[Ontbirds]Juvenile Goshawk on Fairview Street, just east of Holland Park Garden Centre
This morning at 8:45 a juvenile goshawk flew across Fairview Street towards the CNR train tracks. The location is between Brant Street and Guelph Line, Burlington just east of Holland Park. Interestingly, another(?) juvenile spent last winter in the Roseland area of Burlington, approximately 2 miles due south of this location. _ Be one of the first to try Windows Live Mail. http://ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx?versionId=5d21c51a-b161-4314-9b0e-4911fb2b2e6dFrom [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Dec 15 10:58:47 2006 Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: ontbirds@hwcn.org Received: from tomts25-srv.bellnexxia.net (tomts25.bellnexxia.net [209.226.175.188]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 22180638EF for ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:58:40 -0500 (EST) Received: from queens5kg564bn ([216.208.85.179]) by tomts25-srv.bellnexxia.netSMTP [EMAIL PROTECTED] for ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:58:35 -0500 From: Peter and Jane Good [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:58:00 -0500 Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 Subject: [Ontbirds]Kingston area birds to Dec. 15, 2006 X-BeenThere: ontbirds@hwcn.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:58:47 - The mild weather is encouraging large numbers of waterfowl to linger. Tundra Swans, Greater Scaup and Redheads are abundant. A few Cormorants and Coots as well as singletons of Snow Goose, Canvasback, and Pied-billed Grebe were present at Dupont on Tuesday. Amherst Island had a Common Loon, 4 N. Pintails and a Brant that same day. Three Harlequin Ducks were reported from the west end of Wolfe Island at the beginning of the week. Two Great Blue Herons were seen yesterday: one on Amherst, the other at Brewer's Mills. A flock of 8 Sandhill Cranes stayed briefly in a cornfield near Hay Bay on Wednesday but were nowhere to be found the next morning. Red-tail and Rough-legged Hawks as well as N. Harriers and Am. Kestrels continue to be reported from Amherst albeit in smaller numbers. Accipiters put on a bit of a show this week with a Sharp-shinned cruising the feeder circuit in the city and three Cooper's Hawks; one each near Camden East, Hay Bay, and north of Bath. An adult Bald Eagle was seen on Wolfe Wednesday. Owl numbers on Amherst seem to have stabilized with one reliable Snowy on the KFN property, a couple of dozen Long-eared in the Owl Woods and several Short-eared south of Stella. The only N. Shrike this week was also on Amherst. Other sightings of note include a Swamp and a White-throated Sparrow along with several Golden-crowned Kinglets near Hay Bay. A flock of Red-winged Blackbirds continues to patronize a feeder near Elginburg. There were two Carolina Wrens found in Cartwright Pt. this week along with the previously reported Red-bellied Woodpecker. Two more Red-bellied were seen; one at Conway, the other near Hay Bay. Maybe some movement of northern birds is about to start. Two Red-breasted Nuthatches were reported this week; one at Parrott Bay and a second near Delta. Also near Delta, but outside the Kingston 50km circle, was a flock of Pine Grosbeaks. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605
[Ontbirds]Razorbill - Still Being Seen
The Razorbill was seen well yesterday from the parkette on Front Street overlooking the mouth of the Niagara River in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It took about 15 minutes before locating it at 9:45 a.m. Many people saw it afterwards throughout the morning. The warm weather and clear conditions were perfect for viewing, but a scope is essential. During the hour that we watched, it dived frequently, coming to the surface briefly between dives. It stayed under about 45 seconds. After feeding actively for 30 minutes, it spent about three minutes preening and resting, and it sat higher on the water with its tail cocked. Several times it rose up rapidly flapping its stubby wings. This behaviour is also habitual among some sea birds such as eiders, possibly because it helps prevent feather icing and/or re-arranges wing feathers used in swimming under water. To find the Razorbill, search the area on a line between the green channel buoy out in the lake and the American fort, where the calm water interfaces with the current. It often feeds near other birds such as ducks and Bonaparte's Gulls. Seeing a Razorbill, a bird of the cold North Atlantic, on Lake Ontario is thrilling. It likely entered Lake Ontario by following the St. Lawrence River. The closest Razorbills breed on islands between Quebec City and Tadoussac. It is an extremely rare but regularly occurring alcid on Lake Ontario. Bob Curry (2006) in the Birds of Hamilton (2006) lists nine records dating back to 1891 for Hamilton. Razorbills do well on fresh water, unlike petrels and shearwaters, which have specialized diets of salt water prey not available on the Great Lakes, so they starve. Razorbills survive well on fish. Razorbill and Great Auk: While watching the Razorbill we reminded ourselves that we were seeing the closet living relative of the extinct flightless Great Auk, last seen in 1844. Great Auks wintered at sea, ranging widely. We imagined ourselves 250 years ago watching a Great Auk feeding at the mouth of the Niagara River. This seems unlikely, but consider the following. Seals and other sea animals are still seen occasionally near Montreal, which is as far as they can get now because of power dams. Before dams were built on the St. Lawrence River, there were records of Harbour Seals on Lake Ontario. If a seal could reach Lake Ontario, then a powerful swimmer such as the Great Auk, which could fly through the water like a penguin, might have too. Birders love to dream. Taxonomy: Strauch (1985) recommended that the Great Auk be put in the same genus Alca with the Razorbill because of their close morphological relationship. References: Curry, Robert. 2006. The Birds of Hamilton and surrounding areas. Published by the Hamilton Naturalists' Club. We highly recommend this book to all birders. Strauch, J. G. Jr. 1985. The phylogeny of the Alcidae. Auk 102:520-539. Ron Jean Jean Iron and Ron Pittaway OFO News Editors Ontario Field Ornithologists 9 Lichen Place Toronto ON M3A 1X3 416-445-9297 www.ofo.ca [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Ontbirds]John Miles update
Just thought I would let anyone know who was planning on attending the internment in Lucknow for my father on Monday. The cemetery does not allow burials during the winter months. The service in Jarvis will still be held but the burial service, from what I have heard from the funeral home will be in late aril or perhaps even May. Steve Miles. P.S. Thank you again for your support in this difficult time. The response I have been receiving from the birding community has been overwhelming. From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Dec 15 14:40:51 2006 Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: ontbirds@hwcn.org Received: from simmts5-srv.bellnexxia.net (simmts5-qfe0.srvr.bell.ca [206.47.199.163]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 23054638AC for ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:40:51 -0500 (EST) Received: from Steve ([206.172.191.130]) by simmts5-srv.bellnexxia.net (InterMail vM.5.01.06.13 201-253-122-130-113-20050324) with SMTP id [EMAIL PROTECTED] for ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:40:51 -0500 Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Steve Larissa Miles [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:40:43 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2869 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2962 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.1 Subject: [Ontbirds] X-BeenThere: ontbirds@hwcn.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:40:51 - MILES, John Baxter - At West Haldimand General Hospital, Hagersville on Thursday, December 14, 2006. John Miles, husband of the late Ann Miles (2003). Dear father of Steven and Larissa of Vineland and James of Jarvis. Brother of Phyllis Alexander and brother-in-law of Marlene and Gary Jamieson and Clare and Fay Weber. Also survived by one niece and four nephews. Friends are invited to call at Cooper Funeral Home, 19 Talbot Street West, Jarvis on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m Funeral Service for John will be held at Cooper Funeral Home on Monday at 10 a.m. Interment Greenhill Cemetery, Lucknow on Monday at 3 p.m. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario or contributions to assist James in completing his college education to achieve his Nursing Diploma would be appreciated by the family. Friends are invited to send condolences to the family at www.cooperfuneralhome.ca From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Dec 15 14:44:16 2006 Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: ontbirds@hwcn.org Received: from imo-m24.mx.aol.com (imo-m24.mx.aol.com [64.12.137.5]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D17F6638DF for ontbirds@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:44:15 -0500 (EST) Received: from [EMAIL PROTECTED] by imo-m24.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v38_r7.6.) id 1.bf2.c889f59 (58550) for ontbirds@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:44:11 -0500 (EST) From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:44:08 EST To: ontbirds@hwcn.org MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: 9.0 Security Edition for Windows sub 5305 X-Spam-Flag: NO Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.1 Subject: [Ontbirds]Black-legged Kittiwake in Erieau Harbour X-BeenThere: ontbirds@hwcn.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:44:16 - Greetings, Today [Dec15], at around 10.30am, Ross Snider and myself were fortunate enough to find a 1st basic plumaged Black-legged Kittiwake, among hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls, in the boatslips of Erieau harbour. We had wonderful views,[ from 20 metres] as the bird bullied Bo.Gulls in the calm waters of the slips. The bird was primarily in the northern-most slip, opposite the Marina office and was feeding / loafing close to the steel channel wall on the south side. Other observations here included one Little Gull [two last week] and one late Black-crowned Night Heron [last week as well]. Looks like a good place to do a CBC...;} Check your local maps for directions to Erieau, then continue to the end of the road [east] until you reach the harbour. The boatslips are slightly north of the harbour parking lot. Many of the gulls were moving freely from the slips to the harbour, so the Kittiwake could be found there as well. Cheers, James Holdsworth. From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Dec 15 14:13:11 2006 Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: ontbirds@hwcn.org Received: from fep7.cogeco.net (smtp2.cogeco.ca [216.221.81.29]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C102C634AB for ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:13:10 -0500 (EST) Received: from johndesktop (d141-87-68.home.cgocable.net [24.141.87.68]) by fep7.cogeco.net (Postfix) with SMTP id 56C2812DA for
[Ontbirds]Two more Snowy Owls east of Ottawa
This morning I found my third and fourth Snowy Owl since mid-November. I found a very dark immature east of the Alfred Bog. It was atop a silo at 690 Concession 10 and then a few hours later I saw it and photographed it in the field opposite the entrance to the Alfred Bog boardwalk (trail). Then I saw an adult male in a field a few kilometers northeast of St-Isidore. As usual the photos of these distant birds can be seen here: http://jacquesbouvier.blogspot.com/ DIRECTIONS to immature Snowy Owl near the Alfred bog courtesy of NeilyWorld http://ca.geocities.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/alfred.htm DIRECTIONS to adult male Snowy Owl: From HWY 417 east of Ottawa take exit 51. Go north towards St-Isidore. Turn right (northeast) on Caledonia Rd and proceed about 100 metres past the intersection to Besner Rd. The owl was in the field on the right-hand (east) side of Caledonia Road. Jacques Bouvier CP/Box 184 St-Isidore, ON K0C 2B0 (613) 524-1154 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://jacquesbouvier.blogspot.com http://www.jacquesbouvier.ca
[Ontbirds]Bald Eagles, Hawks Ottawa region
Saw an immature Bald Eagle soaring and circling above Foley Mountain Conservation Area today near Westport at 1:30pm. It was initially low enough to photograph and ID but rose very high and appeared to join 3 other Bald Eagles (saw what appeared to be their white tail flashes in sunlight). Several Red Tailed and one Rough Legged Hawk between Ottawa and Perth. Our route beginning in Ottawa was Moodie south, right onto #8, left onto Richmond Road, continue to Hwy 15, left on Hwy 15 for less than 1 km and right on Franktown Road to Perth, through Perth and right at Hwy 10 to Westport. Turn left into F.M. Conservation Area at top of hill just before Westport and park at first parking lot on right. Short walk to lookout where you can scan cliff face for raptors. Don Wigle Ottawa
[Ontbirds]Black-throated Green Warbler Ottawa Dec15
Our party of three birded Mud Lake at Britannia Conservation Area today. Around noon as chickadees fed from our hands a Black-throated Green Warbler was spotted along the trail that begins at Cassels Road and heads south around the west side of the lake. The bird was in the brush where the trail takes a U-shaped curve to avoid low wet ground. Responding to 'pishing' it came closer and we got great views before it moved deeper into the bush. Other species sighted included Brown Creeper, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Mallards and American Black Duck. Directions courtesy Neily World: http//ca.geocities.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/orwo10.htm Happy Birding, Heather Pickard and Al and Cathy Garner
[Ontbirds]Summer Jobs for keen naturalists in Algonquin Park
Posted with permission of Mark Cranford, ONTBIRDS mailing list coordinator Greetings, Are you an eager naturalist in high school, college or university, and who will be at least 16 years old by summer 2007? Or do you know someone who fits this description? If so, then you should know that Algonquin Provincial Park's Natural Heritage Education Program is currently accepting applications for summer 2007 Park Naturalist positions. Successful candidates have the opportunity to: vastly augment their field skills by living in and having access to a huge natural area; live and work with - as well as learn from - many others who share the same passion for the natural world; and polish their communication skills through interacting with the public. In other words, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young people who enjoy sharing their passion for nature with others. To learn more about this opportunity, please visit the following website: http:www.algonquinpark.on.ca/geninfo/jobs.html. Best regards, Justin Peter Natural Heritage Education Specialist Algonquin Provincial Park Ontario, Canada 613-637-2828 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.algonquinpark.on.ca From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Dec 15 18:08:36 2006 Return-Path: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Delivered-To: ontbirds@hwcn.org Received: from smtp100.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com (smtp100.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com [206.190.36.78])by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 07AD163498 for ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org; Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:08:36 -0500 (EST) Received: (qmail 90762 invoked from network); 15 Dec 2006 23:08:36 - DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=rogers.com; h=Received:X-YMail-OSG:Message-ID:From:To:Subject:Date:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:X-Priority:X-MSMail-Priority:X-Mailer:X-MimeOLE; b=rOFpABT6OSy6+m2nsscxLHF/uFY3Xf4umCurWwAZoALkz0BUJX0EHqFOK9zyyQk8QNISdYXTmzpdTr99204XD+p8DRY0bI3QGClLRjArFXuQdl1Pd6PuiLdrQ7CsFqynmHIXGakKdio4mLtMOjZkzpDIDLS4PBB4Xcc/pYQWEpI ; Received: from unknown (HELO edinas) ([EMAIL PROTECTED]@74.104.10.176 with login) by smtp100.rog.mail.re2.yahoo.com with SMTP; 15 Dec 2006 23:08:35 - X-YMail-OSG: z6riRDQVM1kOsKEihmSYCNefpNrVWd_oE0QkFoIsqXdOdaC_8SA5b0DGhTP88BpdQ1f0EMyY3t9UhF.7wVGLhCg.Ro6.ntQYgE0ImWhjlkzj.MpLmQ.beezOQEXvTeD3qLzRED8b Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Heather Pickard [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Ontbirds ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:07:56 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=response Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.3028 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 Subject: [Ontbirds]Fw: Black-throated Green Warbler Ottawa Dec15 X-BeenThere: ontbirds@hwcn.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 23:08:36 - - Original Message - From: Heather Pickard [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Ontbirds ontbirds@hwcn.org Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 4:37 PM Subject: Black-throated Green Warbler Ottawa Dec15 Our party of three birded Mud Lake at Britannia Conservation Area today. Around noon as chickadees fed from our hands a Black-throated Green Warbler was spotted along the trail that begins at Cassels Road and heads south around the west side of the lake. The bird was in the brush where the trail takes a U-shaped curve to avoid low wet ground. Responding to 'pishing' it came closer and we got great views before it moved deeper into the bush. Other species sighted included Brown Creeper, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Mallards and American Black Duck. Directions courtesy Neily World: http//ca.geocities.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/orwo10.htm Happy Birding, Heather Pickard and Al and Cathy Garner
[Ontbirds]Huntsville CBC (December 14)
The 13th annual Huntsville Christmas Bird Count was held on Thursday, December 14. Nearly perfect birding conditions (mild, cloudy and calm), almost all water open after prolonged warm weather preceding the count, and abundant food crops contributed to the best results ever. Preliminary totals are shown below. Record highs were set for 17 species, total species and individuals, and number of observers. Previous highs are shown in parentheses. Wild Turkey: 18 (11) Herring Gull: 39 (29) Barred Owl: 4 (2) Downy Woodpecker: 42 (36) Pileated Woodpecker: 10 (9) Blue Jay: 416 (340) American Crow: 166 (83) Black-capped Chickadee: 1367 (1269) Red-breasted Nuthatch: 282 (119) Brown Creeper: 11 (8) Golden-crowned Kinglet: 63 (25) White-throated Sparrow: 2 (1) Dark-eyed Junco: 186 (36) Northern Cardinal: 10 (8) Red Crossbill: 5 (3) Pine Siskin: 342 (302) American Goldfinch: 912 (697) Total Species: 54 (42) Total Individuals: 5426 (3455) Total Observers: 25 (20) New Species for the Count: Gadwall: 1 American Wigeon: 1 Red-breasted Merganser: 1 Red-necked Grebe: 1 for count week Merlin: 1 Carolina Wren: 1 for count week Unusual Species for the Count: Harlequin Duck: 1 House Sparrow: 6 (first since 2002) Winter Finches: Pine Grosbeak: 1 Purple Finch: 66 Red Crossbill: 5 White-winged Crossbill: 30 Common Redpoll: 12 Pine Siskin: 342 American Goldfinch: 912 Evening Grosbeak: 25 I appreciate the great effort by all our observers. And special thanks to Dennis Barry and Margaret Carney who canoed 17 km on the Muskoka River and Mary Lake. Ron Tozer Huntsville CBC Compiler
