This morning at sunrise, David Andrews, Linda McLaren and I were at the Great Egret roost in the Monticello portion of Luther Marsh. We arrived at the site before there was any departure activity at the roost. Over the span of less than 15 minutes, all egrets in the roost departed; we counted 41 birds leaving the roost. This year's roost site is located about 300-400 m south of the roost site used in 2008 in a similar area of dead trees, shrubs and standing water. Ontbirders may remember last year, in September, we counted over 250 egrets using this roost, making it probably the largest post-breeding roost of Great Egrets in Canada. We will continue to monitor the number of egrets using this site through September. We did not see any colour-banded egrets but Ontbirders are reminded that over 300 young Great Egrets were colour-banded locally this summer with red leg-bands with white characters. All egrets observed in southern Ontario should be examined with this in mind. Colour-bands may be on either leg and above or below (or both) the "knee" joint of the egrets. Please report any sighting of banded birds ...and their band characters....to me.
Directions: Take highway 401, 407 or any other roadway to highway 410 North near Brampton. Go left (west) at the north end of the 410 on Mayfield Road. Take it to highway 10, go right (north) on # 10. Continue north until you come to the south side of Orangeville, go left (west) on highway 109, which by-passes the main part of Orangeville, towards Arthur. On the west side of Orangeville, highway 109 forms a T with highway 9, go left (west). Continue west until you encounter highway 25; take it to the right (north) through Grand Valley. Watch the road signs carefully and go to Concession 8-9, go left (west). This road doglegs to the left and then right at the first intersection; stay on it until it forms a T with Sideroad 21-22, go right (north). Pass by a road on your left that is the main entrance to the Luther Marsh Conservation area, also go past a second gravel road on your left with a locked gate, go over a small bridge and at the top of a small rise will be a 3rd road on your left...it is a small dirt road leading into a stand of trees and is marked with signs indicating a baited area - no hunting. There is an unmowed but numbered parking area there...full of tall weeds now. Park there. Walk to the west, under a locked gate and across planted, fallowed and weed fields until you see, in the distance to the WSW, a bunch of dead trees.... with about 6-7 scattered heron nests in them. That is the roost area; egrets roost right in the vicinity of the Great Blue Heron nests. They are usually present for the last couple of hours of daylight in the evening and the first 20 minutes of daylight in the morning. DO NOT wade into the water...DO NOT attempt to flush the egrets.... DO NOT harass them in any way. Good Egreting ! Chip Weseloh _______________________________________________ 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/
