The slowly unfolding spring is gradually giving us some interesting birds up here north of Toronto. On Good Friday I checked Bathurst St. N. in Holland Landing and had my first SONG SPARROW of the spring plus a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER doing its "Quirrrrr" calls. At the Holland Landing lagoons I had a BROWN CREEPER singing from the swamp, WILD TURKEYS gobbling from the south perimeter fenceline, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER flying by with those bright white wing flashes.
The next day (March 30) I had 120 TUNDRA SWANS in a flooded field on the east side of Weston Road near 15th Sdrd. west of King City. On Easter Sunday Michele Potter observed the first NORTHERN PINTAILS (4), RING-NECKED DUCKS (6), and a pair of NORTHERN SHOVELERS in the ponds that sit on the north side of Ravenshoe Road east of Woodbine Avenue in SE Keswick. On Monday, April 1 John Watson had the first EASTERN PHOEBE that I've heard about locally. He also added NORTHERN HARRIER and a COOPER'S HAWK as he cycled the Nokkaida Trail that runs through the heart of Newmarket. That same day Kevin Shackleton had seven RING-NECKED DUCKS, a pair of REDHEADS, a PIED-BILLED GREBE, and a SONG SPARROW at the water management pond behind Silver City theatres in north Newmarket. On Thursday Kevin had a MERLIN along Leslie St. in Newmarket and, that evening, the first AMERICAN WOODCOCK of the season at Silver Lakes GC in north Holland Landing. He had two more "Timberdoodles" later when he drove over to Bathurst St. North. He had one RUSTY BLACKBIRD at Queensville Sdrd. and Old Yonge that same day. This past Friday Michele Potter reported the first OSPREY of the spring locally - it was in the Ravenshoe Road area in SW Keswick. That same day Bruce Brydon checked the pond on Ravenshoe Rd. between Woodbine and Warden and found two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE among all the Canada Geese there. There were six species of ducks present including WOOD DUCK. On Ravenshoe west of Leslie he had at least 20 GREAT BLUE HERONS back in the heronry. Down Yonge St. south of Ravenshoe Bruce had 18 TUNDRA SWANS in a flooded field on the west side as well as three late SNOW BUNTINGS. Kevin Shackleton had a productive outing in the Keswick area Saturday, rediscovering one of the GR. WHITE-FRONTED GEESE along Ravenshoe and an excellent variety of waterfowl in Cook's Bay including one HORNED GREBE, two CANVASBACKS, numerous GREATER SCAUP, LESSER SCAUP, REDHEADS, CM. GOLDENEYE, BUFFLEHEADS, HOODED MERGANSERS and approximately 500 COMMON MERGANSERS. Along Ravenshoe Road he had two late NORTHERN SHRIKES, a BALD EAGLE, an OSPREY and over 60 GREAT BLUE HERONS at the heronry. Today at the Cawthra Mulock Reserve in NW Newmarket there were dozens of GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS singing and a dozen KILLDEER flying overhead. An OSPREY was fishing above 40 COMMON MERGANSERS at Soldier's Bay in Holland Landing. A flooded field on the east side of Bathurst St. N. held a nice selection of ducks include WOOD DUCK (4), PINTAIL (40), AMERICAN WIGEON (24), and GREEN-WINGED TEAL (16). Ron Fleming, Newmarket York Region is directly north of Toronto, about halfway to Barrie. _______________________________________________ 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/
