This afternoon I birded the marsh and adjacent trails from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. I found a male Hooded Warbler feeding low in tangle dogwoods and willows near Sheridan Creek near the first of three new board walks on what was formerly called the Meadow Trail (which runs end off the Knoll Trail closest of the lower Sheridan Creek Bridge. Or right at the bottom the Bexhill access the right on the trail that runs a diagonal near end of Knoll trail. There is large maple standing in shallow water only about 40 feet the from the boardwalk. Also I found a male Pileated Woodpecker with two newly-fledged young in a dead willow at the Sheridan Creek bridge at Meadow Wood Road (and just across the road from brick arch entrance to the trails). The June and July rains have resulted in the huge berry and seed crop and lots of very dense understory; a great place to look for south-bound warblers, flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, etc. for next 4 or 5 weeks. There were Cedar Waxwings everywhere. Because of high waters in the marsh, I found only one shorebird, a Spotted Sandpiper. There were 62 Red-necked Grebes feeding in Lake Ontario of the Marsh outflow channel.
Directions: The Rattray Marsh map can be downloaded at "http://www.creditvalleyca.ca/recandleisure/maps/rattray.pdf";. If you in a hurry, park at the se end of Bexhill Road, which runs off Lakeshore about 5 long blocks east of the village of Clarkson which is located along lakeshore just east of the intersection of Lakeshore Boulevard and Erin Mills Parkway. Wayne Renaud [1-289-828-0043] _______________________________________________ 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/
