Posted with permission of the Ontbirds coordinator.
Birders: Although it doesn't feel like spring has really arrived to stay, the Blenheim Sewage Lagoons have been ice-free for awhile now, and there is a good smattering of waterbirds present most of the time. It is hopefully just a short time before the shorebirds show up to use them as well. I have confirmed with municipal staff that these sewage lagoons are accessible for 2019. At least one member of your party must have a 2019 permit in order to access the premises. As in the past, it is free. The two best ways to obtain a permit are as follows: 1. Send an email requesting a permit to cki...@chatham-kent.ca, with Blenheim Sewage Lagoon permit in the subject heading. Someone from the municipality looking after this email address will send you a blank permit which you will have to complete and then return a signed copy to the municipality. It is preferable to do this several days in advance of your expected visit, especially ahead of weekends and holidays. 2. If you are at Rondeau Provincial Park and decide you want a sewage lagoon permit, the staff at the Visitor Centre are able to provide you with one on behalf of the municipality. This, of course, will only work when the Visitor Centre is open. Beginning in April, the Visitor Centre will be open for limited hours on weekends. Beginning in May, it will be open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily for the Festival of Flight. Additional points: -For anyone who has had a permit in the past, you will note upon arrival at the sewage lagoon entrance gate that there is a new lock. It works well, but please be advised that instead of lining up the correct numbers in the middle of the lock window as before, the line is now at the upper part of the window. -When you go inside the lagoon area, be sure to close the gate and lock after you enter, as well as, of course after you leave the lagoons. Local birders have all too frequently arrived at the lagoons only to find the gate unlocked, occasionally even open, and no one around. On other occasions we have found people wandering around inside, without a permit. All birders are fortunate to have these lagoons available, and it is only if all birders practice responsibility in keeping the lagoons secure that we can be assured they will be available in the future. -Please park only on the side of the road next to the lagoons. At times the road gets busy, and may include farm machinery some of which can be wide, so parking only on the one side will alleviate any problems. Good birding! Allen Woodliffe Chatham Blog: https://pawsnaturenuggets.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
