Sorry for the late follow up post, I was on the scene until late in the day and had a long drive home to Burlington.
After returning home and reviewing the photos on a computer and passing them on to a couple of others to comment on, there appears to be some debate as to the species of this bird. All photos taken are of pretty low quality so identification by photos alone has proven tricky. The bird was first seen flying well out over the lake, directly off the pier Some time shortly before 5pm). I was first drawn to the bird (the only swallow around) by what appeared to be a moderately notched tail, larger size and relatively stronger flight (given the conditions). I initially thought it looked like a very young juv. Barn Swallow, lacking the long outer recs. and that I just couldn't see the blue and in the back and the rufous in the face due to lighting and distance. After moving out to the end of the pier for a closer look, I was able to confirm that these colours did not exist on this bird. Eventually the bird came in off the lake and made several passes up and down the pier, as close as 10' a couple time to me. The features noted before were again evident as it tended to stay to the east side of the pier (out of the wind), looking as though it was searching for a place to land. The bird appeared larger than our local swallows, but I had no birds to directly compare it to. the upper parts of the bird appeared to be completely brown, maybe slightly darker in the middle of the back. A very obvious brown collar was noted with a pale whitish throat and clean white underparts. The bird was last seen sometime around 5:20pm at the base of the pier, on the west side just as a rain shower moved in. The bird seemed to disappear, likely heading over the dune to roost somewhere for the duration of the storm or the night? Several of us searched the area for a couple hours afterwards with no luck. One of the photos appears to show light under wing coverts, which should be dark on a Brown-chested Martin. The pale coverts appear not to be unlike those of a Barn Swallow, where most other options should have dark under wing coverts. I wanted to get this message out in time to hopefully save anyone traveling any long distances for an unidentified bird. That being said, it is worth looking for as the photos appear to be inconclusive (at least so far) and it could very well be a bird of interest. My apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. Good luck to any who go looking for it in the morning. Hopefully the bird returns and better looks/photos can be obtained. Ross Wood Burlington, ON Directions Exit the 401 at highway 40 and head into Blenheim. Turn right at the first set of lights and head out of town on Talbot Trail. Proceed about 5km out of town until you get to Erieau rd. Turn left and follow this road all the way to Erieau. Once in Erieau you keep to the right until you come to a stop sign. Turn right here and follow this road all the way to the pier. You can park here. The bird was on the lakeside beside the pier that juts out into the lake. _______________________________________________ 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
