Recent snowfall, including 20 cm Wednesday over night and lingering cold temperatures have slowed the arrival of migrants.
New migrants this week include: 1 male Common Goldeneye was seen on the Opeongo Road on April 1, and 1 Fox Sparrow was seen at the Visitor Centre on April 2. BOREAL SPECIALTIES Spruce Grouse: A male was seen on Spruce Bog boardwalk, on the unofficial trail that begins near the guest registry on April 1 and again on April 5. Gray Jay: They continue to be seen at Spruce Bog Boardwalk and along Opeongo Road. Of course, with many females now incubating eggs, there are fewer Gray Jays out there to be observed. Boreal Chickadee: One individual reported up the Opeongo Road, near the fork to access the Cameron Lake road (near the gate) on April 3. DUCKS and GEESE In addition to the Goldeneye mentioned above, American Black Duck was seen at the intersection of Hwy 60 and Opeongo Road, A male Wood Duck, several Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Common Mergansers were seen on the Opeongo Road on April 1. SPARROWS A small number of American Tree Sparrows (up to 4), 1 Song Sparrow and up to 3 Dark-eyed Junco continue to be seen at the Visitor Centre. WINTER FINCHES Purple Finch: Up to 20 were seen at the Visitor Centre feeders this week. Common Redpoll: Several Common Redpolls were seen at the Visitor Centre this week, and reported from other locations along Highway 60. Pine Siskin: This continues to be the most numerous finch here. The total seen at the Visitor Centre feeders reached 90 on April 1, and several flocks getting grit along Highway 60 contained a total of 250 birds on the April 2. Evening Grosbeak: As many as 35 continued to come to the Visitor Centre. Please be very careful around waterways; ice conditions are extremely dangerous this time of year and the current can be very swift. Birders reporting records through eBird are encouraged to share their lists with the Algonquin Park Bird Records account (APPbirds). Good birding! David LeGros Algonquin Park Naturalist Algonquin Visitor Centre DIRECTIONS: Algonquin Provincial Park is three hours north of Toronto, via Highways 400, 11 and 60. Follow the signs which start in Toronto on Highway 400. >From Ottawa, take Highway 17 to Renfrew, then follow Highway 60 to the park. >Kilometre markers along Highway 60 in the Park go from the West Gate (km 0) to >near the East Gate (km 56). The Visitor Centre exhibits and restaurant at km 43 on Highway 60 are open on weekends from 9 am to 5 pm. On weekdays, there is access to the exhibits and limited services (including light snacks, coffee and other drinks) from 9 am to 4 pm. Your park permit and Information Guide (with a map of birding locations mentioned here) are available at the East Gate, West Gate and Visitor Centre. David LeGros, BSc., MSc. Natural Heritage Education Specialist/ Spécialiste du patrimoine naturel Algonquin Provincial Park / Parc Provincial Algonquin Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry / Ministère des Richesses naturelles P.O. Box 219 Whitney, ON K0J 2M0 613-637-2828 ext. 223 Twitter @Algonquin_PP Twitter _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
