On Friday, July 11th, 2008 this is the HNC Birding Report: Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Least Bittern Great Egret Merlin Virginia Rail Sandhill Crane Killdeer Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Black-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Cuckoo Eastern Screech Owl Common Nighthawk Eastern Wood-Pewee Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Common Yellowthroat Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark
The highlight this week was southbound shorebirds in the Hamilton Study area. Although only July, fall migration has started with this group of birds and keeps things interesting until passerine migration begins in August. This week, a winter hotspot, the Waterdown Garden Supplies located at 1771 Hwy #5 West, a huge composting facility on the north side of Hwy #5 about two km west of Peters Corners, yielded good numbers of shorebirds in the fields and small ponds on the property. Access to areas should be checked at the main office. Reported this week there were Solitary Sandpiper - 1, Lesser Yellowlegs - 30+, Least Sandpiper - 25+, Spotted Sandpiper - 40+ and Killdeer - 100+. At the North Service Road Ponds at Guelph Line and the North Service Road in Burlington, a few Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers along with a Short-billed Dowitcher were seen on Wednesday. One single Least Sandpiper was seen at the storm water pond on Upper Middle between Burloak and Appleby Line but with the rain this morning, there should be good habitat here as well. At Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle, a good variety of Tyrant Flycatchers can be seen with nesting Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird and a Least Flycatcher (maybe not a nester) being seen here this week. Other birds include Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Yellowthroat and Eastern Meadowlark. In the Flamborough Area this week a family of Wild Turkey with 10 young were seen at the hydro lines west of Westover Road on Concession 6. This is also a good spot for nesting Grasshopper Sparrow and an Upland Sandpiper was calling overhead. Around the area of Concession 5 West and Middletown Road, Ruffed Grouse, American Woodcock and Yellow-billed Cuckoo were spotted on the Hamilton Butterfly Count last Sunday. In the odds and sods, Least Bitterns appear to be nesting successfully at the Bronte Marsh, last reported Saturday. The family of Eastern Screech Owls and the Merlin were also reported from Bronte. Sandhill Cranes were heard calling again over the Deer Run Court in Brantford. A Great Egret flew past Canada Centre for Inland Waters last Monday. A Common Nighthawk was seen over Gage Park on Tuesday. A Black-billed Cuckoo was photographed at Bronte Creek Provincial Park and Virginia Rails are nesting again at Kerncliffe Park in Burlington, an ideal spot to see this species. That's the news of the week. Keep the reports coming in over the next little while, its good to check those shorebird spots for any rarities. Have a great week! 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
