winter lists

[Tyler]

hello all

Since several people here do winter lists I figured why not start a subject title for winter listers where unusual/ good birds for the winter can be posted. So those doing the list can chase them and get the much needed exercise to help keep off all those soon to come holiday calories.  And those who remember a great winter lister/birder and all around person we lost this spring Jim Fairchild can do their list in his memory.

Rule number 1 for the winter lister......have fun and enjoy the fresh air in the outdoors!!!

For the newbies to winter listing, species which can be common to us in migration but rare in winter should be included.
Examples of this would be Robins (winter numbers can vary greatly year to year), Belted kingfishers, Killdeer, great blue herons, red-winged blackbirds, wood ducks, etc.

Since this toronto forum states "  Reports and Sightings for GTA " i figured use this one for sightings in the whole GTA  from Burlington east to newcastle and north to beaverton on lake Simcoe.

 map of the whole GTA

http://www.aole.org/GTAMap_3.htm

With all this said my winter sightings of interest were 1 Marsh Wren at cranberry marsh south platform and 7 Snow Geese in adajcent Lynde creek marsh this afternoon.

[BC]

Great idea. The following sightings are from yesterday afternoon and some were reported earlier. I never carry a camera but my friend had his with him so everything but the wren were photographed.

• House Wren - Marie Curtis Park (the obstacle course)
• female Belted Kingfisher - Marie Curtis Park

• Pied-billed Grebe - Colonel Sam Smith Park (marina bay)
• male Northern Pintail - Colonel Sam Smith Park (east bay)

[Bird Brain]

Observed today from 11am onwards:

Male Wood Duck at Lake Aquitaine, NW corner of lake (behind the community centre), swimming around with male and female Mallards close to the concrete barrier.

I last sighted this guy back on Nov. 26th - hadn't seen him since so figured he had taken off to Florida or Texas for the Winter, but ... he's back!!!  Not sure how long he'll be sticking around for but he'll probably be sighted at Lake Wabukayne as well.  

Jo-Anne  

Lake Aquitaine:  SE corner of Glen Erin Dr./Aquitaine Ave., behind the Meadowvale Community Centre.

Lake Wabukayne:  NE corner of Glen Erin Dr./Windwood Dr., behind the condo and school.

[Bird Brain]

Today, 8-9:30am: male Wood Duck at Lake Wabukayne, SW corner of the lake by the dock.

[Tyler]

Duh went to lac Aquatine on wednesday and thursday last week will need to revisit it after christmas

for winter listers

there is a flock of 7 Snow geese hanging out with the 4000+ Canada gees in the whitby harbour- cranberry marsh area.

also there has  been a Killdeer reported at the moputh of duffins creek(rotary park) in Ajax.

[Bird Brain]

Tyler ... he will probably remain at Lake Wabukayne but not for much longer - whenever the lake ends up completely freezing over.

[Bird Brain]

More recent sightings:

Male Wood Duck still at Lake Wabukayne on Tuesday morning.  I'm amazed there's still some open water here!  

American Robin x 1 at Lake Wabukayne on Tuesday morning.

Great Blue Heron x 1 flying past my livingroom window at Lake Aquitaine on Sunday morning.  Another lady saw a GBH flying past her house on Monday morning (she lives just South of Lake A.)

[Tyler]

Jo-Anne
Thanks for the updates on the wood duck. I will try for my 3rd attempt at him on my way back from looking at Sandhill cranes at long point post xmas... If they are still there (several on saturday I was told).

Winter goodies for oshawa christmas bird count
1 WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, 7 SNOW GEESE among the 4000 Canada gees that roost in Whitby harbour
 1 Brown Thrasher, 5 Red-winged Blackbirds Common Loon, Horned and red-necked Grebes at Darlington provincial Park.

This years Oshawa count came in with 88 species. several misses like most owls and finches this year.

[Brian Bailey]

Hi Tyler.

Another possibility for Wood Duck is High Park.  We found a male there last weekend on the Toronto CBC.  The pond is frozen, but there's a bit of open water at the north end where the creek flows into the pond.  That's were we found him.

Other notables found in & around High Park last Sunday:
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Winter Wren
Hermit Thrush
Swamp Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
and Pine Siskin

BB

[Al Johnston]

For the past month or so we've had 3 wood ducks, 2 drakes and a hen, visit our pond daily, accompanied by 50 to  100 black ducks and mallards. we're just west of Stouffville and an artesian flow keeps a patch of water open.
   Al Johnston

[Tyler]

Thanks Jo-Anne

I finally got the male Woodie at Lake Wabukayne. I heard it well before I got to the pond.  It was putting on a show for 3 photographers. So much so that no one noticed the female adult Cooper's Hawk perch in a tree over the pond.

Then I went down and got the yellow-rumped Warblers in port credit. Knowing that there were 2 more species of warblers nearby I thought why not make it a 3 warbler species day for december ( I have only made it a 2 warbler species day once in the winter). I got the Wilson's warbler at the woods just north of the Oakville sewage treatment plant, but alas missed the Yellow-throated Warbler in bronte.

[Bird Brain]

Thanks Jo-Anne

I finally got the male Woodie at Lake Wabukayne. I heard it well before I got to the pond.  It was putting on a show for 3 photographers.

Awesome!

Tyler ... you're welcome.  Third time was the charm, eh?    I'm truly happy and excited that you finally got to see him!  

How close did you get to him?  Sometimes he will get within 1-3 feet of you!  

Was he making his usual high pitched squeaky sounds and following the Mallards around?  He's determined to mate with a female Mallard.  :lol:  

Jo-Anne  

[Chris Street]

Hey Tyler just thought i would give you a heads up about a couple of birds being seen in the Burlington area.  First there is a Pine Warbler being seen behind the Travelodge Inn on the east side of Spencer Smith Park feeding in the spruces and along the wall of the hotel as late as yesterday.  Secondly, there is a Gray Catbird that was reported on the weekend in the Valley Inn on the west side of the valley in the shrubs along the closed section of road just below the railroad tracks where there is a feeding site.  I dont know if it is still there but worth while going to see.  Other than that a Red-headed woodpecker  being seen out on Irish Line in Halimond county and a tufted titmouse being seen coming to a feeder in south burlington.  Good Birding
Chris Street

[Tyler]

Thanks for the tips Chris

I am going after the yellow-throated warbler  again on saturday on my way to niagara/lower grand river/cayuga. So I will definitely go after those 2. never had a 4 warbler winter. made it to 3 once (yellow-rumped, yellow-breasted chat and American redstart). This year I have several yellow-rumps and the wilson's so far.

I will definitely be doing my yearly winter walk along Irish line sw of cayuga for red-headed woodpeckers. Quite rare now compared to the late 90s there.

hopefully I'll get over a 100 for the winter this weekend. With the lack of Finches and Owls this winter I will be in tough to get over 130 species.

[BC]

The male Wood Duck was still at High Park yesterday. Niloc has posted some very nice photos of him in the Photo Corner. He continues to associate with a female Mallard in a large flock of Mallards and American Black Ducks. They can be found at the first bridge north of Grenadier Pond.
East of Grenadier Pond, on the slopes below the Howard Memorial, a large flock of American Robins and eight Cedar Waxwings were feeding. These were my first Cedar Waxwings in quite a while.