Good evening people. Today Naish McHugh was kind enough to take me along to the Long Pont area with a stop at Townsend sewage lagoons on the way home. We had a pretty good day and despite the lack of reports from the Townsend area we stopped anyway and were rewarded with the finding of the Curlew Sandpiper, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 10 Black-bellied Plovers and 30 to 40 Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Dunlin, 1 Tundra Swan with 16 Semipalmated Plovers thrown in. A nice short stop to end the day.
In the morning we visited some woodlands in the Long Point area to see what was around and we found a few nice birds including, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk, 2 E. Screech Owls, 9 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Y-B Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, 6 E. Bluebirds, 5 Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Vireo, Pine Warblers, 2 Prairie Warblers, 7 Cerulean Warblers, Prothonotary Warbler, Hooded Warblers, Many Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Ovenbirds and a zillion Red-eyed Vireos, and Eastern Towhees. We were also informed about a new location (for me) for Grasshopper Sparrows. The gentleman said there was one there but we found 3 at that location. The Grasshopper Sparrows can be viewed and heard from the road on west side of West 1/4 Line Rd (approx. 3 1/2 km west of Hwy 59) 300 yards south of County Rd 60. If driving through Simcoe on Hwy 24, drive to Hwy 59. Do not turn here but drive across Hwy 59 and your on County Rd 60. Most, if not all of the other birds mentioned were on their breeding grounds so I hesitate to give directions to these birds, but if you are familiar with the birds and their habitat requirements then give it a try and good luck and be aware that Mosquitos are in command in these areas. DIRECTIONS TO TOWNSEND SEWAGE LAGOONS ONLY TOWNSEND SEWAGE LAGOONS On the way down to Long Point on Hwy 6 you will pass through Hagersville and drive towards Jarvis. Just as you approach the town of Jarvis you will see a sign indicating "TOWNSEND" at Nanticoke Creek Parkway #69. Turn right here and drive to the intersection with the stop signs, turn left on Keith Richardson Parkway and drive past some park ponds on your right. Drive ahead until you see a small children’s shelter (with an air conditioner on it) on your right at County Rd 14. This is just before you reach the abandoned railway line (tracks removed). Turn right here onto County Rd 14. and drive a few hundred yards and you will see a gate and sign indicating that this is a waste treatment area.. Park well to the side of the road, do not block the gate. If the gate is open (they are on some weekends) then do not park directly across from the gate as the larger "Honey Trucks" need the area to swing into and out of the entrance road. These lagoons are USUALLY only accessible on the weekend or after 6pm during the week. If asked to leave or not enter then please be respectful and comply as it seems that for now we are being tolerated. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster." http://www.ihatespam.net
