On Friday August 14th, 2009, this is the HNC Birding Report:
EARED GREBE LAUGHING GULL White-winged Scoter Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Osprey Bald Eagle Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Wilson's Snipe Bonaparte's Gull Great Black-backed Gull Eastern Screech Owl Red-eyed Vireo Horned Lark Yellow Warbler Blackburnian Wabler Northern Waterthrush Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Eastern Towhee Grasshopper Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Eastern Meadowlark Baltimore Oriole This week has seen a bit of a shift in migration with the gathering of songbirds preparing to fly south. A couple of nice rarities for the area included an EARED GREBE seen off Rattray Marsh east and Jack Darlington Park West on Tuesday. This breeding plumaged individual was seen along with a Horned Grebe, a number of Red-necked Grebes and a White-winged Scoter. On Wednesday, a report was received from Tuesday evening of a juvenile LAUGHING GULL on the helipad at Canada Centre for Inland Waters. A search of the property Wednesday, did not turn it up but this would be a different individual from the one seen at Waterdown Garden Supply. Other migrants seen at CCIW this week include a Great Black-backed Gull and 4 Ruddy Turnstones today. Up in Saltfleet this week, the shorebird migration continues to change with a Buff-breasted Sandpiper being seen on Wednesday. Birds seen during the week included an American Golden Plover (found Tuesday thru Thursday), Semipalmated Plover, many Killdeer, Pectoral, Solitary, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipe. A few Horned Larks and Eastern Meadowlarks were seen on Green Mountain Road too. Shorebird spots in the HSA remain scarce. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are present in the storm water ponds on the North Service Road at Guelph Line. Lesser Yellowlegs were present at the flooded field on King Road just south of the QEW. A very neat phenomenon this week was a gathering of songbirds in a Carlisle backyard. This has happened a couple years in a row now with the gathering of Red-eyed Vireos, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. A Blackburnian Warbler also made an appearance. Throughout the week, I have seen a number of Baltimore Orioles looking like they have a purpose of flying south, being seen over the highway and flying between woodlots. This mixture of Tanagers, Orioles and Grosbeaks was also reported from North Halton. Lots to report in the odds and sods. Ospreys continue to be reported over Dundas Marsh. A juvenile Bald Eagle was seen over Oakville in the week. A juvenile Bonaparte's Gull was present at the storm water ponds at Great Lakes Blvd. and Rebecca. Neat photographs of a Grasshopper Sparrow and a juvenile Eastern Towhee were sent from the Brantford Area. Other photos came in from Grass Lake near Glen Morris of Sandhill Cranes with young. An Eastern Screech Owl was calling near Rock Chapel. Migrants on the Lakeshore Trail east of Green Road included Yellow Warbler and Northern Waterthrush. Today a Peregrine Falcon was seen skirting the shoreline at Shoreacres. During the week Canada Warblers turned up here and a Rattray Marsh in Mississauga. That's the news this week. Have a great weekend. 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/
