Today, Saturday, Ron Pittaway, Jean Iron, Betsy Potter and I birded the Erie shore from Rock Point Provincial Park (south of Dunnville, Ont.) to Fort Erie. The highlight among 13 species of shorebirds at Rock Point was a very cooperative juvenile WESTERN SANDPIPER and 12 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. Baird's Sandpipers were the bird of the day. We had 8 more at the base of Grabell Point (a little east of Long Beach) and 15 more at the foot of Stonemill Road (between Ridgway and Fort Erie). All the Baird's were juveniles except for one adult at Stonemill Road. Our only WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (an adult) was at Morgans Point.
3 GOLDEN PLOVERS and 75 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were on the sod farm along the feeder canal road between Stromness and Reg. Road #3 (1/2 mile west of Reg. Road #3) and 14 more Goldens were on the sod along Poth Road which starts east off of Reg. Road #3 about 1/2 mile north of the feeder canal road. There were also scads of Killdeer and Horned Larks at the sod farms but, alas, no Buff-breasted Sandpiper that we could find. It was interesting to see many swallows (mostly Bank and Barn) standing on the ground at one spot along Poth Road. One COMMON LOON was flying west off of Rock Point. On the day we had 16 species of shorebirds. Butterflies included 3 Giant Swallowtails (two at the foot of Stonemill Road and one at the foot of Kraft Road (close to Fort Erie) and one Wild Indigo Duskywing at the foot of Stonemill Road. A gorgeous day with some very nice shorebirding. Good birding! Willie -------------- Willie D'Anna Betsy Potter Niagara Falls, N.Y. [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Willie D'Anna & Betsy Potter" <[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.
