Last evening, Tyler Hoar and I were at the Monticello Ponds of Luther Marsh from 620 to 900 PM counting Great Egrets and searching the arriving egrets for colour-banded and wing-tagged birds. By 900 PM we had tallied 87 Great Egrets in the roost, at least 14 of which were marked with leg-bands (12) or orange wing-tags (2). We were able to read the number-letter combinations of three of the marked egrets. All three were birds that had been marked by us during June, this year, at Nottawasaga Island, approximately 60 miles north of Luther Marsh near Collingwood, Ontario. These were the first wing-tagged bird we had seen away from the colony site. The wing-tags were plainly visible and the number-letter combinations were easy to read with a scope at approximately 200-250m. Ontbirders are urged to check all egrets seen this summer/autumn for leg-bands or wing-tags and to report them on Ontbirds or to write to me personally with their details of banded/ and marked egrets. These are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th marked egrets reported this summer. Kyle Horner reported the 1st wing-tagged egret on 26 July at Ariss, NW of Guelph. It had been banded at Chantry Island at Southampton, also in June. Obviously, the post-breeding dispersal of egrets from their breeding colonies has begun.
Chip Weseloh Directions: From Grand Valley, go north on Hwy 25 to Concession 8-9, turn left (west), go to Sideroad 21-22 where the Concession Road makes a T, go right (north), go past the Main Entrance to Luther Marsh and then over a small concrete bridge. The first left after this is a small parking lot for the Marsh area. From here walk about 200-300m to the SW. You'll see a pond with dead trees and heron nests...this is where the egrets roost. _______________________________________________ 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/
