Dear Fellow Birders,
While there hasn't really been an influx of birds over the past week, having
a number of people down here for the Ontario Bird Banding Association
conference helped in turning up a number of birds. Also the ice on the lake
has begun to break apart just west of Long Point, with a large area open
now, and birds (so far just gulls and Common Mergansers) have begun to use
the area again. Additionally with the warm weather some of the inland ponds
have begun to open up as well. With more warm weather forecast this week and
the possibility of rain, we could see more water open up and waterfowl begin
to move into the area.
With the number of swans, cranes, ducks, and geese still in the area it was
speculated some open water might had been around, and it was finally found
at the very end of Hastings Drive. Where there is a small area about 100m
past the end of the road in Big Creek that is open and is usually full of
waterfowl, including 120+ Tundra Swans, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked
Ducks, Greater Scaup, A. Black Ducks, and a female Hooded Merganser. Also in
the fields along Lakeshore Rd. most of the swans can be seen, and up to 35
Sandhill Cranes continue to winter in the area (once again they are most
often seen near Lakeshore and West 1/4 Line). Also along Lakeshore Rd.
Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and Lapland Longspurs continue to be seen, and
a Merlin was seen near the corner of Lakeshore and 59 on Wednesday. At the
Bayou Club on Concession A a Northern Flicker was seen and one of the E.
Screech-Owls was sticking its head out of a box on the north side of the
road near the river on Saturday. At the edge of Big Creek where it meets the
mainland on the causeway a Winter Wren, Swamp and Song Sparrows were seen on
Saturday, and in Clear Creek an adult Northern Goshawk was seen the same
day. Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds,
Rough-legged Hawks, and Bald Eagles continue to been seen across the area in
low numbers, while American Crows have been seen in fewer numbers and have
likely began to move on.
Directions: Exit the 401 at Hwy 59 near Woodstock and follow it south all
the way to Port Rowan. There is an intersection here, to the left is Front
Rd (which takes you by the Bird Studies Canada office on the right), and
Lakeshore Rd to the right, which leads to Clear Creek. If you continue
straight on Hwy 59 you will come into Big Creek which is the large marsh
that will surround you and Hastings Drive is the road leading to the west at
the south end of the marsh.
Mike Boyd
Clear Creek, Ontario
From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sun Feb 25 17:25:03 2007
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From: "Terry Sprague" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Ontbirds" <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:23:28 -0500
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cc: Nancy Fox <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Ontbirds]Harris' Sparrow in Prince Edward County
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Hello everyone,
A Harris's Sparrow is coming to a feeder in Prince Edward County at 2800
County Road 1. The bird appeared at noon today while I was waiting at this
address to co-lead a winter hike in a wooded swamp on this property. The
bird fed on the ground beneath the feeders with a number of Dark-eyed Juncos
and American Tree Sparrows and was in sight for about five minutes. The bird
apparently first appeared two weeks ago, but the owners were not sure of its
identity. Birders are welcome at this address and are asked to park along
the shoulder of the road. However, feel free to view the feeders from the
driveway which are located between the house and the highway. Please use
reasonable caution as this is an extremely busy feeder. It is unknown at
this time if the bird has any kind of regular feeding routine. The bird's
larger size, decidedly pink bill, well defined streaking on its upper back,
and considerable black in the facial area and upper chest set it apart from
the other feeder guests. In the short time I saw the bird, I now believe it
to be an adult bird in winter plumage as opposed to an immature which I
first considered.
The owners are Nancy and Ron Fox and their e-mail address is
[EMAIL PROTECTED] . If entering the county from the west, take the
Wooler Road exit and follow Highway 33 south to Consecon, then take County
Road 1 (Scoharie Road) east for about 15 km to Civic Address #2800. If
coming from Picton, take Main Street (Highway 33) west out of Picton and
turn right onto County Road 1 and follow to #2800, just a short distance
west of Highway 62.
Terry Sprague
