There has not been a followup posting because there was not much to report. Unlike the normal movement of a large number of Snow Geese (50,0000+) concentrated in a couple of key spots, the birds changed their strategy and fooled us all.
Here is where things stand: Sod farm east of Casselman along Hwy 138. No reports. Moose Creek lagoons - About 1,500 Winchester lagoons - Varies but about 5,000 last reported Russell area - Possibly 20,000 this week Embrun - Unknown but several thousand at least The birds usually move from the lagoons to corn fields twice daily and may travel a number of kilometres from the water to their fields of choice. If they are not at the lagoons then they are dining out. Checking the lagoons from mid to late morning to mid afternoon can be promising. They would likely be on or near the water very early as well. They will tolerate snow on the fields as long as it isn't too deep. Cold is not as big an issue. Once the lagoons freeze over, most will move on but some could remain on the St. Lawrence west of Long Sault or the Ottawa River up to Voyageur Provincial Park. I don't know of any that are doing this now. Along the St. Lawrence River there are small to large concentrations of ducks, mainly divers. East of the causeway at Long Sault there are Goldeneye, mergansers and a few scoters, usually White-winged. Late in the day, usually from 3:30 until dusk at this time of year, scattered flocks from other areas will gather in this location with up to a couple of hundred Common Goldeneyes and the same number of Red-breasted Mergansers. There are currently more Red-breasted than Common Mergs. A male Barrow's Goldeneye has been frequenting the area for a couple of weeks. Up to a couple of hundred Common Goldeneyes and Hooded Mergansers are in the area of Hoople Creek. Finally, the largest flock of divers can be found west of the Ault Island causeway west of Ingleside. There are easily 6-7,000 present and maybe more. The majority are Ring-necked Ducks, a good number of Redheads, possibly a very few American Wigeon mixed in and a couple of scoters. A male Canvasback was present a week ago. The best viewing is on overcast days or in the morning. From mid to late afternoon on sunny days the birds are silhouettes. Except for Mallards and some Blacks there are few dabblers left. *The Long Sault Parkway is now closed to vehicles until some time in April*. Brian Morin -- 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.
