Greetings Fellow Birders, My name is Dan Birkenbergs and starting with this report, I will be providing the weekly Ontario Rare Bird report through the OntBirds server moving forward. I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank Mike Burrell for the time and energy he has dedicated to this report over the years. I have also greatly appreciated the mentorship he has provided to me as I prepared to take over this task.
As Mike has done, I will endeavour to ensure I provide as much detail as possible regarding sightings, including providing credit to the initial observer(s) and location details. Please use eBird to provide specific details as sightings are recorded. Amendments/corrections may be sent to dbirkenbergs.birdrepo...@gmail.com. I thank each of you for your patience for any inadvertent oversights. Please find the Ontario Rare Bird Alert for the week of December 20, 2024 below. BARNACLE GOOSE 21-Dec-24; Halton - Tannery Park (Oakville); Christine Reb King Eider 23-Dec-24; Hamilton - Sayer's Park (Stoney Creek); Rowan Keunen/Liam Thorne King Eider 24-Dec-24; Toronto - Toronto Islands; Owen Strickland King Eider 25-Dec-24; Manitoulin - Gore Bay; Mike Van Norman King Eider 25-Dec-24; Toronto - Tommy Thompson Park; Raspberry Yow-Fairs Harlequin Duck 25-Dec-24; Lambton - Cow Creek Groyne (Bright's Grove); Stephen Taylor Harlequin Duck 26-Dec-24; Peel - RK McMillan Park (Mississauga); Jamie Nuqui Harlequin Duck 26-Dec-24; Toronto - The Beach; Noam Markus Harlequin Duck 26-Dec-24; Toronto - Tommy Thompson Park; Meredith Swartwout Barrow's Goldeneye 21-Dec-24; Durham - Lynde Creek (Whitby); Sara Thompson-Hall/Stu Hall Barrow's Goldeneye 22-Dec-24; Grey - Kelso Beach Park (Owen Sound); A. Nicholson Barrow's Goldeneye 26-Dec-24; Leeds & Grenville - Kellys Bay Park (Prescott); Nat Vermeulen Dunlin 24-Dec-24; Durham - McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve; Sarah Dobney/Mark Dorriesfield *continuing birds Purple Sandpiper 24-Dec-24; Toronto - Tommy Thompson Park; Paul Prior Black-legged Kittiwake 23-Dec-24; Essex - Amherstburg; Kevin Linfield/Robert Linfield Pacific Loon 23-Dec-24; Halton - Lasalle Park (Burlington); Bob Curry Pacific Loon 24-Dec-24; Hamilton- Royal Hamilton Yacht Club Harbour; Richard Poort *continuing bird; originally sighted by Mourad Jabra on Dec. 8 Osprey 25-Dec-24; Durham - Personal location; Patricia Dykeman Belted Kingfisher 25-Dec-24; Algoma - Camp Sand Bay (Goulais River); Ken McIlwrick Belted Kingfisher 24-Dec-24; Nipissing - Kaibuskong Park; Garry Waldram White-eyed Vireo 24-Dec-24; Toronto - Corinth Gardens; Jeff Daley Townsend's Solitaire 24-Dec-24; Simcoe - Tiny Beaches Road (Tiny Township); Meredith Swartwout *continuing bird; originally sighted by Chris Evans/Ian Cook at D'oust Bay on December 14 Varied Thrush 20-Dec-24; Thunder Bay - Red Rock Landfill; Pegg & Mark Campbell *continuing bird; originally sighted during CBC on December 14 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 20-Dec-24; Waterloo - Bannister Lake; Georg Hentsch Harris's Sparrow 21-Dec-24; Durham - HASP Stakeout; Matthew de Verteuil *continuing bird; originally sighted by Doug Apperson on December 13 Yellow-headed Blackbird 22-Dec-24; Essex - Agris Co-op; Mike St. Pierre Baltimore Oriole 21-Dec-24; Ottawa - Personal location; Li-Shien Lee *continuing bird; originally sighted by Li-Shien Lee Ovenbird 21-Dec-24; Middlesex - Bruce Street (London); Suzanne Frank *continuing bird; originally sighted in a London backyard Ovenbird 24-Dec-24; Wellington - Wilton Road; Colin Gerber Orange-crowned Warbler 21-Dec-24; Chatam-Kent - Craford Cemetery; James Burk Orange-crowned Warbler 21-Dec-24; Toronto - Colonel Samuel Smith Park; Chris Boccia/Meredith Swartwout *continuing bird; originally sighted on December 8 American Redstart 20-Dec-24; Halton - Joshua's Valley Treatment Plant; Jim Watt Northern Parula 21-Dec-24; Halton - Sedgewick Forest Park (Oakville); Mourad Jabra *continuing bird Yellow Warbler 21-Dec-24; Toronto - Toronto Islands; Owen Strickland Pine Warbler 20-Dec-24; Ottawa - Kilborn & Blossom; Ivars Kops Pine Warbler 26-Dec-24; Chatam-Kent - Marsh Trail (Rondeau PP); Steve Charbonneau Rose-breasted Grosbeak 23-Dec-24; Haldimand - Sandy Bay Road; Cat Graydon Good Birding, Dan -- 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: birdnews@ontbirds.ca. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at birdn...@ofo.ca. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
