Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Eastern Ontario Reports => Topic started by: beresford on December 03, 2010, 03:14:42 PM

Title: Some great birds between Cranberry and Second Marsh- Dec. 2
Post by: beresford on December 03, 2010, 03:14:42 PM

I went out at dawn, on the second, hoping for some great spots and I was in luck. The birds were very co-operative.

At Cranberry:

19 american coots
1 adult 1 juvie greater black-backed gull

At Thickson Woods:

1 m red-breasted nuthatch
1 f red-bellied woodpecker
1 brown creeper
4m 6 N. cardinals
1 RTH
1 kestrel
1 pine siskin- at a feeder
3 robins
1 white-throated sparrow
2 white breasted nuthatch

At Second Marsh:

5 golden crowned kinglets
1 N. mockingbird
2 m cardinals
6 trumpeter swans
1 sharp-shinned hawk
1m 1f gadwall
1 N. goshawk- a large juvenile female- I was admiring the two gadwall when abruptly they spotted me and began to flee but a large shadow swooped out of nowhere and they dropped to the water, the Goshawk wheeled and flew directly at me, I spotted the white eyebrow and could tell as it flew past, maybe six feet overhead, that it was much larger than the males that buzzed a group of us at Cranberry earlier in the fall. These birds never seems to pass up an opportunity to buzz past, almost like it enjoys showing its ferocity, its utter fearlessness. An awesome surprise. Enjoyed watching it fly away too...

On a section of the waterfront trail, between Holt and Waverley on S. Service rd. :

1 rusty blackbird
1 red-winged blackbird
what I believe was a sizeable flock of bohemian waxwings (30-40) that circled twice while I prayed for them to land
1 f downy wodpecker
5m 3f N. cardinals
2 RTH


All tolled I spotted 44 species... an awesome start to December.

Happy birding!

-Tim-

Title:
Post by: beresford on December 08, 2010, 03:39:21 PM

Some unusual spots this week... (4th-7th) at least for December in and around Bowmanville.

At Long Sault:

14 wild turkeys
11 snow buntings
1 f cardinal

On the waterfront trail:

1 m merlin
1 song sparrow

West Side Marsh:

1 dc cormorant
1 GBH
1 N. Harrier
3 red-tailed hawks
1 f hooded merganser
6 american coots

Bowmanville Valley

1 sharp-shin
2 robins
6 gc kinglets
4m 1 f cardinal

Happy birding!

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Post by: beresford on December 10, 2010, 05:19:57 PM

Today in Solina (Dec. 10), I spotted an adult bald eagle soaring to the NE towards Enniskillen. Later on Conlin Rd. just outside of town I had a wonderful close-up of a large juvenile rough-legged hawk for over a minute as it hovered over a filed right nect to the road.

Later at Long Sault I spotted:

1 m hairy woodpecker
1 f red-breasted nuthatch
1 golden crowned kinglet
2 RTH

Yesterday (Dec. 9) I went to Thickson Woods and Cranberry just after dawn. The highlights included:

At Cranberry:

3 red-winged blackbirds
1 snow goose
5 trumpeter swans
1 downy woodpecker
2 white throated sparrows
1 song sparrow
1 f cardinal
4 common redpolls- flew past relatively low in the sky towards the west, first I've seen since late fall 2008

At Thickson's:

1m 1f red breasted nuthatch
2 white breatsed nuthatches
1 N. mockingbird
4m 1f N. cardinal
2 pine siskins
5m 3f house finches

A great start to winter!!

Happy birding!

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Post by: Moira on December 10, 2010, 06:53:22 PM

Great sightings.  I've never seen a pine siskin.  I'll have to check out Thickson Woods.

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Post by: beresford on December 11, 2010, 01:50:14 PM

Thanks Moira... I find the feeders at the edge of the woods and at some of the nearby cottages are the best place to look for the siskins...

Good luck Moira and happy birding!