I spent two hours birding the Lake Ontario shoreline from St. Lawrence Park to Saddington Park this afternoon. There were at least two, and possibly three female Barrow's Goldeneye at the mouth of the Credit River when there is line of shifting loose ice. Also there two Thayer's Gulls and one Iceland Gull in the same area with about 200+ Ring-billed Gulls, 12 Herring Gulls and 7 Greater Black-backed Gulls. Have spent a lot of time birding Vancouver there and am quite familiar with the difference in the females of Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes. The difference in the head profiles is more dramatic than in Sibley's Bird Guide (Barrow's more trunked like a Redhead; the Common more sloping like a Canvasback) and the Barrow's is noticeably smaller when in company of female Commons. Also the head is much darker in good light (as was the case today) in the Barrow's relative to the Common. One of the Barrow's had about 2/3 of bill pink, the other was totally pink. The third possible Barrow's, was seen from a greater distance and for a brief time before it flew, had about half the bill pink. No sign of the Harlequin Ducks that were seen earlier in the month.
Directions: This area can be accessed from any of the major streets running south between Huronontario Street and Mississauga Road, both of which can be access from (and driving south from) the QEW. Wayne Renaud _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
