On Sunday, Jim Pawlicki, Betsy, and I had lots of shorebirds on the Lake Erie shore at Rock Point and several beaches between there and Port Colborne. Most of the peeps were juvenile Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers. We had one BAIRD'S SANPIPER at Pinecrest Point (east of Port Colborne, go south on Pinecrest Rd off of Killaly to the shore) but missed the White-rumped found earlier by others. There was also a juvenile RED KNOT there as well as a worn adult FORSTER'S TERN. In addition here, very bizarre, there were some professional-looking wrestling matches in a ring set up on the beach with a sound system and a small grandstand. (What I mean is professional ACTORS - these guys dressed and acted and were made up just like the guys one sees on TV, even down to all the moaning and groaning!) Back to the birds. At Rock Point Prov. Park (south of Dunnville, take Reg Rd 3 and follow signs to the park) we had several of the expected species of shorebirds including 2 Ruddy Turnstones and 4 (later 10, seen by others) Short-billed Dowitchers. We also had 12 species of warblers and a PHILADELPHIA VIREO. The Mosaic Ponds (from Rock Point, take Downy Rd to Rymer Rd and turn left) had 16 SB Dowitchers and hundreds of ducks including 4 NORTHERN SHOVELERS. The sod farm on Canal Bank Road (east from the end of Rymer Rd on Canal Rd about 4 miles) held a BLACK-BELLIED and an adult AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER. Poth Rd (Canal Bank to RR 65 to Poth) had 16 more BB Plovers. The two previously reported TRICOLORED HERONS above Niagara Falls showed nicely. There was even some chasing. One was usually on the rock below the first bench north of the Gatehouse and another was usually tucked in along the shore just north of the footbridge over the impoundment. To see the latter bird, you still had to look from the first bench. Directions to the herons:
Take the Niagara Parkway a short ways upriver from the falls. Park free at the south entrance to Dufferin Island. Walk a little bit downriver, cross the impoundment on the foot-bridge to the Gatehouse (small building), to the first park bench at the river edge in the small parkette between the Gatehouse and the larger building to the north where they are constructing a diversion weir in the river. One heron was below the bench close, the other was a little more distant to your right. Good birding! Willie ---------- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Wilson, NY [EMAIL PROTECTED] From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mon Aug 21 22:22:32 2006 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from tomts13-srv.bellnexxia.net (tomts13.bellnexxia.net [209.226.175.34]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2D11D638D4 for <[email protected]>; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 22:22:32 -0400 (EDT) Received: from VALUED7B9600FA ([65.93.95.29]) by tomts13-srv.bellnexxia.net SMTP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> for <[email protected]>; Mon, 21 Aug 2006 22:22:30 -0400 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Norm Murr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "ONTBIRDS" <[email protected]> Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 22:22:27 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2869 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2962 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.1 Subject: [Ontbirds] Aug. 21 - Toronto Island Migration (Connecticut Warbler again +) X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 02:22:33 -0000 Good evening Today Margaret Liubavicius, Ian Cannel and I birded the Toronto Islands = and though we did not have a fallout we certainly benefited by the = increase in numbers and species. It was a beautiful day to be out with a = light northerly wind to start and overnight and it promised to be a = birdy day. Following are some of the 82 species we found along with some of the = numbers. Horned Grebe, Hooded Merganser, Solitary Sandpiper, 3 Black-billed = Cuckoos, Belted Kingfishers, 9 Flycatcher species including 5 = Olive-sided Flycatchers, 5 E. Wood Pewees, 29 Least Flycatchers, 8 E. = Phoebes, 14 Great-crested Flycatchers and 20 E. Kingbirds, 21 warbling = Vireos, 12 Red-eyed Vireos, Hermit Thrush, 20 Gray catbirds, Carolina = Wren, 8 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 50+ Cedar Waxwings, 22 Warbler species = including Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, 63 Magnolia, Cape May, 32 = Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Pine, Blackpoll, 11 Northern Waterthrush, 1 = adult female Connecticut, 2 Mourning, 7 Wilson's, and 10 Canada = Warblers, 1 early White-throated Sparrow, 41 Baltimore Orioles.=20 A good day with even better ones to come in the next 2 weeks. Directions:- TORONTO ISLANDS (Wards Island to Hanlans Point - without side trips is 5 = km) --- We did 9.4 kms on The Islands today, about average if not = birding behind the airport on Hanlans Point. To get to the Toronto Islands from Queen and Yonge Streets on the TTC. = If your on the subway southbound stay on it and get off at Union = Station, walk south about 1 km to the ferry docks at the foot of Bay = Street at Queens Quay and you are there. If in an auto on the Gardener = Expressway or on Lakeshore Blvd, then exit at Bay Street and drive south = to Queens Quay, there are lots of parking lots nearby (fee). There is a fee for using the island ferries ($6.00 adult / $3.50 for = seniors & students) and to find out the sailing times you can phone = (416) 392-8193. There are washrooms on the islands as well as the city = side at the ferry docks and you can pick up a schedule at the docks or = check on line. The 1st boat to Wards Island (my preferred starting point) is 6:35 am = and the 2nd is 7:00 am Monday to Friday.=20 The 1st is at 6:35 am and the 2nd boat is at 7:15 am on Saturday, Sunday = and Holidays. The 1st boat to Hanlans Point is 8:00 am and the 2nd boat is at 8:30 am = Monday to Friday. The 1st is at 8:15 am and the 2nd boat is at 9:15 am on Saturday, Sunday = and Holidays. If arriving in early am you must obtain your ticket from a machine just = inside the gate so be sure to have $1.00 and $2.00 and/or 25 cent coins = before you arrive at the docks as there is no place to get change and = the machine does not make change. (There is a change machine there if = you want to chance it). There are coffee shops across from the ferry docks in the building on = the northwest corner and they are open early. food and beverages on The = Islands when open are very expensive i.e. soft drink $3.00 plus. For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site.=20 For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site.=20 http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/springschedule.htm=20 Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster." http://www.ihatespam.net
