At 6:00 a.m. on Friday, May 6th, 2005, this is the HNC Birding report. WILLET AMERICAN AVOCET BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER NORTHERN PARULA
Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe American Bittern Blue-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Harlequin Duck Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Peregrine Falcon Ruffed Grouse Virginia Rail Sora Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Pectoral Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Wilson's Snipe Forsters Tern Common Tern Caspian Tern Pileated Woodpecker Chimney Swift Blue-headed Vireo Purple Martin Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow House Wren Marsh Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Hermit Thrush Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Northern Waterthrush Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow What a great week this has been in both the Hamilton area and elsewhere. This week promises to be a banner week with warming temperatures and birds stacked up somewhere. This week despite three days of rain/snow/sleet showers some good birds turned up in the area. This weeks most unexpected find was a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER seen in Hyde Tract off of Safari Road in Flamborough. The bird was found last Sunday and has been seen up until Wednesday but I suspect is still around (see directions after report). Other birds reported from here this week were Pileated Woodpecker, Ruffed Grouse, Blue-headed Vireo, Pine Warbler and Chipping Sparrow. In the marsh just east of the tract are Virginia Rail, Sora and American Bittern. Still up in Flamborough, a number of other sightings were reported. Eastern Towhee were reported on Kirkwall Road and from the Beverly Swamp Area, Northern Waterthrush are back in being heard and seen at Valens Road just north of 8th concession and on Middletown Road between 5th and 6th Concession. A large gathering of Swallows at the back of Valens Conservation Area produced all five species expected here. In flooded fields in this area Pectoral Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs were seen along with Blue-winged Teal. A Sandhill Crane flew over 5th Concession W and Middletown Road last Saturday. Marsh Wrens and a Pied-billed Grebe were viewed at the Millgrove Loam Pits. Up at the Hawkwatch this week things are continuing to move through. This week was good for some numbers of Broad-winged Hawks, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks and a Peregrine Falcon. Also reported was the areas first Chimney Swifts. In the flooded fields up here on 5th Road East, many Lesser Yellowlegs were seen along with Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipe. A single Least Sandpiper was seen on 10th Road East along with the resident pair of Upland Sandpipers. Other big news of the week was the appearance of a flock of 13 WILLETS along with a record number of 25 AMERICAN AVOCETS. This occurred last Monday. The two flocks sat together for most of the day giving a photo fest for our local photographers. Both these birds not often caught in their migration through Hamilton. Along the lakeshore this week the Common Loon migration was in full swing with many birds being seen through the week. At nearby Tollgate Ponds a single Black-bellied Plover was last reported Tuesday. Shell Park has had the only decent passerines in town this week with a NORTHERN PARULA making an appearance at the Sheldon Creek Trail which is on the south side of Lakeshore Road across from the Park. This little jewel was last reported on Tuesday. Other birds in the park were Brown Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Palm Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler. At nearby Bronte Harbour, three species of Terns were seen in the week. Also reported for the first time in a while were 2 Harlequin Ducks offshore. Ruthven banding station has reported new species of House Wren and Nashville Warbler this week. A great place to go and see one on one with warblers! In the odds and sods department a House Wren was singing on the Dundas Valley Rail Trail, an American Bittern did a flyover at Kerncliffe Park and Pine Warblers still singing away at LaSalle Park. That's the news for this week. Sorry for the late report, this reporter is pleading insanity driving to Pelee yesterday for a view of a Neotropic Cormorant. Next week the HNC report will have a Guest Host. Thanks to Keith Dieroff for covering me this week. Hopefully there will be lots of news for him to report. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe (bird fanatic) HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 Directions to Black-backed Woodpecker: Directions to Hyde Tract: >From Hamilton take the 403 to Hwy 6 North. Proceed north on Hwy 6 to Safari Road and then turn west on Safari. Before you get to Hyde Tract, there is a large marshy area on both sides of the road(approx 14-15km from Hwy 6) The parking lot to Hyde Tract is on the left hand side. If you hit Kikwall Road, you've gone too far. From the parking lot proceed along the main trail. This trail has a couple of smaller branches but stay to the right on the main trail past the house ruins and then onto the large cement block. When you get to the large cement block, turn left. A sidetrial appears to the right after about 30-40m. Take this sidetrail heading south for about 300m when a side trail to the right appears. Take the side trail to the right and the bird was on a tree right on the path about 150-200m on, in the area where the trail bends substantially to the left. Obviously it can occur anywhere from where we saw it, north to the cement block. Good luck.
