TBFN Birding Reports

Notable Area Bird Sightings in 1999

Varied Thrush, Townsend's Solitaire, 2 Gyrfalcon, 13 Bald Eagle Dec. 26,
counted during Thunder Bay's Boxing Day Bird Count

Eared Grebe at Peninsula Harbour, Marathon Dec. 21 (Keith Wade)

3 Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, Harris' Sparrow, 2 Song Sparrow Dec. 19,
counted at Marathon during Christmas Bird Count

Hooded Merganser Dec. 18, Nipigon Christmas Bird Count
Harris's Sparrow, Cardinals, Towhee and White-breasted Nuthatch
at Marathon, reported Nov. 22
House Finch (3) at feeder near Vickers Park Nov. 15 (Janet Clark)
Northern Cardinal at Nicol Island, Rossport (Dave Speer)
Townsend's Solitaire (3) at Squaw Bay south of Thunder Bay (Brian Ratcliff, Ellen Cramm)
Cattle Egret at Thunder Bay Airport Nov. 10 (Brian Ratcliff)
Cattle Egret at Chapple's Golf Course Nov. 9 (Doug McKee)
Cattle Egret at Chippewa Nov. 9 (Al Harris)
Northern Cardinal at Atikokan Nov. 9 (Dave Elder)
Snowy Owl at Marathon Nov. 1 (Kim Ransom - fide Bill Climie)
Northern Cardinal, female at Pine Bay Nov. 8 (Sharon and Bob Illingworth)
House Finch (male) at a Fort William feeder week of Nov. 7 (Janet Clark)
Northern Cardinal, 4 at Marathon Nov. 2 (Bill Climie et al)
Gyrfalcon adult at the P&H Elevator, Thunder Bay Oct. 30 (Al Harris)
Red-bellied Woodpecker banded at Thunder Cape Oct. 28
A late Red-eyed Vireo on Kabeyun trail near Thunder Cape Oct. 24 (Nick Escott)
A late Cape May Warbler at Thunder Cape Oct. 24 (Nick Escott)
A late American Kestrel on Community Hall Road Oct. 20 (Stan Phippen)
Boreal Owl banded at Thunder Cape Oct. 24
Rough-legged Hawk , 223 counted at Thunder Cape Oct. 23

RED PHALAROPE photographed at Thunder Cape Oct. 22 (new District record!)

TRUMPETER SWAN seen and heard 2 mornings in a row
while moose hunting west of Kakabeka Falls (Marek Klitsch)
- This would be our first Thunder Bay District record if confirmed/documented

A male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER was seen by Minnesota birders at Taconite Harbour, Minnesota (north shore of Lake Superior south of Grand Marais) on Oct 16. It flew off in a north-east direction, up the shore (towards Canada!)

American Avocet at Mission Island marsh Oct. 17 (Nick Escott)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Mission Island beach Oct. 17 (Geoff and Sheila Gooding)
Hopefully someone will photograph this bird for documentation,
it is extremely rare in Ontario.

LITTLE GULL adult at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory Oct. 14 (Hilbran Verstaete)
This is a new District record!

Northern Mockingbird at Grandview Beach Oct. 10 (Sue Bryan)
Tundra Swan at Pearl Lake near Dorion Oct. 3 (Nick Escott, Jody Allair, Jess Antoniak)
Indigo Bunting (f) at Rossport Campground Oct. 3 (Nick Escott, Jody Allair, Jess Antoniak)
Albinistic Dark-eyed Junco at Dorion Oct. 3 (Nick Escott, Jody Allair, Jess Antoniak)
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco at Lappe Feeder Oct. 3 (Aarre Ertolahti)
Sandhill Crane (39) over O'Connor Township Oct. 2 (Mike Zettek)
Short-eared Owl on Tungsten St., Thunder Bay Oct. 2 (Penny Ratushniak)
American Robin (4000) migrating south at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory Sept. 22
Yellow Palm Warbler banded at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory Sept. 22

House Finch nest with 2 young, in the porch at 1421 Isabella, Thunder Bay (Barry Atkinson).
This is the first confirmed nesting for Thunder Bay District

5 Western Kingbirds at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory May 31 / June 5.
Sedge Wren singing at Savanne (Al Harris) and Thunder Bay (NGE).
3 swans sp? at Kam River early June. (Mute Swans?)
Eastern Meadowlark seen singing on 25th Sideroad early June (Jody Allair).
Whimbrel, several hundred on Lake Superior May 26-28 (Brian Ratcliff).
Barred Owl pair at Hazelwood Lake Conservation Area April 11 (Aarre Ertolahti)

Northern Saw-whet Owl calling at Cloud Lake March 27 (Al Harris)

Common Merganser (12) at Thunder Cape March 14 (Nick Escott,
Barry Atkinson, Kathy Ducaiova).

Northern Shrike in Thunder Bay backyard March 10-11
(Ted and Thomas Armstrong, Jean Hall-Armstrong).

Red Crossbills at Eagle Lake March 10 (Carolle Eady).

Great Horned Owls heard hooting along the Devon Road March 7
(Brian Ratcliff, Jody Allair).

Red-bellied Woodpecker still in the Mountain Road area of Thunder Bay March 7.

Great Horned Owls heard hooting in O'Connor Township March 4 (Mike Zettek).

Spotted Towhee still in Westfort March 3 (Lyn Lindsay).

Boreal Owl calling at Lac des Mille Lacs on March 3 (Bill Hay)

Boreal Owl, 2 calling at Lac Des Mille Lacs March 2 (Bill Hay)

Oldsquaw, small flocks in Lake Superior off Pukaskwa Park Feb 19.

12 American Robins in the Vickers Park area of Thunder Bay Feb 11-18 (Janet Clark).

Brown Creeper, unusually high number wintering this year.

Spotted Towhee (female) reappeared late Feb. (Irene Macdonald).
The same bird? at a Christina Street feeder 1 block away for the past 6 weeks.

Northern Carninal (male) at a Centennial Park home late Feb. (fide Joan Hebden).

Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 or 2 survived winter at Chippewa - unprecedented.

Mallard (2) and American Black Duck, at provincial Mill late Feb. (Sue Bryan).

161 Black-backed Woodpeckers along 21 km stretch of the Armstrong highway
south of Gull Bay, Jan. 31. Also 2 Three-toed WP. (Stan Phippen, Nick Escott).

American Tree Sparrow, 2 at Chippewa Trailer Park feeder Jan. 31
reported by Brian Moore and Penny Ratushniak.

Lapland Longspur, 2 in the CN railyards on Rosslyn Rd., Jan. 31 (Dan Bascello).

Red-bellied Woodpecker at White Fox Inn on Mountain Road, Jan. 30
seen by Dave Elder. (Different from the one reported from Arrow Lake).

Northern Flicker still in Port Arthur January 17 (Sue Bryan, Heather Pearson).

Rough-legged Hawk on the Thunder Bay harbour ice January 17 (Nick Escott).

Rough-legged Hawk over Vickers Heights January 16 (Brian Moore).

Sharp-shinned Hawk in Port Arthur January 16 (Penny Ratushniak).

Gyrfalcon still along the Thunder Bay waterfront January 11.

Red-bellied Woodpecker still at Arrow Lake January 11.

Spotted Towhee still at a Westfort feeder in Thunder Bay January 6 (Irene Mcdonald).