Bathurst St. North has had several birders but no celebrity bird (i.e. the Great Gray Owl) since Thursday, so the rare northern visitor may have moved on. The Snowy Owls in the Holland Marsh have certainly done so. From a high of five Snowies only a week ago there appears to be but one remaining - it was on the west side of Jane St., about a km north of Woodchopper's Lane yesterday morning. Despite the absence of the GGOW, Kevin Shackleton and I were happy to find some good spring arrivals in the Holland Landing area on Saturday. Several male Red-winged Blackbirds were present in the cattail marsh near the northern terminus of Bathurst, as well as numerous Horned Larks, six passing DC Cormorants, one Northern Shrike, and two Northern Harriers. A Pileated Woodpecker flew over Queensville Sdrd. as we we drove east from Bathurst, then we had a our first Northern Flicker of the year at the north end of 2nd Concession. We also rediscovered the immature White-crowned Sparrow that has wintered along Devald Road in the Holland Marsh. It was singing from the top of a berry tree when we arrived. While walking my dog along a trail near the Holland Landing lagoons on Thursday I flushed a Ruffed Grouse and a flock of 10 Robins. Keith Dunn had several Bohemian Waxwings amidst a flock of Cedars in the same general area that same day. Keith also had the first Great Blue Heron of the spring up here in York Region on Saturday, as well as a flock of approx. 30 Wild Turkeys east of where the 2nd Concession and Holborn Rd. intersect about 3 kms. north of Queensville Sdrd.. The first Grackles of the season - the only hour of glory for that species - were observed Thursday in Willow Beach by Lorena Campbell and also in Richmond Hill by Michael Biro. There is a Northern Shrike lingering along Leslie St. in northeast Richmond Hill near Phyllis Rawlinson park. Saw it this morning around 8:30. Ron Fleming, Newmarket Holland Landing is halfway between Toronto and Barrie. _______________________________________________ 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/
