[Ontbirds] Gyrfalcon, Sudbury
While driving to Kelly Lake this morning I had the gray Gyrfalcon flying beside the highway and then land on a radio tower near the Long Lake Rd exit. Barb Charlton, Brett Fried and Amanda Guercio arrived just in time to see it before it took off in the direction of the lake. We haven't refound it yet but it should be here somewhere! Kelly Lake is located on Southview Dr off Hwy 17. David ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
[Ontbirds] Western Tanager - Manitoulin Island
Sorry for the late post, was waiting for details on the exact location. This morning I was forwarded some photos of a female Western Tanager near Sandfield, Manitoulin. The exact location is at the Bell (cellphone) tower on Case Rd (see directions below). I am currently in Nova Scotia so won't be chasing this one but figured some other people might be interested! From Hwy 17, take Hwy 6 south from Espanola to Little Current, and keep following it through Manitouwaning. Take a right onto Hwy 542 (about 51km from Little Current), and after 4.6km take a left onto Case Rd. The Bell tower is about 1km down the road on the right. The bird was seen along the open areas near the tower. Good birding, David Bell ssmbirding.blogspot.ca ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
[Ontbirds] Yellow-headed Blackbird - Big Creek
Brett Fried, Myles Falconer and myself took advantage of the horrible weather today to bird the Long Point area. The highlights of the 74 species we found were a late Cape May warbler (among 8 species of warblers) and very late Eastern Kingbirds along with an adult female Yellow-headed Blackbird - seen flying past the marsh overlook at Big Creek in with a small group of red-winged blackbirds. Good luck if you go, this bird will probably be difficult to relocate due to the size of the marsh and the number of blackbirds around! This may also mean that there are more YH Blackbirds hanging out there as well though. Directions: from the 401, take exit 232 south on the 59. Take a right onto Regional rd. 13 after 11km. After another 11km, take a left onto RR19, then immediately take a right back onto RR13. Follow this all the way to Long Point, Big Creek is located on the west (right) side of the LP causeway, there is a small parking lot with a short path leading to the observation tower. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Black-billed Magpies - NW Ontario
Posting for my mom who is in Ear Falls - on the drive up today they had 2 Black-billed Magpies, one near Egli's Sheep Farm which is 21km west of Dryden on Hwy 17, the other ~40km from Hwy 17 on Hwy 105 toward Red Lake. Good luck to anyone who looks! -David ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] Tundra Swans - Lambton?
Hello folks, I'm very excited to see the huge flock of tundra swans at Lambton but can't make the 4 hr. drive until this weekend. I'd hate to drive all the way down in vain and I wonder if anyone could keep me posted with any news about the swans? If anyone has any news would you please e-mail me privately? I can't thank you enough. All the best, David Bell ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
[Ontbirds] b.c. night herons, great egrets, d.c. cormorants - Leslie Spit
Hello folks, Just a small note to say that the famous dead trees at the Leslie Spit are filled with bustling cormorants (hundreds? thousands?) and dozens of night herons, who have apparently been bullied away to some degree by the cormorants but are still nesting in their own section of trees. The real treat, for me, was to see roughly 8 great egrets nesting here and there. To see those stately egrets clumsily landing in those thin trees is a treat for the eyes and the heart! When last at Leslie Spit (May 16) there were more birds than the week before, and I'm sure the numbers will only grow from here on in. If you're interested in having a look, just follow the main path for 45 minutes or so, and you'll get to your first decent view of the cormorant/heron trees. Please note that the Leslie Spit is only open to the public on weekends and holidays. On another note, does anyone have any tips on where to see decent numbers of herons and/or egrets in the GTA? This would be of such tremendous help to me! Many thanks and all the best, David Bell ___ 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] Long-billed Dowitcher - Bruce Mines
Hello, Ken McIlwrick and I had a Long-billed Dowitcher at the Bruce Mines Lagoons this evening (around 4:30pm), along with a male Ruddy Duck (good bird for up here) and many other ducks. Our general birding today around Sault Ste. Marie yielded 84 species (20 waterfowl, 8 warblers and an early Great Crested Flycatcher). David Bell Sault Ste. Marie, ON Directions: Bruce Mines Lagoons are located north of the town of Bruce Mines. To get there (from the Sault), turn left (north) onto Highway 638 from Highway 17, then turn right (east) onto Trunk Rd. The lagoons are about 300m down the road. _ 30 days of prizes to be won with Hotmail. Enter Here. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9729709___ 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] ANHINGA - Sault Ste. Marie
Hello, I got an email today that mentioned the hawks were really moving today, and Skye Haas had a Swainson's Hawk over his house in Marquette, MI, so decided to do some hawkwatching of my own. Less than 30 seconds after I sat down I had a female-type Anhinga fly over! I got good looks through the bins as it wasn't very high up - maybe 500 feet or so. Due to the 40km/h south winds, it went by too fast for me to grab my camera from inside the house, but I made a sketch right away without consulting references. My points on it are: Long, slender, light coloured neck, slender, pointed bill, broad, dark wings, and large fan-shaped tail, with an overall cross-shaped appearance. It went over at ~2:45pm. I will be keeping my eye out with a camera and will repost if I see it again or hear from anyone else in the area. I also had a few Broad-winged Hawks and a Merlin, along with Barn and Tree Swallows. David Bell, Sault Ste. Marie, ON Directions: Sault Ste. Marie is about 300km west of Sudbury on Highway 17. _ Videos that have everyone talking! Now also in HD! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9724465___ 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]Ross's Goose - E. of Sault Ste. Marie
Hello, At approximately 9:45 this morning I found a white-morph Ross's Goose in Barr River - about 35 km east of Sault Ste. Marie, ON. It was still there as of 2 p.m. It is hanging out with approximately 200 Canada Geese in a field, along with some Sandhill Cranes. It was seen by multiple observers, and photos were taken. Good Birding, David Bell, 16 Sault Ste. Marie, ON Directions: From SSM, go east on Hwy. 17. Turn left (east) on to Barr River Rd, about 5 km south of Echo Bay. After 1.6 km, turn right onto Government Rd. After another 0.75 km there will be a bridge. Park beside it, and look to the right (west). The Ross's is hanging out about 100m or so off the road. _ Try Chicktionary, a game that tests how many words you can form from the letters given. Find this and more puzzles at Live Search Games! http://g.msn.ca/ca55/207___ 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
