Hello birders: The 15 participants on today's annual field trip to Cobourg Harbour and Presqu'ile enjoyed 56 bird species, including 5 gulls, 4 shorebirds, 17 waterfowl, and a warbler.
At Cobourg Harbour, the steady west wind pushed the "feels like" temperature below 0 degrees Celsius, meaning a flock of about 30 SNOW BUNTINGS hardly seemed out of place. A small feeding frenzy of gulls impressed, before we scoped several duck species, including LESSER SCAUP and two GREEN-WINGED TEAL, in the sheltered harbour. A SONG SPARROW sang briefly from a willow thicket as a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET gleaned the outer branches. An immature MERLIN whizzed past just before we departed. At Presqu'ile Provincial Park, we began at the beach where a small flock of SANDERLINGS and DUNLIN fed actively among a lively group of feeding BONAPARTE'S GULLS. Farther south on the beach, we spotted an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, which eventually relocated to a gull and goose roost to the north. Here, a first-cycle GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL showed well. Two AMERICAN PIPITS, an immature NORTHERN HARRIER, 5 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, and a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER were other notables on the beach. The most unexpected find was a dead American Eel that had evidently been blown by the strong west wind upland onto the beach. Some of the many photos of this endangered (in Ontario) species will be submitted to Park staff. The sheltered waters of Presqu'ile Bay were loaded with diving ducks, especially REDHEADS and GREATER SCAUP, but also smaller numbers of LONG-TAILED DUCK, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (5), AMERICAN WIGEON (2), and GADWALL (2). An immature COMMON LOON was the only loon of the day. A GREAT BLUE HERON flushed at Salt Point from where 5 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were foraging in a many-fruit-bearing juniper. In the marsh, we scoped 12 TUNDRA SWANS, 2 PIED-BILLED GREBES, 2 AMERICAN COOTS, and about 20 RING-NECKED DUCKS. The trip concluded at the Birdhouse Nature Store whose feeders attracted a male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a noisy flock of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, many of which were singing. Cobourg Harbour is between the south ends of Division St. and Third St. in Cobourg. Approximately 30 minutes east, Presqu'ile Provincial Park is well-signed south of Highway 401 exit 509; the Birdhouse Nature Store is just outside the Park gate. If you would like the trip's ebird lists shared, please send me your email address. Thanks to all who attended; see you in 2020! Ian and Sofia Shanahan _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
