to continue my post....... A few COMMON LOONS remain on Kempenfelt Bay along with hundreds of RED-NECKED GREBES, but I could not locate the long-staying PACIFIC LOON.
The waterfront is in the City of Barrie, which is about an hour north of Toronto. There are birds at all of the usual vantage points around the west and south sides of Kempenfelt Bay of Lake Simcoe: Centennial Park, Heritage Park, City Marina, Tiffin St. boat launch, Minet's Point Park, South Shore Park (Barrie Canoe and Kayak Club) and Dock Road pier. I'll try to look for the potential Gyr again tomorrow and will report back once photos have been more closely studied. Burke Korol Barrie, ON ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Burke Korol <[email protected]> Date: 2 December 2017 at 17:17 Subject: Probable Gyrfalcon et al. in Barrie To: [email protected] I spent a few hours birding the waterfront in Barrie today and here are the highlights. Around 2:20 pm, a large falcon was seen chasing Ring-billed and Herring Gulls on the Centennial Park waterfront and it perched briefly at the City of Barrie Marina. I took some record shots, but later, another birder got some better shots of this bird as it stooped on a flying drone. The heavy body, large size, grayish upperparts and relatively broad wings suggest this was Gyrfalcon, rather than a (resident) Peregrine Falcon. The better photos cannot be studied until later tonight, but initial indications are that the photographed bird lacked the stronger 'sideburns' of a Peregrine. A short time later, we relocated the bird among the high-rises near the waterfront and got some better photos. The bird vocalized half a dozen times and the call was lower pitched and raspier than a typical Peregrine call. Still later, good shots of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon were taken in the same area, so we suspect both species were present. Other highlights included a SNOWY OWL (on private property) and two adult BALD EAGLES at Minet't Point Park. A few COMMON LOONS Burke Korol Barrie, ON _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
