Ontario Rare Bird Alert for the week starting February 19, 2021 Species mentioned (all caps indicate species on the OBRC review list): Ross's Goose (Hamilton) Greater White-fronted Goose (Norfolk) King Eider (Hamilton/Halton, Toronto) Harlequin Duck (Middlesex, Toronto) Barrow's Goldeneye (Durham, Niagara) Eurasian Collared-Dove (Durham) Purple Sandpiper (Durham) Great Egret (Essex) Black Vulture (Niagara, Prince Edward) Gyrfalcon (Muskoka) Townsend's Solitaire (Leeds and Grenville, Muskoka)) Lark Sparrow (Ottawa) Harris's Sparrow (Elgin, Kawartha Lakes, Norfolk) SPOTTED TOWHEE (Middlesex) Yellow-headed Blackbird (Algoma) Western Meadowlark (Lambton, Thunder Bay)
Ross's Goose (Hamilton): The pair of juveniles continued at Bayfront Park. Greater White-fronted Goose (Norfolk): Four birds continued near Port Royal this week. King Eider (Hamilton/Halton): A young male continued at the Burlington Ship Canal. Up to Three birds were present off Stoney Creek. King Eider (Toronto): The female at Tommy Thompson Park continued this week. Harlequin Duck (Middlesex): The young male continued near the North London Athletic fields. Harlequin Duck (Toronto): A female was photographed at Cliff Lumsdon Park February 20 and another (or the same) was reported at Ontario Place February 25. Barrow's Goldeneye (Durham): A male was reported in Whitby February 19. Barrow's Goldeneye (Ottawa): A male was seen off Niagara-on-the-Lake February 21. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Durham): One bird was reported in Whitby February 19. Purple Sandpiper (Durham): One bird was at Frenchman's Bay February 20 and 21. Great Egret (Essex): One bird was at Tilbury Sewage Lagoons February 25. . Black Vulture (Niagara): Up to three birds were reported this week from Queenston. Black Vulture (Prince Edward): One bird continued in Picton this week. Gyrfalcon (Muskoka): A white morph was reported near Torrance February 25. Townsend's Solitaire (Leeds and Grenville): One bird was found near Escott near 1243 County Rd 2 on February 25. Townsend's Solitaire (Muskoka): The Huntsville bird was reported regularly this week along the Hunter's Bay Trail to at least February 21. Lark Sparrow (Ottawa): One bird is visiting feeders at 8735 McCaffrey Trail near Ashton. The homeowner (Brian Jeffery) is happy to share it with birders: park on the road and walk into his driveway. It comes with American Tree Sparrows to the wooden ramp at the back corner of the house where they put seed on the ground. Harris's Sparrow (Elgin): The bird reported previously in a hemp field at the east corner of Hawk Cliff Rd and Dexter Line (east of Port Stanley) continued this week. Harris's Sparrow (Kawartha Lakes): The Charlore Park Drive bird was seen again this week. Harris's Sparrow (Norfolk): The Port Dover bird was reported again this week. SPOTTED TOWHEE (Middlesex): The London bird was seen regularly all week. The feeders are located on private property but can be viewed from a public path located at the end of Killarney Road East, past the roundabout. Walking south on the path, the feeders are between the second and third row of condos visible from the path. When not on the desk feeding, it goes under the spruce trees close to the feeders. Yellow-headed Blackbird (Algoma): The male between Iron Bridge and Thessalon continued this week.. Western Meadowlark (Lambton): One bird, which had been found earlier, was seen west of Alvinston this week. See https://ebird.org/checklist/S82042051 Western Meadowlark (Thunder Bay): The Manitouwadge bird continued this week. Report compiled by Mike Burrell from a variety of sources, most of which are listed here: http://ofo.ca/site/content/ontario-hotlines-and-news -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To edit your membership settings visit the Birdnews setup page at: http://ontbirds.ca/mailman/listinfo/birdnews_ontbirds.ca. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
