The flooded fields on the west side of Bathurst St. N. in Holland Landing had 70+ TUNDRA SWANS and 10 SNOW GEESE at 7:45 this morning. Also present were four N. SHOVELERS (4), approx. 40 N. PINTAIL, and three GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A NORTHERN FLICKER was active along the Dufferin Street roadside north of Hwy. 9 (and south of Miller Sdrd.) when I was there around 8:30. I did not find much else in "the marsh" but there was a male AMERICAN KESTREL along Tornado Drive which I believe is the same one observed several times throughout the winter.
On Wednesday Glenn Steplock checked a rookery in Richmond Hill for returning GREAT BLUE HERONS and counted 20 of them already on territory! Peter Wukasch had the first PIED BILLED GREBE of the season (at least that I'm aware of) the same day - it was in the canal at the corner of Pumphouse Rd. and Graham Sdrd. in the Holland Marsh vegetable fields near Bradford. In Stoufville Jack Walker had a dozen BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in his yard yesterday as well as a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD that has been present for at least a few weeks. A walk along the Oak Ridges Trail on the west side of Seneca College's King City campus this afternoon yielded PINE SISKINS (8), an early EASTERN PHOEBE, a mixed flock of BC Chickadees and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS (approx. six of each), several migrating TURKEY VULTURES, three singing BROWN CREEPERS, and - in the mainly thawed lake there - six CM. GOLDENEYE, four BUFFLEHEAD, and a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS. Ron Fleming, Newmarket York Region is directly north of Toronto, on the south/southeast side of Lake Simcoe. _______________________________________________ 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/
