Today, Kory Renaud and I led the Detroit River OFO Outing, which started at Lakeview Park Marina in east Windsor and continued w/ Little River Corridor Park, the Ambassador Bridge, and ended at Ojibway Park. 19 participants joined us for the first part of the outing and 13-14 continued on for the rest of the day. The day started off cold and cloudy but by late morning and into the afternoon, there were periods of sun making birding quite comfortable. Temperatures ranged from -4C in the morning to -1C in the afternoon. We tallied 43 species for the day.
Lakeview Park Marina: w/ such mild temperatures so far this winter in the area, the waters of Lake St. Clair remain open so birds were not as concentrated at the Detroit River mouth as they sometimes are (the Detroit River mouth stays open year-round). We still managed to find some highlights, however, including a continuing male Wood Duck at Lakeview Park Marina, large rafts of Common Mergansers and Canvasbacks, an adult "Kumlien's" Iceland Gull, and a handful of Bald Eagles on Peche Island. Little River Corridor (south of Lakeview Park Marina): during colder temperatures and lake freeze, Little River stays open due to the neighbouring pollution control plant letting out warm water. Since there is currently no lake freeze, waterfowl were in short supply along the river but other highlights here included a Belted Kingfisher and American Robin. Ambassador Bridge: perhaps the best experience of the outing was seeing the resident Peregrine Falcons in action at the Ambassador Bridge. One bird caught a Rock Pigeon and perched on the bridge where we had excellent looks at it feeding on its prey. Thanks to Jeremy Bensette for getting it in his scope so everyone could really enjoy the view including a few curious members of the public. Sprucewood Avenue west of Ojibway Parkway: this area of industry along the Detroit River can be quite birdy and highlights today included a flock of 8 White-crowned Sparrows and another hunting Peregrine Falcon. Ojibway Park: a favourite winter location for many local birders, we finished at Ojibway Park where we enjoyed plenty of White-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and others at the park's feeders. Thanks to everyone who attended the outing, Jeremy Hatt & Kory Renaud _______________________________________________ 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
