Just back home from a couple of days on Manitoulin Island. Sandhill Cranes did not disappoint - a total of over 50 in half a dozen locations, the best being Hwy 540 west of Gore Bay, and Hwy 542 both north of Britainville and east of Spring Bay. Several fully grown rust-coloured juveniles, most of them seemingly still associating closely with their parents.
No real rarities to speak of, though I was pleasantly surprised to find single Brewer's Blackbirds at a couple of locations (west of Gore Bay, and on Barrie Island) - interesting too, in that I didn't see a single Red-winged Blackbird while on the island! Earlier (Aug 20-21) I was at MacGregor Point Prov Pk, and spotted one of the red-banded Great Egrets on "Turtle Pond" near the Visitor's Centre. A Wild Turkey ran across the road ~1 km south of the park entrance, and as usual disappeared into the forest with remarkable ease for a bird of such size. In the "Hawk Ridge" campground, an Eastern Screech Owl called persistently for a couple of hours early on Thursday morning. Both at MacGregor Point and Manitoulin, as well as on the Bruce Peninsula, many warblers (most commonly Am. Redstart, Black-throated Green, and Nashville) were still feeding young, and nowhere did I encounter any mixed flocks that appeared to be migrants. Good birding! Marcel Gahbauer Ottawa ON [EMAIL PROTECTED] DIRECTIONS: MacGregor Point is southwest of Port Elgin - follow signs from Hwy 21. Manitoulin Island - highways 540 and 542 are the main routes; Spring Bay, Britainville, Gore Bay should all be apparent on any provincial road map. Barrie Island is approx ~10 km west of Gore Bay, beyond the Gore Bay Airport. Note that the layout of roads there is NOT as shown in the MapArt Ontario Road Atlas (2004 edition). "Marcel Gahbauer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
