Good Evening. Today Ian Cannell and I started our birding day at Thickson Woods at about 8 am and the southward migration finally seems to have started after 2 weeks of very sparse movement.
This was all thanks to the cold front that finally passed through and the front and winds also played a big part in a good Raptor movement at Cranberry marsh ( see Rayfield Pye's post). Ian and I found a total of 16 species of Warblers at Thickson including 4 Northern Parula, 4 Pine, 22 Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Palm, Wilson’s and Tennessee Warblers. Ian also pointed out one of the resident Great Horned Owls and we spotted both Nuthatch species. Other passerines were still noticeable by their absence. only 2 vireos and no tanagers or thrushes. Overhead we spotted Common Loon, 8 American Kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin and 6 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, From Thickson Woods we headed over to the Cranberry Hawk Watch and s we walked down the path to the platform we added Canada and Yellow-rumped Warblers for a total of 18 species for the day. Before we even arrived at the platform we were informed that a Glossy Ibis was in the marsh just a 10 minute walk (read 20 minutes) east along the beach. We arrived in the area and quickly found the Ibis with Canada Geese, 6 Great Egrets and 9 Great Blue Herons. The bird was almost at the southeast corner of the marsh and the viewing area was about 50 feet / 4.5 meters past (east of) a damaged white bouy laying on the beach. Just after we started back a juvenile Peregrine Falcon flew in and landed almost right over our heads to give us a very nice view. After we returned and went to the Hawk Watch platform we stayed long enough to see 4 Bald Eagles overhead, 4 Great Egrets flying past east of the marsh, a good number of raptors and many migrating swallows and Monarch Butterflies. For more sightings see Rayfield Pye’s Hawk Watch posting. Directions:- THICKSON WOODS IN WHITBY If driving east from Toronto on Hwy 401 then exit at Thickson Road (Exit 412) and turn right (south). Drive along Thickson Road S across Victoria Street E. and Wentworth Street W to the end of the road and at the Waterfront Trail (right side of the road) is a small parking lot. Park there and you could either bird down Corbett Ave. to the lake or you could walk the short distance back up (north) on Thickson Road S (140 meters / 150 yards) to the eastern section of the Waterfront Trail (yellow gate). You can bird your way down to the entrance to Thickson Woods, the entrance to the woods is on the south side of the trail and the entrance to the meadow is on the opposite side or you can bird further down the road to the creek and then return to the wood’s entrance. Be sure to put any valuables out of site or in your trunk. CRANBERRY MARSH IN WHITBY If driving east from Toronto on Hwy 401 then exit at Brock Street (Exit 410), drive south on Brock Street South, cross the bridge over the railway tracks and drive to Victoria Street West, turn right, west on Victoria Street west and drive past the marsh to Halls Road South and turn left, south here and drive to the marked trails that go to the viewing platforms on the west side of the marsh. There are two platforms here (one at the northwest corner of the marsh and one at the southwest corner of the marsh) , (this is the hawk watching area in the fall). You can also access the lake at the end of this road and from the south platform trail. There is a parking area here but again To access the eastern side of the marsh you could walk along the lake end of the marsh or you can do the following. Drive back to Victoria Street and turn right (east) and drive the short distance to the Lynde Shores Conservation parking lot (fee) on your right. Park here and walk down the dirt road to the viewing platform at the northeast corner of the marsh or continue to the lake and the south eastern corner of the marsh (no tower here). Again be sure to put any valuables out of site or in your trunk. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, Ontario _______________________________________________ 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/
