Hello Birders, Today I birded Kortright in search of Crossbills. The search turned out fruitful, with about 15 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS feeding on the cones of some young spruces on the side of Pine Valley Drive. Both White-Winged and Red Crossbills are possible here, and I recommend learning their calls as during fly-bys that's all you'll have to work with if you're not quick enough. Cone Crops this year at Kortright are Good/Excellent but they are still green and most haven't opened yet.
Also on Pine Valley Dr, I saw Kortright's resident pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS fly by. On the little road that leads into Kortright, right beside the Earth Rangers facility, there was a singing juvenile EASTERN TOWHEE, not a very common bird for this area. Listen for the distinctive "drink your teeeeeeea" song. The bird is in juvenile plumage so don't expect anything spectacular once you locate it. In Kortright itself, following the trail that leads to the right of "The Sugar Bush Shop" through two fields, once you pass the second field, there is, almost immediately, a shrub brimming with berries. Within the hundred or so ROBINS, I located a juvenile NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. If you are looking for Mockingbirds here, the best place to see Maple's semi-famous "Urban Mockers" is on the fence outside of Bass Pro Shops in Vaughan Mills Mall, bordering the road. By following the fence one can usually find a few individuals of the species perched on it. Other species of note seen in Kortright include BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD and a grand total of 8 WOOD DUCKS in Spring Peeper Pond. Directions: The Kortright Centre is located three kilometers west of Highway 400 and one kilometer south of Major Mackenzie Drive at 9550 Pine Valley Drive in Woodbridge. Good Birding, Lev Frid, Maple, ON _______________________________________________ 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
