64 Godfrey, WE. 1986. The of Press, Austin & London. Two . Revised Edition. Volumes. 1069 pp. National Museum of Natural Taverner, PA. 1940. Birds of Sciences, Ottawa. 595 pp. Canada-New and Revised James, R.D., P.L. McLaren and J C. Edition. The Musson Book Barlow. 1976. Annotated Check- Company Ltd., Toronto. 446 pp. list of the Birds of Ontario. Wormington, A. 1979. Second ROM Life Sciences Miscellan- Annual (1979) Spring Migration eous Publications, Toronto. 75 Report, Point Pelee National pp. Park & Vicinity. Parks Canada, Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The Life Leamington. 20 pp. of Texas. University of Texas Notes Eurasian Jackdaw: New to Ontario

At 1200 h on 13 April 1985, I was head, but the nape and cheek were driving east on Victoria Street, silvery grey. The overall impres- south of Highway 401, between sion was of a neat, trim bird Oshawa and Whitby, Durham without the rather shaggy plumage R.M. The CN Railway tracks run of many American . I just south of this road, and on top watched the bird somewhat of one of the hydro poles beside nostalgically for a few minutes the tracks I noticed as a silhouette until it flew off westward with a against the sun what I assumed to quick, almost hurried, wingbeat be a small raptor, perched, pecking and a couple of familiar, high- at something held in its claws. The pitched "kyow kyow"s. I attempted bird looked too large for an to follow the bird by road but American Kestrel (Falco spar- traffic was too dense to keep up verius) and too small for an with it. It rested briefly on wires American ( brachy- further down the railway line but rhynchos). Out of interest I swung was then lost to view. south on Thickson Road, under I did not make notes on the the railway bridge, to be able to see Eurasian Jackdaw's plumage and the bird with the sun behind me. I characteristics at the time of this think I actually laughed aloud at sighting because its identity was so the absurdity of finding that it was obvious to me, and also because at a Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus the time I assumed that it was an monedula), a bird with which I am escaped cage-bird. We are well very familiar from visits to trained in the Toronto area to southern England. accept, regretfully, that most The bird was obviously a crow, records of unusual corvids (e.g., but a small, grey and black one. Black-billed ( pica)) The body plumage was glossy rarely refer to wild birds. Knowing black, as was the crown of the that in many countries in Europe

ONTARIO BIRDS AUGUST 1986 65 the jackdaw is kept as an amusing by natural means and moved pet, I assumed it had recently been south in response to the onset of brought to Canada and then gone winter conditions. However, on the free. I therefore made only casual hasty premise that these birds had mention of the bird to others, until travelled across the it became obvious from reading in the hold of a ship, and might and conversation that its status as pose a threat to native North a wild bird should be given more American birds such as occurred serious consideration. A report was with the introduction of the submitted to the Ontario Bird European Starling (Stumus Records Committee which was vulgaris), the and duly accepted and represents the Game Department ordered their first record for Ontario (Worming­ extermination. Because Eurasian ton 1985). Jackdaws do not appear on any list Several factors contributed to of protected , the Canadian this acceptance, including an Wildlife Service did not voice an acknowledged increase in numbers objection, and by late March 1985 of Eurasian Jackdaws in Europe in most of the birds had been shot or the past few decades, and an poisoned. apparently spontaneous range The Eurasian Jackdaw seen in extension to , Whitby on 13 April 1985 could well possibly via Iceland, since 1982 have been a survivor from this (Smith 1985). In 1984 at least six Quebec massacre. Unfortunately, separate reports of Eurasian in spite of intense scrutiny of Jackdaws were made from the hundreds of crows in the Whitby Atlantic coast of North America­ area over the next couple of weeks, from Miquelon and Nova Scotia the jackdaw was not seen again, south to Rhode Island and nor was it reported by anyone else. Nantucket, Massachusetts. Con­ It will be interesting to follow the currently, commercial trade and progress of this hardy and quarantine regulations in North intelligent species in its quest for America have become much new territories in the New World. stricter, and it is unlikely that more than a very few Eurasian Jackdaws Literature Cited have been kept or raised in Smith, WP. 1985. Jackdaws reach captivity in Canada or the United the new world. American Birds States for several years. 39:255-258. The most significant observa­ Yank R., and Y Aubry. 1985. tion, however, was the influx in Quebec region. American Birds November 1984 of 52 jackdaws at 39:149. Port-Cartier, Quebec on the north Wormington, A. 1985. Ontario Bird shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence Records Committee report for (Yank and Aubry 1985). These 1985. Ontario Birds 4:3-18. birds probably reached Labrador

Margaret Bain, 210 Byron St. N., Whitby, Ontario LIN 4Nl

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 68

Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) or the Sharp-tailed Grouse may have been present at that time. John Arkell clearly cannot have been referring to the Ring­ necked Pheasant, since this species was not introduced to eastern North America until 1887, when the first birds were released in New Jersey (Bent 1960), but nevertheless would have been familiar with them from his experiences in England. Since the most charac­ teristic feature of a "pheasant", to birdwatcher and non-birdwatcher alike, is a long pointed , it is highly unlikely that so acute an observer as Arkell would have referred to the Greater-Prairie Chicken by this name. It is thus ~P~<"S'" very probable that Arkell's "pheasants" (which, incidentally, he noted as being "rather numerous") were in fact Sharp­ Wild Turkey / drawing by Ron Ridout tailed Grouse. This would constitute the only evidence for the Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) is occurrence of this species in well-established in the county, but Wellington County that we the only truly native gamebird presently have. present is the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus). In the last Acknowledgements century the Spruce Grouse I should like to thank Mrs. Cleo (Dendragapus canadensis) was Melzer of Puslinch Township for probably resident in the upper having brought John Arkell's letter Grand River valley, but was to my attention. extirpated in the second half of the century (Cringan 1963); the last Literature Cited record was of one "taken" near Bent, A.C. 1960. Life Histories of Guelph on 25 November 1898 North American Birds (Klugh 1906). However, it appears (Abridged edition, Vol. I), likely that a third species of grouse Harper. may have been resident in those Brewer, A.D. 1977. The Birds of days; the early settlers referred to a Wellington County. Guelph variety of upland game species, Field Naturalists Special using various arcane and (to us) Publication. totally unhelpful names such as Cringan, A.T 1963. Status, "birch partridge". Cringan (1963) distribution and history of surmised that either the Greater selected species of wildlife in the

ONTARIO BIRDS AUGUST 1986 69

Upper Grand River Valley. Queen's Printer, Ottawa. Unpublished manuscript. Klugh, A.B. 1906. The birds of Godfrey, WE. 1966. The Birds of Wellington County, Ontario. Canada. National Museum of Ontario Natural Science Canada, Bulletin No. 203. Bulletin 1:1-10.

David Brewer, R.R. 1, Puslinch, Ontario NOB 2JO Magnolia Warbler Breeding in the Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario

On 24 June 1983, while conducting a mist net was nevertheless erected wetland inventories near Guelph and in due course both the male Junction, approximately 1 km (#1580-87898) and female (#1580- southwest of Campbellville (Town 87899) warblers were netted, of Milton), S.M. Griffiths, M.J. banded, photographed, and Sharp and the author encountered released. a female Magnolia Warbler The habitat in which the nest (Dendroica magnolia), much was found at Guelph Junction may agitated, and carrying a bill full of be described as a regenerating wet bright green larvae. meadow/white cedar-tamarack Confident that a nest could be swamp interface. The meadow, found, the observers patiently which as recently as 1979 was only followed the movements of the about 50% vegetated by saplings female warbler to a point where and tall shrubs, is now almost she disappeared into a dense closed by a dense regeneration of clump of cedar, from which, upon eastern white cedar (I'huja closer approach, could be heard occidentalis) and tamarack (Larix emanating the distinctive begging laricina), and to a lesser extent, by calls of nestling birds. A brief trembling aspen (Populus tremu- search resulted in the discovery of loides), balsam poplar (P. a nest containing three young. balsamifera), and willow (Salix Interestingly, at no time, either bebbiana). The nest, located in a preceding or following the dense copse of ca. 8-l0m cedars, discovery of the nest, was a male and situated 2.25m above the Magnolia Warbler either heard of ground near the end of a up- seen. turned lower bough of a smaller On 27 June, DAS returned to the cedar, was loosely constructed of site with Martin Wernaart to dried grass stems and lined with investigate the possiblity of black rootlets. banding the nestling warblers. When the site was revisited by Upon our arrival at around l115h, DAS on the morning of 13 July, a a male Magnolia Warbler could be male Magnolia Warbler could be heard singing intermittently from heard singing repeatedly. On 15 an area of dense cedar and July, as there was no sign of either tamarack. Although the young adults or young, the nest was warblers proved too small to band, collected and is now deposited in

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 70

the Royal Ontario Museum, Provincial Forestry Station near St. Toronto. Williams and Turkey Point. There The nest reported here are three recent records of singing apparently constitutes the first and, in at least one instance, such report for Magnolia Warbler territorial male Magnolia Warblers in Halton Region (ONRS; Brooks associated with white pine (Pinus 1906) and the Hamilton area strobus)-white cedar woodland on generally (ONRS; McIlwraith the Long Point peninsula 1860; A. Wormington, pers. comm. (McCracken et af. 1981). 1984) and one of the few recent A search of both the literature reports for southwestern Ontario, and the Ontario Nest Records where they are evidently very rare. Scheme reveals that the Magnolia In adjacent Wellington County, Warbler, although rare, may have Brewer (1977, pers. comm. 1983) been a more widespread summer has not encountered it as a summer resident in southwestern Ontario, resident. Nor is the author aware occurring south to Kerwood of any recent summer records in [Middlesex Co.] (Beattie 1924); the neighbouring counties and Listowe1 [Perth Co.] where a nest regions of Hamilton-Wentworth, containing two was collected Brant, Waterloo and York. by Wm. L. Kells, on 7 June 1882 Recent summer records of (Kells 1882); [Wellington Co.], Magnolia Warbler have, however, where it was then regarded as a been reported from Middlesex "... scarce summer resident and County and the Regional breeder" (Klugh 1906a, 1906b); Municipality of Haldimand­ [Dufferin Co.] "common summer Norfolk to the west and southwest resident" at Orangeville (Calvert of Halton, respectively. In 1909), nest containing three eggs Middlesex, ca. 115km west of and a cowbird discovered in a Halton, a territorial male cedar, 11 June 1927, by P. Magnolia Warbler was discovered Harrington (ONRS; Diary No. 25, in June 1983, in a "middle-aged" P. Harrington [1925-33]); and, plantation bordering the Musselman's Lake [York R.M.] Dorchester Swamp, east of London where a nest containing four eggs (M. Gawn, pers. comm. 1985). This (ROM #7015) was collected by record is significant in view of the W.v. Crich, 5 July 1944 (ONRS). belief held by earlier local In view of the recent discovery of authorities that this species a nest in Halton Regional Munici­ "possibly bred", in the vicinity of pality reported here, and their pre­ London (Morden and Saunders sence during the breeding season 1882; Saunders and Dale 1933). in both natural and planted coni­ In Haldimand-Norfolk, ca. 95km ferous woodlands in Haldimand­ southwest, this species has been Norfolk and Middlesex, Magnolia encountered regularly in summer, Warblers should be searched for at least since the 1930s, and reasonably expected to occur particularly, but not exclusively, in in the larger cedar swamps and the extensive, mature conifer older conifer plantations in the reforestations associated with the southwestern counties of Ontario.

ONTARIO BIRDS AUGUST 1986 71

Acknowledgements Klugh, A.B. 1906a. The birds of I would like to thank Dr. R.D. Wellington County, Ontario. James for providing access to the Ont. Nat. Sci. Bull. 1:1-10. ONRS and other records housed Klugh, A.B. 1906b. Migration report in the Royal Ontario Museum, for the Wellington Fie1d­ Toronto; Mark Gawn for providing Naturalist Club. Ont. Nat. Sci. details of his 1983 Middlesex Bull. 2:22. County record; Brenda Axon, for McCracken JD., MS. W Bradstreet, allowing the use of data collected and G.L. Holroyd. 1981. Breeding while under contract to Halton birds of Long Point, Lake Erie: a Region Conservation Authority. study in community succession. Can. Wi1dl. Servo Rep. No. 44. 74 Literature Cited pp. Beattie, JM 1924. A June bird census from Canada. Bird-lore Mellwraith, T 1860. List of the birds 26(4):292. observed in the vicinity of Hamilton, C.W., arranged after Brewer, A.D. 1977. The Birds of the system of Audubon. Can. Wellington County. Special Journal N.S. 5(28):390. Publication, Guelph Field Morden, and WE. Saunders. Naturalists Club, Ontario. 38 pp. lA. 1882. List of the birds of western Brooks, A. 1906. Birds of Halton Ontario. Can. Sportsman & Nat. County, Ontario. Ont. Nat. Sci. 2:183-187. Bull. 2:6-10. Saunders, WE. and E.M.S. Dale. Calvert, E. W 1909. Birds of Orange­ 1933. A history and list of the ville, Ontario, and Vicinity. Ont. birds of Middlesex County, Nat. Sci. Bull. 5:37-45. Ontario, Canada. Trans. Roy. Kells, WL. 1882. Can. Sportsman & Can. Inst. 19:161-249. Nat. 2(12):195-196.

Donald Sutherland, 325 St. Clair Ave. E., Toronto, Ontario M4T 1P3

Magnolia Warbler / drawing by Dan Stuckey

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 72 Swallows a Branch

In late September 1984, a young piece of wood measured 300mm male Great Blue Heron (Ardea long by 45mm at its narrowest herodias) was found uninjured but diameter, to 67mm at its greatest critically starved at a small lake diameter, and was covered with near Battersea, Frontenac Co., rather thin bark that was Ontario (about 25km north of beginninng to deteriorate. The Kingston). He was barely able to upper end of the branch had stand up, totally apathetic and begun to erode a small area of the died almost immediately upon esophaghus. The long-empty arrival at Verona. intestines, displaced behind the A post-mortem into the strangely stomach, resembled coils of pale shaped abdomen revealed the translucent plastic; the rest of the stomach rigidly distorted by a organs were fairly healthy. smooth thick branch which Suprisingly, a few nematodes were reached from the lower neck to just still found surviving in the past the tips of the two os pubis stomach. bones of the pelvis (Figure I). The The heron had a 460mm wing

Figure 1: Branch in the stomach of Great Blue Heron.

ONTARlO BIRDS AUGUST 1986 73 chord, and weighed only l565g I suspect that the heron may with his burden; the branch itself have been fishing in murky water was just over 415g. I have recorded and quickly swallowed what he other captive herons eating more mistook for a large dark fish. As it than that weight at a sitting, as well probably caused no distress, he did as swallowing fish over 300mm not regurgitate it. long.

Kit Chubb, Avian Care and Research Foundation, Box 182, Verona, Ontario KOH 2WO Book Reviews

Editor's Note: The recent publication of 1. Murray Speirs' Birds of Ontario marked the first detailed account of the province's avifauna in 100 years. Given that this long-awaited work has generated widespread interest among Ontario birders, a decision was made to include two reviews. Although this represents a departure from the norm, it was felt to be warranted due to the sheer magnitude of the two-volume work and the somewhat differing viewpoints expressed by the two reviewers. A version of Bruce Di Labio's review originally appeared in Trail and Landscape Vol. 20, No.4 (Sept.-Oct. 1986) and is reprinted here with the kind permission of the Ottawa Field­ Naturalists' Club.

Birds of Ontario. 1985. By Dr. J Murray Speirs. Natural Heritage!Natural History Inc., Toronto. Vol. I, 538 pp., $49.95; Vol. II, 986 pp., $24.95.

When first presented with the However, Dr. Speirs might have opportunity to review Birds of received deserved uniform acclaim Ontario, the challenge was met with had he published the two volumes enthusiasm. However, as I began separately, for, in fact, he has my research, the magnitude of the produced two books so radically endeavour was almost intimidat­ different that it is difficult to accept ing. The overwhelming size of the them as Volumes I and II of the books (538 pages in Volume I and same publication. 986 pages in Volume II) presented Not since McIlwraith wrote his some problems. Birds of Ontario in 1886 has anyone The concept of the books is attempted to document in one certainly intriguing. Long over­ publication the status and history due, this compilation of of Ontario's birds. Fifty years, tens Ontario's avifaunal data should be of thousands of notations, accepted .eagerly by birders and thousands of hours of field work researchers. and hundreds of cited observers

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2