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October 1998 Sightings in the Windsor Area

Monday, October 26: The Nature Centre field trip to Holiday Beach on Saturday found Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, good numbers of American Pipits and a Red-headed Woodpecker. Snow Geese (2 white phase, 1 blue phase) were seen at Jack Miners and the Canard River (one white phase) on Sunday (PD Pratt).

A light phase Swainson's Hawk was seen at Leamington on the 22nd (Alan Wormington).

Friday, October 23: Late October to mid November is the peak season for Golden Eagle migration at Holiday Beach. Eagles are most often seen on sunny days with winds from the north, mid morning to mid afternoon. The record one-day count at the hawk tower was on November 10, 1991 when 24 Golden Eagles were seen.

A Purple Gallinule was found in a backyard in Sarnia this week, but died soon afterwards (fide Sarah Rupert). This species is a very rare visitor to Ontario.

Jean Iron, President of Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO), announced the launch of ONTBIRDS, an electronic mailing list service which notifies birders of new Ontario bird sightings of interest. ONTBIRDS automatically relays an email message posted to the service to everyone who is subscribed.

To subscribe to ONTBIRDS: send an email (use lower case letters) to:

    majordomo@hwcn.org

Leave the subject or title of the email blank. In the body of the email, type:

    subscribe ontbirds

and on the next line type

    end

Send the email. In a short while you will receive a message asking you to authenticate your subscription. After confirming, you will receive another email with, information on how to post sightings and other details. For OFO Membership and other information, contact:  ofo@interlog.com

Tuesday, October 13: Starting in mid October watch for species such as Red-shouldered Hawk (48 on Oct 11), Rough-legged Hawk (1 on Oct 11), Northern Goshawk and Golden Eagle (2 on Oct 11) passing through at Holiday Beach.

Sunday, October 11: Eastern North America is blessed with a large number of deciduous trees which produce brilliant foliage colours in autumn. Ojibway is reaching its peak of colour due to recent perfect weather for colour production.

Good fall colours result when water and mineral supply to the leaf has been reduced but sunny, mild days allow continued photosynthesis. Wet, cloudy weather or killing frosts reduce foliage brilliance and shorten the period of leaf fall.

Orange, red and purple colours are produced in plants capable of forming anthocyanins such as Sugar Maple, Red Maple and White Ash. At Ojibway Red Maple Acer rubrum, Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra, Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica and Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus inserta produce bright red foliage.

Yellow colours are due to carotenes and xanthophylls in species such as birches, poplars, hickories. Brown colours found in oaks and beech are due to the presence of tannins. At Ojibway, Pignut Hickory Carya glabra and Sassafras Sassafras albidum turn a distinctive yellowish-orange in October.