I had the good fortune to spend a good part of today with Willie D'Anna, Betsy Potter and Peter Hogenbirk as we travelled upriver from Niagara-on-the Lake in search of birds.
The day started perfectly with excellent and prolonged looks at the Razorbill. It spent long periods of time just floating on the surface of the water near the fort on the American side at about 8 a.m. Joining it were several Horned Grebes, one Red-necked Grebe, many White-winged Scoters, one Common Loon and at least four Red-throated Loons. Overhead two Pine Siskins and about 15 Common Redpolls flew over from the American side. Our next stop was at the Queenston boat launch, where we found at least one adult Little Gull and a little upriver one Kumlien's Gull. From here we also saw at least ten Turkey Vultures, lifting up from the American side and drifting over to our side and back again. We also saw two Tufted Titmice and a Carolina Wren sang nearby. Just downriver from the Queenston-Lewiston bridge, four Black Vultures were perched on the Canadian side for at least an hour. Eventually they all lifted off and drifted around the area on both sides of the river in the company of several Turkey Vultures. At Adam Beck, we added two Peregrine Falcons, four Kumlien's Gulls and a Franklin's Gull. Nearby we found a Mockingbird, an Eastern Bluebird and a Hermit Thrush. The Whirlpool was filled with Bonies, but nothing else presented itself. Likewise, Betsy scoured the area below the Falls in search of the Kittiwake, and Peter and I checked Dufferin Island and the barge to no avail. At the Flood Gates above the Falls, Willie spotted two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and we added 11 Great Black-backed Gulls (noticeably rare now that the lasting effects of botulism are being felt), several duck species for the day and 72 Tundra Swans. All in all a great birding outing. Happy Thanksgiving to our American birding friends! Geoff Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com _______________________________________________ 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/
