Weekly Roundup October 19th to October 25th 2020
This past week has been an interesting one, with lots of rain and days with quite heavy winds, so this may be a shorter report than normal. Waterfowl are here in large numbers now, so several rare ones have also shown up. This weekend also brought the first snowfall of the year and it’s starting to feel a lot like winter.
Waterfowl abound! A summary of locations is probably the best way to break down what’s been seen this week. The Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons is a great spot for ducks of all varities, with a LONG-TAILED DUCK, GREATER SCAUP, REDHEADS, and NORTHERN SHOVELER all being seen there and sticking around for several days, with the exception of the LONG-TAILED DUCK. The gorgeous male was discovered on October 23rd by Janice House and was only seen that day. Muskoka Beach has seen both RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and Bowyer’s Beach had HORNED GREBES earlier in the week.
Greater Scaup, Bracebridge, Aaron Rusak
A late BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER was seen in a field in Gravenhurst and could be viewed for several days quite well. In addition, CAROLINA WRENS are having an incredible year in Muskoka, with several continuing this week at select feeders.
Carolina Wren, Bracebridge, Aaron Rusak
Warblers and sparrows had a few rarities pop up this week, most of which were late birds. A COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, NASHVILLE WARBLER, and BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS all continued into this week, but only a few individuals were seen of each species. A FIELD SPARROW was spotted on Fairy Vista Trail in Huntsville and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR is continuing at the causeway at Beatrice Townline Road. HORNED LARKS were also seen at several different spots this week, with a few larger flocks being spotted on golf courses.
Finches saw some big movement this week, with EVENING GROSBEAKS being seen at feeders and flying over almost everywhere in Muskoka. This year is an irruption year for them, so it’s likely that we’ll continue to see numbers increasing. Both WHITE-WINGED and RED CROSSBILLS were also seen in smaller numbers and there were a couple of reports of flyover BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. Finch numbers should be increasing until the winter, so it’s a good time to be checking out conifer stands.
Red Crossbills, Muskoka Lakes, Aaron Rusak
What to Look for this Week
Boreal species are on the move, with finches irrupting across Muskoka. Keep your eyes peeled for flocks flying over and practice your flight calls to make identification easier. We may also see some rarer boreal species this winter, so check chickadee flocks for BOREAL CHICKADEE and conifer stands for BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS or CANADA JAYS.
Black-backed Woodpecker, Baysville (2019), Aaron Rusak
It’s the height of waterfowl migration in Muskoka, so check last week’s post for waterfowl watching tips. There are a couple rarities that haven’t shown up this year and are moving through areas north of Muskoka. Both BLACK SCOTER or RED-THROATED LOON might be appearing on larger bodies of water in the coming week.
Got a rare sighting of your own? Feel free to send it to aaron@shrikebirding.com and it may be used in our next weekly report. We’re hoping to add additional information in our future weekly reports, so unusual sightings within Muskoka are hugely appreciated.
Happy birding!