[Ontbirds]Presqu'ile Barrow's Goldeneye and Harlequin, St Weasel

[Doug McRae]

Greetings all,

I went out to Gull Island today over lunchtime with Sarah Petrasek  
and we found the female Harlequin with a small party of Long-tailed  
Ducks swimming close to shore on the south side of the spit joining  
Owen Pt. to Gull Is., closest to Gull Island.  We searched the south  
side for the female Black Scoter seen there yesterday, but snow  
hampered viewing the distant flocks.  We then checked the channel  
between Gull and High Bluff Island, and found the male Barrow's  
swimming a few hundred meters west of Gull and north of High Bluff.   
There are still good numbers of waterfowl around the islands and in  
Presqu'ile Bay although the exact location and composition seems to  
change each day.

Also of interest was a great Short-tailed Weasel near the tip of Owen  
Pt.  As we got near the point we could see fresh weasel tracks  
crossing the Owen Pt. trail repeatedly so we stopped and squeaked and  
out came a weasel in winter coat, checking us out at lightning speed.

Cheers,

Doug McRae


Doug McRae Nature Services
P.O. Box 3010
Brighton, Ontario
Canada K0K 1H0
613-475-5014
rdmcrae at sympatico.ca

Directions:  Presqu'ile Provincial Park is located south of  
Brighton.  Take Hwy 401 and exit at Brighton, then follow Hwy. 30  
south into town and follow the park signs.  You do not need boots to  
get to Gull Island at present - there is a dry land bridge.