[Ontbirds] Algonquin Park Birding Report: 5 March 2009
Summary of reported sightings this week: Spruce Grouse: female in Mew Lake Campground on March 4; male 50 m north of gate (displaying) and female 100 m north of Costello Creek culvert, on Opeongo Road on March 5. Bald Eagle: third-year bird on moose carcass in Sunday Creek bog off Visitor Centre on March 4. Black-backed Woodpecker: a female along the railway bed at the east end of Lake of Two Rivers on February 28. Gray Jay: 5 on Opeongo Road; 2 at Spruce Bog. First nest under construction noted on February 28 in Dan Strickland's long term study. Five nests found by March 4. American Crow: 1 at Spruce Bog on March 4; first spring migrant species this year! Boreal Chickadee: 3 at the west end of the Airfield on February 28. Pine Grosbeak: 20 at Visitor Centre feeders; 9 at West Gate feeder; 3 at Spruce Bog on March 5. Red Crossbill: 1 on Opeongo Road on March 5. White-winged Crossbill: most observers reporting only 10-12 birds; major decline in numbers since early January, presumably because cones have relatively few seeds now. Common Redpoll: 50+ at Visitor Centre feeders, and elsewhere. Hoary Redpoll: 1 at Visitor Centre feeder on March 4. Pine Siskin: 10+ at Visitor Centre feeders. Evening Grosbeak: a few at Visitor Centre feeders, and Spruce Bog. Notes: Wolves: 1 to 3 have been irregularly visiting the moose carcass in Sunday Creek Bog this week on most days. Pine Marten: 1 at Spruce Bog, and one or two at Visitor Centre feeders. Arowhon Road is closed to public travel this winter as log hauling is underway. Please report your Algonquin sightings to me (including date, number and location) for our park records. Thanks. Good birding. Ron Tozer Algonquin Park Naturalist (retired) Dwight, Ontario Directions: Algonquin Park is three hours north of Toronto, via Highways 400, 11 and 60. Follow the signs, which start in Toronto on Highway 400. From Ottawa, take Highway 17 to Renfrew, then follow Highway 60 to the park. Kilometre markers along Highway 60 in the Park go from the West Gate (km 0) to the East Gate (km 56). Get your park permit and the park tabloid (with a map of birding locations mentioned here) at the gates. The Visitor Centre at km 43 has recent bird sightings and information. The centre is open on weekends from 10 am to 5 pm. Access to watch the birds during the week is possible by entering at the service entrance and contacting the staff. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] WNY Dial-a-Bird 05 Mar 2009
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 03/05/2009 * NYBU0903.05 - Birds mentioned - Please phone in rare sightings for update Submit email to dfsuggs localnet com Thank you, David - Horned Grebe Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Long-tailed Duck White-winged Scoter Common Goldeneye Ruddy Duck Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Bonaparte's Gull Yellow-b. Sapsucker American Robin Red-w. Blackbird Common Grackle White-w. Crossbill Pine Siskin - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 03/05/2008 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, March 5, 2009 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. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Early spring migrants were the highlights of reports received February 26 through March 5 from the Niagara Frontier Region. Spring migrants do not wait for March 20. March 1, RED- SHOULDERED HAWK returned to a breeding area in Orchard Park. TURKEY VULTURES drifting back into the region included one over Sweethome Road in Amherst on March 4. February 27, 25 RED-W. BLACKBIRDS at a feeder on Three Rod Road in Alden, and single RED-W. BLACKBIRDS at other locations. And March 4, 2 singing COMMON GRACKLES with AMERICAN ROBINS in Tonawanda. WHITE-W. CROSSBILLS are still being reported and appreciated from new locations. March 1, 15 WHITE-W. CROSSBILLS on Clinton Street in the Town of Elma. Flocks and single WHITE- W. CROSSBILLS also along the Lake Ontario shore. PINE SISKINS continue at feeders - 32 PINE SISKINS and a YELLOW- B. SAPSUCKER this week in Silver Creek. Waterfowl in Dunkirk Harbor this week included GREEN-WINGED TEAL and LESSER SCAUP, plus over 1700 GREATER SCAUP, over 900 COMMON GOLDENEYES, almost 300 REDHEADS and 3 WHITE- WINGED SCOTERS, plus 18 HORNED GREBES, 2 BALD EAGLES and only a single BONAPARTE'S GULL. On Lake Chautauqua at Celeron, RING-NECKED DUCK, 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, LONG- TAILED DUCK and RUDDY DUCK. Niagara River waterfowl this week included an estimated 8000 CANVASBACKS at the North Grand Island Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York. And on Lake Ontario, WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and LONG-TAILED DUCKS along the shore from Fort Niagara State Park in Porter to Olcott Beach. March 3, a PEREGRINE FALCON was photographed on Capen Hall, on the UB North Campus. Other reports - At the Dunkirk Airport, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS with 7 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 2 HORNED LARKS and 2 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. Two ICELAND GULLS on the lower Niagara River at the power plant overlook in Ontario. At Krull Park in Olcott, RED-BR. NUTHATCH and BROWN CREEPER. And, east of the Western New York region, in the Finger Lakes, massive numbers of SNOW GEESE at the north ends of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, March 12. 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 information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Presqu'ile Birding Report for Week Ending March 5, 2009.
Until today there was very little sign this week, either in the weather conditions or in the bird life, that spring is imminent at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. That has changed now and new migrants are beginning to show up. At least one of the Trumpeter Swans that have been spending the winter between Cobourg and Presqu'ile was still consorting with the 242 Mute Swans in Presqu'ile Bay today. All three of them were noticed on February 27. With the exception of an increase in the number of Mallards, dabbling ducks, unlike diving ducks, have not yet appeared at Presqu'ile this spring but will likely appear very soon as the ice margin in Presqu'ile Bay retreats to the point where shallow water is ice-free. Look for Gadwalls, Northern Pintails, and Green-winged Teals in the next few days. There are more Canvasbacks there every day, but Redheads apparently fled during the recent freeze-up and are only now beginning to return. A single male Ring-necked Duck was with the other /Aythya/ ducks just east of the calf pasture on March 5. A Hooded Merganser was at the government dock on that date. Two White-winged Scoters were off the lighthouse on March 1. To see more ducks, plan to attend the Waterfowl Viewing Festival on March 14/15 and 21/22. A Bald Eagle was seen on February 28, and a Cooper's Hawk on March 1 and 3. A Great Horned Owl was calling persistently in broad daylight behind the nature centre on March 1. Another large owl, probably the same species if not the same bird, was flushed four times on March 5 near the junction of Paxton Drive and Atkins Lane. On four of the last seven days a Snowy Owl has been around Presqu'ile Bay, most recently (March 4 and 5) roosting in and near the willow trees at the lighthouse, where it sits for most of the daylight hours before flying west along the shore of the bay. A Northern Shrike appeared at the feeders at 186 Bayshore Road on March 3 and another or the same one was at the calf pasture on the following day. About twenty Snow Buntings were off Owen Point and flying towards Gull Island on March 4. The first migrant blackbirds in the Park were two Red-winged Blackbirds on March 5. On February 28, two Pine Grosbeaks were seen along Paxton Drive. Two male Purple Finches paid a couple of brief visits to the feeders at 186 Bayshore Road on March 1. There are between 50 and 70 Common Redpolls and at least two Hoary Redpolls that regularly visit those feeders. House Sparrows have been seen at two different feeders along Bayshore Road. To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton. Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a newly printed tabloid that is available at the Park gate. Access to the offshore islands is restricted after March 9 to prevent disturbance to the colonial nesting birds there. In the meantime, the channel between Owen Point and Gull Island was frozen solid on March 4 but may open up with the rising temperatures and the change in wind direction. Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be directed to: fhellei...@trentu.ca. -- -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, 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 information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] No Great Gray Owl - Holland Landing
No Great Gray Owl along that section of Bathurst St. North from Yonge St. to the flat marsh fields area - 1 pm to 1:30 pm. However, Bathurst St. was quite busy at that time of day, and perhaps this was not the best time of day to look for it. Excellent directions below from earlier posts. Don Davis Toronto, ON Holland Landing is in York Region, which is directly north of Toronto and south of Lake Simcoe. Bathurst Street runs uninterrupted from Lake Ontario all the way up to Newmarket but then ends a few kms north of Green Lane. To access the northern extension of Bathurst you have to jog east to Yonge Street and follow it north of Newmarket toward Bradford. Drive past the lights at the main Holland Landing turnoff (there is a Brooklin Concrete property on the east side of the road as well as the Newmarket Inn) and continue down a long grade approx. 3.5 kms. to the next set of lights near Bradford. Turn right onto Bathurst St. N. and be prepared to come to a stop. Take a quick left at the stop sign, then you will see that Bathurst bends north again. Cross the RR tracks, then follow Bathurst steadily northward. Once you get past Queensville Sdrd. (which runs east into Holland Landing) start looking for big shapes in the trees. The GGOW has been seen most often across from house #20820, which has an Irish clover or shamrock sign. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Kingston area birds to March 5, 2009
Spring is gradually on its way. This time of year there is an interesting mix of winter birds and early arrivals from the south. There is now considerably more open water; the south shore of Amherst Island has good numbers of Greater Scaup and Common Goldeneye, the ferry channels are wider, as are the openings downriver, with more goldeneye and both Red-breasted and Common Mergansers. The overwintering Trumpeter Swans are still present; 11 at Chaffey's Lock on Sunday, 3 at Bedford Mills, and 6 near Charleston Lake P.P. yesterday. The least abundant waterfowl were a N. Pintail at Dupont last Friday and a single Gadwall at the Kingston ferry dock on Tuesday. The status of local owls is in a state of flux. There were 8 Snowy and 8 N. Saw-whet Owls on Amherst last Saturday and a Boreal on Sunday; by Wednesday the Owl Woods was empty but for the usual feeder birds. E. Screech Owls have started singing a duet in City Park and on Tuesday there were at least 4 Snowy Owls on Wolfe Island. Surprisingly no one has reported hooting Great Horned Owls. It has been a great week for hawks. Accipiters continue to plague feeders; Sharp-shinned at Elginburg and on Howe Island, a Cooper's at Bedford Mills and an immature N. Goshawk is making repeat visits to a Camden East backyard. Bald Eagles were seen at Ivy Lea and Wolfe Island. A Merlin was on Earl Street in the city last Saturday and the Peregrine continues to roost at Queen's. The bird of the week no doubt, was the white phase Gyrfalcon, sighted on the ice from the Wolfe Island ferry on Tuesday. The bird has been moving around, but not a lot, and has been spotted from the ferry for the last three days. Am. Robins continue to be more abundant. There is a small flock in the Owl Woods on Amherst, 1 was seen in the city on Saturday, there were 10 at Parrott's Bay on Sunday, and 5 at Bedford Mills today. Only two flocks of waxwings were noted; 25 Bohemian at Bedford Mills last Saturday and 35 Cedar at Parrott's Bay on Sunday. A lone E. Bluebird arrived at Elginburg on Saturday. Other early migrants included a Common Grackle on Amherst on Saturday and a Turkey Vulture near Ivy Lea on Wednesday. With the mild weather late last week Red-winged Blackbirds put in several appearances. There were 2 at Camden East and a flock of 35 on Amherst on Saturday, 1 at Elginburg and several on Wolfe Island on Sunday, and 2 more on Howe Island on Monday. The two dozen or so Rusty Blackbirds continue to visit the Howe Island feeder. The ferry channels continue to attract good numbers of gulls; there was an Iceland at Amherst on Sunday. It looks like our overwintering birds are going to make it. These include the Red-breasted Nuthatch at Bedford Mills, the Song Sparrow on Howe Island, the White-crowned Sparrow at Elginburg, and the Varied Thrush south of Napanee. Finch numbers seem to be changing somewhat. Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls are still abundant at some feeders whereas numbers are down at others. Purple finches are increasing; I at Parrott's bay and 2 at Bedford Mills on the weekend and 3 today at Camden East. White-winged Crossbills are still about; 5 on Amherst on Saturday and 3 on Wolfe on Sunday. On a final note, the landowners of the private part of the Owl Woods would like to thank all those who donated to support the Island Museum. They collected $327 this year which brings the total to over $2000 over the past few years. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Bird report Gowganda On. Timiskaming Dist. North
Hi Everyone, Except for the hundreds of Common Redpolls cleaning out the feeders all day long not much else is visiting. ( I have seen only 1 Hoary Redpoll all winter) I do not have any Pine Siskins or American Goldfinches and as far as I know from reading the Timiskaming Bird reports NO Pine Siskins there yet either. ( Timiskaming Shores is 108 kms from me) A few Pine Grosbeaks and a few Evening Grosbeaks are around as well. The Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are not at the suet balls as often as last year. Do have a Northern Shrike. Glad to read that you " Southerners' are getting the activity. We'll see what the high winds and +6 temperatures bring in tomorrow!!! Cheers, Gert Trudel tru...@ntl.sympatico.ca Gowganda ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] 250 Common Redpolls - Owen Sound March 5th
A very large flock of Common Redpolls was observed this afternoon visiting backyard feeders in Owen Sound. An ultra - conservative estimate is 250 birds, but that number could easily be much higher. The largest flock of Redpolls I have ever seen. Birds were swirling to and from nearby trees on to a niger feeder, platform feeders and the ground. Quite a remarkable sight. Later in the day less than 10 Redpolls were at the same location. Jerry Walsh gannetmu...@yahoo.com ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Gyrfalcon - Wolfe Island Ferry, Thurs AM
I'm posting for Mark Conboy, who re-found the white adult Gyrfalcon from the Wolfe Island ferry early this morning (March 5th). Mark had the bird on the west side of the channel today, a long distance from the ferry between the mainland and Garden Island. While the ferry channel is still heavily clogged with broken ice, he reported a reasonable number of waterfowl and gulls so perhaps the bird will continue to be twitchable in the presence of suitable prey. Good luck if you try for this positively stunning bird! Directions: The Kingston-side ferry dock is south of the intersection of Barrack and Ontario Sts. in downtown Kingston. See http://www.wolfeisland.com/ferry.php for schedule. Chris Kimber MSc. Candidate Dept. of Biology Queen's University Kingston, ON neongol...@gmail.com ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending March 05, 2009
QUINTE AREA BIRD REPORT FOR PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING Thursday, March 05, 2009 SONG SPARROWS and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were in fine fettle early this morning along Sprague Road, indicating an early spring influx of these species into the region. Several EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were also noted along this same road five days ago. And AMERICAN ROBINS? Well, what can we say except it is difficult to determine who are migrants and who are among the many hundreds that wintered over, particularly in Prince Edward County where some estimates along the Long Point Peninsula toward Prince Edward Point ranged from 500 to 1,000 individuals. Except for predicted higher temperatures today and through the weekend, there has been little to suggest that winter has released its icy grip just yet. Still plenty of ice resulting in waterfowl sightings being sparse except for areas east toward Cressy where ducks so far have to be content with what they can get. The Moira River in Belleville still has a nice assortment where up to 100 MALLARDS are present, along with COMMON GOLDENEYE and CANADA GEESE. Six AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS were present just east of the George Street boat launch in Belleville earlier this week. PINE GROSBEAKS, rare this winter in Prince Edward County, staged an encore performance, with 8 turning up in a backyard along Bloomfield's Main Street. COMMON REDPOLLS and PINE SISKINS are still present in high numbers across the region with numbers at feeders ranging from 50 to 100 at many feeders. Three HOARY REDPOLLS are still regulars at a feeder at Lake on the Mountain, and others turned up during the week at Jackson's Falls, east of Milford. A NORTHERN SHRIKE can be seen periodically along Gorsline and Fish Lake Roads where it was first seen in early January. A PURPLE FINCH was reported at a Consecon area feeder during the week, and a BALD EAGLE over Fish Lake a few days ago was the only individual of this species reported this week, along with one in the Tweed area. Signs of spring, albeit subtle, are on the horizon with a TURKEY VULTURE spotted about 30 miles south of Syracuse by local residents returning through that area on the 4th. A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW is still at 23 Sprague Road, although others that had been regulars at other feeders in the County appear to have disappeared. A PILEATED WOODPECKER was seen on Walmsley Road, and WILD TURKEYS numbering as high as 100 or more are seen regularly along County Road 10 south of Picton. A BARRED OWL was observed perched in a tree in the Carrying Place area. Despite the frigid temperatures this week, a STAR-NOSED MOLE was seen running bravely across the road outside the Presqu'ile Provincial Park office on the 3rd, and a MORNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY, very much in dormancy yet, was found under a board at a residence along Fish Lake Road. RACCOONS are very much in evidence, particularly at my feeders at night, and a STRIPED SKUNK was wandering about on Thursday east of Lake on the Mountain. BEAVERS have been active at Big Island and off Smoke's Point Road and a RED FOX was seen at Gardenville. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Anne Potter, David Bree, Pamela Stagg, Louisa Ielo, Donn Legate, Frank Artes & Carolyn Barnes, Rosemary Smith, Ted Cullin, Donna Fano, Fiona King, Mia Lane, Mike Burge & Kathy Felkar and Anne Potter for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, March 12th,. but sightings can be e-mailed any time before the Wednesday night deadline. Featured photographer this week is Louisa Ielo of Harbard Road in Gardenville where this week's photo of the old wharf at Weller's Bay highlights the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff website. Photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report are of a BARRED OWL and a BEAVER. Terry Sprague Prince Edward County tspra...@kos.net www.naturestuff.net ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Thickson's Woods Winter Wren singing at first light, Thursday, March 5
Hi, At 6:25 a.m. this moring a winter wren was singing repeatedly, probably the individual that has been around all winter. Dennis Directions to Thickson's Woods Nature Reserve To get to Thickson's Woods, Exit from #401 to Thickson Rd. S. Continue south about 1.5 kilometres to the Waterfront Trail, where you will see a large green sign on your left that says "Thickson's Woods Nature Reserve". Park along the east side of Thickson Road and walk east along the Waterfront Trail about 200 metres to where a pathway enters the woods on your right. Trails lead through the woods with two extending to the roadway on the south side of the woods along the shore of Lake Ontario. The roadways in the woods are the property of Thickson's Woods Land Trust. Birder's are welcome to walk along the roadways, but please park outside the gate. Exceptions are made for handicapped folks who are unable to walk about. The entrance to the meadow portion of the reserve is on the north side of the Waterfront Trail opposite the entrance to the woods. There is a "No Motorized Vehicles" sign immediately east of Thickson Road where the Waterfront Trail passes through the reserve. There have been times in the past when cars have been ticketed for parking in that area. Dennis Barry & Margaret Carney 338 Crystal Beach Blvd. Whitby, Ontario L1N 9Z7 905-725-2116 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
