This morning at the Cawthra-Mulock nature reserve in NW Newmarket there was a great deal of bird activity with a good mix of migrants and locals. The most interesting bird was a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. (Since we had Black-billed Cuckoos nesting in this same area during the summer I am really hoping that this term "migrant" is accurate; it would allow me to banish any nagging second-thoughts about the bird being a possible local nester we might have missed during our atlassing!) Other interesting birds were CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW (2 of our local adults [?] with 3 streak-chested juveniles), OSPREY (1), SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (2), ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (2), RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (30+), RUFFED GROUSE (1), WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS (40+) and seven warbler species including Palm and Magnolia. There was also a Turkey Vulture on one of the hyrdro towers drying its wings in the sun like a displaced anhinga. For those of you who don't like goldenrod or bees, this would not be a good destination, but for those who don't mind the latter duo, the yellow hillsides were also busy with butterflies, mainly Monarchs, Cabbage Whites and Clouded Sulphurs but also a few Viceroys, Orange Sulphurs and Great Spangled Fritillaries. Yesterday morning at the scenic Seneca College campus in King City, Mike Van den Tillaart and I had several interesting species including OSPREY (2), MERLIN (1), NASHVILLE WARBLER (6), WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (20+) and BLUE-HEADED VIREO (2). The Merlin was particularly accomodating, preening on a bare tree for several minutes so that we were able to observe it from several different angles. It was a female/juvenile type, very brown with dark streaking down the chest. At one point the feisty little falcon showed its combative nature by chasing a bothersome crow in a full circle around a tree. We also had one BROAD-WINGED HAWK, a treat for us but merely the tip of a migration iceberg; I had to marvel at the remarkable push of 1,859 Broad-wings observed several miles east by Mike Williamson and co. at Heber Downs CA in north Whitby that same day! I should mention - particularly for Theo Hofmann's York region records - that last Sunday (Sept. 11) I had four COMMON NIGHTHAWKS pursuing insects in the early evening at the intersection of Bayview Avenue and Stouffville Sdrd. in north Richmond Hill. Ron Fleming, Newmarket DIRECTIONS: The Cawthra-Mulock reserve is just north of Green Lane on the west side of Bathurst Avenue in north Newmarket (north of Davis Drive/Hwy. 9). The driveway into it is at the top of the first hill and is marked with a Nature Reserve sign. Contact me by e-mail if you would like more specific details to the cuckoo, etc. Seneca College's King Campus is in King City, which is southwest of Newmarket. It is most easily accessed by taking King Road east from Hwy. 400 and driving across to Dufferin Street. Drive north on Dufferin about four kms and you will see the college entrance well marked on the west side of the road. Drive in, pay your $3.50 parking, and turn almost immediately right so that you are in the big open lot that faces north toward a rising green field. There should be a log cabin visible at the edge of the woodlot on the northwest side of the lot. Walk past the cabin, cross the road and walk to the lake. The water's edge is best for migrants. You can walk all the way north and west along the shore to the beautiful Eaton estate "castle". By continuing along the far edge of the mansion property you will find a little laneway that does a nice circle behind the property and brings you back to the main campus road north of the mansion. You can walk this road back to where you parked or venture off into some of the Oak Ridges hiking & trails.
