This morning (Monday) at 9:45pm I stopped next to the second island off 
Eastport Drive going East from Lakeshore (the island next to the bare island 
with the blue scarecrow) to see if I could see the Ruddy Turnstones seen the 
day before. They were gone, but I immediately saw small white heron-like bird 
and saw immediately from the characteristic hunched posture and pale orange 
patches on its head, chest and back, and salmon-coloured bill that it was a 
cattle egret. It was perched just off the ground on the left side of the 
left-most tree, otherwise occupied by cormorants.
This was a first for me in Ontario, but I've seen them countless times before 
in the U.S., as recently as the beginning of the month in Florida.
I watched for about 10 minutes, waiting for another birder to show (without 
success), then headed off as I was doing my own "big day". About 30 minutes 
later I met up with Dave Don, who had followed soon behind me but didn't see 
it, and we returned to the spot, but the bird was gone.
Do keep an eye out for it, for it may just have wandered around the back of the 
island, or to one of the other islands, or be in the general area.
Stephen Cheesman

_______________________________________________
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/

Reply via email to