Hi everyone, Yesterday in gale force winds and wind chill of -20C, I led a group of 19 brave birders around the Durham Region. We ended the day with a total of 45 species despite missing Swamp Sparrow and Chipping Sparrow at Cranberry Marsh. Also we avoided the lakeshore as much as possible because I didn't want anyone to get blown away.
Here are the highlights: Cranberry Marsh - (East side of Halls Rd. south of Victoria) SNOW GEESE: 2 seen flying with Canada Geese RING-NECKED PHEASANT: 1 below the roadside feeder SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: 1 late in the day AMERICAN ROBIN: 6 SONG SPARROW: 2 at the north platform WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 2 at roadside feeder BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD: 20 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD: 7 Whitby Harbour (Brock St. at Pringle Creek) HOODED MERGANSER: 4 Thickson's Woods - East side of Thickson's Road south of Hwy. 401 (Warning park your car on Thickson Road, road on the north side of Thickson's Woods is a skaNORTHERNk!!: NORHTERN HARRIER: 1 over the meadow LONG-EARED OWL: 2 Fields on East side of Ashburn Rd. south of Winchester just south-east of Brooklin: HORNED LARK: 14 SNOW BUNTING: 64 * There was a possible Longspur in with the Buntings cooperatet it wouldn't co-operate in the high winds Edge Pegg's Feeders - (on southwest corner of Concession 7 and Westney Rd. south of Claremount conservation area): RUSTY BLACKBIRD: 7 PURPLE FINCH: 1 WHITE-THROATED SPARROW: 5 DARK-EYED JUNCO with "pinkish sides": 1, this bird is interesting as it has distinctly pink coloured sides. I referred to the Sibley Guide when I got home, but I couldn't convince myself that this is a "Pink-sided" Junco as the head wasn't uniformly gray but more of a brown-gray. As well the back wasn't as brown as I expected and didn't contrast with the gray of the wing. I thought that it more cillustratedembled the Brown adult female ilustrated on the same page. Feeders at 2nd House on the east side of Westney Rd. north of Concession 7 : RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER: 1 Halls Road North of Highway 2 (take Lakeridge Rd. north over Hwy. 401 turn east onto Rossland Rd. and south onto Halls Rd.: NORTHERN PINTAIL: 2 (probaMilsomhe sWhitbyrds seen earlier by Dave Misom at whitby harbour) feeders that the people at both of the feeder's mentioned abovcourtiousst hospitable to birders, please be curtious. Regards, Garth ===== Garth Riley Etobicoke, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com =?iso-8859-1?q?Garth=20Riley?= <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
