The recent thunderstorms have partly flooded the sodfarm on Solina Road in Courtice, east of Oshawa, and there were many shorebirds there this afternoon, Saturday, August 29th, including a very active juv. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. There were Killdeer everywhere, at least 6 moulting Black-bellied Plovers, many peeps including perhaps 50 Least and smaller numbers of Semipalms., and both yellowlegs in good numbers. Unfortunately, just as I was settling in to scope the rest of the flock, a young Peregrine started terrorising the birds and no sooner would they settle than they were off again. This happened so often that after half an hour I gave up and went on to the Nonquon lagoons - where very high water levels made it not worth the journey. Returning home, I was at Solina Road again at 6.30pm and the Buff-breasted was still there, glowing in the low evening sun. At 3pm it had been in the new grass north of the flooded area but at 6.30 it was in shallow water at the north edge of the largest pool, with several Black-bellieds, and most of the other shorebirds had gone. Worth checking tomorrow if you're in the area.
Directions: Hwy.401 to Courtice, east of Oshawa. At Exit 425 go north on Courtice Road to Hwy.2, where Courtice Road is closed for roadwork, so you have to turn anyway. Turn right, east, on Hwy.2 for 1.5km, then north on Solina Road. The sodfarm is about 3km north of Hwy.2 Margaret Bain Cobourg [email protected] _______________________________________________ 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/
