Good morning. Yesterday Ian Cannell and I birded the Brantford airfield area in the morning and though we did not see any Gray Partridge (3 were reported along Robinson Rd in the morning) we did find one Lapland Longspur at the corner of Pottruff and Robinson Roads with a flock of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings.
Finally giving up on the partridge we headed for Lake Shore Rd in the Nanticoke Thermal Power Plant area which is south of Hagersville and east of Hwy 6 south of Hamilton. Over the power plant property we watched (from Cty Rd 3 (Rainham Rd) as 5 Bald Eagles circled low over 3 White-tailed Deer with one juvenile bird actually landing right beside one of the deer. We continued on to Lake Shore Dr. and between the power plant (at South Coast Dr.) we found a further 11 eagles, 3 perched right at the foot of South Coast Dr. and 8 more on and over the ice between here and Peacock Point making a total of 16 Bald Eagles (5 adults and 11 juveniles). The most we have ever seen in this area. We also spotted a Snowy Owl on the ice west of Peacock Point. Other birds we found on the water along Lake Shore Dr. besides the more common waterfowl were 42 Tundra Swans between Hoover Point and Bookers Bay (south end of Sweets Corners Rd) and a Cackling Goose with the many Canada Geese in Bookers Bay. We then headed inland towards Hagersville and opposite the Owl Sanctuary on Conc. 6 Rd (Fisherville area) in a strip of farmer deposited manure were 50 Horned Larks, 3 Snow Buntings and at least 5 Lapland Longspurs easily viewed with a scope though many were only a few meters from the road. In our travels we also came up with 175+ Horned Larks, 125+ Snow Buntings, 150+ Tree Sparrows, many Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, several Kestrels and Harriers, Short-eared Owls and a Great Horned Owl. Norm Murr Richmond Hill Ontario, Canada _______________________________________________ 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/
