On Thursday, December 15th, 2005, this is the HNC Birding Report: GRAY CATBIRD PINE WARBLER OVENBIRD LINCOLN'S SPARROW BREWER'S BLACKBIRD
Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Common Goldeneye Barrow's Goldeneye Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk * Northern Goshawk Ruffed Grouse * Wild Turkey American Coot Great Horned Owl Long-eared Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Winter Wren Hermit Thrush Northern Mockingbird American Pipit American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbird *denotes out of the HSA It has been a relatively busy week in the HSA. This weeks cold has brought out a number of new birds as feeders have been more active. The OVENBIRD seen last Friday continues to be seen and feeding well thanks to our local birders. This bird has been mingling with flocks of juncos and tree sparrows at Cherry Hill Gate located on Plains Road near the Royal Botanical Gardens right across the street from Louies Restaurant. The bird is located at the bottom of the hill feeding on seed put on the tree stumps. Hopefully this bird will hang around for the CBC on December 26th. Other birds seen in the Hendrie Valley this week were GRAY CATBIRD, Winter Wren, Swamp Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and White-throated Sparrows. A PINE WARBLER, perhaps the same bird which wintered last year near the garden allotments in Shell Park in Oakville, was seen again on Tuesday. Today, I ventured out to look for the LINCOLN'S SPARROW located near Blackheath near the town of Binbrook. No success today, but lots of good potential habitat and perhaps the bird is still around as there are a number of sparrows and juncos feeding at the side of Halls Road East where the bird was located. Things are hopping down in the south Haldimand end of the HSA with a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and a BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS both visiting the same famous farm which hosted the Fork-tailed Flycatcher near Irish Line & River Road several years ago. The Red-headed Woodpeckers have been lurking in the Irish Line area for a while, the BREWERS were last reported last week. Also seen at the feeder were Brown-headed Cowbirds and White-crowned Sparrows. A cruise of the fields in this area last Sunday yielded at least eight White-crowned Sparrows so there are still a number of these beasts around. Along the Grand River a Great Blue Heron was seen crouched low over the water along the banks at Caledonia. The Desjardins Canal in Dundas still has reports of Pied-billed Grebe, a couple of Great Blue Herons, Hooded Merganser and a Northern Goshawk has been seen in the area. Very few reports from the lake, the regulars of White-winged Scoters, Surf Scoters, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead are easy finds. There have been a couple of sightings of BARROW'S GOLDENEYE from the west end of the lake this week but again sifting through the raft of ducks at various access points to the lake is recommended. A Hermit Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, adult Lesser black-backed Gull, and third year Bald Eagle were seen at LaSalle Park at the end of Waterdown Road on Tuesday. Out of the HSA but part of the Hamilton Naturalists Club Sanctuary known as Spooky Hollow near Normandale, a Red-shouldered Hawk, Ruffed Grouse and another Gray Catbird are present. Lots of leftovers for the odds & sods this week, a Northern Flicker was seen at Shoreacres Park in Burlington, an adult Bald Eagle was seen near Princess Point, Long-eared Owls were viewed in Woodland Cemetery on Monday, an American Coot and Red-necked Grebe were reported from Spencer Smith Park, Wild Turkeys were seen on First Road W. in Stoney Creek and near Hagersville, a Great Horned Owl seen in the Morristown area, and an American Pipit was seen at Canada Centre for Inland Waters today. The Christmas Bird Counts have started and sightings are appreciated so that significant areas are covered. Send your reports in!! Have a great week. Cheryl Edgecombe [EMAIL PROTECTED] HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
