At 3:06pm, Thursday, November 20th, 2003, this is the Hamilton Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline Report. The Hotline is normally revised on Thursday, unless an unusual bird turns up in the Hamilton area.
The Niagara River received good coverage this past week. Highlights of the gulls seen were CALIFORNIA GULL at Adam Beck, plus ICELAND GULL, THAYER'S GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, and LITTLE GULL at various locations. Other birds seen on or over the river include DUNLIN, SNOW GOOSE (at the Peace Bridge), plus ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and PEREGRINE FALCON. The north and south shores of Lake Ontario were also productive. On the north side a pair of BRANT were still hanging around Bronte Harbour and a female HARLEQUIN DUCK turned up at the mouth of the Credit River. On the south shore, 30 BLACK SCOTERS, 130 SURF SCOTERS, numerous WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, and a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE were reported from L.P. Sayers Park in Stoney Creek, while two PURPLE SANDPIPERS, a PARASITIC JAEGER, a male HARLEQUIN DUCK, plus RED-THROATED LOON, flocks of 41 SNOW BUNTINGS, 46 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, and 2,500 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were seen from Port Weller. In and around the Hamilton Harbour, this week's sightings include 11 RED-THROATED LOONS and a female BLACK SCOTER at LaSalle Marina, three DUNLIN at Pier 24, plus RED-THROATED LOON, COMMON LOON and a single BOHEMIAN WAXWING among CEDAR WAXWINGS at Woodland Cemetery. Other local reports include a mixed flock of SNOW BUNTINGS and LAPLAND LONGSPURS on Parkside Drive in Waterdown, NORTHERN SHRIKE in a central mountain yard, PINE SISKIN in an Ancaster yard, as well as FOX SPARROW, CHIPPING SPARROW, PURPLE FINCH, and more PINE SISKINS in a Burlington yard. Your reporter went on a fishing trip this past weekend near Burleigh Falls and was delighted to see an adult BALD EAGLE crusing over Lovesick Lake. A late night serenade by a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS was another highlight. That's all for this week, be sure to let us know about your sightings. Leave your name, telephone number, as well as the time and date of your call. Sightings can also be reported by e-mail. GOOD BIRDING! Keith Dieroff C/O Hamilton Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline Report Hamilton, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hamilton Naturalists' Club Tel: (905) 381-0329 www.hamiltonnature.org ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca Keith Dieroff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
