It was the 82nd consecutive running of the Fall Field day on Sunday, a
tradition that refuses to die. Our weather was perfect and we found 152
species for the day which ended at 5 PM. Counts were higher than usual with
teams recording as many as 117 and 113 species. The most notable rarity was
the Red-necked Phalarope at the Nonquon sewage lagoons but there were
several record high numbers.
Breaking previous highs were 175 Northern Shovelers, 114 Common Mergansers,
2 Forster's Terns and 5956 Blue Jays. Nocturnal counts were performed for
the first time resulting in 239 Swainson's Thrushes and 47 Gray-cheeked
Thrushes among others.There were 2237 Broad-winged Hawks in the Thickson's
Woods area alone and a grand total of about 2800 by all teams. We found 3
Barred Owls, 23 warbler species and a lone Red Crossbill near Uxbridge.
Shorebird numbers however were down due to high water levels in Lake
Ontario and Nonquon.
A good time was had by all and special thanks to the Henshaw's for hosting
a fun roundup.