I checked out a few sites today and noted the following: There were about 4,000 on the sod farm east of Casselman off Hwy 138 on Lafleche Rd. at 11:30. None near Navan. None between there and Bourget. None at the Cobbs Lake Creek floodplain to the east of Bourget although there was plenty of habitat. The presence of duck hunters might have had something to do with that.
The last stop was along Cty Rd 9 at Riceville, 5 minutes north of St. Isidore, in the floodplain. They were all there. I had between 70,000-80,000 in three flocks on or near the flooded fields east of the road. Initially there were none visible. I checked the east end of the water from Fournier and saw birds off in fields across the South Nation River. Eventually some of those came to what looks like a lake but that water will disappear in a few weeks. If you check the area out be sure to head north across the bridge on Cty Rd 9 and turn right on concession 2. Drive down until you see if the geese are in a flooded field near the river. They periodically lifted off and returned. Then late in the afternoon about 50% of them headed over to the cornfields. Brian Morin -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
