Weekly Roundup November 30th to December 6th 2020
As we begin to get into the winter months, the number of rarities begins to decrease. However, this is also somewhat exciting, as often the rarities that are found are much more unique. This was very true this week, as there were a couple of very significant birds found.
For our waterfowl, numbers have begun to decrease fairly substantially as inland lakes are starting to ice over and many of our wetlands are closing up rapidly. There were a few WOOD DUCK earlier in the week and a GADWALL and GREEN-WINGED TEAL stuck around the Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons for much of the week. The continuing rare LONG-TAILED DUCK and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER have also been seen at Muskoka Wharf.
The star of the gulls was the continuing SLATY-BACKED GULL refound on Monday by Aaron Rusak. Originally found by Regan and David Goodyear, the gull may stick around until the Christmas Bird Count and would be a great pick up there. ICELAND, GREAT BLACK-BACKED, and GLAUCOUS GULLS also made appearances across Muskoka. Checking the Gravenhurst Wharf or the Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons has yielded several of those birds and continues to prove to be a good location for finding them.
The absolute all-star of the week though, was the TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE found by Dale Wenger at Hutcheson Beach Road. The bird was originally found Tuesday morning and stuck around until about noon until disappearing. There were several great views of the bird before it disappeared and although it was not refound, there is definitely a chance for it to be lingering somewhere around Huntsville.
Townsend’s Solitaire, Huntsville, Aaron Rusak
There are a few other late birds of note as well. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS have been seen at a couple feeders in Georgian Bay, as well as a feeder in Bracebridge. A CAROLINA WREN has also made a reappearance at a feeder in Bracebridge and will also hopefully join us for the Christmas Bird Count. Another late RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET was spotted along Doe Lake Road, becoming the second latest record of the species. An EASTERN MEADOWLARK was also discovered up in Huntsville, the latest record for that species. Finally, a continuing WHITE-THROATED SPARROW is being seen in Bracebridge, a species that seems to be hanging around for longer and longer each winter.
What to Look for this Week
The Christmas Bird Count is coming up very soon, so stocking up your feeders will prove to be very helpful for this event. This provides a food source for any lingering birds and also provides an opportunity for the counters to find any of those late birds. As the snow begins to get deeper, feeders will be one of the best places to search for birds anyway, so stock up on bird seed now to keep you through the winter months.
Evening Grosbeaks at feeder, Bracebridge, Aaron Rusak
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!