Hi Ontbirders,
This morning at 0611 AM, while checking for roosting egrets from Hamilton's High Level Bridge, I observed 2 Great Egrets roosting on Hickory Island, the small island on the north side of Cootes Paradise and about a half km to the west of the bridge. At 0615, 16 minutes before the predicted sunrise (0631), both egrets left the island and flew off to the west...deeper into Coots Paradise. There were also about 40 cormorants on the island. There were no egrets at their usual autumn roost site, visible from the other side of the bridge, at the wooded slopes west of Woodlawn Cemetery and just north of Carroll's Pt. This evening at the HL Bridge looking at Hickory Island, one egret was visible on the island already when I arrived at 8:07 PM. A 2nd egret arrived at the island at 8:14. Again, there were no egrets on the other side of the bridge near Carroll's Pt. Both egrets were still on Hickory Island when I left at 819.....12 minutes after sunset. Roosting activity of egrets is much more difficult to observe and document in the spring than it is in the late summer/autumn.....because, in theory, the egrets do not linger very much en route to their breeding colonies. I do not know when these two egrets started roosting at Hickory Island. But there are several reports of single egrets on eBird for the Hamilton area on 13, 14 and 15 April (which probably includes several repeat reports) and one report of 3 birds on the 15th. The two birds seen this morning were probably the same two as seen tonight.....hence, they did not leave the Hamilton area, en route to a breeding colony, today. This is the first roosting I have observed or heard of this spring. I would like to ask the many Ontbirders who have reported egret roosting activity to me in the summer/autumn to check those roost sites over this long week-end and let me know if any of them are currently active. Evening, around sunset or just after that, is the best single time to check. I am also looking for someone to keep tabs on the Hickory island roost over the next couple of weeks. Please contact me personally. Directions: From Burlington, take Hwy 403 towards Hamilton, get off the 403 at the York Blvd exit, within a couple hundred metres you will cross over the High Level Bridge. There is a pull-off, on the right, just after he bridge. Park there and walk back to the bridge, west side, where you can scan Cootes Paradise and see Hickory Island on the north (right) side. Carroll's Point and the adjacent shoreline is viewed from the opposite side of the bridge. Cheers, Chip _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
