On Thursday, December 25th, 2008 this is the HNC Birding Report: Ring-necked Pheasant Wild Turkey Great Blue Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Northern Goshawk Rough-legged Hawk Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike Horned Lark Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Northern Mockingbird Cedar Waxwing White-crowned Sparrow Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill
A fairly sleepy winter week in the HSA marked by harsh and changing weather conditions. None of the rarities or unusual winter birds were seen this week. The Hamilton Christmas Bird Count is tomorrow so birders could turn up something excellent! One of the highlights this week was a walk at the Valley Inn. Seen here this week were Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush and Cedar Waxwing. The east and west side of Bronte Creek Provincial Park have produced good birds this week including, Downy, Hairy, Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpecker, Long-eared Owl, Northern Shrike, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird and a sizable flock of White-winged Crossbills seen near Parking Lot F. White-winged Crossbills continue to be seen in various places around the HSA with another flock being seen in Carlisle at the junction of Flamborough Hills Drive and Acredale and at another yard in the town of Carlisle. Another hotspot in the HSA if you can handle the conditions is the Waterdown Garden Supplies. There this week were Turkey Vultures, Glaucous, Iceland, Great Black-backed, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls in big numbers. A flock of Horned Larks were also seen feeding in the edges of grass. Please note that this area is only to be accessed during the week when staff is in the building. Please get a safety vest from the office. Waterdown Garden Supplies is located on Highway 5 just west of Peter's Corners. In the fields around Flamborough several large flocks of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks have been seen including locations on Middletown Road and Millborough Line near Carlisle. Up at Binbrook Conservation Area yesterday, a Ring-necked Pheasant, Eastern Bluebirds and more White-winged Crossbills were reported. In the odds and sods this week Short-eared Owls were reported from Milton at 8th Line and the 407, just south of Derry Rd. Eastern Bluebirds were also reported from Iroquois Conservation Area. An adult Northern Goshawk consumed a meal in a Greensville back yard. An adult White-crowned Sparrow is still coming to a feeder in South Burlington. Purple Finch was reported from Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington. Wild Turkeys were seen across from Springridge Farms on Appleby Line north of Derry Road. Great Blue Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron are still being seen at Desjardins Canal and up to six Black Crowned Night Herons, a Great Blue Heron and a Rough-legged Hawk were seen at the Windermere Basin. With tomorrow being the Christmas Bird Count, its important that I get any significant sightings from today, tomorrow and the next three days after that. Please forward your sightings so I can get them on count week. Happy Holidays! 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
