Timmins Birds Weekend of May 4-5 - May 6, 2002

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Birding around Timmins this weekend produced the following birds:

GH Owl still on her nest, but now seems to be feeding or rearranging the 
eggs?
Many Sand Hill Cranes in the fields on Government rd

Gilles Lake in Timmins:
2 C Loons, Northern Shovelers, Lesser Scaup, Buffleheads

Hersey Lake PP:
Green-winged Teal, Greater Yellow Legs, Myrtle Warblers

South Porcupine:
large rafts of Male C Mergansers, some females
RB Mergansers, male and female
Bonaparte’s Gull,
Tree Swallows, Lesser Scaup, Buffleheads

Kettle Lakes PP:
10 Myrtle Warblers, Yhaaa!
One Palm Warbler
Juncos,
Yellow bellied sapsuckers wildly flying in circles through the bush 
establishing territory,
White throated sparrow,
R grouse displaying
YS Flickers.

Wonderful weekend. No hawks were seen :(
For more info contact Gerald Willmott at gwillmott1@hotmail.com

A cornucopia of birds - April 19, 2002

Hello.

Timmins is in the middle of a flood, of sorts, and poor weather which I am 
thinking has grounded many individuals of several species.  Receding water 
levels have left plenty pools in farm fields for more Mallards than I have 
ever seen in my life, up to 500.  In addition were 200+ Canada Geese and 90 
Sandhill Cranes.  Also seen were 16 Greater Yellow Legs, and a white 
throated sparrow was calling by my feeder this am.
Also seen were 6 Rough-legged Hawks, which I suspect are also downed by the 
poor weather.  I am also quite sure that I saw a dark adult rough-legged.

Best regards.
Gerald Willmott
Timmins
(705)268-1052

Timmins rusty black blackbirds, hawks, moose - April 17, 2002

This was a very eventful evening in Timmins, if not exactly full of birds.  
Yet, the notable birds seen included half a dozen Rough Legged Hawks 
drifting through, a Northern Harrier continuously hunting and settling on a 
farmer’s field, several Killdeers through out town, a flock of rusty black 
birds mobbed a back yard feeder, and 16 canada geese flew north and into the 
spring goose hunt.  Additionally the local GH Owl is still patiently 
nesting.  Elsewhere in Timmins several roads have been completely washed out 
by flooding conditions, and 4 moose stood motionless by the side of Lafluere 
St. for as along as any passer-by was inclined to watch.

Gerald Willmott
(705) 268-1052
gwillmott1@hotmail.com

Timmins SPRING Birds - April 14, 2002

This weekend Timmins was +15 C, so nice!  To my eyes and ears the first 
robin of the year made its call.  Around town were seen:

At the Trail Head by the hospital: 1 great blue heron, many Juncos 
everywhere calling busily, American Tree Sparrows

Hersey Lake: Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers, Yellow Shafted Flickers, Ruby 
Crowned Kinglets, Golden Crowned Kinglets, Boreal Chickades, and Gray Jays.

Mataggami River & Sandy Falls: Flocks of C Golden Eyes, and one suspected 
Barrows Golden Eye, Hooded and C Mergansers, Canada Geese, Mallards, one 
Amr. Coot.  From Sandy Falls flocks of ducks were continuously flying north 
overhead.

Lafleur Street: One Great Horned Owl still stilling patiently on her nest, 
20+ snow buntings, no sight of the Hawk Owls.

Kraft Creek Rd: one American Kestrel, Redwing Black Bbirds, Grackles, Pine 
Grossbeaks, House Sparrows.


The migration has begun!

Gerald Norman Willmott
gwillmott1@hotmail.com

Timmins - April 13, 2002

Of interest in Timmins these last few months.

March 19 : Mark Joron
Bald Eagle 60 km S.W. of timmins on the Gogama main road

March 14 : Mark Joron
During a helicopter flight a hawk owl watches.  Also during the flight 6 moose.  
All about 50 km N. of Timmins.

Lynx : Mark Joron
Yes, hawk owls are around plenty this year, but more Lynx are on the roads then ever before.  
I have seen three families this year in 3 differnets areas of more than 4. 

February 23 : by L. Luhta
Robin in tree on Helen Street.

February 11 : 
Coldest Day 2002,  - 34.2

January 6 : by A.J. Zimmerman
In his backyard, between Murry and Hemlock streets, sits a big fat Robin. 
I wonder how long it will stay.

mj
gofor@nt.net

Timmins Owl Survey - April 8, 2002

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Last saturday night I surveyed the Gibson Lake road outside of Timmins.  It 
was a clear night, only -10 or so.  But not very many owls.  I heard only 
two Great Horned Owls, saw a few rabbits, and one shooting star.  Even after 
a sunny warm day on Sat, it is still winter.  Will do the survey again in a 
week or two.

Gerald Willmott
gwillmott1@hotmail.com

Cochrane District Report - Tue, 15 Jan 2002

Hi

I noticed your web page.

Just a few sitings

On Jan 6th, 2002

1 N. Hawk Owl seen on Highway 11 near the turnoff to Greenwater Prov. Park
5 N. Hawk Owls seen on Highway 655 from Highway 11 to Timmins, Ont
1 Rough-Legged Hawk on Lafleur Drive (Timmins, Ont) - hunting in a field
next to road


Snow Buntings have also been seen on a number of occasions, this winter, in
the District.

*N. Hawk Owls have been seen frequently on Highway 655 again this winter,
similar to last winter.

Any questions please contact me.

Stan Phippen
stan.phippen@mnr.gov.on.ca

Cochrane Birding May 16-17 - Fri, 18 May 2001

Good selection of ducks at the sewage lagoons east of town behind a trailer
park, including:

Wood duck
wigeon
green winged teal
blue winged teal
shoveler
lesser scaup
ring necked duck
mallard
common goldeneye

Just one shorebird - a spotted sandpiper.  Five common sparrow species and a
few common warblers also seen at the lagoons.

Also saw an American Bittern at the marsh between the old dump and the golf
course north of town.

Birded for a short time at Greenwater Provincial Park north of Cochrane but
it was pretty quiet.  Best birds were a waterthrush, a kingfisher, and an
unidentified singing thrush.

The full thrust of migration has not reached Cochrane yet.

brian.wilkie@mnr.gov.on.ca

Northern Shrike, G. Gray Owl, Snowy Owl & De-wormed Hawk Owl -Hearst - Sun, 5 Nov 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Gidday ONTBIRDers!

I just ,firstly, want to thank Mike et al for the prompt info that was posted to help those that were stricken with the "kak.worm" virus attached to the hawk owl in Brockville e-mail at the 11th hour last Tuesday night. (I will never view hawk owls in the same light ever again!). After buying and installing the 2001 version of the Norton Anti-Virus (but having to pay the local rate of $80.......no time to shop around) mainly out of paranoia, turns out the instructions provided on the links had been powerful enough "de-worming" medicine to do the job. A network that can instantly send colour photos from an oil rig in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, make your computer "sick", or both, ...........it never ceases to amaze me!

Anyway.........what do I see the very next day day while travelling Highway 11 from Hearst to Kapuskasing, but a hawk owl perched on the hydro wires about 20 kilometres west of Hearst. Had to stop and make sure this was not a "virtual" virus I was seeing. Turned out to be the real McCoy..........preened himself for about 5 minutes, then flew off to continue the hunt.

Of note for me up here this week, also, was a Northern Shrike which stopped to visit our lawn, a Great Gray Owl which was perched on a hydro pole at the end of my driveway (Kendall Twp.) Friday morning, and a snowy owl which was brought into our MNR Kapuskasing office with a broken wing. (We have some contacts for wildlife re-hab centres.........anyone with past experience with someone good with raptors would be appreciated at my address below.)

The Northern Shrike was interesting to me because it was the first migrant(?) arrival this spring on April 23rd, and now it's one of the last to leave. I wondered if it was the same one. And whether maybe he was here all summer and not further north where the range maps put them.

There is also a few hawks hanging on probably due to the fantastic fall we're having up here (+19C on Thursday!!). 2 roughlegged hawks hunting the farmfields yesterday just west of Hearst (1 was a dark morph).

Marc Johnson
Hearst,Ontario, Canada
logcabin@ntl.sympatico.ca

More Northern Hawk Owls - Sat, 21 Oct 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Hi,
A friend who spent the week of October 7-13 in a camp south of Smooth Rock Falls told me this morning that they saw several northern hawk owls hunting over clear cuts in that area. I don't have exact directions but thought this might be of interest.

Smooth Rock Falls is about 60 klicks north of Cochrane on Hwy 11. I believe the fellow I was speaking to was in a moose outfitters camp on a forest access road that is about 7k west of Smooth Rock, towards Departure Lake. I will pass more details along when I get them.

The earlier post about the bird in Temagami is probably the easier one for most folks to follow up on, being as how it is only an hour north of North Bay. That bird (which I saw on several days) was your typically tame hawk owl, allowing approach to within a couple of yards. It seemed to be racking up an impressive bag of whatever rodentia it was finding in the cut.

Regards,

John Haig
Gananoque, ON
jahaig@sympatico.ca
613 382 8109

Peregrine Falcon (deceased)-Hearst - Sat, 14 Oct 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Gidday ONTBirders!

Being the first peregrine sighted with any concrete certainty up here in Hearst.........I was excited by the one which was brought into our MNR office this past week......but disheartened by the fact it had just been hit by a vehicule out our front door. Although still warm.........she did not make it. It is a juvenile female that may have nested in the area, although that is just conjecture based on some past reported sightings.

I do have some digital pictures for those that may be interested.

Of note with regards to other species up here.........the last trickle of sandhill cranes have just left us (Hearst and Kap area farmers are complaining about their increasing numbers up here-crop damage), the American kestrels have all but headed south, just the odd straglers left on the hydro wires along the concession roads. But there seems to be a noticeable higher number of late fall (for us) raptors, particularly red-tails and rough-leggeds, who are still hunting our farmfields.

And for those that don't where in the blazes Hearst is.................hop on Highway 11 and just keep on truckin'! 6 hours north of North Bay, an hour west of Kapuskasing, and 6 hours east of Thunder Bay if you miss the sign. Be glad to have ya'.

Marc Johnson
logcabin@ntl.sympatico.ca

Black-billed magpie, northern mockingbird in Hearst - Sat, 10 Jun 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Gidday Folks!

1st Report - On Sunday, June 4th (7:15am) a black-billed magpie was seen by myself and 3 members of our Hearst Boreal Birders club on it's Sunday morning walk along the Hearst river which flows through our town of Hearst (12 hours north of Toronto on TransCanada Highway #11, population 6,000)). The day was clear, cool (5 degrees celcius) and calm.

It flew over our heads at about a height of 15 metres, which afforded us an excellent, unobstructed view of its long flowing black tail, and white wing patches. It proceeded along the river, flying in a southwesterly direction but did not visibly land in any of the trees which line the Hearst river. I have not heard of any reports that it is still in the area, but we are hoping to get another look at him(?) as he is significantly east of his normal range of the Manitoba border. I've seen many out west in my travels, but this is the first time any where in Ontario that I've seen one.

We had an enjoyable walk for the rest of the morning, taking in 37 other species including yellow warblers, common yellowthroats, alder flycatchers, and solitary sandpipers.

For those that don't know where Hearst is, we are pretty well at the end of the treeline here (just 40 kilometres to the north of us!). Just stay on TransCanada Highway #11 and keep on going........................

2nd Report - On Friday June 9th (12:20pm) I was eating lunch with my father in his house when I spotted a grey bird with a very long tail which was angled upwards, and a light coloured breast. He was picking worms from the cut lawn area in front of my father's house which is adjacent to mine (Lot 10 Concession 7 - Kendall Twp., 10 kilometres east of Hearst). As it flew to a small tree beside the lawn it was clear to see his white wing patches. I watched him fly back onto the lawn and in the course of his search for food, he hopped to within 10 metres of the window which my father and I were looking through. I suspected what it was from looking through my field guides from time to time, but had plenty of time to identify this male northern mockingbird as he spent about 15 minutes hopping about the front yard area.

This is the second northern mockingbird that I have seen in the course of living in Hearst here for the past 24 years. There was one in the town of Hearst about 15 years ago in a small trembling aspen tree in a residents backyard.

Can anyone tell me if there is a need for sending in a rare bird form from the OFO website for these or any others? Or is this notification sufficient? Thanks.

 
 
Marc Johnson                                        Marc Johnson
Box 2144                                            c/oMinistry of Natural Resources
Hearst,Ontario                                      613 Front Street
P0L 1N0                                             Box 670, Hearst, Ontario    P0L 1N0
logcabin@ntl.sympatico.ca                           marc.johnson@mnr.gov.on.ca

Update on Band-tailed Pigeon at Moosonee - Tue, 30 May 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Hello Ontbirders,

Peter Kotanen, who also saw the Band-tailed Pigeon at Moosonee along with many observers from MNR and CWS, sent the following update for Ontbirds.

The bird has been returning to the same address (not the MNR office - actually next door: Lot 328, 43 Ferguson Road, Moosonee = yard of MNR Field Staff House) each morning from at least May 26 - May 29. The staffhouse number is 705-336-3224.

Peter Kotanen pkotanen@credit.erin.utoronto.ca Directions: You can reach Moosonee by train or air. Check with Ontario Northland Railway or Austen Airways. Or you can can drive to Timmins and fly or drive to Cochrane and take the train.

Jean Iron
President, Ontario Field Ornithologists
9 Lichen Place
Toronto, Ontario M3A 1X3
Canada
Phone: 416-445-9297
jeaniron@globedirect.com
Web Page: www.interlog.com/~ofo

Band-tailed Pigeon - Sat, 27 May 2000

Sighting reports originating from the ONTBIRDS mail server network are repeated courtesy of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO).

Ron Pittaway here on Jean's PC.

Ken Abraham left a phone message that there is a Band-tailed Pigeon behind the MNR office in Moosonee. It was first seen yesterday and seen again about 10:00 A.M. today. The bird also was seen by Ken Ross, Andrew Jano, Keith Patten, John Walker and other MNR and CWS staff. It is unbanded and apparently a good wild bird.

You can reach Moosonee by train or air. Check with Ontario Northland Railway or Austen Airways. Or you can can drive to Timmins and fly or drive to Cochrane and take the train.

For more information, call Ken at 705-336-3324 or evenings at the Polar Bear Lodge at 705-336-2345.

Good luck,

Ron Pittaway
Minden ON
Jean Iron
President, Ontario Field Ornithologists
9 Lichen Place
Toronto, Ontario M3A 1X3
Canada
Phone: 416-445-9297
jeaniron@globedirect.com
Web Page: www.interlog.com/~ofo

Cochrane District - Wed, 5 Apr 2000

Update for South Porcupine (Timmins) District of Cochrane

April 4, 2000 - approx. 75 redpolls at the feeders this morning also 6 evening grosbeaks. Three starlings have been around for three weeks which is very early.

April 1 - first robins (3)

March 30 - over 80 Bohemian Waxwings stripped the flowering crab of remaining apples - also stripped high bush cranberries.

Don J. Smith
735351@ican.net

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