Hello Ontbirders A total of 22 Sandhill Cranes, (groups of 2, 4, 5 and 11) were observed in various spots along Milton road, all in the general vicinity southwest of the corners of Milton and Smith roads. On two separate occasions, a Lapland Longspur was heard calling above Smith Rd.
At the pond along Moodie Drive, south of Trail Road, Canada Geese numbers continue to increase. This seems like a very dynamic spot with birds arriving continuously. Present among them today were 230 Snow Geese. Also, patrolling the pond was a juvenile tundrius Peregrine Falcon. Cheerio Tony http://www3.sympatico.ca/beck.tony/ Directions (in part) courtesy of Neily World: http://members.rogers.com/larry.neily/birdguide.htm Milton Road: >From Highway 417 (The Queensway) take exit 96 (Boundary Road). Proceed 2.0 km NNW on Boundary Road to Russell Road (Regional 26). Turn right or ESE onto Russell and drive 3.5 km to Milton Road (Regional 31). Turn left or NNW on Milton. Historically, the cranes can be anywhere in the fields north of the bridge over Bearbrook. (about 2.0 km from Russell Road). However, today, all the cranes were viewed much further north of this point. Moodie Drive Pond: >From Highway 416 take exit 66 (Fallowfield Road). If southbound, a 0.4 km offramp dumps onto Fallowfield, where you will turn right or west. If northbound, the 0.4 km offramp brings you to Fallowfield, where you will turn left or west onto it and in 0.5 km join the southbound offramp traffic. Both groups will now follow Fallowfield Road west for an additional 0.4 km to reach Moodie Drive. Turn left or southeast onto Moodie Drive and go 5.3 km, passing Cambrian Road to reach the Burnside Pits (second gate on the left). Park along the side of the road without blocking the access. Warning: This site is private property and is an active quarry. Because of liability concerns the pit operators do not allow access during working hours. Trucks and machinery operate here on workdays, so please don't block the roads into the quarry. At such times, limited birding can be accomplished from the roadside, which overlooks the pond, especially with a good scope.
