Hello Ontario Birders: Thanks to all who sent me e-mails about the purported Black-billed Magpie from the Kirkland Lake area. I think we can safely discount that sighting, and the Albino Moose it rode in on. The good news is that they had 14 real Black-billed Magpie on the Rainy River CBC, and I have received several other reports of sightings from traditional Magpie locations in North-western Ontario so we have valid sightings of the species for the Ontario Winter List.
I have also received several reports of American Three-toed Woodpecker in response to my request, so thank you for those. An Osprey was posted to Ontbirds from the Minden area this week. That is a new species for the Ontario Winter List and brings our total to 195 species, a tie with last year' total. Dare we dream of a Blue-winged Teal, Common Eider, or Black-headed Gull to take us over the top? As a friend of mine said to me this week in quoting Goethe: "Be bold and might forces will come to your aid." Good birding. Todd Pepper Ontario Winter List Coordinator Leamington, Ontario [email protected] _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
