Wed 11/9. I apologize to everyone, for the length of this report. I realize the bird's identity may be questioned, so a description is in order. I found it behind the fence, at 2.30pm this afternoon, with a bright sun at my back and the 88mm scope at between 20x and 35x. The bird was probing furiously, at an estimated distance of 80 feet.DESCRIPTION:- tertials were plain grey, with no internal marks and fell just short of the tail tip. The tail was DARK, a reddish brown, with dark bars. Scapulars were dark centred, with reddish brown fringes. Most of the wing coverts were plain grey and "neat" looking. Back feathers had small, dark centres, with broad buffy fringes. The head (with noticeable "eyebrow") and neck, appeared SOLID GREY, ending ABRUPTLY on the upper breast. Barring on the upper flanks was muted by grey/brown base colour. The visible edge of the uppertail coverts and rear flanks, were white and heavily spotted. On this bird, the bill DID appear long, in relation to the hea d length, straight and with NO "KINK" near the tip. The only time I saw this feature, was when an alarm call went out and the bird went into high alert. I have digi-scope images of 2 of these birds, taken at the Wetlands on 5th October 2011, and can see the similarities. 13 shorebird species present, with 21 American Golden Plover, 1 faded Black-bellied Plover, 2 Wilson's Snipe and 1 juvenile Stilt Sandpiper. At 2.48pm, a Merlin flushed the entire cell and only 3 Golden Plover returned. The Snipe and the Dowitcher were still present when I left at 3.00pm. DIRECTIONS:- from the East, follow Hwy 8 through Stratford, to the first traffic lights in Mitchell (there may be road work on Hwy 8). Turn LEFT onto Wellington Street and follow it to Frank Street. Continue on the gravel road, past the Ball Diamond, to the parking lot. From the West, follow Hwy 8 into Mitchell. At the bottom of the hill, turn RIGHT onto Hwy 23 South. Turn LEFT onto Frank Street (the last street on the left), over the bridge and up the hill. Turn RIGHT onto the gravel road at the Ball Diamond and follow it to the parking lot. From the South, follow Hwy 23 to Mitchell. Just past the blue "Mitchell" sign, turn RIGHT onto Frank Street (at the 50km/h sign) and proceed over the bridge to the Ball Diamond. Turn RIGHT onto the gravel road to the parking lot. Cell 2 is beside the parking lot, Cell 3 is east of the fenced Cell and Cell 5 is the large cell to the south-east. Eric Jeffery, St. Marys. _______________________________________________ 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
