This was a very odd day at the park. There were almost no shorebirds this morning along the beaches, with one larger flock of probable Dunlins on the far side of Gull Island. The rest of the morning was disheartening. After a break for warblers, which were also thin, a second run at the beaches after 2:00 presented a completely different show. A flock of a dozen+ Whimbrels were heading north along Beach 1 as I arrived. There was a large flock of Black-bellied Plovers (100-125) and a good-sized flock of Dunlins (about 100). The Whimbrels eventually headed west but the rest of the flock, 11 birds, remained. They moved about a couple of times and later tried to head west but the wind was so strong it was futile and they returned to the beach. (On a related note, the temperature on the beach all afternoon was 15C, 25C in Brighton, with a windchill easily in the single digits. A warm jacket and hood were beneficial).
After a while the Whimbrels headed inland to a backshore pond and stayed 30 minutes longer after bathing and preening. I watched this flock for about 2 1/2 hours before they departed. About an hour earlier another flock of nine crossed over the base of the peninsula and headed west along the shore. The Plovers and Dunlins were present for about 3 hours before they headed towards the island. In addition there were a very few Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers and a Least. The non shorebird of interest was a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the beach. Brian Morin _______________________________________________ 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
