Lockrey Observers--Jim McKnight, Charlie Adey, Karl Jennewein, Dan Kaczynski, Kin & Sherry Lau Day's CountTOTAL Turkey Vulture0 0 Osprey2 9 Bald Eagle 0 1 Northern Harrier02 Sharp-shinned 01 Cooper's00 Northern Goshawk00 Red-shouldered00 Broad-winged03 Red-tailed 01 Rough-legged00 Golden Eagle00 American Kestrel 01 Merlin 00 Peregrine00 Unidentified00 TOTAL218 Weather--humid, 25C, SW wind; TUV=0 >From the west--Exit 401 at Salem Rd. in Ajax, south to Bayly, east through >Lakeridge Rd., one block to Hall's Rd., south towards the lake, parking at the >entrance to the south pathway. >From the east--Exit 401 at Brock St. in Whitby, south to Victoria, west past >the Lynde C.A. parking lot to Hall's Rd.-- Doug Lockrey, Whitby, ON ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds] Addendum to the HNC Birding Report - Friday, August 24th, 2007
The perils of typing the report at 5 a.m. is the omission of significant sightings. One of the best things about the fall in Hamilton is the vigil birdwatchers keep at VanWagners Beach for jaegers, kittiwakes, Sabine's Gulls and last year our spectacular Manx Shearwater. This past week on Saturday morning, two Jaegers (sp.) were spotted at a distance from the beach and again on Monday two more were seen during steady east winds. Just an FYI that they are out there. Distance was a factor for i.d. but at this time of year, Long-tailed Jaegers are expected and Parasitic are also about. We should be as lucky as Ottawa with their spectacular photos of the Long-tailed Jaeger seen earlier in August http://www.ofo.ca/photos/ Any east winds could bring a number of goodies and Sabine's Gull season is upon us in early September. As we saw last year, anything could show up at any time. Also keep a watch for those four Brown Pelicans which were seen on the New York side earlier in the week! Sorry for the omission. Good birding! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds] [Fwd: [Fwd: Cranberry Marsh- Aug.23- Great Egrets & Willet]]
___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds]Holland Landing & Aurora Birds
A brief but heavy rain on Wednesday night put lagoon levels up at Holland Landing this week but also knocked a few migrating birds down, so shorebird numbers have increased since Thursday morning. Nothing rare has shown up, but there is still a bright juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher and one White-rumped Sandpiper present, as well as a newly arrived juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, three juv. Greater Yellowlegs, 40 - 50 more peeps (mainly Least but including at least a dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers) and two Solitary Sandpipers. Shorebirds were in both the fourth and second lagoons today, many of them hidden from view in the vegetation on the south and eastern edges of the latter. It is a good idea to hike the full perimeter of the lagoons (nicely mowed and easy to walk) and to take a good, long look at the southern end of the second cell as that is where at least 50 birds were busily probing for insects amidst the greenery. Both the SB Dowitcher and the Pectoral Sandpiper mentioned were in this area, wandering in and out of view. There are also 150 - 200 ducks present, looking rather drab in post-breeding plumage, but it is still nice to see Blue-winged Teal (which make up more than half of the ducks present), Green-winged Teal (approx. two dozen), and Wood Duck (approx. 10). The rest are Mallards. Bruce Brydon had eight Common Nighthawks at nearby Silver Lakes Golf Course earlier in the week and I observed two yesterday evening at the east end of the lagoons, chasing insects with a sky full of swallows, Chimney Swifts, Cedar Waxwings, Bonaparte's Gulls, and Eastern Kingbirds. When I was a university student in Hamilton about 30 years ago, Common Nighthawks routinely peented their way across the summer sky (especially above the Undermount Tavern it seemed to me). Now they are much harder to find, so it's always a treat to see these angular aerial foragers slicing their way across the twilight. The Mackenzie Marsh in Aurora today had no Egrets, but still held several herons: five Great Blues, two immature Black-crowns, and three Greens. There was also a small group of Least Sandpipers (7 birds), several DC Cormorants, and 22 Caspian Terns, most of whom were loafing on a hidden sandbar on the north side of St. John's Sdrd. (you have to scope it from the top of the southeastern hill beside the driveway near the RR tracks). Ron Fleming, Newmarket Holland Landing and Aurora are in York Region, just north of Toronto. DIRECTIONS: The Holland Landing lagoons are in the north part of the town of Holland Landing, which is between Newmarket and Bradford. Take Yonge Street north through Newmarket and turn right at the stoplights north of Green Lane (you will see Brooklin Concrete and the Newmarket Inn on the east side). Take the long and winding road (credits to Paul McCartney) down to Holland Landing, keep going straight (i.e. do not turn left at the bottom of the hill), then cross the RR tracks and the East Holland River. Continue north past the stoplights at Mount Albert Road, then keep going north through town, past the next lights. About 0.7 kms past Doane Road you will see two white wagon wheels, a Maximum 60 sign, and a red Toronto Sun newspaper box on the east side of the road. This marks Cedar Avenue. Turn right (east) and drive the short distance to its end. Park by the main gate (but don't block it) and walk past the green secondary gate on the north (left). Within a few metres you will see a metal post painted orange on the right side of the path, marking where you can step over the fence and walk back to the gravel road running into the lagoons. Watch for poison ivy, as there is a great deal of it here, especially on the northern margin of the gravel road. The Mackenzie Marsh is in north-central Aurora. Take Yonge Street north through town and turn east St. John's Sdrd. The marsh is less than a km after the turn. Parking is always an interesting challenge. I suggest turning into the driveway at just west of the RR tracks and coming back a bit onto the paved apron beside the sidewalk. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds][Fwd: Re: 2 Great Egrets at Reesor Pond]
___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds][Fwd: Cranberry Marsh- Aug.23- Great Egrets & Willet]
___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds]Marbled Godwit @ Presqu'ile.
From at least 10:30 to 11:30 this morning, there was a Marbled Godwit on the gravel bar off Owen Point at Presqu'ile, perhaps the same bird that was present for 5-6 days over three weeks ago (or perhaps not!). Although the previous bird appeared on a Sunday, most of its sojourn was on "working days". Let's hope that this one stays long enough for the working class (!) to see it. -- -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, R.R. #4, Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0 VOICE: (613) 475 5309 If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
[Ontbirds] Hamilton Naturalists Club Birding Report - Friday, August 24th, 2007
On Friday, August 24th, 2007, this is the HNC Birding Report: Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Long-tailed Duck Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Osprey Cooper's Hawk Virginia Rail Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Black Tern Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great-crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Red-eyed Vireo Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Brewster's Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Indigo Bunting Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch As you can see by the longer list this week, passerine migration has picked up in the Hamilton Study Area. Many areas have been reported from this week, here are just a few. Shell Park in Oakville reported 12 species of warbler this week including Canada, Mourning, Wilson's, Blackburnian, Black-and-white, Nashville, Chestnut-sided and Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird and moving with them Least Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole. Down the road, Paletta Park/Shoreacres in Burlington produced Yellow-bellied and Willow Flycatcher, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart, Mourning and Canada Warbler last Friday. At Woodland Cemetery last weekend, Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Black-and-white, Canada Warbler and American Redstart were seen. At nearby LaSalle Park yesterday, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Black throated-Blue, Blackburnian, Magnolia, Black -and-white Warbler, American Redstart, and Indigo Bunting. >From the Monarch Trail at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area Brewster's, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Nashville and Blackburnian Warbler were seen. At Crooks Hollow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bay Breasted, Chestnut-sided, and Blackburnian Warbler, Scarlet Tanager along with an Olive-sided Flycatcher always nice to find this time of year. Another great place for flycatchers this week was Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle. Seen here in the week were Olive-sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe and Eastern Kingbird. This park has always been rich for flycatchers this time of year and is well worth the trip up for a study of these birds. Shorebird habitat continues to be surprisingly productive with the mix changing again out in the Willows in Dundas this week. Birds seen here in the week include, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian Tern, and Common Tern. Every day seems to bring a new species in to the marsh so the approaching cold front this weekend might be good to change it around again. Grimsby Sewage Lagoons also holds promise for more goodies this week with a Black Tern being reported on Monday. Black Terns are difficult to find in this area. Also seen here this week were Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Virginia Rail and along the edges many Eastern Kingbirds hawking insects. At the end of Kelson Road a Long-tailed Duck and juvenile Sanderling were seen. The Valley Inn also produced good conditions this week with Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Solitary, Least, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs found here in the week. Another shorebird spot found this week is Bronte Marsh down on Lakeshore just west of Bronte Road. Water levels are down here. Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Great Egret were seen on Wednesday. In the odds & sods, along the Desjardins Canal, Black-crowned Night Herons seem to be gathering. Large numbers of swallows are congregating along the Grand River near Glen Morris, out near Brantford a female Purple Finch is a regular at the feeder, odd for this time of year and a Common Nighthawk was seen flying over south Burlington last Saturday evening. Its only going to get busier here. Thanks for all your reports! Have a great week Good birding Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario F
[Ontbirds]WNY Dial-a-Bird 23 Aug 2007
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 08/23/2007 * NYBU0708.23 - Birds mentioned -- Please phone in any rare sightings so they may be shared via the DAB telephone update system, and submit email contributions directly to dfsuggs localnet com. Thank you, David -- PARASITIC JAEGER SNOWY EGRET MARBLED GODWIT EARED GREBE D.-crest. Cormorant Great Egret Northern Pintail Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Peregrine Falcon Solitary Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper White-r. Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-b. Dowitcher Wilson's Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Red-br. Nuthatch Bl.-gr. Gnatcatcher Blue-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-s. Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Canada Warbler Baltimore Oriole - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 08/23/2007 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report:Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs at localnet com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Website: www.BOSBirding.org Thursday, August 23, 2007 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and this answering system was donated by the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings and use this system. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Niagara Frontier Region highlights from the past two weeks, August 9 through August 23, included PARASITIC JAEGERS, SNOWY EGRET, MARBLED GODWIT and EARED GREBES. Back on August 13, at Rock Point Provincial Park in Dunnville, Ontario, 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS were chasing shorebirds up and down the beach. August 16, a reported SNOWY EGRET at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, at the North Blind. August 19 the BOS shorebird count along the north shore of Lake Erie was highlighted by a MARBLED GODWIT at Stone Mill Road in Fort Erie. A combined 20 shorebird species have been reported from the north shore in the past two weeks. August 11, at the Mosaic Ponds near Rock Point, 2 WILSON'S PHALAROPES and a STILT SANDPIPER. At Rock Point, WHITE-R. SANDPIPER and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, and an UPLAND SANDPIPER at the Poth Road turf farms. Other recent shorebird reports - 8 species at Goose Pond in the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area included 3 STILT SANDPIPERS and 6 SHORT-B. DOWITCHERS. And, at Forest Lawn in Buffalo, 3 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS at Mirror Lake. From the Batavia Waste Water Plant, August 18, 2 EARED GREBES plus 2 RING-NECKED DUCKS, BUFFLEHEAD, 27 RUDDY DUCKS and a PEREGRINE FALCON. In the Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area, recent counts of GREAT EGRETS ranged from 185 to 222. Along Meadville Road, a NORTHERN PINTAIL. Early warbler migration has begun. August 22 at Tifft Nature Preserve, 9 species included BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, CHESTNUT-S. WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, CAPE MAY WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, CANADA WARBLER and a probable BLACKPOLL WARBLER, plus RED-BR. NUTHATCH, BL.-GR. GNATCATCHER and abundant BALTIMORE ORIOLES. At Mohawk Point in Dunnville, Ontario, a TENNESSEE WARBLER. Late August is the time when immature and basic plumage ROSE-BR. GROSBEAKS create identification challenges compared to female Bl.-headed Grosbeaks. Also this week, from the Erie Basin Marina Tower, which provides an expansive view of the Buffalo waterfront, 1225 D.-CREST. CORMORANTS and a single BONAPARTE'S GULL. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, August 30. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
