Best bird this week was a Golden Eagle observed by Craig Corcoran; it was observed over Hwy. 27 and 15th Concession on Tuesday (Nobleton area). Two Bald Eagles were seen by Lorena Campbell along Lake Drive south of Jackson's Point on Wednesday and I observed another one (sub-adult) today over Cook's Bay in SW Keswick.
Along Ravenshoe Road (also in SW Keswick) I had three Snowy Owls around noon today, one on the north side of Ravenshoe near Best Asia Farms and two others on the east side of Yonge Street, all of them well out in the fields and best seen through a spotting scope. Also present there were one Northern Shrike, a light morph Rough-legged Hawk (my first of the winter season in York), and a flock of 19 Snow Buntings. Another Snowy Owl continues to be seen in the Holland Marsh vegetable fields south of Bradford and just east of Hwy. 400. It is an adult male with minimal markings whereas all three of the Keswick birds are fairly heavily marked immature/female types. Also present in the vegetable fields are at least four wintering White-crowned Sparrows; Mike Van den Tillaart and I had them along Devald Road on Saturday while Hendrik Hart has observed some along nearby Strawberry Lane. I am not sure if they are the same birds or two separate groups. A flock of 30 Pine Siskins was observed Saturday at the Cawthra Mulock nature reserve in NW Newmarket. Just north of Newmarket and east of Holland Landing an immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has been visiting Sylvia Bowman's feeder along 2nd Concession near Rogers Reservoir. The American Coot (unusual here in winter) found by Kevin Shackleton on Saturday was present in the semi-frozen pond behind Silver City in Newmarket yesterday both before and after a viewing of Sherlock Holmes. Ron Fleming, Newmarket _______________________________________________ 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/
