On Thursday, November 30th, 2006 this is the HNC report: BARROW'S GOLDENEYE COMMON x BARROW'S GOLDENEYE COMMON GOLDENEYE x HOODED MERGANSER PURPLE SANDPIPER
Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tiled Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Red-throated Loon Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet White-throated Sparrow All is quiet on the homefront this week with these warmer temperatures. It will be interesting to see how this massive weather system affects those starting their winter lists tomorrow. The lakefront continues to be productive with Gray's Road in Stoney Creek providing an excellent place to view waterfowl here in the Hamilton Study area. Among the ducks seen this week were the exclusives such as BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, COMMON x BARROW'S GOLDENEYE and COMMON GOLDENEYE x HOODED MERGANSER and a variety of other species mixed in including Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tiled Duck, Bufflehead, and Red-breasted Merganser. Red-throated Loons are still making appearances out on the lake and in the bay this week with the occasional Common Loon being seen as well. Shoreacres/Paletta Park was good this week for potential winter birding as Red-necked Grebes are still present in numbers, a pair of Belted Kingfishers continue to cruise the creek, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren and Both Kinglets were seen here in the past week. Another interesting spot this week was 16 Mile Creek specifically Lions Valley Park. Nothing rare or uncommon but still a good sheltered place for something to snuggle into when the weather turns bad and excellent place for any woodpecker or crossbill species that decides they might venture this far south. Among the birds seen here were Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter and Carolina Wren and White-throated Sparrow. The Dundas Valley Conservation Area holds a family of little jewels this week, a bird not common to our area. A family group of five Tufted Titmice were seen while hiking in the Dundas Valley near the Hermitage . They were encountered along a short trail running north off the far west end of the parking lot at the NE corner of the Sulphur Springs Rd and Mineral Springs Rd intersection (parking for the "Gatehouse"). They were about 100 ft along this trail just before it met up with the Headwaters Trail. Four species of woodpecker were seen here as well including Pileated, Red-bellied, Hairy and Downy. In the odds and sods a PURPLE SANDPIPER was seen on the rock outcrops at Burloak Park last weekend, Turkey Vultures were seen in the Caledonia and Dundas areas this week, and another Pileated Woodpecker was seen near Cherry Hill Gate. Keep the eyes open for any strays that may be blown in from the storm, send an email or call the hotline with any sightings! Winter bird lists are important too. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
