Hi Ontbirders,
This morning from about 0709-0716, Terry Sprague and I observed 11 Great Egrets leave their roost just west of Demorestville (Prince Edward County). The birds were not visible in their roost from the roadside or from within the fenced pasture in which the roost is located. This morning, having been at the site previously, we had to wait, watch and hope the egrets were still there and would visibly leave the roost with the approaching sunrise (at 0728). Initially 2 egrets flew out from somewhere in the woodlot. They flew off and were lost in the morning's slight haze. Shortly thereafter, a flock of 6 egrets and then 3 separate single birds also flew out...all headed north toward the marshes of Big Island and the surrounding area. The autumn/post-breeding roosting season of Great Egrets in southern Ontario is rapidly coming to an end; the number of egrets at all monitored sites is declining rapidly. On 2 October, there were 61 egrets at the Demorestville roost; today there were 11. At other roosts, Bob Bell, reporting from Luther Marsh, had 78 egrets roosting there on 10 October and last night he reported 3. George Gascoigne and John Lichty, reporting from Hespeler, had 10 egrets roosting there on 5 October. It was down to 2 in the 12th, 1 on the 15th and none this morning. Karen Fawthrop reports that the 3 egrets roosting at the mouth of the Rouge River on 2 October were reduced to a single bird by 17 October. To date, over 55 roosting sites of Great Egrets have been identified in southern Ontario and nearby areas in New York, Michigan and Ohio. Roosts have ranged in size from 1 single egret to as many as 745. I wish to thank all the Ontbirders who have contributed to these discoveries and the outstanding seasonal coverage. J Cheers, Chip Directions to the Demorestville Roost: From the junction of Highways 14/15 in Demorestville, go west on # 14 for 2.4 km (or 1.0 km from Hwy 14/Gommorah Rd, or 0.4 km from house #415 on Hwy 14). There will be a bit of an opening in the cedar trees to your left. The roost is in the extensive flooded woodlot beyond the pasture on the other side of the wire fence. _______________________________________________ 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
