Ontbirders, Today I took a lunchtime drive to the Minesing "Ice"lands at the top end of McKinnon Road (on the eastern edge of Angus). I figured with this nice sunshine and strong NW winds it could be good for an eagle.
Well, I was wrong, it was good for FOUR eagles - 2 adult Golden + 2 adult Bald. The 2 Golden Eagles were way up (guessing over 500m up), but great views overhead as they made their way to the NW. Seeing the "golden" nape as they banked along with the buffy undertail and whitish primary & secondary feather base was exhilarating (never can tire of Golden Eagles!). About 5 minutes after the two birds went out of sight I watched 2 adult Bald Eagles flying to the south (likely local nesters). All the while I listened to a cacophony of Sandhill Cranes, Tundra Swans, at least 1 or 2 Trumpeter Swans and many Canada Geese. Couldn't see the cranes or the swans but based on the sound, there were many of each. They were to the north of the gate at the north end of McKinnon Road, out of sight, and I couldn't venture beyond the gate because of water/ice, but with the right footwear I'm sure the birds could be seen not too far north. In the bit of open water at the intersection of McKinnon Rd & Concession 2 were a few Common Goldeneye, 2 male Ring-necked Ducks and a couple of Black Ducks among the Canada Geese. Good birding! Frank Pinilla Richmond Hill, ON (working in Barrie) DIRECTIONS: >From Hwy 400 in Barrie, exit at Dunlop Street West (exit 96B), towards Angus, follow for 15km until you see McKinnon Road on the right (a lot of construction along CR90 so it's easy to miss McKinnon), follow McKinnon birding along the way to it's terminus at the Minesing Wetlands C.A. McKinnon Road can be really good for ducks as soon as the ice is out as there tends to be a lot of flooding in the area. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
