Rattray Marsh Sightings

[JimmyM]

It was a gorgeous day for birding at Rattray Marsh in Clarkson . Sunny, warm temp. with cool breezes off Lake Ontario .
Saw many birds ;
- belted kingfisher (m), goldfinches, many chickadees, crows, 2 red winged blackbirds, 1 grackle ( usually lots of blackbirds - migrating already ?) , robins  
- 2 turkey vultures
- lots of red-necked grebes and gulls on the Lake
- 6 great blue herons, 1 great egret , lots of mallards plus a female with 6-8 very young,
- spotted sandpipers , many killdeer
- many caspian and common terns - when seem together the difference is very noticeable with the caspian being much larger , the flight is more like a seagulls ( the common more like a swallow's), and the call is a loud harsh sceam
Heard many bird calls but I can only recognize those of only the most common birds . I would appreciate it if someone could please recommend a CD . I have the Cornell Lab 250 Bird Songs but find it a little cumbersome .
Thanks ,
Jim

[Bird Brain]

Great sightings Jim!  

Have you been seeing the bald male Red-winged Blackbirds at Rattray Marsh?  It started out with one sighting up here, now there are at least a dozen or more!

[JimmyM]

I saw very few RWBB's and those had full head feathers . A bald grackle though is visiting my backyard feeder - he looks like a minature vulture .

[JimmyM]

Hi  Jo-Anne,
How are you ?
Thanks for your responses.
I was having too many RWBB's and grackles at my backyard feeder so I switched over for about 2 weeks to safflower seeds which the blackbirds will not take - but house finches , cardinals , chickadees and doves take readily . I guess the blackbirds are feeding elsewhere now even though I've gone back to mixed seed.  
A plus to my Rattray birding trip was seeing 3 young deer feeding behind the PetroCan fencing along Orr Rd. We see the adults and young quite often - Petro employees probably house them since they certainly seem very tame . A resident on Orr Rd has adopted the deer and tends to harass any passerby who stays too long viewing the deer -  strange.

Best regards ,
Jim

[kokanee]

Hi Jim,

I tried out the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, which comes with a Birdsong DVD of 587 birdsongs(138 major species), but also found it quite cumbersome. The interface on the DVD player was pretty archaic IMHO(folders that you had to toggle through one by one) and I thought being a DVD, it might work well on the computer, but that was worse, it just played them all in sequence so you would have to skip to the next one....
The field guide was under $20 at Costco, but I borrowed one from the library ;-)

I'd be interested if someone knows of one that is worthwhile getting and is well designed too.
HTH,
Mar

[Bird Brain]

Hi  Jo-Anne,
How are you ?

Hi Jim.  I'm doing well and life is crazy busy as always!  Never a dull moment.  :lol:

Just turned 43 on Monday (August 3rd) but still feel 18!    Spent the whole day at the airport - it was awesome!!!  
 

A plus to my Rattray birding trip was seeing 3 young deer feeding behind the PetroCan fencing along Orr Rd. We see the adults and young quite often - Petro employees probably house them since they certainly seem very tame . A resident on Orr Rd has adopted the deer and tends to harass any passerby who stays too long viewing the deer -  strange.

How beautiful to see deer - always a wonderful experience!  

Best regards ,
Jim

All the best to you and your family!  

[Bird Brain]

Mar

Hi kokanee ... Welcome to the forum!  

I just noticed your location!  What area of Mississauga are you in?  I'm up in Meadowvale by Lake Aquitaine.

Jo-Anne  

[Bird Brain]

I saw very few RWBB's and those had full head feathers . A bald grackle though is visiting my backyard feeder - he looks like a minature vulture .

:lol: Perfect description re: mini vulture!!!  

[JimmyM]

Hi Kokanee,
Thank you for your interest and response . I was planning on doing some birdsong studying during the winter and to be prepared for next spring .
Welcome to the forum.
Best regards,
Jim

[cairnstone]

Visited the marsh on Friday August 7 in the afternoon.

In addition to the birds listed by the original poster (all of which I saw) the following were observed:

1 Osprey. It made 4 passes over the marsh around 4 pm and I photographed it in flight.

1 Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile (photographed in flight).

Kingbirds aplenty.