I wondered why there was so many people with large cameras and telescopes at Lankland Pool.
Posted with full permission from the Hamilton Spectator.
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Manx sighting 'mega rarity for Ontario,' says birdwatcher
By Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator(Sep 2, 2006)
Ontario birdwatchers are flocking to Van Wagners Beach to get a glimpse of a North Atlantic Ocean bird that is off course and has found a temporary home off the beach.
The Manx Shearwater was spotted Thursday by birdwatcher and retired Stelco electrician Barry Cherrier off the shore of the Lakeland Centre on Van Wagners Beach Road.
Since he's posted photos of his discovery on the Ontario Field Ornithologists website, birdwatchers have descended on the beach to try to see the bird. Yesterday afternoon, there was a line of about four dozen people carrying cameras and binoculars behind the centre, including people from Niagara Falls, Etobicoke, Kitchener, Stratford and London, Ont. (The photos are at www.ofo.ca/photos/ and scroll down to August 2006.)
According to OFO president Chris Escott, the only other specimen of a Manx Shearwater seen in Ontario was in 2001 when a dead carcass was discovered in the Ottawa area. Cherrier's discovery is the first live sighting of the bird, which is found in Newfoundland and New England.
"It's a mega rarity for Ontario," said Escott, who came in from Toronto to see the bird for himself (he did). "I was here at dawn. I'm sure I will never see another one in Ontario."
It's believed the bird came down the St. Lawrence and was carried to the beach area by the wind. The brown gull-like creature feeds on ocean life, so birdwatchers don't expect it to live very long along the Lake Ontario shoreline. The Manx Shearwater is also found in the British Isles.
Cherrier said he first sighted the bird at about 2 p.m. and waited another four-and-a-half hours to get a photo of it. He's ecstatic.
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I made history. It's the first time one has been seen alive. This isn't something you expect."
Cherrier believes, however, the bird has been seen farther afield than Ontario. He recalls a report of one being seen in Michigan a few years back.
Ken Clarke, a psychologist from Stratford, came to the beach last night when he heard about the sighting. He's been a birdwatcher 25 years and began his hobby when he lived in Newfoundland.
"I'm used to seeing birds like this in their natural habitat," said Clarke, who saw the bird with his binoculars from the Lakeland Centre tower. "Even on the ocean coast, you're not going to see it that much because it's out on the ocean. I think it's cool to see these birds in this place."
dnolan@thespec.com
905-526-3351
Posted with full permission from the Hamilton Spectator.
_______________________________________________________
Manx sighting 'mega rarity for Ontario,' says birdwatcher
By Daniel Nolan
The Hamilton Spectator(Sep 2, 2006)
Ontario birdwatchers are flocking to Van Wagners Beach to get a glimpse of a North Atlantic Ocean bird that is off course and has found a temporary home off the beach.
The Manx Shearwater was spotted Thursday by birdwatcher and retired Stelco electrician Barry Cherrier off the shore of the Lakeland Centre on Van Wagners Beach Road.
Since he's posted photos of his discovery on the Ontario Field Ornithologists website, birdwatchers have descended on the beach to try to see the bird. Yesterday afternoon, there was a line of about four dozen people carrying cameras and binoculars behind the centre, including people from Niagara Falls, Etobicoke, Kitchener, Stratford and London, Ont. (The photos are at www.ofo.ca/photos/ and scroll down to August 2006.)
According to OFO president Chris Escott, the only other specimen of a Manx Shearwater seen in Ontario was in 2001 when a dead carcass was discovered in the Ottawa area. Cherrier's discovery is the first live sighting of the bird, which is found in Newfoundland and New England.
"It's a mega rarity for Ontario," said Escott, who came in from Toronto to see the bird for himself (he did). "I was here at dawn. I'm sure I will never see another one in Ontario."
It's believed the bird came down the St. Lawrence and was carried to the beach area by the wind. The brown gull-like creature feeds on ocean life, so birdwatchers don't expect it to live very long along the Lake Ontario shoreline. The Manx Shearwater is also found in the British Isles.
Cherrier said he first sighted the bird at about 2 p.m. and waited another four-and-a-half hours to get a photo of it. He's ecstatic.
"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I made history. It's the first time one has been seen alive. This isn't something you expect."
Cherrier believes, however, the bird has been seen farther afield than Ontario. He recalls a report of one being seen in Michigan a few years back.
Ken Clarke, a psychologist from Stratford, came to the beach last night when he heard about the sighting. He's been a birdwatcher 25 years and began his hobby when he lived in Newfoundland.
"I'm used to seeing birds like this in their natural habitat," said Clarke, who saw the bird with his binoculars from the Lakeland Centre tower. "Even on the ocean coast, you're not going to see it that much because it's out on the ocean. I think it's cool to see these birds in this place."
dnolan@thespec.com
905-526-3351