Dear OntBirders, I have seen a few Northern Mockingbird posts of late, so I thought I should share this sighting from yesterday, Friday February 4th, 2010. I observed a Northern Mockingbird at Hydro One's Richview Transformer Station (TS) which is situated near YYZ. While the property is necessarily not open to the public, the bird (or birds, as I suspect there is a resident pair there) might be viewable from the main gate across the parking lot. (under no circumstances should anyone ever tresspass, especially at a TS) It frequents the main building entrance area and courtyard at the NE corner of the main building, often lighting on the transmission line towers or in the shrubs and small trees in the area. You can clearly see the large circular planter in the courtyard in Google Maps' satellite view.
There have been Mockingbird(s) here for several years. I have never seen more than one at a time, but strongly suspect a breeding pair is resident here. I am not at Richview TS often, and when I'm there, I'm working in the basement, so I don't get much opportunity to bird watch. However, I rarely visit this location without being graced by a greeting from a Northern Mockingbird. If this situation is of ornithological significance, I am sure I could get more data and information from some of the resident Hydro One staff at this location. Further, I had occasion to visit Wiltshire TS in winter a few years ago, and observed a Northern Mockingbird there, too. It was actually outside the fence along the railway right-of-way on the east side of the TS. Again, Google Maps affords a good view of the area. Further still, in spring of 2010, a Northern Mockingbird was singing his (presumably it was a male) heart out at Essa TS near Barrie, my regular work headquarters, for a few weeks. I was wishing him luck, but alas, he moved on to search for a mate elsewhere. I had observed a Northern Mockingbird at Essa TS for a couple of weeks about ten or twelve years prior, again with no evidence of breeding success. Now I do work for Hydro One, so I am at TSs a fair bit, but I'm also out in nature a lot, Dragonhunting and generally being an avid naturalist, and these 3 locations are almost the only places I've observed Northern Mockingbirds in Ontario. My first ever sighting was in Orillia on Westmount Dr. N at the St. Andrew's/St. James' Cemetery in summer, circa 1984. I think I may have seen them elsewhere in Ontario once or twice, but can't recall exactly where or when. My point is, even considering my employment bias and small (okay, tiny) sample size, it seems unusual I haven't seen more Mockingbirds in Ontario outside of Hydro One TSs. Do TSs present ideal Northern Mockingbird habitat? Any thoughts? Chris Evans The Dragonhunter's Apprentice chrisgevan...@gmail.com Directions: Richview TS is found on Kelfield St., off Dixon Road East of Highway 27 near YYZ. Wiltshire TS is found on Wiltshire Avenue south of Davenport Road in Toronto. Essa TS is at 2182 Sunnidale Road, Springwater (near Essa Township and Utopia) _______________________________________________ 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/
