ONTBIRDS for Sunday, May 18, 2008

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   [Ontbirds]Townsend's Solitaire - Stoke's Bay, Bruce Penninsula   Joe Agius   1:31am   [Ontbirds]OFO Rare Bird Photo Page   Carol Horner    7:41am   [Ontbirds]Protecting Bobolinks   Eric Harrison    9:31am   [Ontbirds] Point Pelee Bird Report May 18 - Mississippi Kite, Laughing Gull, Golden-winged Warbler   Janice.Sarkis(AT)pc.gc.   11:21am   [Ontbirds] Black-billed Cuckoo,17 warbler species at Thickson Woods,sw Whitby--May 18/08   Doug Lockrey   11:35am   [Ontbirds]Prothonotary Warbler - West Deane Park, Etobicoke   cver   2:51pm   [Ontbirds]Dunlin - Mersea Concession E   STAN LONG   9:35am   [Ontbirds]Rondeau - Cerulean Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, etc.   Steve LaForest    9:52am   [Ontbirds]1st year male Summer Tanager, West Deane Park, Etobicoke   Garth Riley    12:56pm   [Ontbirds]Yellow-throated Warbler in Jack Darling Park, Mississauga   Wayne Renaud    1:02pm   [Ontbirds] Mississippi Kite, Parasitic Jaeger,Whimbrels, and more Darlington Provincial Park   Tyler Hoar   1:10pm   [Ontbirds]White-eyed Vireo-Yes- Whitefish Island, Sault Ste. Marie- Tufted Duck-not in 48hr   Kirk Zufelt    1:39pm   [Ontbirds]Warbler from Col. Samuel Smith Park: 18 May 2008   Wayne Renaud    5:05pm   [Ontbirds]Cedar Waxwings Oakville   Sylvia&Bill   5:31pm   [Ontbirds]Rondeau - RN Phalarope, Cerulean & Peregrine   Steve LaForest    5:34pm   [Ontbirds]Innisfil - Barrie area   Glenn Steplock    8:49pm   [Ontbirds] American Bittern calling regularly in Prince Edward County   Gary Scharf   6:52pm

To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'. This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.

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Subject: [Ontbirds]Townsend's Solitaire - Stoke's Bay, Bruce
         Penninsula
From: "Joe Agius" <jsagius(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 18 May 2008 1:31am

Greetings Ontbirders,
Michael Carlson called me to report that his tour group found a
Towndend's Solitaire at the south end of the road at Greenough Point on
the west side of Stoke's Bay at 5:15pm on Saturday May 17th.  The bird
was seen opposite Lot 6 and generally working north.  To reach this from
Hwy 6 take Bruce Rd 9 west to Stoke's Bay Rd north into Stoke's Bay and
turn left onto Stoke's River Rd.  Turn Right on Gauleys Bay Rd until it
ends near Lot 6.  There are signs that mark the lot numbers.
 
 
Good birding,
Joe Agius,
Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
 
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Subject: [Ontbirds]OFO Rare Bird Photo Page
From: Carol Horner <icterus(AT)rogers.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 7:41am

This message has been approved by Mark Cranford.

Hello Ontbirders

In the last few weeks many rarities have been seen and photographed in  
Ontario. Many thanks to all the generous photographers who allow the  
use of their photos on the OFO Rare Bird Photo Page. I would like to  
invite  all Ontbirders to visit the page. I have recently added photos  
of Snowy Plover, Tufted Duck, Black Vulture, Laughng Gull, Mottled  
Duck, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Harris's Sparrow, Little Blue Heron  
and Burrowing Owl, along with some other not quite so rare species. I  
have yet to receive photos of the Lark Bunting seen last week at Point  
Pelee.
The migration of photos for 2006-2007 is complete. Doug Woods and  
Valerie Jacobs have been working hard on the migration of the archived  
photos for 2001-2005, and I anticipate they will be uploaded in the  
near future.

The url for the website and the email address for sending in your  
photos of rare birds can be found below my signature.

Carol Horner
OFO Photo Page Editor
photos(AT)ofo.ca
http://ofo.ca/photoalbums/album/index.html
_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Protecting Bobolinks
From: Eric Harrison <eric_harrison(AT)ieee.org>
Date: 18 May 2008 9:31am

Hi all Bobolink lovers -

I am looking for some direction on protecting at least six pairs of  
Bobolinks in the hay-fields at 3239 Dundas Street West in Oakville. As  
I understand the situation the local farmer is likely to cut hay  
around the first of July which will be too soon for the nestlings. Who  
can help me with convincing the farmer to delay the cut? Also who can  
help with determining the criteria for a safe time so that the maximum  
number of fledglings survive?

Thanks to Ms. Hiscox who alerted me to the decline of Bobolinks and  
also to the good write-up in Curry. I also saw the USGS  
recommendations on the web. But now we need a specific plan for this  
patch of meadow. The property is owned by GE Water and there is no  
problem convincing GE management to be as earth-friendly as possible.  
It will be the farmer who may take a financial hit as a result of the  
delay.

Thanks in advance for your help.

You can reply to this email or call me.

Eric Harrison
905 637 6560
_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds] Point Pelee Bird Report May 18 - Mississippi
         Kite, Laughing Gull, Golden-winged Warbler
From: Janice.Sarkis(AT)pc.gc.ca
Date: 18 May 2008 11:21am

Friends of Point Pelee provides daily updates of sightings within Point
Pelee National Park during the Festival of Birds May 3 through May 19, 2008

Some migrants are present in Tilden Woods including Golden-winged,
Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Magnolia, Black-and-white, and Tennessee
Warblers.
An Eastern Bluebird was seen on the east beach near the tip.

Small numbers of migrants have also been seen along Woodland Trail
including Yellow-throated Vireo, Black-throated Green and Blackburnian
Warblers, and Ovenbird.

Two adult Laughing Gulls were still being seen yesterday on the east beach
adjacent to the sparrow field but there have been no new reports today.

The Mississippi Kite that has been present in the park since Friday was
still being seen sporadically through yesterday afternoon.  There have been
no new reports today.

A Willet was seen at Hillman Marsh yesterday evening and there were more
than 2000 Black-bellied Plover in the afternoon.

On the Evening Hike a Woodcock paraded three chicks past many spectators.
Also two adult Bald Eagles were present.

Good Birding,
Hike Leaders, Pete, Ross, John, Dave, Karl, Justin, Kim

Janice Rogers, General Manager
www.friendsofpointpelee.com

_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds] Black-billed Cuckoo,17 warbler species at
         Thickson Woods,sw Whitby--May 18/08
From: "Doug Lockrey" <lockrey33(AT)rogers.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 11:35am

The interior of Thickson's  Woods remains, as it has for several days, very
quiet--very few numbers of warblers. A BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was noted in the
middle around 0930.

The following birds were seen and heard in 2 locales--along the car-park
roadside, and in the vicinity of the bird-feeder at the end of the path that
leads east just after entering the woods.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested
Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, House Wren, Lincoln's Sparrow;
Warblers--Tennessee, Nashville, Yellow, Chestnut-sided (many), Magnolia (many),
Cape May (female), Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped (many), Black-throated
Green, Blackburnian (many), Palm, Bay-breasted (1 along the roadside),
Black-and-white, Am. Redstart (many), Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and a brief
 glimpse of a CANADA WARBLER.

Exit the 401 at Thickson Rd. in sw Whitby---drive south toward the lake, turning
 east along a car-park road that parallels the north side ot the woods.

Doug Lockrey, Whitby
_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Prothonotary Warbler - West Deane Park, Etobicoke
From: "cver" <cver(AT)rogers.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 2:51pm

After reading David Pyror's post I went to try my luck at West Dean Park.  I
did not find the Kentucky as previously posted but I did find a male
Prothonotary Warbler.  He was high up in the tree which is not where I
expected to see one. This was around 11 am

The bird was seen on the west side of Mimico Creek (across the bridge at the
Martingrove Parking lot) and about 300 yards north on the path that runs
parallel to the creek.

Additional warblers to David's post were Tennessee, Parula and Bay Breasted
Unfortunately it started to rain so I had leave before I had a chance to see
if the Kentucky was still in the area.   There was a good party of many
species of warblers there.  

Directions from David's post. 
The West Deane/Ravenscrest/Hampshire Heights/Echo Valley park system
comprises the Mimico Creek Ravine and runs between Kipling/Burnhamthorpe
streets in the south throught to Eglinton Avenue & Hwy. 427 in the north.

Directions from downtown Toronto: Gardiner Expressway West, north on Hwy
427, Rathburn Road offramp west to Martingrove Road, left (north) on
Martingrove to West Dean Park parking lot on left (west) side of road.

Cecilia Verkley 
Toronto

_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Dunlin - Mersea Concession E
From: "STAN LONG" <stan.long(AT)sympatico.ca>
Date: 18 May 2008 9:35am

   Witnessed  Friday, at Point Pelee: a flock of 30-40 Dunlin, rising and
   falling  and  feeding  in the wake, of a large, noisy tractor, plowing
   land  in  a  field  of Mersea Concession E, which lies adjacent to the
   entrance to Point Pelee. Everyone has seen this behaviour in gulls but
   is it unusual to see in shore birds, such as Dunlin?

   Cheers - Stan Long
_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Rondeau - Cerulean Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, etc.
From: Steve LaForest <stevelaforest(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 9:52am

Rondeau Bird Report – Sunday May 18, 2008

Good morning birders.

The warbler highlight for this weekend has been Cerulean Warblers. Today, I
found a first year male during the 7:30 am bird hike on Bennett Road.
Yesterday, a female was seen at the maintenance loop.  Other good warblers
yesterday included a Yellow-breasted Chat at the Pony Barn, Orange-crowned at 2
sites and a Prothonotary singing on Gardiner Ave. west of the Visitor Centre.
 

Both Philadelphia and White-eyed Vireo were seen today at the Pony Barn.
Yesterday, there was an Acadian Flycatcher at the same location.  The best
birding trails this morning were Bennett Road, Tulip Tree Trail and the Pony
Barn.
 

In the Rondeau area, shorebirds were reported yesterday from several nearby
locations.  The government dock at Erieau had Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied
Plover and Sanderling.  Near McGeachy Pond, there were Lesser Golden-Plover,
Ruddy Turnstone and 100’s of Black-bellied Plovers as well as 100’s of Dunlins
in the onion fields.  At Bates Pond, tallies included 63 Dunlin, 19 Short-billed
 Dowitchers, 1 Least Sandpiper, and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs.

 
Good birding.

Steve LaForest
Friends of Rondeau Bird Guide
c/o Rondeau Visitor Centre (519) 674-1768

I will lead a guided bird hike twice daily May 3 to 19 (fee $5), as follows:
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday 7:30 am & 1 pm; Tuesday & Thursday 7:30 am
& 7 pm; Friday 7:30 am. All of the 7:30 am and 1 pm hikes listed above will meet
 at the Visitor Centre. The 7 pm hikes will meet at the entrance to the Marsh
Trail. A second hike on Friday at 1 pm will meet at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons.
 The Friends of Rondeau will provide a birders' brunch for a small donation
(coffee, tea, bagels, soups & treats) daily from 7 - 11 am.

Directions:

To reach Rondeau PP, take exit 101 from Highway 401 and drive South 16 km on
Chatham Kent Road 15. Follow the signs to the park. The Bird Sightings Book,
Bird Sightings Board and other relevant information are located at the Visitor
Centre (open 7 am to 5 p m from May 3 - 19). To reach the Centre from the park
gate, travel 6 km South on Rondeau Road to Gardiner Ave. and follow it around
the bend to the parking lot.

 
For the shorebird site near Erieau: from the entrance to Rondeau PP, drive north
 ~1 km to Kent Bridge Road (Chatham-Kent 15), turn left and go 4.8 km to Talbot
Trail (Chatham-Kent Road 3, formerly called Hwy 3), turn left and go 15.9 km
(through several twists and turns, and through Blenheim) to Erieau Road
(Chatham-Kent Road 12), turn left and go ~7 km to McGeachy Pond C.A.  The birds
were seen in the fields in this vicinity.

For Erieau - from McGeachy Pond C.A. (see above), continue southeast on Erieau
Road (Chatham-Kent 12) into the town of Erieau and follow the signs to the
government dock.  A large number of gulls, including many Bonaparte’s Gulls, are
 visible here.  Shorebirds may be seen on the docks, on the shore or flying by.

For Bates Pond at Kent Bridge Road and Rondeau Road - from the park gate, drive
~1 km north to Kent Bridge Road.  The pond is on the northeast corner of this
intersection.  Please take care to park safely, as this is a busy road with very
 narrow shoulders.

_________________________________________________________________
If you like crossword puzzles, then you'll love Flexicon, a game which combines
four overlapping crossword puzzles into one!
http://g.msn.ca/ca55/208_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
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Subject: [Ontbirds]1st year male Summer Tanager, West Deane Park,
         Etobicoke
From: Garth Riley <rileygv(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 12:56pm

While looking for the Kentucky Warbler reported yesterday, I found a first year
male Summer Tanager at about 8:15 a.m., slightly north of where the Kentucky
Warbler was reported. The bird was on the west side of Mimico Creek on the east
side of the trail next to the creek itself. It was feeding high in a maple tree
and dropped out of site, I suspect it may have moved to the east side of the
creek, At first glance the bird appeared to be a female but it gave me a
different view and the underside was showing some red, particuarly on the
undertail coverts and belly.
   
  There was a lot of bird song many of the leaves were out especially where the
birds were feeding. I was unable to locate the Kentucky but did see several Cape
 May, Parula, Tenesee, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Chestnut-sided, Black-and-white,
Magnolia and other more common species including a Blue-headed Vireo.

  Regards,
   
  Garth
   
   
  Directions from David's post. 
The West Deane/Ravenscrest/Hampshire Heights/Echo Valley park system
comprises the Mimico Creek Ravine and runs between
 Kipling/Burnhamthorpe
streets in the south throught to Eglinton Avenue & Hwy. 427 in the
 north.

Directions from downtown Toronto: Gardiner Expressway West, north on
 Hwy
427, Rathburn Road offramp west to Martingrove Road, left (north) on
Martingrove to West Dean Park parking lot on left (west) side of road.

Garth Riley
Etobicoke, Ontario
rileygv(AT)yahoo.com
       
---------------------------------
Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo!
Answers.
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Yellow-throated Warbler in Jack Darling Park,
         Mississauga
From: Wayne Renaud <wayne(AT)renaudwebber.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 1:02pm

   It looks from this morning postings on Ont.birds that this is indeed the
big warbler weekend we've been waiting for.
   At approximately 7:15 am this morning I found a Yellow-throated Warbler
feeding in a willow on Birchwood Creek which runs south along the east edge
of the park.  It was just east of a small maintenance shed along the
driveway which runs south off lakes down to the main parking are along the
lake.  The creek is not really obvious from the road and does not occupy a
huge area but contains a lot of dense overgrown understory aka a typical
Carolinian woodland.
   Also in the area was a male Orchard Oriole and Gold-winged Warbler ( the
later just north of the washroom building adjacent to the sw parking lot).
I also swung through lower Turtle Creek (w edge of Jack Darling Park) and
did most of the trails of Rattray Marsh marsh as well as the woods behind
Greenglade School.   By the time the rain started I had 21 species of
Warblers including Mourning (2), Connecticut (1), Bay-breasted (2), Wilson's
(3), Northern Parula (4) and small numbers of Yellow, Nashville,
Yellow-rumped, Black-and-white, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Pine, Tennessee,
Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Common Yellowthroat , American
Redstart, Northern Waterthrush and Ovenbird.
   Also I record all five species of vireo: Red-eye, Warbling, Philadelphia,
White-eye and Yellow-throated.
   Also a single Little Gull in breeding plumage was seeing flying west with
flock of 11 Bonaparte's Gulls.
   At Rattray Marsh, I had lot of help this morning from several keen birds
whose names I am sorry to say I did not write down.

Directions:
      Go south down to the end Bexhill which runs south of Lakeshore about 5
long blocks east Erin Mills Parkway; park at the metal gate  The marsh and
knoll trail start at the bottom of hill from the parking area.  This gets
you into, more or less, the middle of main area of the marsh.  Find a street
map to orient yourself and/or follow the the trail map inside the park.
Jack Darling Park runs from Lakeshore to the lake about 3 blocks east of
Bexhill; the se parking lot will get you relatively close to Birchwood
Creek. 
      For those who want to visit Rattray Marsh Conservation Area for the
first time or simply want to know where all the trails area, Mississauga has
a map of the marsh and surrounding trails on their web site:
'http://www.creditvalleycons.com/recandleisure/maps/rattray.pdf'.

Wayne Renaud

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Subject: [Ontbirds] Mississippi Kite, Parasitic Jaeger,Whimbrels, and
          more  Darlington Provincial Park
From: "Tyler Hoar" <thoar(AT)rogers.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 1:10pm

Darlington Provincial Park 5:45am to 10:15am

This morning I planned to walk around Oshawa Second Marsh and Darlington 
Provincial Park to try and record a big species day. Shortly after arriving 
at the Barrier beach along the south side McLaughlin Bay plans changed. I 
decided to do a lake watch for the morning.

There was a large amount of birds in Lake Ontario foraging heavily the local 
fish population. The 2170+ Red-breasted Mergansers, 46 Common Loons, 7 
Red-throated Loons and 4 Cormorants attracted several hundred gulls. At 6:40 
I found an adult PARASITIC JAEGER(light phase) chasing a Ring-billed Gull 
that had just stole a Round Goby from a Red-breasted Merganser. After 
getting the goby the jaeger would just soar around with the gulls waiting 
for another meal to be brought up sometimes soaring over the beach. The 
Jaeger was last seen just after 8am.

Just after 7am while watching the jaeger I noticed a bird a few km offshore 
coming straight over from New York State. It looked liked raptor that was 
seriously regretted trying to cross a cool lake at dawn.  As it approached 
the beach I was finally able to identify it as a MISSISSIPPI KITE   At 
7:17am it made land fall and flew off in a NE direction over the park office 
area.

Shorebirds

At dawn there 79 Least Sandpipers, 14 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin and 4 
Killdeers on the beach. Between 7:30 and 8:15 four flocks of Shorebirds 
arrived at the beach.  Consisting of 135 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, and 12 
Semi-palmated Plovers

At 8:15  5 WHIMBREL touched down for 2 minutes before being scared off.

At 8:17 the Park's tractor came on to the beach to drag the area of the 
beach maintained for sunbathers.  Most shorebirds left, the large feeding 
frenzy immediately offshore dispersed. Some of the Dunlins, Semi-palmated 
Plovers and 2 Sanderling just moved west into the middle area of the beach 
which is not maintained and where some ponds have formed.

Other species observed
other waterfowl : 2 Wood Ducks (plucking midges 100m offshore), 17 
Bufflehead, 4 Common Goldeneye, 3 Lesser Scaup, 474+ Long-tailed Ducks, 1 
Surf Scoter, and 78 White-winged Scoters
1 Red-necked Grebe
1 Great Egret flyby heading west at 7:24
Gulls: 1 Little, 12 Bonaparte's, 2 Greater Black-backed, 120+ Herring Gulls, 
400+ Ring-billed Gulls, 15+ Caspian Terns
1 silent Northern Mockingbird foraging on the beach.
1 Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow at the west end of the maintained beach in 
the wet sedge willow area.

On the walk back to the GM parking lot at the second marsh, I observed 
baltimore and orchard orioles, sedge, house and marsh wrens,  Rose-breasted 
grosbeak, indigo buntings and alot of yellow warblers and white-crowned 
sparrows.

Direction:

The McLaughlin Bay Barrier beach can be accessed from either Oshawa Second 
marsh (west access point) or Darlington provincial park (east access point)

Oshawa Second Marsh

Exit from the 401 at the Harmony Rd. Exit(419) in Oshawa. Go south on
Farewell St. Colonel Sam Drive. Turn East onto Colonel Sam Drive and follow
to the parking lot at the GM Headquarters. Park in the west parking lot
close to the marsh. The east (GM) platform is visible from the NW corner of
the lot.

To the Barrier Beach head south to the lake and then east along the 
shoreline

For a trail map of the Oshawa Second Marsh area visit
 www.secondmarsh.com and check the link for a trail map of
the area

Darlington Provincial Park
borders the east side Oshawa Second Marsh/McLaughlin Bay Nature Reserve.

To access the campground and park store area from the east.Take the Courtice
road exit from the 401 and follow the park signs. There is a small parking
lot at the gatehouse. Park here and walk the trail to the south. This will
take you into the campground area. The park store is just south of the main
office past the main gate.

For the Barrier Beach park at the beach parking lot and head west along the 
maintained beach.

 

_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds]White-eyed Vireo-Yes- Whitefish Island, Sault Ste.
          Marie- Tufted Duck-not in 48hr
From: Kirk Zufelt <zufelt_k(AT)shaw.ca>
Date: 18 May 2008 1:39pm

Hello:

The White-eyed Vireo was still present today on Whitefish Island in Sault
Ste. Marie. It was present from 0830 to 0945 being relocated by Bill Parker.
It did not vocalize at any time and is quite inconspicuous sticking to the
dense brushy areas.

To my knowledge the Tufted Duck and Marbled Godwit have not been seen in the
last 48 hours.

Whitefish Island is located in Sault Ste. Marie, under the International
Bridge, in between Canal Drive and the St. Mary's River. Warbler hollow is
located in the eastern corner of the island adjacent to a section of a well
used gravel footpath.

Kirk Zufelt

_______________________________________________
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Warbler from Col. Samuel Smith Park: 18 May 2008
From: Wayne Renaud <wayne(AT)renaudwebber.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 5:05pm

   Here's my second posting for day ... after lunch I headed on to CSSP just
as the rain was starting to let up.  Similar to reports I had from several
birders who I met this morning who had just come from there, the bowl and
adjacent grouping of trees to the se were hopping with warblers ... in spite
of the light drissle and dark skies.  In stark contrast, the woods adjacent
to the stream behind the old Power Plant had a few small clusters of warbler
and about a dozen Rose-breasted Grosbeaks ... all concentrated in spruce
grove near the south end of the creek.   There were no warblers in the dense
growth along banks of the creek nor in the evergreen stands to northwest.
   The skies cleared and winds picked up as leaving the area of stream about
3:45 pm  and during  a quick tour around bowl I could not find a single
warbler!  
   Could they have just left suddenly to continue their migration north?
   I didn't get anything really unexpected but the numbers, I think, are
impressive, especially for a fairly small area, and comparable to some my
day totals of my best trips to Long Point around this time of year:
   Golden-winged (1); Blue-winged (2); Tennessee (3); Nashville (8);
Northern Parula (8);  Yellow (3); Chestnut-sided (35); Magnolia (25); Cape
May (5); Black-throated Blue (10); Black-throated Green (32); Yellow-rumped
(5); Blackburnian (10); Palm (5); Bay-breasted (7); Black-and-white (6);
American Redstart (36); Ovenbird (1); Wilson's Warbler (1); Canada Warbler
(2).

Direction:
   The park is located in Etobicoke and located off the Kipling at
Lakeshore.   The parking lot (with free parking!) is located at the terminus
of the road that continues from Kipling south through Humber College and
just ne of the Etobicoke Yacht Club.

Wayne Renaud 
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Subject: [Ontbirds]Cedar Waxwings Oakville
From: "Sylvia&Bill" <wmorden(AT)cogeco.ca>
Date: 18 May 2008 5:31pm

Afternoon All
I have had a flock of about 30 birds here all afternoon feeding on apple
blossoms. What a sight.
We are located in the area of Rebecca St and the Fourth Line
They are still here as I am typing
Bill Morden

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Subject: [Ontbirds]Rondeau - RN Phalarope, Cerulean & Peregrine
From: Steve LaForest <stevelaforest(AT)hotmail.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 5:34pm

Rondeau Bird Report – Sunday May 18, 2008 - evening

Good evening birders.

Intrepid birders braved cool temperatures, driving rain and hailstones looking
for “a few good birds”.  Despite the weather, they braved the elements and
managed some success.  Our best warblers today were a Cerulean (first year male)
 on Bennett Road and a Hooded (male) on Tulip Tree Trail.  Both Philadelphia and
 White-eyed Vireo were seen at the Pony Barn.  Yesterday, there was an Acadian
Flycatcher at the same location.  The best birding trails today were Bennett
Road and Tulip Tree Trail.
 

Nocturnal birding has yielded several species.  I have heard Whip-poor-will
regularly at the Visitor Centre, at South Point Trail parking lot (off Lakeshore
 Road), and from the Marsh Trail.  As for American Woodcock, I see them
displaying near the Visitor Centre and near the Marsh Trail, and they are also
reported from the campgrounds.

In the Rondeau area, shorebirds were reported from just outside the park gate,
at Bates Pond.  A female Red-necked Phalarope was found there at 3:15 pm.  Also
present were ~50 Dunlin, 4 Short-billed Dowitcher and a Least Sandpiper.
Non-shorebirds included a cooperative Sora in full view.  While checking
unsuccessfully for the phalarope in the late afternoon, I saw a Peregrine Falcon
 swoop through.  It seems that this bird was present in the park area for most
of the day.

Good birding.

Steve LaForest
Friends of Rondeau Bird Guide
c/o Rondeau Visitor Centre (519) 674-1768

I will lead a guided bird hike twice daily May 3 to 19 (fee $5), as follows:
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday 7:30 am & 1 pm; Tuesday & Thursday 7:30 am
& 7 pm; Friday 7:30 am. All of the 7:30 am and 1 pm hikes listed above will meet
 at the Visitor Centre. The 7 pm hikes will meet at the entrance to the Marsh
Trail. A second hike on Friday at 1 pm will meet at the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons.
 The Friends of Rondeau will provide a birders' brunch for a small donation
(coffee, tea, bagels, soups & treats) daily from 7 - 11 am.

Directions:

To reach Rondeau PP, take exit 101 from Highway 401 and drive South 16 km on
Chatham Kent Road 15. Follow the signs to the park. The Bird Sightings Book,
Bird Sightings Board and other relevant information are located at the Visitor
Centre (open 7 am to 5 p m from May 3 - 19). To reach the Centre from the park
gate, travel 6 km South on Rondeau Road to Gardiner Ave. and follow it around
the bend to the parking lot.

 
For Bates Pond at Kent Bridge Road and Rondeau Road - from the park gate, drive
~1 km north to Kent Bridge Road.  The pond is on the northeast corner of this
intersection.  Please take care to park safely, as this is a busy road with very
 narrow shoulders.

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Subject: [Ontbirds]Innisfil - Barrie area
From: Glenn Steplock <nature_photography(AT)rogers.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 8:49pm

While out for a drive today which ended at the in-laws in Spring Water township,
 we were in and out of rain in the 11th line and 20 Sideroad area north of
Bradford. We did however, manage to see what appeared to be an Indigo Bunting
fly in front of the car while stopped on 11th line at 20 Sideroad. In Barrie,
rain stopped, but cold winds made it feel more like November then May.
Nonetheless, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, female, was at the feeders, I managed
a few photos. What a hearty little bird. They have been present for a couple of
days now as per my in-laws report.
I haven't seen any further reports on the Sandhill Cranes in the
Bradford/Innisfil area. I suspect they have moved on?
Nice area, beautifal farm lands, map of area:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GFRD,GFRD:2008-11,GFRD:en&q=Innisfil,+ON,+Canada&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title
Glenn
www.flickr.com/steplock
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Subject: [Ontbirds] American Bittern calling regularly in Prince
         Edward County
From: "Gary Scharf" <gary(AT)garyscharf.com>
Date: 18 May 2008 6:52pm

I've been delighted to hear an American Bittern calling throughout the day
for the last several days in the marsh behind our horse farm at 768 County
Rd 12. 
 
Gary Scharf
_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
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For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit
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