On Thursday, May 3rd, 2007, this is the HNC Birding Report: WHITE-EYED VIREO YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
New Migrants Green Heron Willet Dunlin Wilson's Phalarope (out of the HSA) Forsters Tern Least Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Blue-winged Warbler Yellow Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Northern Waterthrush Louisiana Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Indigo Bunting Blue-winged Teal Greater Scaup Harlequin Duck Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Horned Grebe American Bittern Black-crowned Night Heron Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Sora Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Common Tern Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Carolina Wren House Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Brown Thrasher Nashville Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Chipping Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Every week sees a different mix of migrants coming into the Hamilton Study Area. This week saw a range of birds that have been hanging about for a while and getting fewer in number to a few brave migrants who are venturing ahead of the masses to come. Our star of last week, the YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, hung in there until last weekend and has not been reported since. Also reported in the same parkette a WHITE-EYED VIREO. Other migrants seen in the woodlot included Hermit Thrush, Indigo Bunting, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Nashville, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-throated, Swamp and Vesper Sparrow. A nice mix for a small area which goes to show how important these tiny woodlots are as migrant traps in a sea of subdivisions. The lakeshore properties have been quiet this week. Brown Creepers, once numerous seem to be one or two in number, Winter Wrens the same. A smattering of warblers have been seen in Shell Park in Oakville and Paletta Park in Burlington. Most of these Yellow-rumps followed by Palm Warblers. However, Tuck Park located on Spruce just west of Walker's Line had Pine, Black-and-White and Black-throated Green Warbler in the week, many Hermit Thrushes moving through and a large number of White-throated Sparrows. At Shoreacres/Paletta Park, new migrants included Green Heron, Swamp Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow and Nashville Warbler. At Shell Park, seven Horned Grebes were seen on the lake at the end of the Sheldon Creek Trail and the woodlot was fairly quiet with Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Palm Warbler being seen. Down at Bronte Harbour however last weekend a group of nine Willets landed on the pier. What a great treat. Similarly a group of Willets were seen on VanWagners beach (7) the same day. Also down at Bronte Harbour both Forsters Tern and Common Tern were seen at times harassing each other giving a nice comparison of these often confused species. A new place to report tonight, Sherwood Forest Park located at the end of Fairview Street in Burlington or accessed off of Burloak via Prince William Drive had a good variety of migrants today including Brown Thrasher, House, Winter and Carolina Wren, a few Blue-headed Vireos, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped, Nashville and Black-throated Green Warbler, Chipping and White-throated Sparrows. A nice view of a Coopers Hawk nest can be seen from the back end of the park just off the parking lot near the ball fields. At a small parkette located off of Appleby line south of New Street turning east on Fern Ave, migrants seen here in the week included Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Palm, Black-and-White and Yellow-rumped Warbler, a few Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher and a lingering Sapsucker. Out at Grimsby Sewage Lagoons, the Eared Grebe seems to be on its way but other species include Greater Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, and Sora. American Woodcock can be heard peenting at the entrance to the lagoons. Nearby at Fifty Point, an Eastern Kingbird was seen migrating along the shore. Off of 50 Road a female Harlequin Duck was seen at a distance and Forsters Terns also flew past last Friday. Up in the Saltfleet area, flooded fields are drying up fast however at 10th Road East a total of five Upland Sandpipers were displaying last Saturday, a Greater Yellowlegs was seen in the flooded field to the east of 10th and many Wilson's Snipe were flushed from the field to the west. A Wild Turkey was also flushed during the sweep. A pair of Blue-winged teal were in the quarry canal. Other shorebird reports this week are Dunlin in the Windermere Basin and just outside the Hamilton Study Area at the Townsend Sewage Lagoons, Lesser Yellowlegs and Wilson's Phalarope were reported from May 1st. The sweet song of the first reported Yellow Warbler came from 5th concession and Middletown Road. A Common Yellowthroat also present here. Not too far away at the Beverly Swamp Northern Waterthrushes are singing boisterously in what is a stronghold for this species here. In the Dundas Valley, Louisiana Waterthrushes were heard in the Sulphur Springs area and on the Main Loop Trail at the Dundas Valley C.A. an early Blue-winged Warbler was buzzing away last Sunday. A great place for rails is Kerncliffe Park, located on Kerncliffe Road just south of Hwy 5. Both Sora and Virginia Rails are in this tiny marsh and last Saturday an American Bittern was seen at close range. A search for the bittern this evening turned up jack! but whose bitter. Another great place for rails is the Slote Road Bog with Virginia and Sora reported there as well. In the odds and sods this week, a group of six Broad-winged Hawks were seen going over York Road. This species is still moving through at Beamer Memorial C.A. in Grimsby. A Green Heron was seen along Spencer Creek last weekend. Another early Eastern Kingbird was reported from Kerncliffe Park in Carlisle. Blue-gray gnatcatcher and Blue-winged Teal reported from Rattray Marsh. The next couple weeks will be busy. Our report will be a day or so late next week as I make the pilgrimage to Pelee. Send me your sightings so I know what I'm missing. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline
