Hi all
I Spent a pleasant morning birding at Whitby Harbour, Thickson woods and Point and Second Marsh
Highlights:
Whitby Harbour:
2m 1f harlequin duck- a huge surprise right out front the waterfront park to the E. of the harbour- they were maybe 25m off shore and co-operating in a big way
1 horned grebe
1 red necked grebe- a nice surprise- one of very few that I've ever seen
2 N. mockingbirds
dozens of bufflehead and goldeneyes
six pair of gadwall
Thickson woods
-rb & wb nuthatch
-4m 1f cardinal
-1f cooper's hawk- looked to be building a nest- she was perched right out in the open- not far from the main entrance bending twigs with her beak
-2 golden crowned kinglets
Second Marsh
-8 white winged scoters- several juveniles, 2 males I think- some great looks- this is the third time I've spotted them there in the past two weeks- they are very co-operative
-4m 3f long-tailed ducks
-2 great blue herons
-1 red tail
-1 early osprey- on the waterfront- perched in a tree- great to see
- dozens of ring-necked ducks
Thickson Point
-1 short eared owl coarsing low over the pines to the N. of the point. it flew right over top of me and made several passes before moving on- an awesome sighting- What a great bird!
-1 belted kingfisher
-1 tree swallow- the first of the year
A great day and nice to know that spring has psrung. You could actually feel the pulse of life returning to the land, especially in Thicksons.
Cheers and Happy birding.
Tim
