Hello,
First of all I would like to thank the many participants of today's
trip, for a very enjoyable and memorable outing.
Approximately 40 birders were at Hutches at Van Wagner's Beach for the
8:am start. A couple of lucky birders who where early arrivals had the chance
to see a Parasitic Jaeger harass a D.c.Cormorant before most of us had arrived.
With fairly benign winds, the action at the beach was fairly slow, but
we managed to spot groups of White winged Scoters, Bonaparte's Gulls, three
Common Loons, a juvenile Bald Eagle, and a lake bound Merlin.
We then walked down the beach and at Baranger's, we crossed over to the
fields and ponds to the west of Van Wagner's Beach Road. There were many birds
to be found here, not all of them very co-operative for long looks however.Some
of the highlights were......Cooper's Hawk, Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker (many), Eastern Phoebe (many), Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged
Swallow, Barn Swallow, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Swainson's
Thrush, a late Veery, Palm Warbler, Ovenbird, Wilson's Warbler, Common
Yellowthroat, Chipping, Lincoln's, Field, White-crowned, White-throated and
Swamp sparrows, Winter Wren, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Great Egret.
After lunch we headed for Windermere Basin, where Red-tailed Hawks and
American Kestrels were hunting.
In the pond were.........Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead, Canvasback, Hooded Merganser and Pied-billed Grebe. The highlight
though was the Short-eared Owl that flushed from the side of the path and then
circled high above some obviously delighted birders.
Our last stop was to the grounds of Confederation Park A (the north
side). Some of the highlights here were... A close encounter with a hunting
juvenile Redtail, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Blackpoll, Nashville and Palm
Warblers, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood Pewee, and many more Hermit Thrushes and
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
Our final Tally was 86 species, not too bad, considering we saw
virtually no shorebirds.
Best regards..........T.
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