[Ontbirds] Quyon, Quebec (Ottawa District) - McGown's Longspur
Reporting on behalf of John Dubois. A female plumage McGown's Longspur was observed yesterday morning in a field off Hwy 148 just east of Quyon. This is within the Ottawa district! The bird was described extremely well, including the dark inverted T on a white tail, facial pattern and unstreaked breast. It was alone. However, there were many pipits nearby, plus 2 Lapland Longspurs, 3 White-rumped Sandpipers and a Dunlin. Directions: From Aylmer, Quebec take Hwy 148 west towards Quyon. After the signs for Mountainview Sod Farms on your right, and the overpass, take Hammond Rd. right (north). The bird was in the muddy field at this corner. The sod farms are private property. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL! This is near the same area where the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was recently seen. Unfortunately, the bird was not relocated yesterday afternoon. However, there is a lot of habitat to cover in this area. Tony Beck http://www.tonybeck.ca Always An Adventure ___ 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] Snow goose and blue goose in Windsor
At 10 a.m. this morning (October 13th) I saw a snow goose and a blue morph snow goose together in the Detroit River at Alexander Park. The park is located where George Avenue meets Riverside Drive in Windsor. ___ 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] Coloured marked Great Egret and hawks at Cranberry
Today's flight was a bit confusing as the winds started light from the north then shifted to the SE and then the SW. One would have expected a modest flight on the north winds, which ended about 10 a.m. DST, but it was not forthcoming. When the winds shifted to the SE, the vultures started flying well to the north of Cranberry. At the same time a front was coming in from the NW at a higher altitude, so the birds were presumably following it leading edge. When the winds turned SW the flight stopped entirely. A colour marked Great Egret (fuchsia under both wings) was noted. The bird circled the marsh several times and then flew off to the northeast. 108 Turkey Vultures 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks 5 red-tailed Hawks 1 Merlin Other species: one each of Barn Swallow, Marsh Wren and Eastern Phoebe + a few Rusty Blackbirds amongst the 48 species observed. Geoff Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.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] HSR: Holiday Beach Conservation Area (13 Oct 2010) 466 Raptors
Holiday Beach Conservation Area Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2010 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Turkey Vulture 436 19344 20424 Osprey 0 17125 Bald Eagle 0 28125 Northern Harrier 3175512 Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 2757 8372 Cooper's Hawk4225325 Northern Goshawk 1 3 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 96 97 Broad-winged Hawk0650 16132 Red-tailed Hawk 12391579 Rough-legged Hawk0 3 3 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1309 1410 Merlin 2 20 93 Peregrine Falcon 0 17 42 Unknown Accipiter0 1 2 Unknown Buteo0 2 5 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 Mississippi Kite 0 0 1 Total: 466 24040 48252 -- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter:Jim Pawlicki Observers: Visitors: Only 4 visitors today including Neil Monaghan from Windsor. Weather: Mostly cloudy and relatively warm (high 21C) with light S winds. Raptor Observations: Slow with Turkey Vultures being the only raptors moving in numbers and with nearly all passing well to the north beyond the treeline. The highlight was nice looks at a juv. Goshawk that passed low and slow over the trout pond in the noon (DST) hour. Non-raptor Observations: There was a nice mix of songbirds around the tower today with notables being 4 sp. of Warblers (15 Yellow-rump, 2 Blackpoll, Tennessee, and C. Yellowthroat), Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Winter Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Field Sparrow, and 12 Rusty Blackbirds. Other notables included 12 Bonaparte's Gulls and a Common Tern out over the lake, while the Greater Yellowlegs continues its stay on the pond (Day 9). Predictions: Rain ending overnight with a chance of rain through the afternoon. High 15C. Winds NW 10-12 km/hr. If the rain holds there should be a good movement of raptors tomorrow given the NW winds and cooler temps. Report submitted by Jim Pawlicki (jmpawl...@aol.com) Holiday Beach Migration Observatory information may be found at: http://hbmo.org/ ___ 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] Hawk Cliff Recap - Oct 8-12 - First GOLDEN EAGLES for 2010 season
Hi All, Afraid I've been away for the past several days...so I haven't been able to post counts from the Hawk Cliff hawkwatch. However, I managed to get a quick recap of the past 5 days from our official counter and I present that here for those who are interested. Oct 8th - Friday - Winds light to moderate from the W then SW - Total of 675 birds...mostly TV's (618) - Highlights were 1 Peregrine and our first GOLDEN EAGLE for the season (pretty much right on time when compared to previous years) Oct 9th - Saturday - Winds moderate from the NE then E - Total of 896 birds...again mostly TV's along with good numbers of Harriers and some Redtails Oct 10th - Sunday - Winds light from the SE then S under sunny skies - Much smaller flight with just 102 birds thanks to the poor wind direction Oct 11th - Monday - Winds light from the NE but then swinging round to SE...a bit hazy - Total of 503 birds...good count of Sharpies (220) - Highlights were 2 Peregrines, many low flying Harriers (25) and a decent count of Red-shoulders (23) Oct 12th - Tuesday - Winds light to moderate N...not much cloud cover and great visibility - Excellent flight for the day with a total of 3,527 birds...bulk of these were TV's (2,859) and Sharpies (371) - Highlights were our second GOLDEN EAGLE (juv.) and the first good movement of Red-shoulders (47) and Redtails (187) Please note that these counts haven't yet been entered into the online Hawkcount databasefor those that like to check it on the website. Dave B. HCF Directions to the Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch... From EAST 401: Take the Highbury south cut off at London, follow Highbury (Hwy 30) south to St. Thomas. Highbury changes into South Edgeware at a large curve in the road to the west. Follow South Edgeware west to the first set of traffic lights - Burwell Road, turn left (south) and stay on this road. It becomes Fairview Ave (Regional Road 22), which runs directly into Hawk Cliff Road. You will see a sign for Hawkes Cliff Farm, where they sell fresh vegetables and a gravel road just beyond sign. Just continue down gravel road to viewing area. From WEST 401: Take the Highway # 4 (Colonel Talbot Rd.) exit south, through Talbotville, road now is Sunset Rd. continue towards St. Thomas; you will come to a veer in the road, straight up to St. Thomas, veer to the right for Port Stanley, follow Highway 4, now Sunset to Port Stanley. As you approach Port Stanley you will come to a large curve in the road with a sign saying East St, to the left. Take East St., and follow it to the first road left, (opposite Port Stanley Water Tower) Dexter Line. Follow Dexter Line approximately 2 km. and turn right down gravel road at Hawkes Cliff Farm, and follow gravel road to viewing area ___ 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] HSR: Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch (13 Oct 2010) 476 Raptors
Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2010 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 438 4140 5208 Osprey 1 39317 Bald Eagle 0 30170 Northern Harrier11366 1180 Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 3991 11244 Cooper's Hawk0 75177 Northern Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 32 43 Broad-winged Hawk0504 99100 Red-tailed Hawk 9125189 Rough-legged Hawk0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 1 1 American Kestrel 2791 4308 Merlin 1 21161 Peregrine Falcon 7 24 76 Unknown Accipiter0 0 0 Unknown Buteo0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 476 10140 122176 -- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter:Colin Horstead Observers:Jim Dunn, Keith Sealy, Mary Carnahan Visitors: Observers today included Colin, Jim, Mary and Keith. Visitors were Bruce and Monica Gates (Sudbury), Kathy and Kirk Mitchell (Sarnia), Michael (Oakville) and friend John Springer (T.O.). Weather: Winds were moderate mainly S with some SE and SSW. Cloud cover was variable with 100% and then next hour 20%. Temp got to a high of 15C. Raptor Observations: Total birds for the day was 476...the bulk were TV's (438)...the only real highlights were Peregrines (7) seen by many of today's visitors and another juvenile Golden Eagle at just after noon (our third so far this season). Non-raptor Observations: On the songbird migration front flocks of BLUE JAYS and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH were down this morning while flocks of EUROPEAN STARLINGS and AM. CROWS were up in both number and size. Some starling flocks contained at least 150 birds. Again today a single TREE SWALLOW was seen crossing the field and 5 COMMON LOONS were spotted from the mound. There continues to be lots of sparrow action all over the place, mostly from WHITE-THROATED but also including SONG WHITE-CROWNED as well as EASTERN TOWHEE DARK-EYED JUNCO. In addition, several BROWN CREEPERS were spotted this morning, both cliffside and in the woods. Others noted a flock of Grackles with at least a couple of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS mixed inand a flock of AM. PIPITs in the field in front of the counters. On the insect front, a couple of monarchs were noted plus an individual eastern comma (very tattered) and an eastern tailed blue. While not abundant, cabbage whites and both sulphurs were still easy to find. A big thanks to Mary Carnahan (and a few of the other usual suspects) for continuing to provide these non-raptor reports. Predictions: Thursday may have a rainy start early...then become sunny with clouds and strong NW winds. The northerly flow should continue through at least Friday and with some sunny skies this could bring some good flights. Report submitted by Dave Brown (thebro...@ezlink.on.ca) Hawk Cliff Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.ezlink.on.ca/~thebrowns/HawkCliff/index.htm ___ 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] HSR: DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark (13 Oct 2010) 1675 Raptors
DRHW- Lake Erie Metropark Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2010 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 0 Turkey Vulture1584 76575 77946 Osprey 1 5 57 Bald Eagle 2 34172 Northern Harrier 5108370 Sharp-shinned Hawk 40 1041 5996 Cooper's Hawk 15348585 Northern Goshawk 0 3 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 3111116 Broad-winged Hawk0207 79570 Red-tailed Hawk 24285533 Rough-legged Hawk0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 3 3 American Kestrel 1 91664 Merlin 0 15 39 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 32 Unknown Accipiter0 0 0 Unknown Buteo0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 17 Prairie Falcon 0 1 3 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 5 Total:1675 78839 166113 -- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter:Rob Payne Observers:Jim Maki, Paul Cypher, Rodney Laura Visitors: Very few due to the expected afternoon rain. We did have our usual cast of characters that are our spotters. Weather: Warm for the first part of the day, until the oncoming cold front arrived. Cloudy for most of the day, increasing as the afternoon progressed. Winds were moderate and consistent out of the south east. As the cold front showed up the winds shifted more northerly despite the rain coming from the northwest. Raptor Observations: Weather seemed to have scared the birds from migrating. Only 1,584 Turkey Vultures were counted, streams were small but constant until the storm arrived. 24 Red-tailed Hawks is our average number for this season, but way down historically. A total of 1,675 birds were counted of 9 species. Non-raptor Observations: A Meadow Vole was observed today right in front of our picnic table. Funny how hard it is for us to find a Vole when a hawk can do it from over 100 feet up. Predictions: The rain should have left the region by tomorrow morning. The clouds will be light, but temps will still be cool. Perhaps this feeling of fall will encourage the birds to migrate. Report submitted by Greg Norwood (greg_norw...@fws.gov) SMRR- Lake Erie Metropark information may be found at: http://www.drhawkwatch.org ___ 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/
