Hello birders. At this time of the year there is fabulous fall birding along the Lake Ontario shoreline, particularly east of Toronto where birds follow the shoreline and congregate. On Saturday, Sept. 12 Pat Hogge and I spent the perfect leisurely birding day (i.e. we slept in yet were able to bird all day long!) at Brighton's sewage lagoons and the nearby Presqu'ile Provincial Park. Of interest at the lagoons: a pair of Stilt Sandpipers, a pair of bickering Virginia Rails running in and out of the reeds, the almost-grown-up family of Moorhens, a dozen or more Lesser Yellowlegs, a small flock of Least Sandpipers, Blue and Green Winged Teal, a female Wood Duck and cooperative Marsh Wrens and a Sora posing for photos. The flock of united Red-winged Blackbirds and Cowbirds numbered in the 600-800 range, providing a continual background of cheaping and dramatic swooping. Across the road from the lagoons low in the sky was a fascinating large flock of what looked like seagulls, but was really a combination of birds. In the few minutes we were gobbling lunch, we picked out an Osprey and what looked like a Pomarine Jaeger, flying alone, slow and stately. This flock deserved much more time to explore, but we were impatient to move on to Presqu'ile. Thanks to a tip from a knowledgable woman from Ajax and her parents, we visited the small area between the Nature Centre and the Lighthouse. Dazzling riches! Black and White, Black Throated Green, Chestnut-Sided, Magnolia, Palm, Pine, Nashville, Wilson's, Worm-Eating, Yellow, the gorgeous Northern Parula, and Yellow-Rumped Warblers and many Redstarts. The weather is cooperating magnificently this fall but beware of the fiercely hot sun low in the sky between 3-4:30. It can be stifling hot if there is no wind, causing many of us weaker types to feel faint-headed, especially when you're dragging a scope or a 400 mm lens along. Bring plenty of cold liquids and a jacket for later when the sun starts to drop. Thanks Keith Lee, for your continual hospitality at the Brighton Constructed Wetlands and for providing a wonderful birding opportunity this year. Many of us have been happy to spend our time there, and have enjoyed the lovely restaurants and shops in Brighton itself. We all would love to have the Constructed Wetlands birding area to continue in the future and hopefully, with even more hours of availability. Brighton is about 150 km east of Toronto just south of Hwy. 401 at the end of Hwy. 30. For good directions to the Brighton Constructed Wetlands (really a set of municipal sewage lagoons), please visit the Ontbirds Archives. Presqu'ile Provincial Park is about a 5 minute drive west of the wetlands along the shoreline.
Carol Parafenko Guelph _________________________________________________________________ New! Get to Messenger faster: Sign-in here now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9677407_______________________________________________ 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/
