Friday, September 24, 2010

September 24: winds are blowing

30+ degrees, 40+kmh SW winds blowing.. Oh the birding...

These are the winds that blow good birds around! And the possibilities abound! One would hope that southern birds (herons?) would get blown in somewhere... It's also a good time to look for birds already around. Some of my favourite places for a strong SW wind in fall:

1. Tip of Point Pelee in the morning.. Can be great for waterbird flights, and passerines flying overhead.

2. Beached birds - Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns etc. will be sitting on beaches (Port Burwell!!!, Port Stanley) today thanks to huge waves. Great way to find a fall Laughing or Franklin's Gull.

3. Lakewatch from Fifty Point CA in Grimsby: birds feeding near shore thanks to upwelling (if you can find the feeding groups). Better in late season for loons, gannets, etc.

4. Niagara River - Again, it might be a bit early, but these winds push numbers of gulls into the river. The mouth at Fort Erie could be darn good.

5. Peregrine migration at hawk cliff: could be the first small push of Peregrines riding the cliff edge today. Probably still 5-7 days early though.

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OFO convention this weekend! I'll be at Port Burwell tomorrow morning to co-lead a hike with Ken Burrell. I'll also have my fancy spotting scope with me (Vortex Razor), so please feel free to ask to take a look at (and through) it!


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