Darlington Provincial Park 5:45am to 10:15amThis morning I planned to walk around Oshawa Second Marsh and Darlington
Provincial Park to try and record a big species day. Shortly after arriving
at the Barrier beach along the south side McLaughlin Bay plans changed. I
decided to do a lake watch for the morning.
There was a large amount of birds in Lake Ontario foraging heavily the local
fish population. The 2170+ Red-breasted Mergansers, 46 Common Loons,
7
Red-throated Loons and 4 Cormorants attracted several hundred gulls. At 6:40
I found an adult
PARASITIC JAEGER(light phase) chasing a Ring-billed Gull
that had just stole a Round Goby from a Red-breasted Merganser. After
getting the goby the jaeger would just soar around with the gulls waiting
for another meal to be brought up sometimes soaring over the beach. The
Jaeger was last seen just after 8am.
Just after 7am while watching the jaeger I noticed a bird a few km offshore
coming straight over from New York State. It looked liked raptor that was
seriously regretted trying to cross a cool lake at dawn. As it approached
the beach I was finally able to identify it as a
MISSISSIPPI KITE At
7:17am it made land fall and flew off in a NE direction over the park office
area.
Shorebirds
At dawn there 79 Least Sandpipers, 14 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin and 4
Killdeers on the beach. Between 7:30 and 8:15 four flocks of Shorebirds
arrived at the beach. Consisting of 135 Dunlin, 6 Sanderling, and 12
Semi-palmated Plovers
At 8:15 5
WHIMBREL touched down for 2 minutes before being scared off.
At 8:17 the Park's tractor came on to the beach to drag the area of the
beach maintained for sunbathers. Most shorebirds left, the large feeding
frenzy immediately offshore dispersed. Some of the Dunlins, Semi-palmated
Plovers and 2 Sanderling just moved west into the middle area of the beach
which is not maintained and where some ponds have formed.
Other species observed
other waterfowl : 2 Wood Ducks (plucking midges 100m offshore), 17
Bufflehead, 4 Common Goldeneye, 3 Lesser Scaup, 474+ Long-tailed Ducks, 1
Surf Scoter, and 78 White-winged Scoters
1 Red-necked Grebe
1 Great Egret flyby heading west at 7:24
Gulls: 1 Little, 12 Bonaparte's, 2 Greater Black-backed, 120+ Herring Gulls,
400+ Ring-billed Gulls, 15+ Caspian Terns
1 Osprey
1 silent Northern Mockingbird foraging on the beach.
1 Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow at the west end of the maintained beach in
the wet sedge willow area.
On the walk back to the GM parking lot at the second marsh, I observed
baltimore and orchard orioles, sedge, house and marsh wrens, Rose-breasted
grosbeak, indigo buntings and alot of yellow warblers and white-crowned
sparrows.
Direction:
The McLaughlin Bay Barrier beach can be accessed from either Oshawa Second
marsh (west access point) or Darlington provincial park (east access point)
Oshawa Second Marsh
Exit from the 401 at the Harmony Rd. Exit(419) in Oshawa. Go south on
Farewell St. Colonel Sam Drive. Turn East onto Colonel Sam Drive and follow
to the parking lot at the GM Headquarters. Park in the west parking lot
close to the marsh. The east (GM) platform is visible from the NW corner of
the lot.
To the Barrier Beach head south to the lake and then east along the
shoreline
For a trail map of the Oshawa Second Marsh area visit
www.secondmarsh.com and check the link for a trail map of
the area
Darlington Provincial Park
borders the east side Oshawa Second Marsh/McLaughlin Bay Nature Reserve.
To access the campground and park store area from the east.Take the Courtice
road exit from the 401 and follow the park signs. There is a small parking
lot at the gatehouse. Park here and walk the trail to the south. This will
take you into the campground area. The park store is just south of the main
office past the main gate.
For the Barrier Beach park at the beach parking lot and head west along the
maintained beach.
