On Friday, September 7th, 2007, this is the HNC Birding Report: PARASITIC JAEGER LONG-TAILED JAEGER SABINE'S GULL EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Common Loon Horned Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Osprey Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Great Black-backed Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Forster's Tern Black Tern Eastern Screech-Owl Common Nighthawk Red-headed Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Swainson's Thrush Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak One of the best times to bird in the Hamilton Study Area is in the fall when the east or northeast winds are blowing down at VanWagners Beach. One of the most frustrating times to bird in the Hamilton Study Area in the fall is during the same conditions down at VanWagners beach. Unfortunately, it takes a great deal of patience and sometimes you are faced with micro birding as you try to pick up these specialties with your scope and/or bins. However, there are those times when rewards come and this week we had a few days of east winds and the birds came. Starting last Friday, a number of LONG-TAILED JAEGERS were seen throughout the week, the first being seen with full tail streamers, what a treat. Over the week these birds were joined by PARASITIC JAEGER and SABINE'S GULL. Although there is still a long season left, this was a great start to the lakewatch at Van Wagner's beach. Most birds were viewed from the Lakeland Tower on Van Wagner's Beach Road. Other birds seen here in the week included American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Common Loon, Sanderling, Red-necked Phalarope, Bonaparte's Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian, Common, Forster's and Black Tern. I personally have found that later in the day is better to give these birds a chance to blow in but you can never tell and like all birding, sometimes its a matter of luck. The Dundas Marsh continues to provide great variety in shorebirding. This week a juvenile Red Knot was seen daily (up until yesterday when I played hookey). Other shorebirds seen out here today were Black-bellied, American Golden and Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Semipalmated, Least, White-rumped, Baird's, Pectoral, Stilt and Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher and Red-necked Phalarope (earlier in the week, up to 6). Unfortunately with the high winds today viewing is difficult and the walk out dangerous. The other issue here is a Merlin and Peregrine Falcon who have discovered this place as a great take-out restaurant. Yesterday, an adult Peregrine swooped in and gave chase to a Lesser Yellowlegs. It took an hour for the birds to slowly return to the mudflat, an hour I didn't bargain for. Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Caspian, Common, Forsters and Black Tern have all been reported in the week. This is also a good spot for other migrating hawks as Broad-winged, Cooper's, Sharp-shinned Hawks and Osprey are all moving through at this time. On the walk out, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Waterthrush and Pine Warbler were reported early in the week. Another place reported from this week for shorebirding was Rattray Marsh in Mississauga. Seen here in the week were Semipalmated Plover, Stilt, Pectoral, Least, Semi-palmated, Spotted, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitcher. The Valley Inn also provides habitat for shorebirds with some of them at good photographic distance. Seen here in the week were Stilt and Solitary Sandpiper and Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs. Passerine migration continues although we need a good north wind again to get things going. Last Friday, birding was productive at Shell Park where many birds were seen scolding a gray phase Eastern Screech Owl in the woods behind the garden allotments. Other birds seen here include, Scarlet Tanagers, Mourning, Canada, Wilson's, Magnolia, Black and White, Blackpoll and Chestnut-sided warbler, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat. Three Vireos were seen, many Red-Eyed(most common bird), Warbling and Philadelphia. Thrushes included Swainson's and Veery. The same mix was present at Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington with Least and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Tennessee and Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Waterthrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak additions to the list. On another rarity note the EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE still hangs on at the intersection of Fifty Road and Ridge Road. Lots of odds and sods to report. A Bald Eagle was seen from University Plaza flying over Dundas last Saturday. Olive-sided Flycatcher and a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker were on the week list for an observer near Paris. Common Nighthawks continue to be seen passing through over various parts of Hamilton and Dundas. A Wilson's Snipe was seen in the storm ponds on the North Service Road west of Guelph Line today. Two Great Egrets were seen today from the GO Train on the Credit River. That's the news of the week. Winds are forecast for east on Sunday so if you have patience and time, come out to the beach and make a stand. Report your sightings! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. 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