The big news so far is Canadas, with thousands lining the St. Lawrence shoreline. There is some minor shore ice between Iroquois and Morrisburg. A Snow Goose flight took place today with birds flying high over the river heading towards Quebec – wavy lines of white specks in a blue sky. The reports did not indicate numbers but they were steady. A flock of hundreds was seen off South Lancaster but without open water on the Canadian side of the river, no birds put down.
Three dozen Snow Geese were on the ice at Iroquois but otherwise there were no birds reported down. That should change in the days ahead with warm weather exposing corn stubble in nearby fields. Once the ice breaks up in Lake St. Francis east of South Lancaster there should be birds hanging out in that area. Some of the flocks that head into Quebec come back into Ontario so the early days experience confusing activity. At any time a few thousand should set up shop east of Iroquois and on to Morrisburg. Hopefully the scene looks better by Friday, ahead of an unsettled weekend. Divers like scaup and Ring-necks are in very low numbers and there are a few Pintails and Gadwall. 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.
