[Ontbirds] Presqu'ile Bird Report for 5-11 Apr 2019

[Doug McRae via ONTBIRDS]

Presqu’ile Bird Report for 5-11 April 2019

By Doug McRae

HIGHLIGHTS: BLACK SCOTER, RUDDY DUCK, CAROLINA WREN


Birds continue to show up but the big numbers have yet to arrive.  They, and 
us, are still waiting for a big southerly push of warm air.  Waterfowl numbers 
are now dropping and most diving ducks are usually well-out in Presqu’ile Bay 
making viewing difficult in all but calm conditions.  Most expected landbirds 
are arriving on schedule but numbers are still low.


An immature TRUMPETER SWAN was seen from the causeway on 6 Apr.  An early 
female BLACK SCOTER was seen at the lighthouse on 7 and 9 Apr.  Four RUDDY 
DUCKS, scarce here, were seen at Salt Pt. on 6 Apr.  Very likely the same birds 
were relocated on 7-8 Apr on the north shore of Presqu’ile Bay in the newly 
acquired Nature Conservancy Property, as viewed from the Price St Canoe Launch 
in Gosport.


Two RED-NECKED GREBES were seen, one at the Lighthouse and one at Owen Pt.  on 
6 Apr.  GREAT EGRETS arrived on 9 Apr with one on Huff Rd, just NW of the Park, 
then 2 on 11 Apr in the marsh.  Ospreys are back at their area nests.  An adult 
BALD EAGLE flew over the gate on 7 Apr.  The first GREATER YELLOWLEGS was 
reported from Huff Rd on 7 Apr.  An evening drive located 8 AMERICAN WOODCOCK 
displaying on 7 Apr.  The first CASPIAN TERN was seen on 7 Apr. 


BARRED OWL sightings dropped this week, suggesting the winter migrants may have 
left.  YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS arrived on 7 Apr.  An AMERICAN KESTREL was 
over Bayshore Rd on 6 Apr and MERLINS are being seen regularly, especially 
around the Beach 2 road.  A late-ish NORTHERN SHRIKE was at Calf Pasture on 7 
Apr and the same observer had another on Huff Rd. the same day.  TREE SWALLOWS 
are present in small numbers and a BARN SWALLOW was seen at the Price St Canoe 
Launch in Gosport across the Bay on 8 Apr.


A CAROLINA WREN was again reported, this time from the Lighthouse, on 6 Apr.  
This is the third report in a little over a month suggesting this bird is still 
skulking around. A pair of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS were scouting nest boxes all week 
at the Birdhouse Nature Store, just outside the gate.  The first HERMIT THRUSH 
was reported on 8 Apr.  The overwintering BROWN THRASHER still makes infrequent 
visits to its feeder, but a migrant one was also seen on 7 Apr.  Soon it will 
be impossible to tell when the wintering one leaves.


Most of the expected sparrows have already been seen but numbers remain very 
low.  The first SWAMP SPARROW was singing by the gate on 11 Apr.  Two RUSTY 
BLACKBIRDS were noted on 11 Apr.  Two COMMON REDPOLLS were seen on 6 Apr and a 
PINE SISKIN was seen the same day.


Directions: Presqu’ile Provincial Park is located on the north shore of Lake 
Ontario, just south of the town of Brighton.  It can be reached from either 
Hwy. 401, or Cty. Rd. 2 and is well signed.  A Park map can be found in the 
information tabloid available at the Park gate.  Presqu’ile’s two offshore 
islands – Gull and High Bluff – support a large multi-species colonial bird 
nesting area and access is not permitted during the breeding season (10 
March-10 September).


 

 

 

 

Doug McRae
P.O. Box 3010
Brighton, Ontario
K0K 1H0
613-475-5014 H
613-243-4161 C


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[Ontbirds] Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area (12 Apr 2019) 192 Raptors

[reports--- via ONTBIRDS]

Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 12, 2019
---

SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total   Season Total
-- --- -- --
Black Vulture0  1  5
Turkey Vulture  54   2633   5503
Osprey   2  9  9
Bald Eagle   0  5 37
Northern Harrier 3 17 36
Sharp-shinned Hawk 106314375
Cooper's Hawk2 24 58
Northern Goshawk 0  1  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1 25408
Broad-winged Hawk0  0  0
Red-tailed Hawk 21180775
Rough-legged Hawk3  8 23
Golden Eagle 0  0  5
American Kestrel 0  6 12
Merlin   0  4  7
Peregrine Falcon 0  3 10
Unknown Accipiter0  7  8
Unknown Buteo0  6 24
Unknown Falcon   0  0  1
Unknown Eagle0  1  1
Unknown Raptor   0  5  7

Total: 192   3249   7305
--

Observation start time: 07:30:00 
Observation end   time: 12:30:00 
Total observation time: 5 hours

Official Counter:Mike Street

Observers:Craig Corcoran, Eric Single

Visitors:
Andrea Sinclair and a second group of students from the Niagara College
Environmental Technician course who were interested in how we obtain and
process our data.


Weather:
South winds brought warmer air as the morning went on. At 1200 a cold front
arrived, bringing with it several hours of rain and shutting down the watch
at 1230.

Raptor Observations:
Steady flow of Turkey Vultures and Sharp-shinned Hawks after 0900. The
Sharpies were moving quickly, sometimes low but often quite high. Two
Osprey and each of Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Harrier. Thanks to Craig
Corcoran and Eric Single for their help in spotting and counting the many
birds.

Non-raptor Observations:
20 non-raptor species including a Great Egret, Bonaparte's Gulls, Common
Loons, Eastern Bluebirds, a Pileated Woodpecker that flew by quite low and
close to the tower, a Belted Kingfisher and two Eastern Phoebes that landed
on the tower minutes after we headed for our cars because of the rain.

Predictions:
Warm but windy. Should be a continuation of today's Sharpie flight.

Report submitted by Mike Street (mikestre...@gmail.com)
Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at:
http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/


More site information at hawkcount.org:  
http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=389

Site Description:
Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in
Grimsby, Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All
counting is done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a
counter have to be a member. Typically one person is the designated counter
for each day but other observers present assist with the spotting and
identification.  Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a
wooden floor. For wind protection on cold days, particularly in March, a
black plastic wind guard is installed around the tower's platform. This
platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy days, no more than
five or six observers would be on it.  

The site lies within a publicly accessible property owned by the Niagara
Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The
tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the
outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road)
and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are
present.  During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to
display seven day's worth of observation data for the public. The box
enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public
as well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records.

 

Directions to site:
To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, follow Christie
St./Mountain St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road
West, and go 1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to
the conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If
parking at the entrance or on the 

[Ontbirds] Pink footed Goose Ottawa

[MICHAEL TATE via ONTBIRDS]

I have attached a message from Jacques Bouvier to the Ottawa RBA with regard to 
the PFGO. There is no certainty that this is “our” bird but I just wanted 
anyone travelling to be aware of all the issues. Hopefully the local bird will 
be seen again this weekend and we will certainly post ASAP if that is the case. 
Michael 

SEE BELOW: 

As of 3 pm there has been a Pink-footed Goose reported at Chambly QC about 2 
hours from Ottawa...SE of Montreal. In past whenever there has been one 
reported in same week in Massena NY, Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec it was 
never reported on same day. Same individual or maybe 2 birds this time?
Time will tell. 
JB


Sent from my iPhone
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[Ontbirds] Long Point Update April 12 - Loggerhead Shrike and Western Meadowlark

[Stu Mackenzie via ONTBIRDS]

Good afternoon,

The Long Point Bird Observatory sightings board is updated to April 12 -
https://birdscanada.org/longpoint/index.jsp?targetpg=lpbosight. Highlights
this week include Loggerhead Shrike and Western Meadowlark.

If you enjoy these updates and wish to support the research, training, and
conservation projects of the Long Point Bird Observatory, please consider
supporting the Cygnus Crusaders in their Great Canadian Birdathon
 , or better yet, conduct your own
Birdathon for LPBO  .

Visitors are always welcome. Daily birding hikes depart the Old Cut Research
Station one hour after sunrise, and banding demonstrations occur all morning
until May 30. LPBO's Old Cut Research Station and Visitor Centre is open to
the public during spring and fall migration (from April to mid-June, and
early August to mid-November) from 9 a.m. until Noon.

Explore the Long Point Birding Trail
 . You
can help contribute to sightings in the Long Point area by submitting your
sightings to eBird   or by sharing them with us at
l...@birdscanada.org  . For more information on
the research, education, and training programs of LPBO select this link
  and check out the 2018
LPBO Program Report  . Your
best source for information about the birds and birding sites around Long
Point can be found in A Birding Guide to the Long Point Area by Ron Ridout,
available at the LPBO Shoppe and BSC headquarters. Follow LPBO .
@LongPointBirdOb on Twitter  , @LPBObs
on Facebook  , or @longpointbirds on Instagram
 .

Long Point Bird Alert - Contact me off-list if you'd like to join the Long
Point Bird Alert Group (requires a mobile phone and WhatsApp) which is the
front-line communication tool for birds of interest in the Long Point area.
Birds of provincial significance will also be posted to Ontbirds.

 

Good Birding,

 

Stu

 

 

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[Ontbirds] Pink-footed Goose Update Not seen in Ottawa !!!!

[MICHAEL TATE via ONTBIRDS]

Jean Iron phoned me to advise that the Goose was not seen from early this 
morning to 2.45pm despite many birders looking. 
However : they were approached by a group of hunters who stated they were there 
to hunt Snow Geese. Following discussions with a Conservation Officer who 
passed by and talked to the hunters they agreed to not hunt today and possibly 
this weekend. There is a 30 per day bag limit on Snow Geese only and with 
approx 8000 in the area it is possible this weekend may see hunting occur !
Just a heads up to all birders. We will continue to post any sightings. 
Michael 

Michael Tate

Sent from my iPhone
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[Ontbirds] RBA Buffalo Bird Report 11 Apr 2019

[David Suggs via ONTBIRDS]

- RBA
* New York
* Buffalo
* 04/11/2019
* NYBU1904.11
- Birds mentioned

  ---
  Please submit reports to
  dsu...@buffaloornithologicalsociety.org
  ---

  SWAINSON'S HAWK
  OREGON JUNCO
  Hooded Merganser
  Bald Eagle
  Wilson's Snipe
  Yellow-b. Sapsucker
  Eastern Phoebe
  Purple Martin
  Brown Creeper
  Golden-cr. Kinglet
  Ruby-cr. Kinglet
  Northern Mockingbird
  Eastern Towhee
  Chipping Sparrow
  Field Sparrow
  Fox Sparrow
  White-cr. Sparrow
  Eastern Meadowlark
  Brown-headed Cowbird
  Purple Finch
  Pine Siskin

- Transcript
  Hotline: Buffalo Bird Report at the Buffalo Museum of Science
  Date: 04/11/2019
  Number:   716-896-1271
  To Report:Same
  Compiler: David F. Suggs
  Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario
  Website:  www.BuffaloOrnithologicalSociety.org

  Thursday, April 11, 2019

  The Buffalo Bird Report is a service provided
  by your Buffalo Museum of Science and the
  Buffalo Ornithological Society. To contact the
  Science Museum, call 896-5200. Press the pound
  key to report sightings before the end of this
  report.

  Highlights of reports received March 28 through
  April 11 from the Niagara Frontier Region.

  The Hamburg Hawkwatch recorded a first for the
  site - a SWAINSON'S HAWK, around noon on April
  8. An exceptionally rare species for the
  region, the SWAINSON'S HAWK was among a small
  flock of TURKEY VULTURES. Broad-winged Hawks
  have not yet been reported at this location.
  The watch is conducted daily at Lakeside
  Cemetery, off Camp Road in Hamburg. Visitors
  are always welcome.

  Doubly rare - not just one, but two OREGON
  JUNCOS in one yard, on April 9 in the Niagara
  County Town of Wilson.

  Other reports from the Lake Ontario Plains of
  Niagara County - WILSON'S SNIPE, YELLOW-B.
  SAPSUCKER, BROWN CREEPER, GOLDEN-CR. KINGLET,
  NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, EASTERN TOWHEE, CHIPPING
  SPARROW, FIELD SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, WHITE-CR.
  SPARROW, EASTERN MEADOWLARK, PURPLE FINCH and
  PINE SISKIN.

  A similar species list from Tifft Nature
  Preserve in Buffalo included HOODED MERGANSER,
  and 7 EASTERN PHOEBES. FOX SPARROWS have also
  been reported in a Hamburg yard and at Beaver
  Island State Park.

  Another sign of spring - PURPLE MARTINS and
  BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS at several locations.

  Good viewing for BALD EAGLES  - a nest with
  young in the Iroquois Refuge at Ring-necked
  Marsh. And, a pair of adult BALD EAGLES have
  been regulars at the mouth of Johnson Creek at
  Lake Ontario, feeding on salmon carcasses.

  You may report sightings after the tone. Thank
  you for calling and reporting.

- End Transcript
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