[Ontbirds] Niagara Falls Eared Grebe - YES
For those winter listers that are interested, the Eared Grebe remains in Niagara Falls. The bird has moved from the now nearly frozen over impoundment cell south of the Gate House building right into the open water streams of Dufferin Island. Directions: From the Horseshoe Falls area continue south on the Niagara Parkway about a half kilometer to the road entrance into Dufferin Island. From the parking area cross over the small cement bridge onto the island, continue 100 yards to the next small bridge (wooden). The bird is associating with numerous Mallards around this second bridge. Good luck. Kayo Kayo Roy 13 Kinsman Court Fonthill, ON L0S 1E3 kayo...@niagara.com ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Black-Backed Gull - Kingston
I am not very good gull species but this one caught my eye today while out for a drive. I believe it is a Black-Backed (1 of the 3 anyway)not sure which species lesser or greater. See links for images, fell free to e-mail with a positive ID, thanks. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/3160092419_df1893d3a3.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3160092427_7878e67552.jpg Directions: On lake ontario near the intersection of Front Road and Bayridge Drive on the way to the kingston airport. Paul O'Toole Kingston ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Glaucous, Great Black-backed Gulls - St Mary's
About noon today there were 3 Glaucous and 1 Great Black-backed Gulls among the scores of Herring Gulls in the fields near the mink farm(?) on Road 125 north of St Mary's. Along with the gulls were 2 Rough-legged Hawks and 1 Red-tailed Hawk. Steve Thorpe Stratford From downtown St Mary's travel North on Station Street which becomes James Street (Road 130). Turn right on Glass Street (Road 125) and travel a few hundred metres to the open fields. On your left look for gulls in the fields. _ Keep in touch and up to date with friends and family. Make the connection now. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowslive/___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Hermit Thrush Etobicoke Creek Toronto
For the winter listers today Jan 2nd at 2.30 I located a Hermit Thrush. It was sitting high in a tree at the top of the trail / toboggan run that leads down into the Etobicoke Creek valley at the West end of Horner Ave. Also yesterday I relocated the The Black Throated Blue Warbler female still hanging out at LaSalle Marina. It was with a Golden Crowned Kinglet. It was found just east of the end of the boardwalk near the first bench. Etobicoke Creek Valley is located from 427 exit at Browns Line then west on Horner Ave. Entrance to the park is where Horner ends. The bird was right at the entrance. Cecilia Verkley Toronto ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Ottawa/Gatineau 02 Jan 09 - Happy New Year birding
Ontario Ottawa/Gatineau 02 January 2009 Birds mentioned: Snow Goose Wild Turkey Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Northern Goshawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Gyrfalcon Northern Hawk Owl Great Gray Owl Northern Shrike Carolina Wren Northern Mockingbird Bohemian Waxwing White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pine Grosbeak White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Evening Grosbeak Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Rare bird alerts are now included in the introductory message Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler transcriber: Chris Lewis hagen...@primus.ca At 4:00 pm, Friday January 2, 2009 - Happy New Year! A few surprises at the end of the old year included a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at a feeder near Pakenham on the 26th and 2 Snow Geese in a field in the Eagleson / Akins Rd. area near Richmond on the 29th. Less surprising but always impressive, Wild Turkeys and Bald Eagles were noted in several locations, an adult Northern Goshawk flew over Kerwin Rd. on the 1st, a couple of Golden Eagles were spotted in the vicinity of the Eardley-Masham Rd. in Gatineau Park on the 29th and 1st, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk and Merlin were all seen last week, and Rough-legged Hawks continue to frequent rural areas. Gyrfalcons always generate some excitement - a pale bird was reported flying north over Hwy 417 at Woodroffe Ave. on the 27th and a dark morph bird was seen on an unspecified apt. building on Albion Rd. on the 31st. Three each of Northern Hawk Owl and Great Gray Owl were reported over the past couple of weeks in or near the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Northern Shrikes were seen in the Cumberland and Crystal Beach areas on the 25th and 28th respectively. A Carolina Wren appeared briefly at a suet feeder on Grandview Rd. east of Shirley's Bay on the 1st, and a Northern Mockingbird was still playing hide-and-seek in the same neighbourhood as of at least the 27th. Flocks of 50 - 100 Bohemian Waxwings were noted on Herzberg Rd. and March Valley Rd. during the last week of December. A White-throated Sparrow was observed at a feeder on the Central Experimental Farm on the 1st, and various numbers of Snow Buntings were reported from agricultural fields. Small numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks have been reported from a few locations, and a major influx of White-winged Crossbills, Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins has apparently occurred over the past 2 weeks. Thank you - Good Birding! ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Ottawa Area: Red-shouldered Hawk, Bohemian Waxwing, White-winged Crossbill
Hi Everyone Today, January 2nd, I observed a Red-shouldered Hawk near the corner of Huntmar and Old Carp Road. It was sitting in a tree watching over an active feeder. This is the same location a Red-shouldered Hawk over wintered last year. There were a few flocks of Bohemian Waxwings, 40+ at Huntmar Old Carp road and 150+ near Carling and Hertzberg Road. White-winged Crossbills are moving around in good numbers, there were 200+ in the Antrim/Kinburn area, small flocks in Carp area plus 400+ in the Calabogie area. Good birding, Bruce If you require additional information please email me privately. Di Labio Birding Website Courses and Field Trips http://www.dilabiobirding.ca Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp, Ontario, K0A1L0 Home (613) 839-4395 Cell (613) 715-2571 ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Hamilton Naturalists Club Birding Report - Friday, January 2nd 2009
On Friday, January 02, 2009 this is the HNC Birding Report: BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER RED CROSSBILL Cackling Goose American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Harlequin Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Red-throated Loon Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Rough-legged Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Horned Owl Snowy Owl Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse Eastern Bluebird Gray Catbird American Pipit Yellow-rumped Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Snow Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Its hard to draw the line here when posting rarities in the HSA. Many of the birds listed above are great winter birds that have been found this week during the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count and the first of the year birding frenzy. These birds include, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, RED CROSSBILL, American Wigeon, Harlequin Duck, Turkey Vulture, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Gray Catbird, American Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle. For those winter listing, I will review the location of the above species. The BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER was relocated yesterday at LaSalle Park in the company of a Golden-crowned Kinglet just east of the end of the boardwalk. Unfortunately this bird took a hiatus during the count period! A single RED CROSSBILL was found in the Hopkins Tract located off York Road in the pines/spruce in the Swallow field under the hydro lines. This very vocal juvenile bird was seen for a few minutes and then flew off in a westerly direction. A search of the area in the following days did not turn the bird up however in the area were Long-eared Owl, a Common Grackle (found on the count at the feeders behind the houses), and many White-winged Crossbills. Cackling Geese were found at Pier 8 along the harbour, tough to pinpoint a location now since there is abundance of geese on the harbour now moving around daily. An American Pipit was flushed from the shore near Willow Point. American Wigeon were found in a flock of ducks on 8th Road East in Saltfleet. There was a stunning number of ducks that likely flew north during the warm days we had here. This included many Mallards but also Green-winged Teal, Shoveler and Black Ducks. A female Harlequin Duck was seen behind the Travelodge in downtown Burlington on the Christmas Bird Count. Turkey Vultures are present at the Waterdown Garden Supply just west of Peter's Corners on Highway 5. Up to six individuals were seen yesterday. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has been coming into a feeder near Dundurn and the escarpment. A Gray Catbird was found in the count period north of Issac Brock Road and Mud Street seen on December 30th. Yellow-rumped Warblers were present on the willows trail in the Dundas Marsh by the bridge which has been taken out (up to 3 individuals) and another one behind the Olympic Arena. Two Eastern Meadowlarks were seen yesterday on 10th Road east on the Dofasco Trail going west. Red-winged Blackbirds (up to 10) are present at the Valley Inn/Hendrie Valley on the boardwalk. The Salfleet Area up on the mountain was very productive this week with highlights including large flocks of Wild Turkey on First Road West north of Mud Street and 8th Road East at Green Mountain Road to name a couple, Snowy Owl on 8th Line East and Mud Street yesterday probably the same individual seen at 10th Road East and Mud Street on the 30th, Rough-legged Hawks at the same location, Northern Harrier on 10th Road East, Short-eared Owls also seen here. Snow Buntings and Horned Larks were seen on Highland Road. A single White-crowned Sparrow was found on South Townline Rd. east of 8th Rd. E. and at a feeder on 10th Road East. At the Waterdown Garden Supply on Highway 5 west of Peter's Corners, gulls seen in the field there included Great Black-backed, Glaucous, Iceland and several interesting hybrids in addition to the Turkey Vultures which have found a wintering spot there. Various places around the bay have been good for racking up year birds. Bald Eagles continue to grow in numbers on the bay with a total of 8 being seen in one area on the count. A wintering Merlin, Ring-necked Ducks, Horned and Red-necked Grebes were seen this week from LaSalle Marina. A Belted Kingfisher rattled by the marina two days ago. A Red-throated Loon was seen near Canada Centre for Inland Waters yesterday, possibly the same one seen near the Burlington Ship Canal earlier in the week. There was a flyover the bay of a Common Loon on the Christmas Bird Count. Gulls seen
[Ontbirds] Amherst Island Owl Woods
The owl population of the Amherst Island Owl Woods continued to increase over the past week. The single (probable male) BOREAL OWL that has been present regularly since early December was joined Wednesday by a very large female BOREAL and today by another smaller one. Today's final count was 3 BOREAL OWLS, 8 SAW-WHET OWLS, and at least 12 LONG-EARED OWLS. Also present were a single HERMIT THRUSH although 2 or 3 have been seen together this past week, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in the feeder area. There were also a few SHORT-EARED OWLS but not in the numbers they have seen recently. SNOWY OWLS are also numerous with up to 12 being counted this week all over the Island. There was a COOPER'S HAWK just south of the Owl Woods today as well as numerous RED-TAILED and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and a few HARRIERS. Today was the Amherst Island Christmas Count so there may be a more detailed list of other Island birds when it is published. The ferry to Amherst Island is located in Millhaven, Ontario a few miles west of Kingston. The ferry leaves on the half hours and the cost is $8.00 per car. ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds] Results of the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
Hello, These are the results of the Hamilton C.B.C. held on Boxing Day December 26th 08. There were 94 participants and we counted 67,488 birds. This was below the ten year average of 73,234 birds. The species count equaled last years record total of 103 species, now if only the Oregon Junco was classified apart from the Dark-eyed Junco, we might have had a new record total. New species for the count was Cackling Goose. The highlight of the count would have to be the record number of White-winged Crossbills counted 2,528, which shattered the old record of 397 We set new records for the following species: Red-necked Grebe 16 (13) ( old record ) Trumpeter Swan 184 (162) Mute Swan 138 (89) Red-breasted Merganser 502 (331) Ruddy Duck 882 (809) Bald Eagle 9 (5) Cooper's Hawk 22 (16) Wild Turkey 59 (51) Iceland Gull 51 (9) Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 (2) Red-bellied Woodpecker 59 (47) Blue Jay 527 (498) Carolina Wren 40 (35) American Robin 1,692 (1,255) Dark-eyed Junco 2,027 (1,910) American Goldfinch 1,404 (1,082) We had low counts for the following species: Ring-necked Duck 19 (74)( 10 year Average ) Greater Scaup 4,183 (8,221) Lesser Scaup 1,162 (1,799) Surf Scoter 22 (93) Long-tailed Duck 3,967 (8,590) American Coot 34 (100) Ring-billed Gull 974 (1,809) American Crow 651 (2,057) Red-breasted Nuthatch 23 (38) European Starling 8,143 (15,251) Common Redpoll 8 (47) Misses: Tundra Swan Northern Goshawk Field Sparrow Fox Sparrow Count week species: Red-throated Loon Gray Catbird Yellow-rumped Warbler. Best Regards and a Happy New Year.Tom Thomas. ___ 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
