Hi Ontbirders, Maureen Riggs and I did the IBA shorebird survey this morning and had good species variety (16) including the juv. Western that has been present for several days, as well as a stunning juv. Buff-breasted. Numbers remain a little on the low side with 305 individuals seen (500-800 is more typical for this time of year) but it's still great birding. Most birds were again located at Owen Pt., on Gull Island or on the gravel bars between them but some birds were on Beach 1 and the north natural beach (the wild section between beach 1 and the park boundary). The Western was with the Semi's at Owen Pt. while the Buffie was initially on the north natural beach but was last seen on Beach 2. Merlin's have been raising havoc with passes every half-hour or so and the shorebirds are correspondingly nervous so please try to avoid disturbing the shorebirds.
This morning two birder/photographers had set up a lawn chair on the mudflats outside of the viewing areas and managed to kept birds away for some time. As a reminder, the rules governing trail use at Owen Point include no dogs or bicycles on the trail and park visitors are asked to not go outside the roped areas along trail. This system was set up to prevent frequent disturbance to shorebirds, and it has largely worked well so continued birder cooperation would be most helpful. Results: 4 Black-bellied Plover (3a,1j) 104 Semipalmated Plover (104j) 5 Lesser Yellowlegs (5j) 1 Spotted Sandpiper (1a) 2 Ruddy Turnstone (2j) 6 Red Knot (6j) 43 Sanderling (1a,42j) 103 Semipalmated Sandpiper (103j) 1 Western Sandpiper (1j) 19 Least Sandpiper (19j) 2 White-rumped Sandpiper (2a) 7 Baird's Sandpiper (7j) 1 Pectoral Sandpiper (1u) 3 Stilt Sandpiper (3j) 1 Buff-breasted Sandpiper (1j) 3 Short-billed Dowitcher (3j) Cheers, Doug McRae Directions: To reach Presqu'ile take the Brighton exit from Hwy 401 and travel south into town. From Brighton, follow the signs to Presqu'ile. Doug McRae <[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.
