Good afternoon. Last night Ian Cannell picked Margaret Liubavicius and myself up for Ian and my annual Owl hunt and though a long night and morning (midnightish to 11:00 a.m.) we did quite well and in fact we set a new personal record for Screech Owls and total Owls down there.
The areas we did check were not the total area bounded by the places noted in the directions but what we could do in the amount of time we were there. Screech Owls – 42 and total Owls 47 including Snowy, Great Horned and Short-eared Owls. Other good birds were 6 bald Eagles (all we could find as they were not in the usual places), Red Tailed Hawks – 24 (and 31 more along Hwy 407 on the way home), Rough-legged Hawks, A. Kestrel and N. Harrier. We also found 7 E. Bluebirds as well as a small flock of Pine Siskins and our first A. Pipit of the year. Probably the key to our success with the owls owed a lot of the relatively calm wind and clear night. DIRECTIONS:- HAGERSVILLE / CAYUGA / NANTICOKE AREAS. This is and area of roads, fields and woodlots bounded by Hagersville, Nanticoke, Sweets Corners and Cayuga. To reach Hagersville exit Highway 403 south of Hamilton and follow Highway 6 past Caledonia and after reaching Hagersville drive the roads in the above area stopping to check fields, etc. along the way. Remember that all of or almost all of the land here is private and when stopping try to pull as far off the road as is safe so as not to block the road. PS – I no longer give actual locations of Owls found due to harassment of them by some persons. Norm Murr 303-48 Laverock Ave. Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 4J5 _______________________________________________ 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/
