This is a late post, although I doubt the bird has moved on. On Saturday morning and then again Sunday morning I observed a Clay-colored Sparrow. It was singing from white ash saplings in the old field at Laurel Creek Nature Centre in northwest Waterloo. Laurel Creek Nature Centre is located at the northwest corner of the City of Waterloo. From the north and east it can be reached from Conestoga Expressway by exiting west onto Northfield Drive. Continue on Northfield eventually following the curve around to the stop sign at Bearinger Road. Turn right onto Bearinger Rd. Take the next right onto Laurelwood Drive. From there, turn right onto Beaver Creek Road. The driveway is on the left. From the south, follow Fischer-Hallman Road North. After passing through the intersection with Columbia Street, turn left at the second road onto Laurelwood Drive. Take the next right onto Beaver Creek Road. From the nature centre parking lot follow the trail to the back woods. You know you are on the right path when the hedgerow is on your left, the old field is on your right and you are walking towards the woods. The bird was visible from the path about 100m before the woods, flitting around between different shrubs and tree saplings in the field. Good luck, Brett Woodman Waterloo, ON
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Jun 5 13:26:53 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from tomts40-srv.bellnexxia.net (unknown [209.226.175.97]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1DB4663D87 for <[email protected]>; Mon, 5 Jun 2006 13:26:53 -0400 (EDT) Received: from jean-bapu1sw48i.sympatico.ca ([69.158.99.108]) by tomts40-srv.bellnexxia.netESMTP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> for <[email protected]>; Mon, 5 Jun 2006 13:26:52 -0400 Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.1 Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 13:27:07 -0400 To: [email protected] From: Jean Iron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Subject: [Ontbirds]James Bay Birds - Report # 5 X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 17:26:53 -0000 Report # 5 from Jean Iron by satellite phone on 5 June 2006 from Akimiski Island in James Bay. Akimiski is the largest island between Ontario (much closer to ON) and Quebec in James Bay. Jean is a volunteer with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR). Temperatures the last few days have been warmer than normal. High temperature today at Attawapiskat (nearest Cree community on ON coast) is forecast to be 20C (normal 15C) with chance of showers. Low tonight 12C. There's a fair amount of open water along the north coast of the island where the camp is located, but much of northern James Bay and Hudson Bay are still largely locked in ice. You can see ice conditions here http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/SNOW/DATA/cursnow_usa.gif Note Akimiski Island about half way along west side of James Bay. Although sea ice is extensive for long time (often until early to mid-July in Hudson Bay), the land and shallow ponds warm earlier and abound in life. A helicopter takes crews out to survey sites every day. Jean walks about 10 km/day. At night the "chopper" is kept in a compound surrounded by an electric fence because a chopper was once badly damaged by a Polar Bear. Mosquitoes are not a problem along the coast where there's a breeze, but more so in the willows. Here's a summary of observations for 2 - 4 June. Canada Goose: Peak of hatch probably was yesterday. Adults are leading downy goslings to the "goose lawns" along near shore where they feed and grow. Brant: 100s of Brant still being seen daily. These birds will breed much farther north mainly on Arctic islands north of Hudson Bay. Bald Eagle: Immature seen on 2 June. In recent years, more nonbreeding Bald Eagles have been summering along the northern coasts of Ontario where they are preying (in part) on an abundance Snow Geese and Canada Geese. Semipalmated Plover Research: Nigel Ward, undergraduate student at Trent University, is collecting data as part of a long term study. Marbled Godwit: High count of 24 on 3 June; pairs on territories are calling and doing distraction displays. Hudsonian Godwit: A pair is likely breeding. Short-billed Dowitcher: 6 displaying birds on 3 June. Little Gull: Two adults on 3 June. Most Little Gulls seen on the eastern Great Lakes probably nest in the vast Hudson Bay Lowland west of James Bay. The HBL is one of the largest wetlands in the world. Short-eared Owl: Nest with eggs found on 3 June by Rod Brook. Other Short-eareds seen daily. New Record for Nunavut? Northern Mockingbird photographed by Steve Belfry (OMNR) on 2 June. Other Birds: Lesser Snow Goose (6 blue morph downies web tagged), Black-bellied Plover (up to 80/day which will soon leave mainly for the High Arctic to breed), Ruddy Turnstone, small colony of Arctic Terns, Hermit Thrush, Savannah Sparrow is commonest sparrow, redpolls - many small flocks still moving north as of today. Other Observations: Mourning Cloak (butterfly) on 3 June. I thank Ken Abraham and Don Sutherland of the Ministry of Natural Resources for additional information on James Bay. Next update in 2 - 3 days. Ron Pittaway Toronto & Minden ON
