Saturday bird notes

A tide of the usual March migrants - American Woodcock, Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle and Song Sparrow - has washed over southern-most Ontario but few have made it yet to the north shore. Today's balmy weather, with temperatures in the mid-teens, seemed at odds with the dearth of spring birds. Martha and I walked along the harbour and observed a dozen Common Goldeneye and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers but no other waterfowl. We flushed a pair of Wilson's Snipe from the marshy seep where they likely overwintered. Around town, Herring Gull numbers have doubled through the last week so we are keeping an eye out for some of the less common gulls.

At the LaFarge plant, near Heron Bay, there were five Ring-billed Gulls, most certainly new arrivals from the south.
Four of five newly arrived Ring-billed Gulls near Heron Bay
It was a good day for those who'd hoped to see the Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch. A contingent from Thunder Bay - Nick Escott, Myles Falconer and Brian Moore - arrived in the late morning and found the GCRF in a matter of minutes. Later in the afternoon, local birder Nolan Pelland had great views. I saw the bird again at 5:30 pm.
Photo by Nick Escott