Good day Ontbirders, I took a day off work to tour around a bit today, got a couple, missed a couple.
Started by heading to Brantford Airport where I could not find any Gray Partridges, there were several (10+) prairie subspecies Horned Larks feeding along the roadsides. On my way back toward Hamilton, along Hwy 403 just east of Brantford I had 4 raptors in a thermal and stopped to see that two of them were Turkey Vultures. I headed for 10th Road and Ridge Road where I could not re-locate the Northern Hawk Owl. I headed down to the south shore of Lake Ontario at the foot of Fifty Road and points west of here. At LP Sayers Park I had 5 Black Scoters, 8-10 Surf Scoters and many White-winged Scoters here and at every stop I made. On to Windemere Basin and an impressive number of Lesser Scaup (500+), Common Mergansers (300+) and Ruddy Ducks (300+) with lesser numbers of Double-crested Cormorants (20+), Bufflehead and a couple of Hooded Mergansers. At the Burlington Lift bridge the pair of Peregrine Falcons each sat on their perches (1 on each tower on the west side). LaSalle Marina was my final stop where a threesome of 1st year Bald Eagles put all the ducks and gulls up as they flew right overhead, there were another 4 Bald Eagles on the ice, 1 an adult. Also here were 1 female Green-winged Teal, 30 Canvasback, 5 American Coot, a few Redhead, 1 Glaucous Gull and 80+?? Trumpeter Swans and a good concentration of 20+ American Black Ducks. All in all a good day to be out. Cheers & good birding, Frank Pinilla Richmond Hill, ON DIRECTIONS: Brantford Airport - Hwy 403 west of Brantford, exit south at Rest Acres Rd (hwy 24), turn east/left at Robinson Rd, tour around looking for these guys, they are often right beside the airport buildings. Hawk Owl spot - 10th Rd East runs south from Ridge Rd, take Fifty Rd exit off the QEW and head up the escarpment to Ridge Rd, turn right here and then left at 10th Rd, not well signed. The bird had been in the area of the rr xing. LP Sayers Park, off North Service Rd (b/n Confederation Pkwy and Fruitland Rd), exit at Drakes Rd. and follow towards the lake, turn on Olympic (??) And park in front of the park, the scoters (black & surf) were slightly to the west. Windemere Basin - from Eastport Drive (which parallels the Burlington Skyway), there is an entrance to "Pier 25 S", turn here and on the left is an area to park and scan the basin. Burlington Canal & liftbridge - also off Eastport, you can turn in and park by the canal, looking up at the west side of the towers where the P Falcons perch. LaSalle Marina is south off North Shore Blvd at LaSalle Rd. In Burlington. ----------------------------- Sent from My BlackBerry Wireless
_______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
