This morning while carrying out our daily migration watch from our deck in Amherstburg we saw 140 Greater White-fronted Geese flying due south at 7:45 a.m. They passed to the west of our place on a course that would take them towards Lake Erie and perhaps over Holiday Beach. The birds were in groups of 70, 40 and 30 but were within sight of each other so were likely traveling together.

We decided to go to Hillman to try for the Hudsonian Godwit, Cattle Egret and Fish Crow that were reported yesterday by various birders. At 11:05 a.m. we were at Hillman Marsh when a flock of 42 White-fronts came in to land. At 12:40 p.m. Josh Vandermeulen reported 51 birds at Hillman to Ontbirds and WEP [Windsor - Essex - Pelee Listserv] suggesting that another smaller flock came in after the initial bunch.

On our way home to Amherstburg from Hillman and Pelee we stopped at Jack Miner's at 3:29 p.m.and counted 21 White-fronts, not knowing that Jeremy Hatt had found the same bunch and reported them to WEP at 12:47 p.m.

Meanwhile at 2:51 p.m., Donny Moore reported 25 birds at Harrow lagoons to Ontbirds. This group flushed at 3:01 p.m. and headed out suggesting that they were still in migration mode and not ready to settle down.

Total Greater White-fronted Geese in Essex this morning that have been reported so far is 237 birds in at least 5 flocks at 4 locations.

It would be interesting to hear some speculation about the weather conditions that might have caused this many Greater White-fronted Geese to veer off track and end up in southwestern Ontario this morning. Presumably there was an influx of additional birds in Michigan and other states to the south and west.

Dave Martin and Linda Wladarski
Amherstburg Ontario
dmarti...@cogeco.ca








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