Good evening Ontario birding community! I am pleased to report that a few of us watched the Tufted Duck off of St Lawrence Park in Port Credit through the afternoon until about 5:15 when the light became too dim to identify the ducks anymore. It will very likely be found at or near this location again tomorrow morning. A telescope is a near must for searching through these groups of many hundreds of Greater Scaup, Goldeneye, Mallards, etc. at least a few hundred metres away.
St. Lawrence Park is on St. Lawrence Dr, southeast of the intersection of Hurontario St. and Lakeshore Rd E in Port Credit, Mississauga. There are viewing access points slightly east of this spot from the ends of Elmwood Ave S and Oakwood Ave S, the next two streets along Lakeshore Rd E. Good luck to anyone hoping to cross paths with it tomorrow! One more big year progress update and request for help below, for anyone who is still interested... Jere This is one last request for help, and another thank you for all the support and cheering that so many of you great folks have thrown my way all year! I have had to rework this email a little bit because I am no longer starving for Tufted Duck, a species that many would say I irrationally expected to cross paths with this year. In short, the year bird stream has dried up a bit since breaking the record with Northern Gannet in late November, no doubt largely due to the beginning of winter weather and the fact that there are so few likely species remaining to list. Two species that I have considered almost guaranteed for the year are Purple Sandpiper and Gyrfalcon, both still very likely for the entire month of December, primarily on the coasts of the Great Lakes. If you come across or hear of any sightings of either Purple Sandpiper or Gyrfalcon, could you please get in touch with me or one of my close friends as soon as possible? If having a hard time deciding where or what to bird, why not consider searching for those species! ;) I am always open to new contributions toward Team Ontario Big Year 2017, as I've come to call this super humbling team effort from friends all across the province. Also, I would be crazy to not specifically mention my good friend Tim Arthur for being around as great company and a second set of sharp eyes for nearly the entire year. Tim is looking at high 320s or even 330+ for possibly Ontario's fifth highest big year ever if he can catch up with a handful of northern targets! If anyone catches wind of a Barred, Boreal, Great Gray, or Hawk Owl, or a Goshawk currently or very recently perched in a reliable spot (not just a reliable general location - he has been checking many), please could you get in touch with Tim or me? Thank you! All that mushy stuff that I like to go on about, for anyone interested in some light reading... Tomorrow night marks two full weeks remaining in 2017, and with that it marks two weeks to go in this totally insane provincial Big Year. My (our) efforts have broken Ontario's record of 343 species held by Josh Vandermeulen in 2012, who broke Glenn Coady's record of 338 in 1996, who from what I gather, broke the 1981 record of 320, set by my number one mentor, the late Alan Wormington. All three of these guys are great mentors to me and I cannot express enough gratitude to them especially, and all of Ontario's pioneers of birding for inspiring the birding community and paving the way for my shot at it this year. I also could not have done this to such an extent if not for the unconditional love and (often blind) support shown by so many friends, family members, acquaintances, and every 'fan' who has been cheering me on too. I owe special mention to Bruce DiLabio, Michael Biro, David Pryor, and a whole gang of close friends for being ready to take any phone call at any time of day, for suggesting answers to absolutely any birding or social dilemma I have faced, and for tirelessly searching for 'big year birds'. This has been so much more than a big year and to those who have been asking or wondering, I promise to write about it, at least in blogs and/or Facebook posts once the year finishes, between Ontario tour guiding that I am especially looking forward to, field work, and all the other 'normal' stuff that was put on hold for this year. Why stop at a personal achievement when I can use this momentum to motivate the community and inspire young people to join in?? That is the real long-term mission. I hope for the opportunity for a couple more species for my year list, but if this is it then I am happy too. (I guess I typed this too soon - this afternoon added one more!!) Thanks again, and please, if you see me out on the trails next year and you want to say hi, ask questions, etc., go for it! I apologize if I ever forget to reply to emails or do not recognize an acquaintance in my variably tired state. It has been a pretty crazy ride and I am so grateful for the unconditional positivity shown by this community toward this journey. Good luck this winter! Jere Jeremy Bensette - Leamington, ON I'm doing an Ontario Big Year in 2017! Record broken and still going hard! I'd love help getting PUSA and GYRF. Thanks so much for the support this year. _______________________________________________ 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
