Ontario Rare Bird Alert for the week starting March 18, 2022 Species mentioned (all caps indicate species on the OBRC review list): Eurasian Wigeon (Chatham-Kent, Essex) TUFTED DUCK (Leeds and Grenville) King Eider (Hamilton, Toronto) Harlequin Duck (Durham, Halton, Toronto) Barrow's Goldeneye (Grey, Leeds and Grenville, Ottawa) Eurasian Collared-Dove (Chatham-Kent) Black Vulture (Essex, Niagara) Townsend's Solitaire (Simcoe) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Toronto, Waterloo) Harris's Sparrow (Prescott and Russell)
Details: I have tried to indicate the finder, where known. My apologies to those who I have left out. Eurasian Wigeon (Chatham-Kent): Steve Charbonneau found a male in the bay off of Rondeau Provincial Park on March 21. Eurasian Wigeon (Essex): Blake Mann found a male at Hillman Marsh on March 20. TUFTED DUCK (Leeds and Grenville): Erwin Batalla found a male off Gananoque March 21 and it has been seen by many each day through March 24. King Eider (Hamilton): A female was present all week in Stoney Creek in the vicinity of Grays Road and Sayer's Park and was joined by a young male at least on March 19. King Eider (Toronto): A female was at the lighthouse at Tommy Thompson Park March 18. Harlequin Duck (Durham): After an absence of much of the winter, Sam Cameron reported an adult male off Thickson's Point March 18 where it was reported by others to at least March 22. Harlequin Duck (Halton): Markus Legzdins photographed a female type bird off Paletta Park on March 21 where Rich Poort reported it again March 22. Harlequin Duck (Toronto): A young male was reported from the Beaches on March 24. Barrow's Goldeneye (Grey): The continuing male was reported from Owen Sound harbour March 19 and 22. Barrow's Goldeneye (Leeds and Grenville): Jon Ruddy Found a male at Browns Bay on March 24. Barrow's Goldeneye (Ottawa): Up to two males were reported this week along the Rideau River near Strathcona Park. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Chatham-Kent): The Shrewsbury bird, found a couple of weeks ago by Steve Charbonneau, was reported on March 21-23 this week. Black Vulture (Essex): Andrew Wiebe found one flying over Point Pelee on March 20 which was seen by several other observers. Black Vulture (Niagara): Three birds were photographed by Brock University on March 18 and three were also seen this week in Queenston. Townsend's Solitaire (Simcoe): The bird found by John Challis in his backyard along Green River Drive in Washago was seen by many observers again this week to at least March 23. 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 (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." 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.
