On Friday, March 29, I saw my first American Robin of the year near Vankleek Hill, one indiv. with starlings and RWBBs.
Continuing on to Rigaud, QC, just west of Montreal, there were two Turkey Vultures. They have been known to nest there now for ca. 30 years, likely using natural caves in the escarpment, as they do elsewhere, except in Saskatchewan, where they use abandoned farm shacks. Vaudreuil had another AMRO in a suburban area, perched atop a house. The newly opened Highway 30 by-passes Montreal on the south shore, and goes through the huge hydroelectric facility at Beauharnois, which is probably similar to the Cornwall Dam for birding. There were thousands of Canada Geese and my first Snow Geese, but I couldn't get close enough to look for the needle-in-the-haystack White-fronteds, Ross's, etc. Beauharnois also had my first Hooded Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks, along with Common Mergansers (the latter wintered along the Rideau River). Hwy 20 on the way to Quebec City had a couple of Red-tailed Hawks. -- *www.babina.ca* Robert Alvo Author: "Being a Bird in North America" (2013) Tel.: 613-236-0660 219-140 Mann Ave. Ottawa Ontario K1N 1E5 Canada [email protected] _______________________________________________ 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/
