On Thursday, May 24th, 2007, this is the HNC birding report:
WHIMBREL CERULEAN WARBLER CONNECTICUT WARBLER Ring-necked Pheasant Ruffed Grouse American Bittern Great Egret Green Heron Osprey Virginia Rail Sora Common Moorhen Semipalmated Plover Upland Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Dunlin American Woodcock Bonapartes Gull Black-billed Cuckoo Eastern Screech Owl Great Horned Owl Common Nighthawk Whip-poor-will Ruby-throated Hummingbird Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood Pewee Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Winter Wren Swainsons Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Blue-winged Warbler Brewsters Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black and White Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Wilsons Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Clay-coloured Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Lincolns Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Indigo Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Orchard Oriole This week was busy once again with a change in migrants over to the later migrants which pass through our area. Since we did our birdathon last Friday, we have a wide variety of sightings from a wide range of the Hamilton Study area. We were thrilled that we ended up with 143 species for the Hamilton Study Area. First to the goodies this week. The end of May marks the start of WHIMBREL migration. Most of these birds migrate well east of here with large numbers being seen in the Etobicoke area. However, in the extreme east end of the Hamilton Study Area at Port Credit, a few good sized flocks have been seen over the past two days. A great viewing spot is Saddington Park located at the end of Mississauga Road. Another great find this week was again in the warbler department with a male CERULEAN WARBLER being seen today at Shell Park. This bird was first heard and then seen behind the garden allotments but throughout the day moved east an a bit north and was found later this afternoon near the pipeline which goes up to Rebecca Street but still in the woodlot which is at the south end of Shell Park. At nearby Burloak Woods along the Creek Path near the roundabout on Great Lakes Blvd., a male CONNECTICUT WARBLER was heard and seen this morning as well. A number of migrants seem to be moving through these areas this week with Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Swainsons Thrush, a number of Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Alder & Willow Flycatcher, Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Green, Canada, Blackburnian, and Wilsons Warbler and Lincolns Sparrow. Other birds heard singing today in Burloak Woods were Eastern Wood Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo and Indigo Bunting, Also in Burloak Woods is an Eastern Screech Owl with four young, but very hard to see in the leaves. Down the lakeshore west of here at Shoreacres/Paletta in Burlington, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Ovenbird, Magnolia, lingering Yellow-rumped, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Mourning, Northern Parula, Blackburnian, many American Redstarts, Canada and Wilsons Warbler were seen in the week. Other highlights from the birdathon were Sora and Virginia Rail at Kerncliffe Park on Kerns Road, probably one of the best spots to see and hear these birds and yes once again an American Bittern was flushed from the marsh here but once again missed by yours truly. While I was out looking for this elusive bittern, a Common Nighthawk flew over. Out in Flamborough Whip-poor-will could be heard from Safari Road and again on Kirkwall Road near 6th concession. Also, at the Rockton Sparrow field here near Klaus Christmas Tree Farm, both Grasshopper and Clay-coloured Sparrow were singing. American Woodcock were calling and displaying at this rude hour of the morning. In Hyde Tract on Safari Road east of Kirkwall, a Ruffed Grouse was flushed and in the one degree temperature, birds could be seen perched at the very tops of the evergreen trees there trying to catch some sun. We should have been perched up there too as it was a very cold start to the day. Other birds seen here were Pine Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and an extremely accommodating Scarlet Tanager. On Lennon Road up in North Halton, a unique habitat of cedar and northern atmosphere allows us to get some breeding species not found elsewhere in the HSA. This included Winter Wren, Canada Warbler, Black and White and Nashville Warbler and many White-throated Sparrows full of song. Shorebirds are sporadic but Least Sandpipers can be found at Valens Conservation Area along the beach. The storm water ponds on the North Service Road have also dropped considerably and Least Sandpipers can be found here as well. At Windermere Basin a lonely Semipalmated Plover was present in the pond and at Fifty Point both Ruddy Turnstone and Dunlin were seen along the beach. At Grimsby Sewage Lagoons, a pair of Common Moorhens was seen yesterday. Up in Saltfleet at 10th Road East, two pair of Upland Sandpiper seem to have set up shop there, a Ring-necked Pheasant was calling, and a Vesper Sparrow was singing adding to the list for the day. Our final bird was an Osprey sitting on nest at Binbrook Conservation Area (good think g we had a floodlight with us!). In the odds & sods a Great Egret flew over York Road at Old Guelph Line, two more were seen near McMaster University. Green Heron flew over us in the Beverly Swamp near 8th concession and Westover Road. Alder Flycatcher was also on territory at this same location. A late Bonapartes Gull was seen on the pier at Bronte Harbour. Great Horned Owlets were spotted near Rock Chapel. Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue-winged and Brewsters Warblers are present in Berry Tract and last but not least Orchard Orioles can be found (more than one!) at Fifty Point Conservation Area. More migrants to come! Please let me know what you see. Thanks for all your reports! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
