At 9:30p.m.on Thursday, May 26th, 2005 this is the HNC Birding Report: EURASIAN WIGEON BLACK SCOTER LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Common Loon Horned Grebe American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Ring-necked Pheasant Virginia Rail Sora Osprey Ruffed Grouse Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Common Nighthawk Least Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Great Crested FLycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Veery Swainson's Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Wood Thrush Golden-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black=throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Canada Warbler Clay-colored Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Lots of things to report again this week as the bulk of migrating birds have moved through the area. Thanks to a big day last Sunday, there were a few sightings of note to report. A male EURASIAN WIGEON was found last Saturday at the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons. It was last reported Sunday. Also here were some American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Sora, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Spotted Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper. The water is still high in this lagoon which makes it unappealing to large numbers of shorebirds. While in this area at the bottom of Kelson Road, a second alternate LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen on the break wall to the east of this property. Also seen along Kelson Road was Orchard Oriole. Up in Saltfleet on the 10th Road E, Upland Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Ring-necked Pheasant and Vesper Sparrow were part of the wrap up to the big day count. Down at Tollgate Ponds, a small mix of shorebirds were present today including Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper and Ruddy Turnstone. Ruddy Turnstone was also seen at Pier 25. In the Dundas Marsh last weekend Common Nighthawks were flying over the marsh, Virginia Rail, Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroats all setting up shop for the breeding season. The parks along the lakeshore were productive this week for migrants although not as productive as we had hoped last Sunday. Warblers reported from Shell Park this week include Veery, Wood Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Least Flycatcher, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Canada, Blackpoll, Bay-breasted and Mourning Warblers and Lincoln's Sparrow. Just down the road at Shoreacres in Burlington there were a few less migrants this week but some variation as Horned Grebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, American Redstart, Black and White and Tennessee Warbler were seen and on Monday, I flushed a Whip-poor-will from the southeast corner of the property. On Monday, I hit a small jackpot at Tuck Creek Park in Burlington with Blackburnian, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, Chestnut Sided, Northern Parula, Tennessee, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Philadelphia, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, a female Scarlet Tanager and Swainson's Thrush and Field Sparrow all within a 45 minute period. The lake has quieted down but many Red-necked Grebes can be seen at Spencer Smith Park and a late BLACK SCOTER was cleverly spotted on our big day count. Our big day route took us on a tour of some of the notable breeding places for species in the area. Martins Lane in Ancaster brought us Golden-winged and Hooded Warbler, Golden-winged a rapidly disappearing species in our area. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was scouted out on Saturday at the corner of Powerline and Paddy Green Road appearing to set up territory. Louisiana Waterthrush were present at the bottom of Mineral Springs Road in Dundas. Nesting Grasshopper sparrows were heard in various places in Flamborough but were heard along with Clay-colored Sparrow in the Christmas Tree Farms on Kirkwall Road in Flamborough. Up in the Hyde Tract the Black-backed Woodpecker appears to be hiding or has moved north but Pine Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak were present here. In the Mountsberg C.A. area the Ospreys are back on nest, Common Moorhen was heard at the back and a Common Loon was present on the Reservoir. A Ruffed Grouse was heard drumming up in this area as well. In this evening, an Olive-sided Flycatcher was present at Rock Chapel today. That's the news for now. Keep up your reports of sightings in the area, they are most appreciated. Good Birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
