Twenty participants from the West Humber Naturalists (York and Peel regions) enjoyed a very pleasant day of spring birding between Burlington and Grimsby today. Highlights included CAROLINA WREN at both Paletta Park and Woodland Cemetary as well as an early GRAY CATBIRD at the latter location (near the lookout to Carroll's Point). Paletta Park also gave a few of us a fleeting glimpse at a WINTER WREN and - at the lakeshore - excellent looks at several RED-NECKED GREBES among other birds. A reported Louisiana Waterthrush at the north pedestrian bridge eluded our hopeful binos but LaSalle Park allowed us to add two HORNED GREBES and several AMERICAN COOTS, among other more common waterfowl. Approaching Grimsbly, where Fifty Rd. nears the foot of the escarpment at Concession Road (across from where George Coker used to live for you old-timers), we added two EASTERN MEADOWLARKS and an EASTERN BLUEBIRD. Finally arriving at Beamer around noon we were treated to a steady stream of raptors (see earlier report by Phil Waggett) as well as some good additions to our "spring list" like FOX SPARROW, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. For a pleasant change we were right there in the Beamer viewing circle (well, at least most of us were) when two GOLDEN EAGLES passed low over the observation tower within twenty minutes of each other. Both birds were between 1st- and 2nd-yr. plumage. The back roads running south from Ridge Rd. were not as productive as usual, but we enjoyed a pleasant walk along the trail system there and found consolation in seeing four WILD TURKEYS beside 10th Road north (?) of the RR tracks. In the late innings of the day we struck out on called Snipes. Many thanks to all who came out for this excellent day of spring birding and special thanks to hawk-counter Kevin McLaughlin and his raptor-spotting posse at Beamer for their help and good humour. Ron Fleming, Newmarket From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sun Apr 2 22:38:17 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from cpmail.centennialcollege.ca (cpmail.centennialcollege.ca [199.212.26.181]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5B93063D1C for <[email protected]>; Sun, 2 Apr 2006 22:38:02 -0400 (EDT) Received: from cp.centennialcollege.ca (cpprivate [192.168.80.2]) by cpmail.centennialcollege.ca (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 HotFix 2.04 (built Feb 8 2005)) with SMTP id <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> for [email protected]; Sun, 02 Apr 2006 22:37:57 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2006 22:37:58 -0400 (EDT) From: Sandra Hawkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Message-id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: [Ontbirds]Woodcocks "Peenting" X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 02:38:17 -0000
After a weekend of camping in the Haliburton area, we are pleased to report that Woodcocks are enthusiastically "peenting" and practicing their nuptial displays at dusk along Highway 28 in and around Silent Lake Provincial Park. Turkey Vultures are also returning to their nesting areas at the (now closed) open pit iron mine on Highway 7 approximately 1 kilometre east of the town of Marmora. Sandra & Bob Hawkins From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sun Apr 2 22:47:34 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from fep4.cogeco.net (smtp.cogeco.net [216.221.81.25]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1A1F163C21 for <[email protected]>; Sun, 2 Apr 2006 22:47:19 -0400 (EDT) Received: from Jim (d36-187-54.home1.cgocable.net [24.36.187.54]) by fep4.cogeco.net (Postfix) with SMTP id 2AC527023 for <[email protected]>; Sun, 2 Apr 2006 22:47:20 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Jim Watt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ontbirds" <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 22:47:33 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2180 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.1 Subject: [Ontbirds]Red-necked Grebes in Oakville X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 02:47:34 -0000 Late this afternoon, I went to Arkendo Park In Oakville at the mouth of = Joshua Creek. I counted an astounding 208=20 Red-necked Grebes. Quite a sight! DIRECTIONS: QEW to Winston Churchill. South to Lakeshore Rd. Turn right onto = Lakeshore then first left on Arkendo. Park at the end and walk to the = lake. Jim Watt [EMAIL PROTECTED] =20 From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Apr 3 01:00:32 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from hotmail.com (bay106-f28.bay106.hotmail.com [65.54.161.38]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2BAA263B37 for <[email protected]>; Mon, 3 Apr 2006 01:00:17 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sun, 2 Apr 2006 22:00:17 -0700 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Received: from 65.54.161.200 by by106fd.bay106.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Mon, 03 Apr 2006 05:00:16 GMT X-Originating-IP: [216.46.145.68] X-Originating-Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "Maris Apse" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 01:00:16 -0400 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Apr 2006 05:00:17.0829 (UTC) FILETIME=[8060C550:01C656DB] Subject: [Ontbirds]Point Pelee NP to St.Clair NWA - Sunday 02/04 X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 05:00:32 -0000 Hi all! Penny and I enjoyed a rather eclectic birding half-day beginning with Louisiana Waterthrush on the PPNP Woodland Trail ~14:00 and ending with a Snowy Owl @19:30 on Winterline(CK#34) ~2.5km south of CK#42(Mitchell Bay Road). At Pelee we also saw - pair of Carolina Wren, male Eastern Towhee and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, several Northern Flicker, 1 Barn Swallow flying along drainage ditch immediately north of the park, dozens of Golden-crowned Kinglets, 2 Eastern Meadowlark and 2 Eastern Phoebe between the cemetery and DeLaurier trail and 3 Sandhill Crane flew over our heads as we watched the Barn Swallow(we had been hearing them for a while) At Wheatley Harbour were hundreds of Bonaparte's, many Ring-billed, Herring and ~ a dozen Great Black-backed Gulls. At St.Clair NWA there were dozens of Tree Swallow, 2 Pied-billed Grebe, 4 American Coot and a Bald Eagle(white head but brownish tail -3 or 4 yr?) flew low over us. Penny spotted a displaying Ring-necked Pheasant along Bradley Line. It started to drizzle so we headed north and finished the day with the female Snowy Owl. Early spring around the Great Lakes is neither dull nor too predictable. Cheers! Maris Maris Apse 10094 Red Pine Road, Box 22, RR #2 Grand Bend ON N0M 1T0 (519) 238 - 8415
