I visited the lagoons this morning to look for the phalarope but could not find it. That's not to say it wasn't there ... the habitat is extensive and a large amount of smartweed lines the shoreline in many places. Yesterday, the bird was feeding inside the smartweed masses. Good habitat exists in the south cell and edge habitat can be found in lagoons 2 and 4 - lagoon 1 is the one closest to the entrance.
The construction is now complete at the site, so water levels may stay high for a while, but there is enough habitat to attract birds for some time to come. Other shorebirds today: Killdeer 2, Spotted 6, Lesser Yellowlegs 12, Pectoral Sandpiper 2, and Least Sandpiper 15 Other birds - 2 Redheads, 1 Hooded Merganser, 3 Wood Ducks, 6 Black Terns, 3 Marsh Wrens and 1 Osprey Permits and Directions: Permits must be purchased in advance of entering the lagoons. They cost $10.00. The permits may be purchased at the Durham Region Transfer Site located at 1623 Reach Rd, Port Perry during the following business hours .... Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. To get to the transfer station, travel north on Hwy 12 past Port Perry [Hwy 7A] to the next traffic lights [Regional Road 8 = Reach Rd.] and travel east to #1623 on the north side of the road. The lagoons are located one road north of the transfer site on Concession Rd. 8 [don't get confused as, despite the fact that these roads are both numbered "8", they are two different roads - one is a regional paved road, the other a dirt concession road.]. Access to the lagoons is from the east end of Conc. 8 only as the bridge is out west of the lagoons. 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/
