Good evening birders. Today Ian Cannell and I birded some of the spots in the Whitby area and despite the on again off again rain and showers we did okay. Doug Lockrey already posted the Raptor sightings (thanks for the nice words Doug) but Ian and I also birded other areas while waiting for the rain to end.
On our way along Halls Rd to the Hawk Watch at Cranberry we observed 3 TV's, 2 Northern Harriers, a Cooper's Hawk, a Merlin, a couple of Fox Sparrows, the first of 26 for the day, 11 Hermit Thrushes, first of 64 for the day, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. After an hour or so with Doug we all decided to get out of the rain and go get a coffee. After the coffee Ian and I headed to the Whitby Harbour area where we found observed the usual suspects. from here we drove a little further east on Water Street to Heydenshore Kiwanis Park where we watched a juvenile Merlin take a small bird out of the air, a Northern Harrier fly past and 7 Common Loons, 1 Red-necked Grebe and a Bufflehead on the Lake. We next drove to Thickson Woods where we were greeted by many Sparrows and Robins on the trail (Waterfront Trail) on the north side of the woods. In Corbett Creek on the east side of the woods we found a Lesser Yellowlegs, Swamp Sparrows and many Song Sparrows. The Trail, the meadow and the woods themselves were quite productive and following are some of the birds we found here. Northern Harrier overhead, Coopers Hawk in the woods, Great horned Owl (great views), many Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creepers, many Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, 53 hermit Thrushes (undercounted by far), 50+ A. Robins, Cedar Waxwings, 2 Blue-headed Vireos, 3 Orange-crowned Warblers (very close up looks), Ovenbird, at least 11 N. Cardinals, 22 Fox Sparrows, Song, Swamp, White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, 75+ Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Purple Finch and overhead many Red-winged Blackbirds and at least 25 Rusty Blackbirds along with Common Grackles. As the rain stopped and we actually saw blue sky we headed back to Cranberry Marsh and in time to observe the Raptors mentioned by Doug. We found a total of 66 species today. Not bad in the rain. Directions:- Cranberry Marsh Hawk Watch / Halls Rd per Doug Lockrey >From the west--Exit 401 at Salem Rd. in Ajax, south to Bayly, east through >Lakeridge Rd., one block to Hall's Rd., south towards the lake, parking at the >entrance to the south pathway. >From the east--Exit 401 at Brock St. in Whitby, south to Victoria, west past >the Lynde C.A. parking lot to Hall's Rd.-- ON THE EAST OF SALEM JUST BELOW THE 401 IS A NEW TIM HORTON'S ---!!!! ========================================================================== WHITBY HARBOUR Exit Hwy 401 at exit #410 (Brock St.) and drive straight south to the harbour. ============================================================================= THICKSON WOODS IN WHITBY If driving east from Toronto on Hwy 401 then exit at Thickson Road (Exit 412) and turn right (south). Drive along Thickson Road across Victoria Street E. and Wentworth Street W. At the next street (road) on your left past Wentworth Street (Waterfront Trail) turn left onto this road and you are there. Drive straight down the road and turn around, drive back and park on your right. (DO NOT BLOCK THE TRAIL AND BE SURE TO LOCK YOUR AUTO). The entrance to the woods is on the south side of the road and the entrance to the meadow is on the opposite side. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, ON [EMAIL PROTECTED] S'ils te mordent, mords les --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster." http://www.ihatespam.net
