Ross Harris and I birded the sewage lagoons for 3 hours today, finding 9 species of shorebirds: Semipalmated Plover: 3; Killdeer: 120; Lesser Yellowlegs: 107; Solitary Sandpiper: 8; Spotted Sandpiper: 5; Least Sandpiper: 38; Semipalmated Sandpiper: 22; Stilt Sandpiper: 2; Pectoral Sandpiper: 1; peep: 15. Also at least 65 Black Terns and 45 Bonaparte's Gulls were seen. The Bufflehead was still there and a brood of 2 Pied-billed Grebes and one Trumpeter Swan. I circled the entire south basin where almost all the shorebirds were located and took photos of the Stilt and Pectoral Sandpipers. Also about 15 Blue-winged Teal were present. At one point we had 45 Black Terns resting on the algae flats of the southern basin. We manage to get our birding permits late this morning at the Waste Transfer Station on Reach Street which is located directly south of the lagoons (see address below).
How to Obtain a Nonquon Sewage Lagoon Permit Permits must be purchased in advance of entering the lagoons. Permits can be obtained from 605 Rossland Rd., Whitby, or at the Scugog Waste Transfer Station, 1623 Reach Street, Port Perry. An electronic version of the Nonquon Sewage Lagoon Birder Permit is available in PDF format at http://www.durham.ca/finance.asp?nr=/departments/finance/financeinside.htm. Nonquon Sewage Lagoon Birder Permits are available for $10 per permit. Cheques will only be accepted at Regional Headquarters. Payment by cash only at the Scugog Waste Transfer Station. Completed Applications should be forwarded to: Finance Department - Insurance & Risk Management, 605 Rossland Road E., Whitby, ON L1N 6A3 The lagoons are located one road north of the transfer site on Concession Rd. 8 [don't get confused as, despite the fact that these roads are both numbered "8", they are two different roads - one is a regional paved road, the other a dirt concession road.]. Access to the lagoons is from the east end of Conc. 8 only as the bridge is out west of the lagoons. _______________________________________________ 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
