This morning, from about 0603-0613, John Brett and I observed 12 Great Egrets disperse from their roosting area along Lynde Creek in the Lynde Creek Conservation Area (LSCA) in Whitby. The birds roosted in live trees on the west side of the creek as well as in the lower reaches of shrubs and small trees on the west side of the north end of the only large island in the creek south of Bayly/Victoria St. The extent of the roosting areas was perhaps about 100m. Ten minutes later, at the east side of Cranberry Marsh, there were 13 egrets present.
This roosting area has been under regular observation for more than a year. In 2012, when water levels were much lower, the egrets (up to 30+) roosted in a tight group (10-20m diameter) on mud flats at the south end of the large island. On dispersing from this roost, the egrets usually fly to the south, then veer west and go directly to Cranberry Marsh, < a km away. Occasionally, they go to the north where they would be easily visible from the facilities near the LSCA parking lot and boardwalk. Some of the AM and PM roosting activity of the egrets is visible from the very end of the boardwalk, if one looks to the south, but the tall surrounding cattail growth to the south obstructs much of the view. Observations at dusk at Cranberry Marsh show that virtually all the egrets then foraging there, fly off to the ENE headed for the roosting area along Lynde Creek. Similarly, if one waits at the roosting area at dusk, virtually all egrets arrive from the west. This roosting-foraging area, from Lynde Creek to Cranberry Marsh, covering a distance of < 1 km, is one of the smallest, most confining such areas, I have found in documenting more than 30 egret roosts in southern Ontario. In many cases, and especially with small egret roosts, I suspect the birds probably do not venture more than about 5 km from their roost to forage. There were no tagged egrets among the birds observed this morning.......but please keep watch for them. Chip Directions: From Pickering, Ontario, take HWY 401 east to the Salem Rd exit, go right (south) to Bayly (Victoria) St., go left. Follow it eastward for a couple kms, past Hall's Road on your right. The next right turn goes in to the LSCA parking lot. The boardwalk can be accessed from the east side of the parking lot. To observe the roost directly is a bit more tricky. Take the main trail to the south; it is located east of the private roadway - do not take the roadway. Walk south for about 10-12 minutes until the trails makes a 900 turn to the right. At the turn, there will be a slightly discernible "path" going off to the left; follow it to the creek - the large island will be directly in front of you. There is another discernible trail that parallels the creek here...follow it to the left to see the north end of the island or to the right to see the south end of the island. Good luck. _______________________________________________ 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
