I was advised this morning that due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,
Nonquon lagoons are closed to all birders until further notice. No
permits are being issued at this time. I will let you all know as soon
as I am advised that things have changed.
Geoff
--
Thank you,
Geoff Carpentier
The section of the lagoons that has been closed for the last few weeks is now
open .. don’t forget your permits!
Durham Region has updated their application forms and provided more clarity to
permitees in their online revised permit application.
One important change from previous years is that
I went to Nonquon lagoons yesterday and the birding was quite good. In an
hoir or so I had 55 species including six species of Sandpiper. Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Lesser Lellowlegs
and snipe. There were also nine species of warblers there, a Moorhen and
Today at the Nonquon lagoons in Port Perry, there was an interesting mix of
life and death struggles. Lots of sighs of successful breeding as Mallards,
Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Trumpeter Swans showed off their new
families. Very few shorebirds but the habitat is still not good for them
Good Morning:
I visited the lagoons today and there is as expected lots happening. Many
ducks, swallows, drumming grouse, Pileated Woodpecker and lots of smaller
migrants. Conditions are very muddy but worth the effort.
I have been talking to Durham Works and they have agreed to try, where
I went to to Nonquon today. Nice day lots of waterfowl and several shorebirds.
But first I found 8 Black Terns – the first of the season for me.
Also present were 3 Killdeer, 1 Dunlin, 6 Spotted Sandpipers, 30+ Least
Sandpipers, 4 Greater Yellowlegs and 30+ Lesser yellowlegs.
There is a large
I decided it was time to check out the lagoons as the weather had broken
finally after the cold spell. Lots of ducks of several species including 450
Bufflehead, 3 Ring-necked Ducks, 35 Lesser Scaup, 1 American Wigeon, 32
Northern Shovelers, 6 Ruddy Ducks, 8 Green-winged Teal and a few Mallards
I thought I’d send out a quick message about Nonquon as the fall shorebird
migration is starting. Not a lot to report but there were 1 Lesser Yellowlegs,
1 Least Sandpiper + 5 Spotted Sandpipers and a Killdeer there today. Nice to
see them in such bright breeding plumages.
There is quite a bit
Good Morning:
If you plan on visiting Nonquon lagoons in the next 1-2 weeks pls be advised
that the site is now considered an active construction site and access
limitations are being imposed immediately. Birders are being advised that they
may only use the easterly most access road and may
Just a head’s up that two lagoons now have emerging habitat at Nonquon. The
Township is drawing one down deliberately to assist with shorebird habitat and
another lagoon is drawdown to provide some freeboard for effluent storage,
which still assists the birds!
Today there were several Greater
The habitat is getting better everyday and the birds are here in good numbers
Highlights amongst my 47 species today:
large numbers of Midland Painted Turtle and Green Frogs
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) 5
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 10
Common Gallinule (Gallinula
Betsy Smith and I had the Indian Runner Duck at Nonquon today – feeding
actively in the southern cell. Lots of habitat persists and shorebirds numbers
are good:
Killdeer - 14
Spotted Sandpiper - 16
Least Sandpiper - 38
Greater Yellowlegs - 2
Lesser Yellowlegs - 12
Black Terns – 8
Permits must
The lagoons were crowded with waterfowl today – mostly divers and few puddle
ducks – nothing rare but a nice mix. What was suspiring was there was not a
single teal, swallow, warbler (in the woods) or shorebird. The Osprey was back
on the nest, a latish Fox Sparrow was singing, two Trumpeter
Further to yesterday's posts, I went back to Nonquon to see if the Hudsonian
Godwit had returned. It had not.
I did see 2 Greater and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Dunlin, many waterfowl of 12
species - including 4 Trumpeter Swans - one with tag # I-04
Permits must be purchased in advance of entering
The lagoons remain high-ish but there is habitat in the second most westerly
one and a bit of habitat in the most northeasterly one.
highlights today:
2 Merlins (male and female cavorting)
Osprey - 3 (adult + 2 yg)
Killdeer - 1
Spotted Sandpaper - 3
Lesser Yellowlegs - 28
Greater Yellowlegs - 4
I worked the lagoons today and found a few interesting things:
Spotted Sandpiper - 11
Killdeer - 21
Lesser Yellowlegs - 16
Least Sandpiper - 7
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1
Black Tern - 72
Bonaparte's Gull - 2 (adults)
Osprey - 3 (adult + 2 yg.)
Trumpeter Swan - 4 (2 adults + 2 yg.)
Lesser Scaup -
I checked the lagoons at Nonquon today. Water is quite high but a few decent
birds for those doing a big day.
Ducks included: Mallard, BW and GW Teal, N. Shoveler, Am. Wigeon, Gadwall,
Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck and Bufflehead. Other birds: 136 Black Terns (amazing
number), 2 Trumpeter Swans,
I visited the lagoons this morning to look for the phalarope but could not find
it. That's not to say it wasn't there ... the habitat is extensive and a large
amount of smartweed lines the shoreline in many places. Yesterday, the bird was
feeding inside the smartweed masses. Good habitat exists
I birded the lagoons today with Charlie Adey - lots of sandpipers and more ...
Killdeer - 13
Semipalmated Plover - 1 adult
Least Sandpiper -18 - including 1 immature and one adult in basic (winter)
plumage
Lesser Yellowlegs - 82 - adults
Greater Yellowlegs - 5 - adults
Spotted Sandpiper - 9 -
I birded Nonquon lagoons this afternoon ... lots of habitat and shorebirds
highlights:
Killdeer - 45
Spotted Sandpiper - 12 - all adults
Lesser Yellowlegs - 89 - all adults
Greater Yellowlegs - 1 adult
Pectoral Sandpiper - 1 adult
Least Sandpiper - 32 (3 immatures + 29 adults)
Semipalmated
I birded the lagoons this afternoon and had some nice birds. The full list is
appended at the end of this email, but the highlights included:
2 male Redheads (unexpected at this time of year)
45 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Greater Yellowlegs
8 Least Sandpipers
15 Spotted Sandpipers
All shorebirds were
I checked the lagoons today and was not disappointed. The middle and the
southernmost cells are the most productive.
White-rumped Sandpiper - 12
Semi-palmated Sandpiper - 3
Least Sandpiper - 3
Dunlin - 3
Semi-palmated Plover - 8
Killdeer - 7
Spotted Sandpiper 5
Ring-necked Duck 1 - very late
My wife and I went to Port Perry today to get our permits for the Nonquon
Lagoons. We were told at the Transfer Station that the number was the same
as last year. We then went to see if we could get in - wrong entry code. We
went back to the transfer station and after a bit of a wait they managed
Thanks to Geoff Carpentier for arranging the permits to visit the Nonquon
sewage lagoons in Port Perry.
I dropped in to the Works Dept. today, Friday April 4, and they were able to
give me my permit and take my $5, but not to give me the new numbers for the
lock on the gate! It may take a few days
(Apologies for my previous misdirected email - I would like to blame my new
email system, but I suspect this was a technogoof of my very own.)
The Nonquon lagoons were full of birds on this hot, sunny Sunday, October
21st.
Most surprising was the unprecedented number of Trumpeter Swans: 14 adults
Sunny and hot at Nonquon lagoons today. Water levels very high with all the
recent heavy rain, except for the second pond where they are dredging. Access
restored, provided you have a permit. No barriers anywhere as yet.
Only one backhoe at work but other machinery about.
Shorebirds
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