Crossbills, Red-headed Woodpeckers,Peterborough to Kirkfield

[Anonymous]

Good mornong

 Yesterday Ian Cannell drove me out to The Ganaraska Forest southwest of Peterborough. After paying the entrance fee ( $5.00 per person ) we checked out a few roads then drove up Hwy 115 to Wilcox Road. Along Wilcox Road we found a nice feeding flock of 12 White-winged Crossbills that contained some very nice males that shone in the sun.

 From here we wound our way along a few roads and then drove along Palestine Road south of Kirkfield, up Sandringham Road to Eldon Station Road, along Eldon Station Road and up Rockview Road to County Road 48 and over to Kirkfield. From Kirfield we did the Wylie Road, Alvar Road ( west ), Dalrymple Road and back along County Road 6 to Kirkfield route. Going home we drove down Prospect Road from Count Road 6 to Woodville Road as we usually do.

 Though there was an almost total lack of singing birds and we only found 3 Waterfowl and 3 Warbler species and the fact that I was almost completely car bound we did come up with 74 species for the day including the following.

 American Bitterns, Black-crowned night-Herons, Blue-winged Teal, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, Wild Turkeys, Upland Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpipers, Black-billed Cuckoo, R-T Hummingbirds, B. Kingfisher, 4 Red-headed Woodpeckers ( 2 adults and 2 juveniles together along Prospect Road just north of the Marbert Transport Company ), E. Wood-Pewees, E. Phoebes, Willow Flycatcher, many E. Kingbirds, Cliff and Bank Swallows, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatches, House Wrens, Marsh Wrens, E. Bluebirds, Brown Thrashers, 2 Loggerhead Shrikes ( 1 adult and 1 juvenile along County Rd 6 at the Cameron Ranch ), Pine Warblers, Northern Waterthrushes, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhee, Chipping, Field, Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper, Song, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows, Bobolinks ( these and most Red-winged Blackbirds and C. Grackles are now in flocks, the Bobolinks have changed to winter plumage ), E. Meadowlarks, Baltimore Orioles ( a small flock ), Purple Finches, and the White-winged Crossbills of course.

 Compared to May and June there were probably only 10% of the numbers usually seen were visible on this outing. Only one Grasshopper Sparrow and one Towhee sang.

[ichiro17]

Hi Norm,

Just wondering where the best place to find the bald eagles are right now.  I found Kirkfield and area a great place for osprey (even better because you could stay close to their nests and watch them fly) but I don't have any ideas where eagles could be.  Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Joseph

[Anonymous]

Hello Joseph

 Right now the best place from my past observations is the Long Point area.

 In Sept., Oct. and Nov. you may want to visit the Hawk watching areas beside the Grenedier Restaurant in High Park or the southwest platform at Cranberry Marsh.

 You could also visit Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley, further afield but well worth a visit. Last year we saw 32 of the 50+ Eagles that passed on the day we were there. Best times at the Hawk Watches are during North or Northwest winds. High Park and Cranberry Marsh can get upwards and at times passing a dozen Eagles during one day.

 The Hawk watches observe both the Bald and Golden Eagles as well as ALL the regular raptors.

[ichiro17]

Norm,

Thanks for all the very useful info.  I've copied it into a word doc for future reference.  

One further question, is there any place in particular where there would be a way to get within a good range for nice photos?  By that I mean up to the shore of a lake and watch them hunt or close enough to get almost frame-filling shots.  For example, the ospreys a couple of weeks ago were really close and generally stayed in that area because of their nests.

Just an aside, I was at Vermilion Lakes in Banff last year and the eagles were everywhere but couldn't get close enough to grab a shot I wanted.  Did see an osprey/eagle fight which was fantastic.  

Thanks again for the information,

Joseph

[Anonymous]

Joseph

 Can't help you there. It is all in the luck of the draw.

 Sometimes I see in your face Eagles and sometimes they are a dot with the naked eye.

 But !! You have to get out and try and maybe you will get lucky.

[Bluffs Birder]

Hi Joseph,

You might consider joining a small group of birders that will be watching (and counting) the birds of prey as they migrate along the Lake Ontario shoreline.  We will be in Rosetta McClain Gardens which is located just East of the intersection of Birchmount Road & Kingston Road in Southern Scarborough.  The Gardens are situated on the South side of Kingston Road at Glen Everest Road and run along the top of the Scarborough Bluffs.  The south edge of park is roughly 65m higher up than the lake which provides a spectacular vantage point for viewing the birds as many of them past by at eye level and below.  We will be in the Gardens from Sept 1st thru Nov 30th almost daily, weather permitting.  There is a possibility to view as many as 15 different bird of prey species over this period.  In recent years, the following birds have been sighted; Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Osprey, Merlin, American Kestrel, & Peregrine Falcon.  Peak migration is from mid-September to mid-October and the peak viewing time is from 10am to 2pm daily.  Hope to see you there.

Walter