Ontbirds subscribers: On Sunday, September 30th, a few of us birded along LaPasse Road in search of Sandhill Cranes. Norm Jones of the Pembroke Field Naturalists mentioned that the LaPasse area is where he'd been seeing cranes this fall. We located a small number of cranes along LaPasse Rd., about 500 m east of Pleasant Valley Road. I think at the time we counted just over 20. About 15 minutes into viewing them, an immature Bald Eagle coasted high overhead, and that was enough to cause panic. Incredibly, hundreds of cranes lifted into the sky; the majority were hidden behind a hillside. I panned across the flock, counting by tens, and ended with 340 birds. Could have been even more!
Additionally, we had two adult Greater White-fronted Geese amongst Canada Geese at this site. Interestingly, while conducting a hawkwatch from Westmeath Lookout on 23 October 2015, I counted a slow-flying flock of 320 Sandhills. They were landing far to the E of the lookout, which, as it turns out, is right in the LaPasse/Pleasant Valley area. A quick eBird search of the area shows large numbers of cranes between October and November, with a high count of over 200 birds in late November of last year along nearby Grants Settlement Road. Since this was my first time birding the area I am hardly qualified enough to make suggestions, but I will anyways. If you were to visit, try a circuit of the LaPasse/Pleasant Valley area. Bird no further N than Gore Line; no further NE than Desjardins; and no further SW than Lookout Rd. My post is to shed light on the area, shed light on just how large the roost is, and especially shed light if you were like me in thinking "Snake River Line" for cranes during the fall. eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48849597 Good birding, Jon Ruddy _______________________________________________ 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
