[Ontbirds] Smiths Longspurs. Continue. Essex.
Hello ontbirders, I was able to locate 2 of the Smiths Longspurs this morning at approximately 7:00 am. They were in the grassy field again and were vocal but difficult to spot. Thanks for the tip about the boots! Good birding, The Longspurs have been in the thicker green grass on the west side of Mersea road 21 just north of road 2. Across from the White House on the right. Just north of Hillman marsh Dan MacNeal Sent from my iPhone ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Smith's continued
After Dan came in from the field a group of about 10 of us ventured out. First, we flushed the group of five that associates together; they flew up and westwards as they did two days ago. Then we heard another calling and then SINGING, tracked it down and had reasonably good looks before the driving rain/sleet began. There probably was a skulking female with this male, which accounts for the total of seven. Good luck, Bob Curry and Glenda Slessor ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Rondeau Provincial Park Migration Report May 3, 2014
Good morning all, Welcome back to another spring at Rondeau! The best birds reported so far today have been White-eyed Vireo and Acadian Flycatcher, both seen on South Point Trail. The largest concentrations of migrants seem to be in the northeast part of the park, and yesterday's Yellow-throated Warbler may well still be present at beach access #1. A scarlet tanager was seen here today. A Peregrine Falcon and American Kestrel flew over South Point Trail. The Eared Grebe at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons was still present yesterday afternoon along with many ducks and a half-dozen common shorebird species. Thank you to everyone who contributed sightings and please continue to do so at the Visitor Centre. More information on the park's nature programs and the Friends of Rondeau is available at the Friends' website: www.rondeauprovincialpark.ca. Directions: Take exit 101 from Highway 401 and drive South 16 km on Chatham Kent Road 15. Turn right and follow the signs to the park. The Bird Sightings Book, Bird Sightings Board, Bird Checklists and other relevant information are to be found at the Visitor Centre. To reach the Visitor Centre from the park Gate, travel 6 km South on Rondeau Road to Gardiner Ave., then follow it around the bend to the parking lot Reuven Martin Friends of Rondeau Bird Guide ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Yellow-breasted Chat - Pelee
Hi folks, Erin and I just saw at least one, probably two chats on Centennial Trail, near the Cactus Field Trail. In the brush piles, not vocal but very mobile. Lev ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Point Pelee National Park Migration Report
Good morning, birders: Bird diversity in the Park continues to rise amidst short bouts of rain in early and mid-morning. Highlights include an ACADIAN FLYCATCHER at the boardwalk on Shuster Trail and a RUSTY BLACKBIRD on Tilden Woods Trail -- both sighted during our guided tours. A HOODED WARBLER was again seen north of Sparrow Field and an EARED GREBE was seen at a distance off the beach at the end of Shuster Trail. MAGNOLIA and a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER were observed on Woodland Nature Trail -- 2 of 13 total warbler species sighted so far today. The trail's first boardwalk featured a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. At least 4 BLUE-HEADED VIREOS were also seen. A fly-over HOUSE SPARROW was notable. At least on YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was just seen on the Cactus Field Trail. Sightings at the Tip included a RED-NECKED GREBE fly-by and 4 SURF SCOTERS. Male and female SMITH'S LONGSPURS were seen once again this morning on Road 21 north of Concession 2. Good Birding, Festival of Birds Hike Leaders: Pete R, Karl, Todd, Justin, John, Sarah, Jean, Jeremy, Ken, Geoff, Ian, Chris, Dave, Peter M, and Claire The Festival of Birds runs from May 1-19 - for a detailed schedule visit www.festivalofbirds.ca For highlights and other update follow us at www.twitter.com/PointPeleeNP The Festival is brought to you by Parks Canada - Point Pelee National Park and the Friends of Point Pelee. Hikes are generously supported by Quest Nature tours. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Better directions for Pelee Chat
Hi folks, There's been some running around so here's some better directions - Park at White Pine, cross the road, walk down Chinquapin and go south towards VC at the intersection, the birds were in the first field you encounter. Hope this clears any confusion! ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Willet at 8th and Britania, Milton
While checking for the Glossy Ibis reported yesterday (not present) I found at least one WILLET amongst dozens of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. The Willet is currently about 30-40ft from 8th line on the west side so viewable with bins, but a scope would be helpful as there are many bird toward the far west of the floded field. Digiscoped photos obtained next to Gr. Yellowlegs for direct conparison. Paul Baldassi 905-979-3686 Hamilton ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] OFO Outing to Durham Waterfront - May 3/14
29 hardy soles wouldn’t let the weather dampen their enthusiasm as we birded Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa today, where we visited Second Marsh, Thickson’s Woods and Cranberry Marsh between the rain showers. A total of 74 species included: 9 Little Gulls with hundreds of Bonies, Virginia Rail, Common and Caspian Terns, Red-necked Grebe, R.B. Grosbeak and 2 Baltimore Orioles at Second Marsh, a Raven, House Wren, Chestnut-sided and Black-thr. Green Warblers, several Rusty Blackbirds and a White-crowned Sparrow at Thickson’s, 4 Common Loons, a pipit and a Wood Duck flying over the Go Station in Ajax and lots of ducks and swallows + 3 miserable looking Turkey Vultures at Cranberry. Thx to all who attended and tolerated my bad jokes! Geoffrey Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
Re: [Ontbirds] OFO Outing to Durham Waterfront - May 3/14
oops 29 hardy soles should be 29 hardy souls ... ugh! the observant amongst you caught that little slip! Geoffrey Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com On May 3, 2014, at 1:34 PM, Geoff Carpentier via ONTBIRDS birdalert@ontbirds.ca wrote: 29 hardy soles wouldn’t let the weather dampen their enthusiasm as we birded Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa today, where we visited Second Marsh, Thickson’s Woods and Cranberry Marsh between the rain showers. A total of 74 species included: 9 Little Gulls with hundreds of Bonies, Virginia Rail, Common and Caspian Terns, Red-necked Grebe, R.B. Grosbeak and 2 Baltimore Orioles at Second Marsh, a Raven, House Wren, Chestnut-sided and Black-thr. Green Warblers, several Rusty Blackbirds and a White-crowned Sparrow at Thickson’s, 4 Common Loons, a pipit and a Wood Duck flying over the Go Station in Ajax and lots of ducks and swallows + 3 miserable looking Turkey Vultures at Cranberry. Thx to all who attended and tolerated my bad jokes! Geoffrey Carpentier www.avocetnatureservices.com ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Rondeau Update May 3, 2014
Hi birders, Despite the wacky weather with bouts of rain, sun and even hail moving through quickly, birders have been out finding birds around Rondeau. The northeast corner of the park continues to be the hotspot, with plenty of birds around the maintenance loop, in the woods east of the maintenance compound, and around beach access points #1 and #2. A Blue-winged Warbler continues at the beach access #1, as well as both Baltimore and Orchard Orioles and a female Scarlet Tanager. A total of 10 warbler species have been reported today. Thank you to everyone who contributed sightings and please continue to do so at the Visitor Centre. eBird users submitting checklists from the park are encouraged to share them with the username RondeauPPVisitorCentre for our records. More information on the park's nature programs and the Friends of Rondeau is available at the Friends' website: www.rondeauprovincialpark.ca. Directions: Take exit 101 from Highway 401 and drive South 16 km on Chatham Kent Road 15. Turn right and follow the signs to the park. The Bird Sightings Book, Bird Sightings Board, Bird Checklists and other relevant information are to be found at the Visitor Centre. To reach the Visitor Centre from the park Gate, travel 6 km South on Rondeau Road to Gardiner Ave., then follow it around the bend to the parking lot. I lead guided hikes in the park twice daily - contact the visitor centre for more infomation. Reuven Martin Friends of Rondeau Bird Guide ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] HSR: Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area (03 May 2014) 35 Raptors
Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: May 03, 2014 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 2 Turkey Vulture 8 15 6932 Osprey 0 0 54 Bald Eagle 0 0 39 Northern Harrier 1 2 59 Sharp-shinned Hawk 16 20789 Cooper's Hawk2 2103 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0392 Broad-winged Hawk6 12 1009 Red-tailed Hawk 1 1 1076 Rough-legged Hawk0 0 27 Golden Eagle 0 0 5 American Kestrel 1 1 30 Merlin 0 0 10 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 7 Unknown Accipiter0 0 6 Unknown Buteo0 0 74 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 18 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 35 53 10633 -- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter:Brian Mishell Observers: Visitors: I had 2 visitors from Guelph who stayed for 15 minutes. Weather: Overcast day , very strong South winds with strong gusts. Dark clouds formed at 11.40 a.m. and heavy rain started at 12.24 p.m. Raptor Observations: ALL birds were low, just over the treetops and single birds. With the strong winds the birds suddenly appeared and were going through very fast but because they were very low identification was very good. A Coopers Hawk took up residence in the trees behind the notice board and after about 30 minutes took out one the feeding WTSP. Very dramatic! Non-raptor Observations: Plenty of small birds. Bran Swallows 6, Wood Ducks 5, plus the following BHCO,RBWO,WCSP,BTGR,NOFL,Rusty Blackbirds-4, plus other common residents. Predictions: Weather forecast is pretty much the same so some birds but not a whole lot. Report submitted by Brian Mishell () Grimsby, ON - Beamer Conservation Area information may be found at: http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.org/ Site Description: Hawk migration monitoring at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby, Ontario is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). All counting is done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but other observers present assist with the spotting and identification. Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For wind protection on cold days, particularly in March, a black plastic wind guard is installed around the tower's platform. This platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy days, no more than five or six observers would be on it. The site lies within a publicly accessible property owned by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road) and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to display seven day's worth of observation data for the public. The box enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records. Directions to site: To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 71/72, follow Christie St./Mountain St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go 1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car. Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. © 2014 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field
[Ontbirds] Horned Grebes - Ottawa
There are numbers of Horned Grebes at Shirley's Bay right now, in their beautiful breeding plumage. Three of them were swimming quite close to shore at the boat launch; others were further out. Directions (taken from NeilyWorld): From Highway 417 (The Queensway) take exit 134 (Moodie Drive). If travelling west, the 0.4 km offramp dumps you right or north onto Moodie. If driving east, a 0.3 km offramp brings you to Moodie Drive, where you will turn left or north onto it and in 0.5 km join the westbound offramp traffic. Both groups will now follow Moodie Drive north 1.3 km from here to Carling Avenue. Turn left or northwest on Carling and go 2.2 km to Rifle (Range) Road. Turn right or north onto Rifle Road. The boat launch is at the end of Rifle Road. Suzanne Britton -- tri...@ironphoenix.org - http://ironphoenix.org/tril/ Nature photo gallery: http://ironphoenix.org/gallery/ Photo blog: http://soul-diaspora.livejournal.com/ ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
[Ontbirds] Yellow-throated Warbler @ Presqu'ile.
This rare bird report is being sent to the Presqu’ile Park office for their records. Unfortunately, several experienced birders could not re-locate the bird ten minutes after it was seen, or since then. Species: Yellow-throated Warbler Number: 1 Age: adult Sex: unknown, probably male Date: May 3, 2014 Time first seen: 12:10 Time last seen: 12:10 Exact location: about 600 metres along Paxton Drive from the lighthouse parking lot, where the road first begins to take a bend; sitting in a leafless deciduous tree directly over the road. Weather and lighting conditions: Overcast; about 8 degrees Celcius; little wind; good visibility Optical Equipment Used: 7 x 42 Zeiss Dialyt binoculars Distance Viewed From: 10-15 metres Were photographs taken? no Observer’s Name: Fred Helleiner; address: 186 Bayshore Road, Brighton, Ontario, K0K 1H0 First seen by: Fred Helleiner Other Observers: none Describe the circumstances of how the bird was discovered: I saw a movement of a warbler-sized bird in the tree and put my binoculars on it and immediately recognized it as a Yellow-throated Warbler, but proceeded at once to rule out female Blackburnian Warbler. I watched it for perhaps 20 seconds before taking my eyes off it in order to telephone others, and could not see it after that. Describe what the bird was doing during the period of observation: It moved a little on the same branch and could be seen singing at least once, but could scarcely be heard because of my acute hearing loss when it comes to most warblers. Description: size and shape of warbler; overall black, white and grey on the back; bright yellow throat not extending upward or sideways; prominent black and white facial markings, with no apparent yellow on the lores; black streaking down the sides. State the similar species you considered and how they were eliminated as not being the species reported: Blackburnian Warbler was the only other species considered. There was no hint of any colour except black and white on the face, where I would have expected some orangey yellow on the face of the Blackburnian Warbler female. The streaking on the sides was more prominent than I would have expected on a Blackburnian Warbler. State your previous experience with this species: I have seen no more than half a dozen, all in Ontario, including the only other Presqu’ile sighting. Two of the birds that I have seen were at feeders in December. Date and Time Report was Written: May 3, 2014, 5:00-5:30 p.m. Report Prepared By: Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road Brighton, Ontario K0K 1H0 613-475-5309 ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
