I spent from 8:00 to 11:00 am doing most the trails and marsh area. The
morning was fairly quiet with some loose pockets of migrants. On my way back
to where I parked (corner of Watersedge Road and Old Poplar Row) the stretch of
woodland and small marsh just east of parking area were teaming with birds, all
singing and frantically feeding. Between 10:00 and 11:00 the temperature rose
suddenly and humidity increased. 90% of warblers I saw in the 3-hour visit
were seen in this area in last hour. Sixteen species of Warbler: Yellow-rumped
Warbler: 158: Yellow Warbler: 33; Chestnut-side Warbler: 25; American Redstart:
25; Nashville Warbler: 15; Northern Parula: 8; Palm Warbler: 8; Common
Yellowthroat: 5; Black-throated Blue Warbler: 5; Blackburnian Warbler: 5;
Magnolia Warbler: 3; Canada Warbler: 2; singles of Orange-crown,
Black-and-White, Ovenbird and Black-throated Green. Among the warblers there at
least dozen House Wrens but only a small number of Red-eye and Warbling Vireo
and 1 Philadelphia Vireo. No Bay-breasted, Mourning, Wilson's or Blackpoll
Warblers.
Clearly these came in from south and for some reason were ground as the low
pressure system started to move in late this morning with rain forecast for
tonight. This habitat is not typical Yellow Warbler nesting habitat so most or
all of these were likely migrants. Also relative large numbers of
White-throated Sparrow (25+) with no White-crowns among them.
This is just one more indication there is yet at least one more wave of
warblers and other passerines to pass through ... perhaps in next few days.
Directions (this is for the parking area on the east side of the Rattray Marsh
Conservation area near where I found above concentration of birds): south on
Meadow Wood Road off Lakeshore Boulevard West (just east of Clarkson and Erin
Mills Parkway). Veer left on Bob-O-Link then left on to Old Poplar Row which
dead ends at a small parking area (where it intersects Wateredge Road). There
are trail maps available on the Credit Valley Conservation's web site for the
Rattray Marsh Conservation area.
Wayne Renaud (289-828-0043)
_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
Send bird reports to [email protected]
For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
