Ontario Rare Bird Alert for the week starting January 28, 2022 Species mentioned (all caps indicate species on the OBRC review list): Harlequin Duck (Algoma, Lambton, THUNDER BAY, Toronto) Barrow's Goldeneye (Durham, Lambton, Lanark, Ottawa) RAZORBILL (Niagara) SLATY-BACKED GULL (Niagara) GREAT CORMORANT (Niagara) Black Vulture (Niagara) MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (Wellington) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Toronto, Waterloo) Harris's Sparrow (Hamilton, Prescott and Russell) Indigo Bunting (Bruce)
Details: I have tried to indicate the finder, where known. My apologies to those who I have left out. Harlequin Duck (Algoma): The female in Sault Ste. Marie was reported January 28 by Stan and Alexander Phippen and on January 31 by Trent Massey. Harlequin Duck (Lambton): Mike Bouman photographed a bird at Cathcart Park in Sombra on January 31, presumably the same bird seen at various places the last couple of weeks along the river. Harlequin Duck (THUNDER BAY): Pegg and Mark Campbell had one bird in Terrace Bay January 29. Harlequin Duck (Toronto): The continuing bird around Ontario Place/Marilyn Bell Park continued to at least January 31. Barrow's Goldeneye (Durham): Chris Escott reported the male in Whitby on January 30. Barrow's Goldeneye (Lambton): Matt Parsons and James Holdsworth found a male at Guthrie Park in Corunna on January 30 that was seen by several others the same day. Barrow's Goldeneye (Lanark): The bird found by Iain Wilkes last week at Centennial Park in Carleton Place was reported by several observers this week to at least February 1. Barrow's Goldeneye (Ottawa): Mark Patry reported a male from Bate Island on February 2. RAZORBILL (Niagara): One bird was seen again this week, off Niagara-on-the-Lake to at least January 30. SLATY-BACKED GULL (Niagara): The bird found by Ryan Grifiths fon January 27 on the Welland Canal north of the Glendale Avenue bridge was reported again on January 28 and 31. GREAT CORMORANT (Niagara): One bird was found on the American side of the river across from Fort Erie and was viewed from the Canadian side by Marcie Jacklin on February 2. Black Vulture (Niagara): Up to 6 birds were reported from Queenston this week. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (Wellington): The bird found several weeks ago remained at the Powerline Trail area to at least February 1. GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Toronto): The Scarborough Golden-crowned Sparrow found by Karl Konze continued this week. GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Waterloo): Georg Hentsch's bird at his feeders on Bannister Lake was enjoyed by many happy birders again this week. Harris's Sparrow (Hamilton): The Inksetter Rd bird continued this week. Harris's Sparrow (Prescott and Russell): The bird at 1696 Vankleek Hill Rd remained all week. The owner reports that "Birders welcome btwn 9am-noon in the front yard. The bird is very skittish and often hides in the spruce tree or birch before feeding on the ground with the juncos, etc. The feeder is visible from the street and front yard beside the driveway. High traffic county road, be safe." Indigo Bunting (Bruce): The bird visiting feeders in Kincardine was reported again this week. Report compiled by Mike Burrell from a variety of sources, primarily eBird; most other sources are listed here: http://ofo.ca/site/content/ontario-hotlines-and-news Mike Burrell -- 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 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.
