I opted to make a side trip on my way home from Peterborough this afternoon and drop in at the Nonquon Sewage Lagoons. Water levels are high in all of the lagoons and I had already resigned myself to the idea that it was a wasted trip when I spotted a small whitish thing floating in the fourth lagoon. I could see with binoculars it was a bird and with a scope that it was a phalarope, but I had to get closer to be sure which one (Red-necked).
It was almost dusk when I found it. Hopefully it will still be there tomorrow. In this afternoon's windy, cloudy conditions, it was very difficult to spot, even when you knew it was out there because it blended in so well. It was swimming and feeding the entire time I watched it. If you don't already have a permit for the lagoons, you are probably out of luck until Monday, but here are Geoff Carpentiers directions and instructions: Permits must be purchased in advance of entering the lagoons. Permits can be obtained from 605 Rossland Rd., Whitby, or at the Scugog Waste Transfer Station, 1623 Reach Street, Port Perry. An electronic version of the Nonquon Sewage Lagoon Birder Permit is available in PDF format at http://www.durham.ca/finance.asp?nr=/departments/finance/financeinside.htm . Nonquon Sewage Lagoon Birder Permits are available for $10 per permit. Cheques will only be accepted at Regional Headquarters. Payment by cash only at the Scugog Waste Transfer Station. Completed Applications should be forwarded to: Finance Department - Insurance & Risk Management, 605 Rossland Road E., Whitby, ON L1N 6A3 The lagoons are located one road north of the transfer site on Concession Rd. 8 [don't get confused as, despite the fact that these roads are both numbered "8", they are two different roads - one is a regional paved road, the other a dirt concession road.]. Access to the lagoons is from the east end of Conc. 8 only as the bridge is out west of the lagoons. Brian Bailey Etobicoke _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
