On Thursday , October 26th, 2006, this is the HNC Birding Report: BRANT CASPIAN TERN (record late!) BOHEMIAN WAXWING WHITE-EYED VIREO
Late Migrants this week! Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Red Eyed Vireo Scarlet Tanager Blackburnian Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Northern Waterthrush Vesper Sparrow Gadwall Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Great Egret Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Dunlin Long-eared Owl Belted Kingfisher Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Snow Bunting This week is turning out to be stragglers week in the HSA. Many birds which are supposed to be gone by now have turned up this week taking advantage of small windows of opportunity between the rain. To begin with, we have had a few great birds spotted this week. A WHITE-EYED VIREO was spotted amongst a number of migrants at Bronte Bluffs Park which is at the end of West River Road just west of Bronte Harbour. This bird was last reported on Monday however with it were Blue-headed Vireo, numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets along with a few niceties such as Northern Waterthrush, Black-throated Blue, Nashville and Blackburnian Warbler, and Northern Parula. No sooner had I returned home from the vireo, a BRANT was reported on Sunday afternoon at Bronte Harbour, back in the car to run another "errand". The bird was only seen on Sunday. Another great bird found today at the hill which goes down from the RBG Arboretum Nature Centre to Captain Cootes trail was a BOHEMIAN WAXWING mixed in with a number of Cedar Waxwings. The bird was feeding low along with a Black-throated Blue Warbler. At the intersection of Homestead and the Pinetum Trail last weekend a great find was a late Grasshopper Sparrow. On the lakefront today a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was seen at L.P. Sayers Park. Reported yesterday at various points along the lakeshore were our first Snow Buntings of the Season. Hawk migration has been stunning this week with many reports from many different locations such as Birchwood Park in Clarkson, Dundas Marsh, Bronte Creek Provincial Park, the lakeshore and the High Level Bridge. Birds include a few Golden Eagles, Bald Eagle, Red tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Coopers and Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin and numerous Turkey Vultures. Out at Dundas Marsh today, another search for Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow came up short but in addition to an adult Golden Eagle which made up for it, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Dunlin, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird and Yellow-rumped Warbler were seen. Nearby at the Olympic Arena in Dundas, another Northern Waterthrush and was seen last Saturday, a Northern Goshawk was reported flying over and many sparrows still lurk in the grassy area there including Fox Sparrow. A different and refreshing location reported this week was Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Many hawks were seen migrating yesterday over the park. Passerines included Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, both Kinglets and Lincolns Sparrow. Just off of Burloak north of the Lakeshore, the Sheldon Creek trail was busy last week with numerous Hermit Thrushes (which seem to be in abundance this year), both Kinglets, Eastern Phoebe, Nashville Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow and Eastern Towhee. Many of the fields in the area are still full of White-crowned Sparrow, just keep looking for that Golden-crowned in among them! More goodies at Shoreacres/Paletta Park where a late Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler and a Long-eared Owl were reported and photographed this week. At LaSalle Park, another Red-eyed Vireo made an appearance along with Black-throated Blue, Nashville and Orange-crowned Warbler Perhaps the oddest straggler this week was a CASPIAN TERN which was seen on Neare Island on the bay feeding its young, a record late date for this bird in the area. This bird was still present as of Tuesday visible from Eastport Drive. In the many odds & sods this week a Pileated Woodpecker was seen on Cedar Springs Road just north of Hwy 5. A Peregrine Falcon was seen passing by Canada Centre for Inland Waters. A late Vesper Sparrow was seen at Birchwood Park in Mississauga. A lingering American Woodcock was seen in the Ancaster area, Chipping Sparrows were photographed at a feeder in Burlington. Thanks to all who gave reports this week, there were many. If I missed anyone or any bird, my apologies. All of the sightings are sent to the Noteworthy Bird Records for our Wood Duck and are important so please keep up the reports. Have a great week, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329
