At 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, October 14th, 2004, this is the HNC Birding report:
POMARINE JAEGER LONG-TAILED JAEGER Red-throated Loon Horned Grebe Great Egret Canada Goose Cackling Goose Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Lesser Yellowlegs Semipalmated Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Red-bellied Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Tufted Titmouse Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Palm Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Common Yellowthroat Field Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Pine Siskin Wow, a shorter list this week, a sign that things are slowing down and more winterish birds are moving through. Van Wagner's Beach this week produced again with LONG-TAILED JAEGER both Monday and today. This is getting late for this bird to be present here. A POMARINE JAEGER was also seen on Monday at the beach as well. Other birds seen here were Red-throated Loon and Horned Grebe. At nearby Tollgate Ponds, Black-bellied Plover, American Golden Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs were among the birds seen this week. Another good spot for shorebirds this week has been Dundas Marsh. The water level has dropped for now and shorebirds seen here this week include Black-bellied Plover, American Golden Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper and Dunlin. Out amongst the Canada Geese here was a Cackling Goose. Thanks to a visiting birder who ventured to Dundas Marsh and Shell Park this week and reported to the telephone hotline. Shell Park reports include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler and American Redstart. The Valley Inn was a resting spot to some Great Egrets throughout the week. These birds also continue to be seen in the Dundas Marsh. There is a good stretch of mud flats here to be watched closely for any migrants which drop in. Also returning to the Valley Inn this week is a Brown Thrasher, maybe the wintering bird that has been there the last couple of years. Behind the Olympic Arena in Dundas, a late Eastern Meadowlark was seen near the gardens along with a mix of Field, White-throated, White-Crowned, Song, Swamp, Lincoln's and a couple of Fox Sparrows. The same mix of sparrows has been reported in various spots this week such as Paletta/Shoreacres Park and in an old orchard off of Cumberland and Harvester Road in Burlington. Shoreacres/Paletta Park was full of both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets during the week in addition to Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows and a lingering Common Yellowthroat. Up north in Flamborough near 8th concession and Westover Road, Pine Siskins, Red-bellied Woodpecker and both Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are coming in to a feeder. A Tufted Titmouse was spotted at a feeder in the West 5th and South Bend area in Hamilton. That's it for this week. Sounds like a wet and windy weekend. For the brave, please report your sightings via email or the hotline. Have a great week. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline
