[Ontbirds] Presqu'ile Birding Report for Week Ending October 20, 2016.

2016-10-20 Thread Fred Helleiner 
A few uncommon birds have been among the many species that have made 
Presqu'ile Provincial Park an interesting birding destination in the 
past week.


The maximum fall count of BRANT (400 birds) was on this date in 1985.  
Again this week, three species of swans have appeared in the Park:  MUTE 
SWANS, TRUMPETER SWANS, and TUNDRA SWANS.  As wintering ducks begin to 
return, the variety of ducks (21 species) keeps growing.  Some of the 
highlights include up to 23 WOOD DUCKS, up to 35 GADWALLS, reports of 
ten BLUE-WINGED TEAL and six NORTHERN SHOVELERS, two NORTHERN PINTAILS, 
well over 100 GREEN-WINGED TEAL on most days (though only five could be 
found in the rain today), up to 12 RING-NECKED DUCKS, two SURF SCOTERS, 
two BLACK SCOTERS, three LONG-TAILED DUCKS, two BUFFLEHEADS, and two 
COMMON GOLDENEYES. The time is ripe for a EURASIAN WIGEON to join the 
others.  The carcass of a RING-NECKED PHEASANT was washed up on the beach.


Cuckoos, especially YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS, are never common at 
Presqu'ile, but that species exhibits a peculiar pattern of occasionally 
showing up in late autumn, as was the case on October 18 of this year.  
A late immature COMMON GALLINULE just outside the Park entrance on 
October 14 was of interest.  Among ten shorebird species seen in the 
past week, an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, a RED KNOT, and an AMERICAN 
WOODCOCK were of particular interest, but the most noteworthy were a 
PURPLE SANDPIPER reported without any details on October 17 (a very 
early date) and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER seen by numerous individuals on 
October 16.  Two dowitchers seen on the previous day may also have been 
of that species.  Another bird reported without any details was a 
NORTHERN GOSHAWK on October 14.  Two MERLINS were seen on October 18, 
including one that was dive-bombing a PEREGRINE FALCON that appeared to 
be at least twice its size.


PILEATED WOODPECKERS and COMMON RAVENS continue to be seen regularly.  A 
HORNED LARK was seen on Tuesday, and for the third time in recent weeks 
a CAROLINA WREN was found on two different days.  A PURPLE FINCH visited 
a feeder briefly on Tuesday.  Other than YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, which 
are still around in reduced numbers, the only other warblers were COMMON 
YELLOWTHROAT and PALM WARBLER, of which two were in the Gull Island/Owen 
Point area on Tuesday.  The first AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS of the season 
were found on October 16 and 17.  On the following day a SAVANNAH 
SPARROW was on Gull Island.


Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid

that is available at the Park gate. Visitors to Gull Island not using a

boat should be prepared to wade through water that is ankle-deep,
not taking into account any wave action,.in which there
is often a swift current and a substrate that is somewhat uneven and
slippery. It should also be noted that, because duck hunting is given
priority on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Owen Point, 
Gull Island,

High Bluff Island, and part of the calf pasture are not
available for bird-watching on those days. Birders are encouraged to
record their observations on the bird sightings board provided near the
campground office by The Friends of Presqu'ile Park and to fill out a
rare bird report for species not listed there.

Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be
directed to: fhellei...@trentu.ca .

--
Fred Helleiner
186 Bayshore Road
Brighton, Ontario
K0K 1H0
613-475-5309
If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park

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[Ontbirds] Western Sandpiper - Dunnville-Mosaic Esterhazy Lagoons

2016-10-20 Thread Joanne Redwood 
Earlier today Bonnie Kinder and I went to the Mosaic Ponds in Dunnville after 
reading an ebird report that a Western Sandpiper was seen there yesterday.  
Vsibility was not great in today's weather but we each took photos of a bird 
that we thought might be the one reported.  Kevin McLaughlin just confirmed 
that it is indeed a Western Sandpiper.  The address for the ponds is 702 Rymer 
Road, Lowbanks but we viewed this bird from behind the ponds on Feeder Canal 
Road.  Also present were White-rumped Sandpipers, Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpipers, 
Wilson's Snipe, etc.


Joanne Redwood
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[Ontbirds] Holiday Beach Conservation Area (20 Oct 2016) 1 Raptors

2016-10-20 Thread reports 
Holiday Beach Conservation Area
Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2016
---

SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total   Season Total
-- --- -- --
Turkey Vulture   0  23881  24328
Osprey   0  5 68
Bald Eagle   0 97213
Northern Harrier 1134426
Sharp-shinned Hawk   0   2058   6070
Cooper's Hawk0209301
Northern Goshawk 0  1  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  0102102
Broad-winged Hawk0 50   6115
Red-tailed Hawk  0568720
Rough-legged Hawk0  0  0
Golden Eagle 0  1  1
American Kestrel 0232   1153
Merlin   0 22109
Peregrine Falcon 0 12 34
Unknown Accipiter0  4  6
Unknown Buteo0 12 17
Unknown Eagle0  0  1
Unknown Falcon   0  2  4
Unknown Raptor   0  0  0
Swainson's Hawk  0  0  1

Total:   1  27390  39670
--

Observation start time: 07:00:00 
Observation end   time: 09:15:00 
Total observation time: 1 hours

Official Counter:Sean Jenniskens

Observers:

Weather:
It was raining when I got to the tower in the morning, but I saw a Northern
Harrier go over so I decided to go up the tower anyway, just to see if
there were any more braving the rain. I spent an hour on the tower, and
with no birds going over, I went down and sat in my car hoping for the rain
to stop. Another hour went by and I decided to check the radar weather
forecast. It showed steady rain all day other than a couple brief stops in
the mid afternoon, so I decided to head home.

Raptor Observations:
One Northern Harrier as soon as I arrived.

Non-raptor Observations:
Didn't look to avidly, but there were sparrows and kinglets around the
pond. Full eBird checklist at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32129400

Predictions:
Moderately strong N winds all day, with a chance of rain in the morning and
partially cloudy in the afternoon!

Report submitted by Sean Jenniskens (seanjennisk...@hotmail.com)
Holiday Beach Conservation Area information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/



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[Ontbirds] Ottawa/ Gatineau-recent sightings to October 20, 2016

2016-10-20 Thread Gregory Zbitnew 
Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club
Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec
Compiler:  Gregory Zbitnew at sighti...@ofnc.ca

October 20, 2016

A few rarities made the week interesting.  The best bird was a LECONTE’S
SPARROW seen in Constance Bay on the 18th.  Also quite good were EURASIAN
WIGEON at Shirley’s Bay on the 15th, and LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER there on the
14th.

Mostly the week was characterized by the decline of SONGBIRDS and the rise
of WATERBIRDS.  Weather was a mixed bag with a few very warm days and some
days with unsettled weather where there was more activity.  And, while we
don’t want to say this too loudly, a few winter birds have settled in.

WATERBIRDS were fairly conspicuous in the usual spots along the Ottawa
River.  All 3 species of SCOTER were seen between Britannia and Shirley’s
Bay, and there were other sightings of SCOTER from Russell to
Breckenridge.  Hunting on the Moodie Drive ponds has caused most WATERFOWL
there to vacate.  The Shirley’s bay DUCK flock was over 1000 birds on the 15
th, mostly LESSER SCAUP, AMERICAN WIGEON and GREEN-WINGED TEAL, but with
fewer DIVING DUCKS more recently. 23 LONG-TAILED DUCKS and a RED-THROATED
LOON were at Shirley’s Bay on the 19th, but sightings of these species are
less regular.  A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was at Almonte on the 14-15th.


SHOIREBIRDS have mostly been unremarkable.  Shirley’s bay, Giroux Road,
Almonte, and Embrun have had a few but they are if the expected variety.

Numbers of SANDHILL CRANES are regular in their usual spots in the Navan/
Frank Kenny area, and a flock has been in Blakeney.

There was a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at La Pêche on the 17th, and the
resident ones in Pakenham are fairly regular. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was
seen at the Old Quarry Trail on the 16th, but not since.  Likely it will
remain in the area, possibly for the winter.

There have been a couple of sightings of NORTHERN SHRIKE, most recently on
Berry Side Road on the 20th.   This is one of the unfortunate signs of
winter.

A few lingering birds were notable:

· A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was coming to a feeder in Russell on
the 15th.

· A BARN SWALLOW was at Andrew Haydon Park on the 15th.

· A late report in more ways than one: a dead YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
was in Kanata North on the 8th.

· A ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was in Luskville on the 14th.

The only WARBLER seen this week was YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, another sign of
the season.  A few migrants SONGBIRDS are still around, such as both
KINGLETS and HERMIT THRUSH.

AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS are becoming fairly regular. Other SPARROW numbers
have peaked, but SONG, WHITE-THROATED, WHITE-CROWNED, and FOX SPARROW are
still reasonably common. 3 LAPLAND LONGSPUR at Shirley’s Bay on the 19th were
the first of the fall.

Finally, another sign of the season, the first COMMON REDPOLL of the season
was at Carleton University on the 17th.

*NOTE RE: ACCESS TO THE SHIRLEY’S BAY CAUSEWAY*. The OFNC has a signed
agreement with DND and PWGSC that gives OFNC members limited access to this
important birding area. You must call the Range Control Office
(613-991-5740) before entering DND property, and you will be informed how
far down the causeway you may go. For your safety, please respect their
instructions, as the shooting patterns vary from day to day.

The OFNC's Birds Committee no longer reports owl sightings on the Internet.
We will continue to encourage the reporting of owls to sighti...@ofnc.ca
for the purpose of maintaining local records.

Thanks to everyone who contributed bird observations. We encourage everyone
to report their bird sightings on eBird for the benefit of the entire
birding community.

Good birding.
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[Ontbirds] Reesor Pond, Markham - Snow & Cackling Geese & 1000s of waterfowl - Oct 20 dusk

2016-10-20 Thread fpinilla15 
Ontbirders,

Took some time to drop into Reesor Pond around 6pm tonight and stayed for about 
30 minutes.  If you can get there at that time I highly recommend it as it was 
quite a spectacle watching the Canada Geese and Mallards coming in to land.  I 
estimated 3000 of each species when I left with more still coming in.  At one 
point I looked up because of the sound of wings (around 6:20) and there were a 
massive number of birds in the air coming in to land.

There were 8 Snow Geese at the far side and I found 1 Cackling Goose though 
there could have been more in the masses. Also here were several Black Duck, 
Shoveler, a few Pintail (females and 1 moulting male), 1 each of Lesser & 
Greater Scaup, 2 Ruddy Duck, a few Redhead, Ring-necked, Am Wigeon and 3 Am 
Coot. Wouldn't be surprised if there's a Greater White-fronted around. 

Also, as I was driving to the pond, along the 407, I had 3 Cackling Geese in 
flight with some Canadas, followed closely by 8 Trumpeter Swans. 

Good birding all,
Frank Pinilla
Richmond Hill 

Directions:
Reesor Pond is on the north side of Hwy 407 and can be accessed just east of 
Donald Cousens Parkway. Take Hwy 7 east to Reesor Rd, head south to the 
entrance to the pond. 


Sent from my iPhone
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[Ontbirds] RBA Buffalo Bird Report 20 Oct 2016

2016-10-20 Thread David Suggs 
- RBA
* New York
* Buffalo
* 10/20/2016
* NYBU1610.20
- Birds mentioned

  ---
  Please submit reports to
  dsu...@buffaloornithologicalsociety.org
  ---

  AMERICAN AVOCET
  LONG-B. DOWITCHER
  GR. WHITE-FR. GOOSE
  ROSE-BR. GROSBEAK
  PARASITIC JAEGER
  CLAY-COL. SPARROW
  Sandhill Crane
  Killdeer
  Greater Yellowlegs
  Lesser Yellowlegs
  Least Sandpiper
  Pectoral Sandpiper
  Dunlin
  Stilt Sandpiper
  Wilson's Snipe
  Winter Wren
  Tennessee Warbler
  Orange-cr. Warbler
  Nashville Warbler
  Yellow-r. Warbler
  Bl.-thr. Green Warb.
  Blackburnian Warbler
  Palm Warbler
  Blackpoll Warbler
  Common Yellowthroat
  Lincoln's Sparrow
  Rusty Blackbird

- Transcript
  Hotline: Buffalo Bird Report at the Buffalo Museum of Science
  Date: 10/20/2016
  Number:   716-896-1271
  To Report:Same
  Compiler: David F. Suggs
  Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario
  Website:  www.BuffaloOrnithologicalSociety.org

  Thursday, October 20, 2016

  The Buffalo Bird Report is a service provided by your
  Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Ornithological
  Society. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Press
  the pound key to report sightings before the end of this
  report.

  Highlights of October reports received through the 20th from
  the Niagara Frontier Region.

  Shorebird highlights - October 14, two AMERICAN AVOCETS at
  the landfill wetland on Porter-Center Road in Niagara
  County. On the 9th, three, adult, LONG-B. DOWITCHERS in the
  southwest corner of Ruddy Marsh in the Tonawanda Wildlife
  Management Area. Other recent shorebirds at Ruddy, Kumpf and
  Griswold Road marshes, KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER
  YELLOWLEGS, LEAST SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, DUNLIN,
  STILT SANDPIPER and WILSON'S SNIPE.

  At Windmill Marsh in the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management
  Area, a single GR. WHITE-FR. GOOSE, seen from the west dike,
  on October 14.

  RUSTY BLACKBIRDS have been widely reported in the wetlands
  and marshes. And multiple SANDHILL CRANES, including a young
  colt, at Cayuga Pool and Kumpf Marsh in the Iroquois Refuge.

  October 20, a late, female, ROSE-BR. GROSBEAK at a feeder in
  the Genesee County Town of Bethany.

  On Lake Ontario at Sunset Beach in Orleans County, a
  juvenile PARASITIC JAEGER on October 8.

  Early in October at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo,
  ORANGE-CR. WARBLER on the 4th and 10th. Other warblers this
  month - TENNESSEE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, COMMON YELLOW-
  THROAT, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BLACKPOLL WARBLER, PALM
  WARBLER, YELLOW-R. WARBLER and BL.-THR. GREEN WARB.

  Other fall migrants - widespread reports of LINCOLN'S
  SPARROWS and WINTER WRENS.

  And back on October 1, an unexpected CLAY-COL. SPARROW at
  Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island.

  The Bird Report will be updated Thursday evening, October
  27. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may
  report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and
  reporting.

- End Transcript
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