I drove up to Keswick in the late afternoon today to see if I could rediscover some good birds found there by Bruce Brydon on the weekend (namely a Bald Eagle and a Lapland Longspur). I also wanted to see if I could find one of the two Snowy Owls that were last seen on Ravenshoe Road the weekend of Nov. 20th. Bruce reported one Bald Eagle on Cook's Bay Sunday, specifically in Keswick's Orchard Beach area near a little marina called "Keffer's". Coincidentally, Keith Dunn received a report of 3 Bald Eagles at the same location last week. Keith's efforts to rediscover them yesterday were in vain; I had the same experience today -lots of glittering ice but no eagles. Nigel Shaw, who lives on the west side of Cook's Bay (Lefroy/Innisfil area) has also observed this species recently (and through the autumn), some of them likely the same birds hunting and scavenging on both sides of the bay. The pattern he has observed over the past several winters is for these birds to gradually move inland as Lake Simcoe steadily freezes up. He did, in fact, observe an adult and an immature Bald Eagle well inland near Strongville (east of Stayner/west of Barrie) last week. I do not know more specific details re: directions; sorry. After striking out on the eagles, I drove down to the "Ravenshoe flats" in southwest Keswick around 4:00 p.m. I was quickly rewarded with excellent looks at a heavily marked female/juvenile Snowy Owl sitting on the TV antenna of house #282, a small two-story home which sits beside a big gray garage on the north side of the road about 3/4 of the way down this last stretch of Ravenshoe Road. (The road dead-ends at the Holland River.) When the bird eventually flew north and into the fields near the now-frigid heronry there(quite visible as you look north), I continued along Ravenshoe and drove the short stretch of Yonge Street that runs southward into the barren landscape there. I had a fairly large flock of Snow Buntings (approx. 60) but could not pick out a dark bird among them (i.e. Lapland Longspur). There was one light-phase Rough-legged Hawk sitting in a tree south of the dike at the road's end. Cutting through Holland Landing on my way home to Newmarket, I observed two Wild Turkeys on the north side of Doane just west of Main Street/2nd Concession. Both were "silver-paneled" toms scraping through the snow to find food in a field there. I stopped to watch them for awhile as the sun was being escorted to the horizon by two sundogs. Ron Fleming, Newmarket Directions - Keswick is north of Newmarket. Take Leslie Street north to Ravenshoe Rd., then turn west and follow Ravenshoe down the hill and past the sports fields there. Follow it out into the flatlands, looking for snow buntings and snowy owls in the barren landscape. I have found the north side to be generally more productive, but that's not a hard and fast rule. You can drive to where Ravenshoe ends, then turn south on Yonge Street (a short and rather desolate line segment of that much longer thoroughfare) and drive to its end (approx. 2 kms), if you wish to. Snowy owls, harriers, snow buntings and rough-legged hawks are all possible sightings. Keffler's Marina is a tiny boat launch that on the eastern edge of Cook's Bay farther north in Keswick. Go back to Leslie Street and take it north to Metro Road, turn left and follow Metro to Church Street. Take Church to the left and it becomes Lake Drive as soon as you get to the bay. This waterfront edge makes for a scenic drive northward before it hooks up again with Metro Road. Eagles could occur anywhere along here. Or not.
