[Ontbirds] Indigo bunting in Waterloo

[Lisa Den Besten]

Kudos to my non-birding husband for spotting (and correctly 
identifying!!!) an indigo bunting along the GeoTime trail in west 
Waterloo.  The trail is off of Columbia St. West in the Clair Hills 
subdivision. We accessed it by parking on Zurich Street, and entering 
the trail by the nearby access point at the corner of Zurich and 
Winterburg Walk and hanging a right.  I can't remember exactly but I 
think we saw the bird a few minutes' walk past the big sundial where the 
trail runs between the woods and the back yards of the houses.


Good Birding,

Lisa Den Besten
Waterloo.
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[Ontbirds] Great Egret & Wood ducks, Waterloo

[Lisa Den Besten]

Hi there,

Today my sister Tina, her girls and I had a lovely look at a great egret 
just outside the border of Laurel Creek in a marsh on the west side of 
Beaver Creek Road.  The marsh is surrounded by houses.  A kingfisher was 
dining there as well.


We alo saw a pair of wood ducks flying overhead and calling as they 
went, landing in a marshy area adjacent to Laurel Creek Nature Centre.  
The entrance to this area is off of Beaver Creek Road.  I am not sure if 
this area is open to the public during school hours.


A map to the Nature Centre is available at this website:
http://www.grandriver.ca/index/document.cfm?Sec=3&Sub1=14&sub2=0 


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[Ontbirds] red-bellied woodpecker Waterloo

[Lisa Den Besten]

Hi folks,

I just had a very exciting sighting of a beautiful male red-bellied 
woodpecker at my very own bird feeder.   I think this may be only the 
second time I've ever seen one, the first time being in Parc du Mont 
Orford in Quebec in the summer of '97!  He didn't stay long (long enough 
for a definite I.D. though), and I doubt he'll return but just in case, 
the location is:
293 Thorncrest drive in Waterloo - I back on to Bearinger road so you 
can easily see the feeders from that side.
From the 401, take hwy 8 to KW, then hwy 85 to Waterloo to the 
Northfield drive exit.  Curve right onto Northfield, left onto Weber, 
right onto Glen Forrest and right onto Thorncrest.


google maps:  
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=293%20thorncrest%20drive%2C%20waterloo 
<http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=293%20thorncrest%20drive%2C%20waterloo>


Best wishes to all for great birding in 2010.

Lisa Den Besten
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[Ontbirds] Sandhill crane, ruddy duck etc. Waterloo

[Lisa Den Besten]

Greetings birders,

My sister Tina and I went birding at the Laurel Creek Conservation area 
this morning.  The reservoir yielded 40+ ring-necked ducks, several 
American widgeons, and a pair of Ruddy ducks.  Tina first heard the 
sandhill crane and then we spotted it high in the air after some 
searching.  It circled the reservoir for a good 5 minutes but for some 
reason (hopefully not us!) it decided it was not worthy of a stop and 
continued on in a northeastery direction.


Good birding,

Lisa Den Besten

To get to Laurel Creek from the 401, take the highway 8 exit to 
Kitchener, then the exit for the 7/8 west.  Take the Fischer Hallman 
exit and turn left onto Fischer Hallman.  Follow the street until it 
turns into Bearinger Road.  We walked the path that runs along Bearinger.

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[Ontbirds]Leslie Spit warblers etc. May 11

[Lisa Den Besten]

 Despite the cool temperatures and an unpleasant east wind, it was a
very satisfying day of birding on the Leslie spit on Sunday
morning/early afternoon.
 Our most productive areas were to the south of the parking lot in a
smallish woodlot where it was sheltered, as well as in a few trees &
shrubs right near the entrance gate by the hot dog stand (also
protected from the wind by a small berm).
 Birds seen:
 1 common yellowthroat, 1 black-throated blue warbler, yellow-rumped
warblers, many yellow warblers, many rose-breasted grosbeaks, many
least flycatchers, 1 black and white warbler, 1 Blackburnian warbler
(gorgeous!), 1 magnolia warbler, 1 Nashville warbler, several
blue-grey gnatcatchers (and there were many gnats to catch), 1 Cape
May warbler, 1 palm warbler (where all the rushes are by a marina on
the spit), and other usual suspects.  All in all a fabulous day,
despite forgetting my binoculars!
 Lisa and Tina Den Besten (thanks for sharing Tina)
 P.S. thanks to Chris Earley for a tape of warbler songs he made long
ago - we listened to it during the car trip and it was a great help!
 Directions to the spit:
 From areas west of T.O: 401 East to 427 south to the Gardiner
expressway.  Take it all the way to the end where it dumps you onto
Lakeshore road.  Turn right at Leslie street and follow it to the end.
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[Ontbirds]Great Gray Owl, accipiter, Newmarket

[Lisa Den Besten]

Hello Birders:

Around noon we spotted a large accipiter near the corner of  Yonge St. 
and Davis Dr. in Newmarket. It was zipping around scaring a small flock 
of what looked like House Sparrows and then perched in a tree behind the 
strip mall which has Quizno's and Toppers Pizza (17480 Yonge st.).  I 
couldn't confidently I.D. it as a Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned (I'm a 
little rusty on that, sorry), although I can say it was more crow-sized 
than blue-jay sized. I'm guessing it may have been the Cooper's hawk 
that Ron Fleming reported in the same area a few days ago.


While hiking at Roger's Reservoir Conservation Area, located near the 
intersection of Green Lane and the 2nd concession, we discovered a Great 
Gray Owl perched in a tree on the north side of the canal.  We parked in 
the lot on the 2nd Concession just north of the train tracks, and found 
the owl after walking about 10 minutes along the trail. Time of sighting 
was around 4:20pm.


Regards,

Lisa Den Besten
Waterloo ON
&
J Morrow
Newmarket
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Great Blue Herons, etc - Wheatley, ON
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On Sunday Jan 30th there were 7 GREAT BLUE HERONS at Muddy Creek by Wheatley
Harbour, including one wrestling with a large fish. All appeared to be first
winter birds.

The usual suspects at our feeder here on Harbour Road, including a single
male HAIRY WOODPECKER (scarce in the Pelee Birding Area). Also heard COMMON
REDPOLL fly over the yard on Jan 31st afternoon.

Cheers, Tom

Tom Hince
Wild Rose Guest House
RR1, 21298 Harbour Road,
Wheatley, ON
N0P 2P0 Canada
[minutes from Point Pelee National Park]

(519) 825-9070 (ph)
(519) 825-9169 (fax)
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: http://www.netcore.ca/~peleetom

[Ontbirds]GGO's Madoc, Barred Owl Apsley

[Lisa Den Besten]

On Saturday Jan. 28th a beautiful sleepy-looking BARRED OWL was seen at 
3pm close to the road 2/3 up a deciduous tree on the north side of Hwy. 
504 west of Apsley, about 2km past the first 80km/hr sign as one heads 
out of town, just as one is beginning to drive down a fairly large hill.


Two GGO's were located about 7-10 minutes south of Madoc the same day.
Around 4:25pm a GREAT GRAY OWL was seen on the east side of Hwy 62 south 
of Madoc, about 5km? south of the Two Loons Restaurant, just north of 
the driveway where a little green sign says 13040.  He was right next to 
the highway sitting on the telephone wires, attempting to locate prey in 
the ditch beiside the road.
At 4:35pm a second GREAT GRAY OWL was spotted on the north side of Wood 
Rd, about 2km west of Hwy 62, partway up a hill.  At the top of the hill 
is a very blue house.  The bird was sitting 2/3 the way up the tree, 
which was next to the road.  Sunday late morning, we did a quick check 
for the Wood road owl but alas, he was not at his spot.


Regards,

Lisa Den Besten
Waterloo ON
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Great Grays Ottawa - Amherst Owls
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Hi.
Took a quick trip to Amherst Island Saturday.  Saw one boreal owl =
sitting high up a tree (on a previous trip the two boreal owls were =
perched much lower).  The boreal didn't make for as much good viewing =
this time due to its height off the ground but the Saw-whet owl (a first =
for me) could be seen from a real good vantage point.  It was perched =
just above head level.  Both owls were seen in the "owl woods".  Later =
in the afternoon, I saw an owl hunting near, in around the KFNC fields.  =
Not sure if it was a long-eared or a short-eared.  =20

Sunday was amazing for viewing the Great Gray owls along both March =
Valley road and Klondike.  Although it was sunny the owls were quite =
active even to 12:30pm.  They are even active along Klondike now =
(compared to what I use to see) from March valley to well past the =
railroad tracks.  Saw quite a few owls along Klondike and very near the =
road.

W.H.  Ottawa, Ontario.  
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Jan.30 no owls on Amherst;
Short-eareds, Great Grays -east of Bond Head; Hawk Owl-Welcome
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Four of us traveled to Amherst Island, only to learn that the island is
literally devoid of voles-- hence, very few owls and hawks. We saw none of
either between 10AM and 2PM.

On the way home we had great views of the "resident" Hawk Owl along county
road 2, just we sat of Welcome--he was on a hydro wire on the south side,
then on the north side before flying off to perch atop a pole in a field.

Just before dusk we viewed 2 Short-eared Owls (beautiful ghosts of the
night) traversing low over the fields norh and south of the Lake Shore Rd.,
perhaps