On Thursday April 5th, 2007, this is the HNC Birding Report: EARED GREBE WESTERN GREBE
New Migrants! American Bittern Great Egret Greater Yellowlegs Bonaparte's Gull Ruby-crowned Kinglet American Pipit Yellow-rumped Warbler Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Wilson's Snipe Caspian Tern Short-eared Owl Northern Shrike Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Tree Swallow Brown Creeper Winter Wren Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Its Grebe Week here in Hamilton! All five recorded species in the Hamilton Study Area are present here this week. Last Friday, an EARED GREBE was found in the south ponds at Grimsby Sewage Lagoons. The bird was still present today. A double feature this week, a WESTERN GREBE was found off of West Street, just west of Bronte Harbour this morning. This bird was still being seen as of 5:30 p.m.. You can't do much better than that in one week! For those looking to complete the boxed set, many Red-necked Grebes and a Horned Grebe were seen along with the Western Grebe off of West Street and at Grimsby Sewage Lagoons, two Pied-billed Grebes were present today. In other news, at the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons this week, an American Bittern was flushed from the south cell on Saturday and today a Great Egret was seen. Waterfowl present there include Tundra Swan, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck. Many passerines at the Western Grebe location were seen foraging for food today, staying close to the water or picking what insects they could off the ground in the cold temperatures. Among birds seen around the harbour today were many Tree Swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Chipping Sparrow. Hopefully this cold blast will not last long for these birds. Exciting news from the Peregrine Falcon Watch, the first egg was laid on April Fools day at the nest on the Sheraton Hotel. It will be interesting to see if any more unfold in the next week and what the status is of the peregrines nesting at the lift bridge. The peregrines at the Sheraton Hotel are being watched via the link http://www.hamiltonnature.org/hamfalcam.html. Check it out! In other raptor news this week, the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Conservation Area has had some good days earlier in the week and with cold northeast winds, some not so good days. However, this week on April 3rd, another three Ospreys were reported along with a good push of Turkey Vultures, Northern Harrier, many Red-tails, Red-shouldered, Rough-legged, Sharp-shinned, Coopers and the first Golden Eagle of the season. Other great birds seen this week include the seasons first Bonaparte's Gulls, Sandhill Cranes, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Thrasher and Fox Sparrow. Moving west, up on the mountain, from Beamer Conservation Area, on Bowslaugh Road, Eastern Meadowlark, Savannah Sparrow and Field Sparrow were heard singing. On 10th Road East, singing Eastern Meadowlarks were heard, a dozen Turkey Vultures were seen in the field on the east side, five Short-eared Owls were seen cruising the fields at dusk, two Greater Yellowlegs were present in the ponds north of the tracks, Wilson's Snipe and American Woodcock were displaying in the fields near the tracks and a Northern Shrike is still lurking about. In the flooded fields between 10th and 8th Road east, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon were seen last weekend. On 5th Road East, three Wilson's Snipe were flushed from the east side of the road just north of Powerline Road and Eastern Bluebird and Savannah Sparrows could be heard singing. In the odds and sods this week, a Great Egret flew over the parking lot at Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Caspian Terns are increasing in numbers in the Harbour with a few being seen near CCIW this week. A Hermit Thrush was seen at Shoreacres along with the bizarre sighting of a White-winged Scoter swimming up the creek. Wood Ducks were seen along the creek path in the Great Lakes Blvd Sheldon Creek Path. Black-crowned Night Herons have returned in numbers to the Bronte Marsh area. Brown Creepers and a Chipping Sparrow have been the highlight of a back yard in south Burlington. That's the news this week. Have a great long weekend! Send me your sightings. Cheers, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
