Good Morning Yesterday morning Ian Cannell and I birded a few areas in the Long Point Area and on a beautiful Spring morning we found a few nice birds including Green Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, 3 Yellow-billed and 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, Several Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, E. Wood-Pewees, 3 Acadian Flycatchers, Willow and Great-crested Flycatchers, E. Phoebes, Carolina and House Wrens, E. Bluebirds, Veerys, Wood Thrushes, Brown Thrashers, 2 Yellow-throated Vireos, 3 Blue-winged Warblers, Pine Warblers, 3 Prothonotary and 9 Hooded Warblers, Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, E. Towhees, Field, Vesper and White-throated Sparrows.
The wood lots in this area have lots of standing water that over the last couple of years has been very beneficial to nesting birds like the Prothonotary Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush and Acadian Flycatcher and of course the Mosquito though they were not TOO bad yesterday, the Mosquitos that is. Note:- These 3 bird species are endangered or threatened in Ontario so trying to track them down for photos is not a good idea as they are in their nesting areas and should not be disturbed or harassed. Now don’t start emailing me telling me I hate photographers. After birding the above area we headed off to the Currie Tract at Campbellville to see what Ontario Hydro has done to the birding area there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the last times that we birded the Currie Tract we saw Both Cuckoos including 3 Yellow-billed, Yellow-throated Vireo, 7 Mourning and 9 Blue-winged Warblers including 2 Brewster’s. This time we were lucky to hear 1 B-B Cuckoo and see 1 Blue-winged Warbler and very little else. Ontario Hydro’s signage says that they did a “Land Management” procedure and that they would occasionally do the same in the future. Their idea of “Land Management” was to bull doze the area down to bare dirt leaving nothing but stones, dry earth and rocks in a wide swath along the hydro tower line and very little growth has happened since. It is a shame to see it ruined in such a way though I do realize that they need access to the towers but in other tower lines a single 1 vehicle wide un bull dozed road seemed to suffice. Ian informed me as we left the area that yesterdays visit is the last he would be making (to that past bird rich area) there. Directions:- LONG POINT AREA - CENTERED ON PORT ROWAN Port Rowan is southwest of Hamilton, to reach it you can drive south on Hwy 6 from Hamilton, passing through Hagersville and turning right, west in Jarvis onto Hwy 3, drive to Simcoe and turn left, south on Hwy 24 and follow this to Hwy 59, ( it curves to the west south of Simcoe) and your in the Long Point Area. Turn left (south) on Hwy 59 at Hwy 24 and Port Rowan is straight down Hwy 59 (about 6 kms) on County Rd 42 (Lakeshore Rd), Big Creek Marsh, etc. are just a little further south of County Rd 42. Or you can exit Hwy 403 just west of Brantford. Exit at Hwy 24 South at Exit 91 and drive south through Simcoe and follow it to Hwy 59, ( it curves to the west south of Simcoe) and your in the Long Point Area. The wood lots, fields, marshes etc. are north, south, east and west of Port Rowan. ========================================================================================================================== CURRIE TRACT - IF still interested in checking this area out. Exit Hwy 401 at Guelph Line ( Exit 312 ) ( at Campbellville ) and drive north just past the second entrance into the Mohawk Raceway and you will see a small road on your right (Green Postal Sign #9475), turn in here and you will come to a small parking lot about 200 yards from the entrance. This is the start of the trail system. Be sure to put anything you re not taking with you out of sight in the trunk or under the seat if possible. 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
