| MANITOULIN ISLAND | Recent Birding Reports |
| Most Recent Reports are at the bottom of the page Last Updated: May 24, 2004 | |
The Red-Bellied Woodpecker seen on the Killarney Christmas Bird Count was gone for a week but was back at 25, Tilley Street in Killarney Village on Feb 2nd & 3rd.
On Manitoulin, Red-bellied Woodpeckers are wintering on Cannard's Lane, Big Lake; Silverwater and Monument Rd at Stanley Park.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
An immature White-crowned Sparrow is wintering at a feeder at 54 Draper street, East in Little Current. This is unusual for Manitoulin Island in the winter. I found it on January 24th.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
There have been no reports of Bohemian Waxwings on Manitoulin since Nicole Smith reported two prior to December 14th, 2002. We have been looking all this winter and the first appeared Feb 11 eating apples at Perivale - seen by Chris Bell. This was soon followed by a flock of 50 on the same day in Gordon Township and 85 near the swing bridge in Little Current on the 13th. Very unusual was an American Woodcock fluttering weekly in front of our vehicle on February 11th on Hwy 540 and Newburn road east of Kagawong. We turned round to try and find where it had landed but could not find it. There was no wet ground nearby. Also on the 11th a Northern Goshawk at Providence Bay.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
In the last few days Bohemian Waxwings have been seen in Sheguiandah by Erwin Meissner, in Gore Bay by Terry Land, and again in Little Current.
Sharp-tailed Grouse are becoming easier to see and should soon be back at their leks.
On Feb 24th, Steve Thorpe and I saw two MRed-breasted Mergansers at Burnt Island and also the Harris's Sparrow at the Poplar Crossroads feeder. Nobody had reported the sparrow since December.
Steve Hall reported a Boreal Chickadee, very uncommon on Manitoulin, at the Misery Bay building on the 26th-feeding in the spruce cones.
Gulls did not winter on the Island, but we are now getting some reports of returning birds. Steve Hall found a Glaucous Gull at the Indian Point Bridge on Feb 26th, Steve Thorpe reported 60 unidentified gulls off Hare's Creek on the 29th and I found one Ring-billed Gull at Little Current on March 1st. Geese are also returning. John Seabrook saw one at Hare's Creek, Mindemoya for several days last week and Michael Campbell of Britainville foud eight on March 1st.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
On March 1st Joan & I found a pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers beside the Killarney Highway in Humbolt Township. The male was drumming so perhaps they will stay. We also saw some Gray Jays, but no crossbills this time.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
Long-tailed Ducks have re-appeared in Lake Huron off the south shore of Manitoulin. A fine looking pair were seen just off the Burnt Island dock on March 10th and there was a flock of at least 900 wheeling in the air of Misery Point on March 13th. 13 White-winged Scoters flew east past South Baymouth on March 11th. Others have seen a 2004 Gyrfalcon on Manitoulin some time ago, but I found mine, a grey phase bird as usual, at the Gore Bay Airport on March 10th. It was carrying a freshly killed Sharp-tailed Grouse and having much difficulty keeping in the air because of the weight of the grouse. It actually dropped the grouse and kept on flying. Once we had gone, I expect it to return for the prey.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
There is still plenty of snow on the ground and spring must still be a couple of weeks away. On March 10th there was a strong south wind and it clouded over and snowed before dawn on the 11th. Clued in by the arrival of a Red-winged Blackbird at my feeder, I headed for South Baymouth. There I found some more Red-wings, 4 Robins, 4 Song Sparrows and some Tree Sparrows all having arrived overnight.
Terry Land reports from Gore Bay Tree Sparrows on the 12th and a Redwing on the 13th.
Chris Bell
No surface-feeding ducks have been reported as yet.
The Common Ravens and Great Horned Owls are on their nests.
Erwin Meissner reports a Red-shouldered Hawk on the 17th near Tehkummah.Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
I walked to the point at Kelly Lake this morning without finding much new. Apart from the wintering Trumpeter Swans, Mallards and American Black Ducks, there were 39 Canada Geese, a male Hooded Merganser, three Common Mergansers and several Herring Gulls. Anyone walking at Kelly Lake is advised to go in the morning. By afternoon the snow has softened and is over your boots in places. At the Sudbury dump yesterday, there were a few Herring Gulls and a Glaucous Gull. To get into the dump, bring a token bag of garbage and pick a cold day to avoid mud. Viewing conditions there are even poorer than at Christmas.
There were no gulls last week at the Azilda dump. The Espanola dump has a Bald Eagle and a Red-tailed Hawk.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
Spring arrivals have accelerated on Manitouin Island over the last three days-March 27, 28 and 29.Prior to then highlights included E.Bluebirds from Lyle Dewar, Northern Harriers back to the 14th by Vivienne Eaton, a Saw-whet Owl on the 25th, a very early Flicker on the 22nd and Cowbirds on the 26th.
On Saturday, Steve Thorpe and I found 3 Ring-necked Ducks and a Lesser Scaup, a single Eastern Meadowlark and 7 Brown-headed Cowbirds at South Baymouth. We also found our first Sandhill Cranes, rather late, and Kestrels. Erwin Meissner found two Peregrine Falcons- one in Howland and one in Carnarvon. Peregrines are rarer on Manitoulin than most places. On Sunday Richard Barbe, Jean Pitre, Joan & I found our first E.Bluebirds, Rusty Blackbirds and a Phoebe , (rather late), at Dewar's on the Government Road east of Providence Bay. There were Wood Ducks at Smith's duck ponds north of Mindemoya and two Killdeer at Gore Bay Airport. From Indian Point Bridge on Lake Wolsey Joan and I saw 2 Canvasbacks, 4 Redheads and four Ring-necked Ducks.
On Monday surface ducks arrived with Canada Geese, Black Ducks and Mallards so far. A Snow Goose at Morphet Road in Howland was the highlight. Juncos, Song and Tree Sparrows were all over the place and I found my first Purple Finch of the year. My Manitoulin list for 2004 is now up to 82, very close to my target of 83 by the end of March.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
John Lemon allerted me to Redheads at Kelley Lake this morning, March 30, so I went to see. A telescope is needed as most of the open water is a long way from Southview Drive. The list:- 30 Canada Geese, 45 Black Ducks, 124 Mallard, 2 Pintail, 2 American Wigeon, 3 Redheads, 1 Canvasback, 10 Ring-necked Duck, 2 Bufflehead, 2 Lesser Scaup, 9 Hooded Merganser and 35 Common Merganser. A Great Blue Heron and a N.Harrier were also seen and Charlie Whitelaw reported a Pied-billed Grebe at Fielding Park. Elsewhere Grackles and Robins are widespread.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
Last week continued well on the 29th when I found a Pied-billed Grebe and a Snow Goose. Mary White reported the first Sapsucker on the 30th and on the 31st Steve Thorpe reported a Turkey Vulture and I had Gadwall and the first spring White-throated Sparrow. The Sheguiandah Owl survey with Floyd Cosby on April 2nd produced two Saw-whet Owls, 3 Great Horned Owls and a Barred Owl.The Rockville Owl Survey on April 3rd was abandoned in heavy snow and wind. We did though hear our first Wilson's Snipe. April 3rd brought two more Turkey Vultures, a Flicker, a Cooper's Hawk and my first Pine Siskins of the year. Steve Thorpe had two Fox Sparrows at his feeder. April 4th brough a Glaucous Gull and a Brown Creeper.
On April 6th I watched a Greater White-fronted Goose in flooded fields at 618, Townline Road in Howland Township. It was with Canada Geese and Mallards and was coated with snow which was falling heavily. After 10 minutes it flew away and was not seen again.
April 8th with Steve Thorpe in S. Baymouth, we saw our first Common Loons, Red-necked Grebes and Double-crested Cormorants. Also there were Long-tailed Ducks, scoters of some type and Lesser Scaup. At Roger's Creek we saw five Tundra Swans.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
Erwin Meissner found a Ross's Goose beside Nelson Road, off Pleasant Valley Road, off Hwy 540 on Good Friday. This species has not been seen before on the Island. He also reported a Mute Swan in Lake Wolsey.
Chris Bell
cbell@isys.ca
Dear Sir,
My name is Julian Tonge and I live in Little Current on Manitoulin Island.
Regards
On the 21 Apr 04 here in LC I had a positive sighting of a Yellow Headed Blackbird feeding with a small flock of Common Grackles.Julian
tonges@manitoulin.net
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Hi Gord,
Chris Bell
There was a Marbled Godwit for one day earlier this month at the Manitowaning Sewage Lagoons. On May 18, after a stormy night, I found three Hudsonian Godwits on the beach at West Bay. They were gone by early afternoon. Also on the 18th, Doreen Bailey and I watched three Wilson's Phalaropes at the Gore Bay Sewage Lagoons with Least Sandpipers and a Dunlin. They had all gone by next day. On the 19th Steve Thorpe found the first Cedar Waxwings at South Baymouth.Chris Bell
cbell@amtelecom.net
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