Sorry to be a little late posting this message, I don't have access to Ontbirds at work. A second-year male Painted Bunting is visiting a feeder in the Hidden Valley campground in Normandale. With the exception of a few wing coverts and crown feathers the bird is an almost immaculate plumaged male. It was first seen at about 8:30 this morning and has been coming to the same feeder off and on all morning and afternoon.
Birders are welcome to visit the campground (even camp if you like). The owner Ian Barnes requests that all visitors check in at the office. There is a nominal $1.50 fee for parking which must be paid before entering the campground proper. All parking is in the public parking area beside the office, outside of the gated entrance to the campground itself. Directions to the Hidden Valley campground are: Highway 24 south through Simcoe, bearing west around the curve at Young's Creek. Travel west on 24 to Regional Rd. 10. Turn south (left from the east, right from the west) towards Turkey Pt. Travel south past 2 concessions and the entrance to Turkey Pt Provincial Park (on the left). Just south of the entrance to the provincial park, turn east (left) on the Front Rd. (I don't think it is signed but I believe there is a sign pointing left to Normandale). Travel 2.2 kms. east as the Front Rd winds through the forest and then down the hill into Normandale. Near the bottom of the hill you will come to a road on the north (left) side (again unsigned I believe) that bears diagonally back to the northwest. Turn left on this road and travel to the second driveway on the right (200 metres). This is the well signed entrance to the Hidden Valley campground. Drive down this long driveway to the main office and park in the parking area on the left side of the office. Remember to check in at the office and pay the parking fee. To the left of the office and public parking is the main driveway into the campground itself. After leaving the office, walk around the yellow traffic gate. Walking up this driveway, you will come almost immediately to a brown washroom building on the right. Just past this building, the driveway splits. Bearing right at this split, the bird is coming to the hanging feeder at the first trailer on the right past the washrooms. These feeders are best viewed from the vicintiy of the washrooms. The bird is very skittish and doesn't come in unless there is little activity in the vicinity of the feeders. If you stand by he washrooms, you can easily see the feeder and not disturb the bird. The woman who owns the trailer (and the feeder) is very nice but it would be best not to overwhelm her with numbers. I assured her at all birders are great people and very courteous and would watch her feeders from a distance. Good luck. Ron Ridout Bird Studies Canada P.O. Box 160 115 Front St. Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0 Phone: W:519-586-3531 Fax: 519-586-3532 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thu Aug 5 18:08:40 2004 Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Delivered-To: [email protected] Received: from fep3.cogeco.net (smtp.cogeco.net [216.221.81.25]) by king.hwcn.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 05CC247F28 for <[email protected]>; Thu, 5 Aug 2004 18:08:40 -0400 (EDT) Received: from STHOMAS (d141-115-212.home.cgocable.net [24.141.115.212]) by fep3.cogeco.net (Postfix) with SMTP id 49FAB2893 for <[email protected]>; Thu, 5 Aug 2004 18:21:26 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Thomas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "ontbirds" <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2004 18:19:32 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1437 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1441 Subject: [Ontbirds]Red-necked Phalarope at Townsends. X-BeenThere: [email protected] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2004 22:08:40 -0000 Hi, Today at Townsend's sewage lagoons, there was a Red-necked Phalarope, a possible adult male, just starting to lose its breeding plumage. All the other recently reported species were there, except......American Avocet, and I could not find the reported Western or Bairds Sandpipers. Cheers..........Tom Thomas The Lagoons can be found by exiting H6 at the sign for Townsend, which is south of Hagersville. Turn left at the four way stop sign (Keith Richardson Parkway), and continue to the second turn off on the right which is conc.14. The lagoons are just up the road on your right.
