July 24 - Today was the Buffalo Ornithological Society July Shorebird
Trip. From Fort Erie at the source of the Niagara River we traveled along the
north shore of Lake Erie to Rock Point Provincial Park (about 35
kilometers west of Fort Erie). In Port Colborne there were two adult
Black-crowned
Nigh-Herons at the second bridge. At the east base of Morgan's Point in
Wainfleet we had our first shorebirds, four Least Sandpipers, a Spotted
Sandpiper, and six fledgling Purple Martians being fed on the wire. At the
east
base Grabiel's Point we observed one nearly full alternate plumage STILT
SANDPIPER, 8 Least Sandpipers, and 3 Lesser Yellowlegs.
At Rock Point Provincial there were two Pectoral Sandpipers, about 30
Least Sandpipers, about 70 Simipalmated Sandpipers, eight Sanderlings
(mostly in alternate plumage), seven Lesser Yellowlegs, 700 Double-crested
Cormorants, 260 Least Terns, five Bonaparte's Gulls, and many Killdeer and
Spotted Sandpipers.
Traveling inland a few kilometers, at Mosaic Ponds the water level was
high and we only had four Pied-billed Grebes, Marsh Wren, Eastern Wood
Pewee, and a "peep" Sandpiper. Traveling east along the Feeder Canal the sod
farms were mostly full of corn. At Poth Road The sod farms were mostly
devoid of birds. Back in Fort Erie we observed the lake at the north end of
Stonemill Road, but only added an adult Great Black-backed Gull and a House
Wren to our list of 47 bird species.
Best Wishes for Great Birding,
Bill Watson
Buffalo Ornithological Society
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ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
Send bird reports to [email protected]
For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
