This afternoon 14 birders chartered a boat for a pelagic cruise of the west end of Lake Ontario. We left Bronte Harbour and sailed across the lake into a strong wind towards Fifty Point then circled around the shore in the shelter of land back to Bronte. The cross lake leg was mostly devoid of gulls and the few we saw showed little interest in our chum. However it was in this zone that we had our two best birds. The first was thought by some to be a dark immature Long-tailed Jaeger however other opinions were voiced. Not long after we had spectacular views of an pale adult Parasitic Jaeger. Along the south shore we saw some White-winged Scoters and other ducks. Several loons presumed to be Common Loons were seen. Off Burlington Beach we crashed a Ring-billed Gull party and persuaded them to come with us back to Bronte with the gift of popcorn. Two birders briefly saw a Sabines Gulls among the Ring-billed Gulls but sadly I was not one of them even though I was flanked by the two who did.
Logistics: The boat was Veterans Dream, a Grand Banks 42 Classic with a full walk around deck. She suited our needs admirably. More information is available at www.boomerssportingadventures.com Guy Smith was our captain for the afternoon. He normally does fishing charters but was quite happy to meet our peculiar needs. This year his season will end at the beginning of October but he normally goes to the end of that month. Thanks are owed to Cheryl Edgecombe who encouraged me to make the booking. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Gavin Edmondstone Oakville, Ontario _______________________________________________ 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/
