In light of a few recent reports of Tundra Swans here at Long Point, I took a tour of the local hangouts this morning to see what was happening. My 50 km drive yielded about 75 Canada Geese and one Mallard.
Of the few small flocks that have been seen or heard, none appear to have stopped at Long Point. And for good reason. Long Point Bay and Lake Erie are still solidly frozen. Even Big Creek, which opens first, looks like it's several days away from opening. This weekend's predicted rain may help push the melt along. Spring arrivals have been limited so far to a few small flocks of Redheads flying west and a handful of Killdeer and American Robin sightings. Even the Red-winged Blackbirds which are normally singing on territory by now are almost non-existent. Each year, we are flooded with calls inquiring about the presence of swans and many people drive some distance to view them here. While it is always difficult to say when the flocks will arrive, I think it is safe to say that this will not be the weekend to pay a visit. I know this isn't the normal report expected on Ontbirds but I don't want anyone making a long, somewhat expensive drive down here based on a few small flocks of birds passing through and not staying. When the first big push occurs, we will post here. Ron Ridout Bird Studies Canada P.O. Box 160 115 Front Rd. Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0 519-586-3531 Ext. 114 [email protected] _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
