Will any juvenile Northern Gannets be seen this fall in southern Ontario? This is the age class normally seen inland (inexperienced young are prone to wander) along the St Lawrence River, Ottawa River, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, etc. However, nesting success was very low this summer on Bonaventure Island in the Gulf of St Lawrence, which is probably one of the main sources of juvenile gannets seen here. Olivier Barden of Quebec City reported "Food was scarce due to high water temperatures, causing adults to travel far from the colonies, often leaving the young to die. Apparently, the mortality rate of young at the nest was over 90% this summer at Bonaventure Island." As of 17 October Olivier has seen no juvenile gannets near Quebec City. This could be the first in many years that no juvenile gannets are seen on Lake Ontario.
Adults: This age class is accidental inland. Olivier Barden wrote "Unusual numbers of adult gannets wandered deep into the St. Lawrence estuary starting in late summer. I saw 43 adults and subadults in freshwater on the south side of Orleans Island (near Quebec City) in mid-August." These observations fit with Dave Tetlow's sighting on 1 September of an adult Northern Gannet which flew west past Hamlin Beach State Park on Lake Ontario near Rochester, New York. Just recently on 13 October, Tony Shrimpton reported an adult gannet on eastern Lake Ontario flying south at Stoney Point in Jefferson County , New York. Both of these gannets were close to Ontario. For more information about gannets and other seabirds on Lake Ontario. http://www.jeaniron.ca/2009/LakeOntarioPelagicTrap.pdf Acknowledgement: I thank Olivier Barden of Quebec City for information on Northern Gannets in Quebec. Ron Pittaway Minden ON _______________________________________________ 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/
