Greetings Fellow Birders, Please find the Ontario Rare Bird Report for the week of January 16, 2026 below.
This weekly report provides information about bird sightings that are significant due to the species, the location and/or time of year of the sighting. Within these weekly reports, as much detail will be provided as possible regarding observations, including providing credit to the initial observer(s) and location details. Please use eBird to provide specific details as sightings are recorded. Note that species in all-caps are on the OBRC Review List (http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/obrc.guidelines). Amendments/corrections may be sent to [email protected]. I thank each of you for your patience for any inadvertent oversights. As always, respectful feedback is welcome! King Eider 18-Jan-26; Toronto - Tommy Thompson Park; Julia Zarankin *continuing bird; originally sighted by Brynn Murphy on 11-Dec-25 Barrow's Goldeneye 18-Jan-26; Durham - Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health/Lynde Shores CA (Whitby); Jason Smyrlis *continuing bird; originally sighted by Rick Lauzon on 3-Jan-26 Barrow's Goldeneye 20-Jan-26; Lambton - Guthrie Park (Corunna); Blake Mann WILLOW PTARMIGAN 22-Jan-26; Cochrane - Road 652; Michael Arthurs Virginia Rail 18-Jan-26; Waterloo - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area; Jason Lush *continuing bird; originally sighted by Joshua van der Meulen on 8-Dec-25 SLATY-BACKED GULL 17-Jan-26; Frontenac - Verona Landfill (restricted access); Anthony Kaduck/Richard Lott *continuing bird; originally sighted by Christine Hough on 11-Jan-26 Townsend's Solitaire 17-Jan-26; Halton - Rattlesnake Point CA (Milton); Jason Pizzey *continuing bird; originally sighted by Sarah Lamond/Jakub Vidimlic on 27-Dec-25 Harris's Sparrow 16-Jan-26; Oxford - East-Zorra-Tavistock; Elizabeth Spedaliere *continuing bird; originally sighted by Richard Skevington on 3-Dec-25 SPOTTED TOWHEE 18-Jan-26; Peel - Loafer's Lake Park (Brampton); Galina Szlapetis Dickcissel 17-Jan-26; Lambton - St. Clair; Mike Bouman Good Birding, Dan -- Report compiled by Dan Birkenbergs from a variety of sources, primarily eBird; most other sources 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 find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists. -- 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 find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
