On Friday, March 28th, 2008 this is the HNC Birding Report: KING EIDER EARED GREBE BOHEMIAN WAXWING PINE GROSBEAK HOARY REDPOLL
Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Coopers Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Killdeer American Woodcock Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Eastern Screech Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shrike Horned Lark Cedar Waxwing White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Common Redpoll There was much the same mix in the HSA this week with a few new goodies mixed in over the week. Warmer temperatures this coming week should change the landscape. A good place to go for migrating waterfowl is LaSalle Marina at the end of Waterdown Road. As the fields up in Saltfleet are still frozen over, places for these ducks to come to rest on migration are the open water of the bay and the lake. Reported from LaSalle this week were Tundra Swan, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, many Horned Grebes and the report of an EARED GREBE last Sunday. Out on the bay, Bald Eagles in decreasing numbers, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls can be seen on the disappearing ice in the corners. Out on the lake a group of 8-9 KING EIDERS has been seen for the past two days off Sayers Park in Stoney Creek. Our winter visitors have not waned this week with several sightings of flocks of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. At Tansley United Church located at the Walker's Line and Millcroft Park intersection, a flock of 100-150 have been present for the past two days but have been sporadic (nice comparisons of Cedar and BOHEMIAN Waxwings at this location). On Wednesday, there was a flock of 48 Bohemian Waxwings and 7 Cedar Waxwings at the Brantford Water Treatment Plant at the foot of Morrell Street along the Grand River. Other reports include a flock of 50 on Upper Middle Road just east of Headon Road (maybe the same birds as Tansley) and a few at Woodland Cemetery. A pair of Pine Grosbeaks were seen across from Olympic arena in Dundas with some Cedar Waxwings and Cedar Waxwings are also present at the Appleby College Campus in Oakville (worth looking for Bohemians amongst them). Common Redpoll numbers are dwindling. A HOARY REDPOLL was seen at a feeder in Brantford and reported from the feeder just south of Ridge Road on 10th Road East in Saltfleet. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch is in full swing again as birds start to push through in greater numbers. This week, Turkey Vultures and Red-shouldered Hawks were the dominant birds but Coopers, Sharp-shinned, Rough-legged Hawk, many Red-tails and Northern Harrier have all joined the mix this week. Another notable here in the week were Sandhill Cranes. Other raptor sightings include a Golden Eagle over Bronte, an adult Bald Eagle seen at the intersection of Hwy #3 and River Road just west of Cayuga and our local Peregrine Falcons setting up shop at both the Burlington Lift Bridge and the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton. Up on 10th Road East in Saltfleet on the mountain in Grimsby, a very brave Eastern Meadowlark was singing in the field near the tracks (a traditional place) and a Northern Shrike was also seen here in the week. In this area, many Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds are increasing in numbers. Horned Larks flush from roads everywhere up in Saltfleet. Other migrants which have arrived in the week mixed in with the odds and sods include Great Blue Heron seen at a few locations, American Woodcock being reported at locations such as Valley Inn and Fifty Point Conservation Area and Black-crowned Night Herons have returned to Bronte Marsh. Northern Saw-whet Owl was reported at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga, they should be moving back through the area now so keep an eye out for them! An interesting record of a singing White-crowned Sparrow appears to be an early migrant. More Sandhill Cranes were seen last Saturday in the Brantford area, their numbers doing well. The Tufted Titmouse is still present at Shoreacres Park in Burlington. That's the news of this week, thanks for forwarding your sightings. Should be an interesting week here in the HSA, spring must come soon! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
