On Friday June 19th, 2009, this is the HNC Birding Report:
LAUGHING GULL American Wigeon Ring-necked Duck Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Ruffed Grouse Red-necked Grebe Northern Harrier Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Bonapartes Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Black-billed Cuckoo Blue-winged Warbler Prairie Warbler The list this week is very short! Today provided the bird of the week as one dedicated individual sorted through thousands of gulls to find a 2nd alternate LAUGHING GULL at the Waterdown Garden Supplies. A test of patience, skill and tolerance of the stench coming from the compost, this dedicated individual located the gull on a heap of compost at the back of the compound. The gull disappeared for a while (i.e. the time I was looking for it) and then reappeared to sit on the compost heaps later in the afternoon. Also present there was a Great Black Backed Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull. Water down Garden Supplies is located west of Peters Corners on Hwy 5 just west of Orkney. Please be advised that entrance to the property required that you check in with the office an obtain a safety vest. The office is open from 8 -12 on Saturday and Sunday. Another find for the week was the Prairie Warbler which has been vigilantly singing for a mate up in the Currie Tract in North Halton. This bird was last reported singing early Sunday morning. Other birds reported from this area include Ruffed Grouse, Black-billed Cuckoo and Blue-winged warbler. At Windermere Basin this week a Semipalmated Sandpiper was still present. A neat sighting of a Spotted Sandpiper chick was a highlight. Ducks in the basin include Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck and American Wigeon. Continuing in the summering waterfowl, a Common Merganser was present near the islands at LaSalle Park. As it is breeding season there are a couple of evolving stories here. The Red-necked Grebes in Bronte have had high drama this week of chicks being rescued from the water, females laying eggs on other nests and the unfolding story of adults raising young which are clearly visible from the edge of the harbour on the east side. It has been an exciting week here and well worth a visit. At the lift bridge, two of the Peregrine chicks have gone missing a worry for the falconwatchers here. This tenuous time of year is heartbreaking for the people who have to watch over the new arrivals. No updates today but there was only one chick in the nest as of yesterday. In the odds and sods, a male Northern Harrier was seen on 10th Road East in Saltfleet. Sandhill Cranes were heard calling from the marsh near Deer Run Court in Brantford. Two Bonapartes Gulls were seen flying over the lakeshore near 4th Line in Oakville. Thats the very short and sweet news of the week here. Please keep reporting your sightings. 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 information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
