Keith Dunn called me at 7:30 this morning to say that he had rediscovered the Great Gray Owl in Holland Landing north of Toronto. It was a full week - almost to the minute - since it was last seen (also by Keith), so the general assumption by all who dipped on the bird (me included, of course) was that it had moved on. I arrived at the roadside on Bathurst Street at 8:00 a.m. to hear that I had just missed the bird... again. Before I had time to smack my head in frustration it reappeared on the wooded perimeter of the small field across from 20820 Bathurst St. It not only posed in plain sight but did a marvellous display of hunting for the next 30 minutes. The bird made several forays down to the field from its perch and had good success, devouring at least one mouse in the frosted grass (I was warming up in the car for a few minutes and missed some of his hunting). I'm pleased to say that the bird looked healthy and alert. Two photographers that were there got some excellent shots (BTW - thanks, Adam, for showing me some of them on your digital display). To assure others that the bird is not being harrassed, there is a substantial ditch (or moat, as Lev described it) with water at the bottom creating a good boundary line between the watchers and the watched. When I left the Great Gray at 8:40 I stopped at the intersection of Queensville Sdrd. and Bathurst to watch some Pine Siskins doing display flights for each other on the west side of the road. I got out and walked about 20 m down a frozen snowmobile trail and was treated not only to the "ziiiiii-IP" calls and singing of the siskins, but a 15-minute serenade by a Great Horned Owl in the woods south of me. Pumped for owls I decided to drive north to Ravenshoe Road in southwest Keswick to check for Snowies. I found one: a pure white male sitting fairly close to the road on the south side of Ravenshoe, about 500m east of house #444. On my way back to Leslie Street I observed a Wild Turkey in a tree on the north side just west of Bruce Street. Driving the Holland Marsh vegetable fields west of Newmarket between 10:30 and 11:30 I found three more Snowy Owls. Like the Ravenshoe Road bird, these owls were all sitting on the ground, presumably to stay out of the bitter wind. One was on the north side of Tornado Road in a direct line out from Keele Lane, another was on the west side of Jane Street well north of Woodchopper's Lane, and the third bird was north of Strawberry Lane between Aileen and Keele Streets. With the wide open fields now void of snow an interesting array of red herrings (i.e. white pails, boxes, and other debris) will keep owl-searchers busy. Double check each white object you see - preferably with a scope - to be sure your Snowy Owl isn't really a Javex bottle! (The late, great Bruce Duncan once did this to me when I was a young, gullible birder growing up in Hamilton - had me running across ice and snow to his scope to see it...) Ron Fleming, Newmarket Holland Landing is in York Region, which is directly north of Toronto and south of Lake Simcoe. Bathurst Street runs uninterrupted from Lake Ontario all the way up to Newmarket but then ends a few kms north of Green Lane. To access the northern extension of Bathurst you have to jog east to Yonge Street and follow it north of Newmarket toward Bradford. Drive past the lights at the main Holland Landing turnoff (there is a Brooklin Concrete property on the east side of the road as well as the Newmarket Inn) and continue down a long grade approx. 3.5 kms. to the next set of lights near Bradford. Turn right onto Bathurst St. N. and be prepared to come to a stop. Take a quick left at the stop sign, then you will see that Bathurst bends north again. Cross the RR tracks, then follow Bathurst steadily northward. Once you get past Queensville Sdrd. (which runs east into Holland Landing) start looking for big shapes in the trees. The GGOW has been seen most often across from house #20820, which has an Irish clover or shamrock sign. I hope it brings you luck! There is also a Northern Shrike in this area and yet another Great Horned Owl which you may hear calling at dusk or dawn. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
