Hello Ontbirders, The shorebirding has been quite good up at the Holland Landing Sewage Lagoons over the last month or so. Cells 2 & 4 have some excellent habitat and today was a nice highlight. After seeing an eBird report of Wilson's Phalarope from Kevin Shackleton this morning, I decided to visit this afternoon.
After arriving, a downpour came and I got soaked (while trying to hide under the trees), after it cleared a bit I walked the north side of all 4 lagoons but didn't see the Phalarope (tough through misty lenses), on my way back I finally spotted the juvenile Wilson's Phalarope in the 2nd cell at the far (south) end, feeding in typical phalarope fashion, swimming and picking at the surface for food. Also here was an impressive 250++ Bonaparte's Gulls (tough to count as they were moving between rain showers) - I had been there on Thursday evening and they were all on cell #4 where I was able to count 260 birds. Today I counted 13 juveniles but there could have been more. Other birds: - 3 Semipalmated Plover - 10 Killdeer (I had 78 here on Thursday!) - 40+ Least Sandpiper (60+ on Thursday) - 5 Pectoral Sandpiper (7 on Thursday) - 10 Semipalmated Sandpiper - 18 Spotted Sanpiper (back on Jul 14th I had an impressive 32 Spotties) - 7 Solitary Sandpiper - 60+ Lesser Yellowlegs (I searched for Greater but couldn't see any) - 60+ Wood Duck - 30 Blue-winged Teal - 20 Green-winged Teal - 1 each of American Wigeon & Am Black Duck - 3 Northern Shoveler - many fly-catching Cedar Waxwings Over at Ravenshoe Road & Bruce Street, at the wetlands where there is a large heronry, I had 2 adult Bald Eagles way up in the NW corner of the wetland, but couldn't see any young birds with them. Also here were 2 Wilson's Snipe scared up by a low-flying Northern Harrier, a calling Virginia Rail and a "chet"ing Marsh Wren. Good birding, Frank Pinilla Richmond Hill DIRECTIONS: Holland Landing Sewage Lagoons are at the eastern terminus of Cedar Street in the community of Holland Landing - please do not go in if workers are present. Take Yonge Street 1.25km south from Queensville Sideroad and turn left on Cedar. Also at this spot is the Holland Landing Prairie Preserve, a great woodlot with lots of intersecting trails (not really a prairie anywhere to be found though). _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
