45 birders enjoyed the beautiful cool day at Palgrave, Beeton sod farms and
Schomberg.
A total of 65 species were seen.
At Palgrave, highlights included 5 warbler species, Pileated Woodpecker, Purple
Finch, Wild Turkeys, immature Indigo Bunting and Great Crested Flycatcher.
Also, many Red-eyed Vireos and Red-breasted Nuthatches were seen.
Beeton Sod Farms and Schomberg Sewage Lagoons produced 13 species of shorebirds.
Highlights were a juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper seen by all at Beeton (10th
Line/15th Siderd.), 20 juvenile Baird's Sandpipers, and at Schomberg 2 juvenile
Stilt Sandpipers.
Footnote : Schomberg Sewage Lagoons are in the final stages of conversion to
"wetland habitat".
Both large ponds have been almost completely filled in ("degraded") by
bulldozers over the past 3 days.
Despite this, in the tiny pools of water and algae still remaining, today we
found Stilt, Pectoral, Spotted, Semipalmated, Least, White-rumped and Baird's
sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers and Killdeer.
Let us hope that York Region enables the new habitat to resemble that seen in
many U.S. cities such as Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, Henderson Bird Preserve
in Las Vegas, and Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, where not only ponds for
ducks and geese are created, but also expanses of mudflats, small woodlots,
scattered trees and bushes for other birds and wildlife.
Dave Milsom
[email protected]
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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/
