Today Ian Cannell, Zoe Brocklehurst and I birded the Currie Tract and along the 4th Sideroad and though there were not a large number of birds active in the fog we did come up with some nice birds.
Currie Tract – 3 in your face male Mourning Warblers, 5 male Blue-winged Warblers, 1 Brewster’s Warbler (1st generation adult male), 3 Yellow-billed and 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, Ruffed Grouse, Towhees, Field Sparrows, Indigo Buntings , Swainson’s Thrushes, singing Wood Thrushes and Veerys along with a good assortment of other birds. 4th Sideroad – about 200 yards beyond 10th Sideroad there is a small marsh on both sides of the road – Pine and Blackpoll Warblers, 2 Yellow-throated Vireos and Wood Duck. Also here were many Green Frogs, Brown morph and Green morph Leopard Frogs and Gray Treefrogs as well as a large Northern Watersnake. We also had a Red-bellied Woodpecker along 10th Sideroad as we drove to 4th Sideroad. All in all a nice place to fill in those birds missed so far. Not many bugs today but as the temperature rises this are will be Mosquito City. PS – We also stopped off briefly at Colonel Sam Smith Park at the foot of Kipling Ave. in Etobicoke and as we arrived at the southern parking lot a Black-billed Cuckoo flew over and landed across the road affording us great views of this bird for over 5 minutes. Norm Murr Richmond Hill, Ontario Directions: CURRIE TRACT and TURNER TRACT CURRIE TRACT Exit Hwy 401 at Guelph Line ( Exit 312 ) ( at Campbellville ) and drive north just past the second entrance into the Mohawk Raceway and you will see a small road on your right (Green Postal Sign #9475), turn in here and you will come to a small parking lot about 200 yards from the entrance. This is the start of the trail system. Be sure to put anything you re not taking with you out of sight in the trunk or under the seat if possible. The trails here regretfully are now being used by trail bikers. TURNER TRACT ( Including 4th Sideroad) Continue north on Guelph Line to 10th Sideroad and turn right ( west ) on 10th and the area on your right becomes the Turner Tract. Drive and listen all along this road to the 90 degree left turn onto 4th Line Nassagawaya. The main trail entrance is on your right at this corner. You can also drive north along 4th Line a short distance and there is another trail system on your right. Be aware that these trails are heavily used by trail bikers. _______________________________________________ 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/
