On Friday, October 16th, 2009 this is the HNC Birding Report: Brant Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Red-throated Loon Common Loon American White Pelican Great Egret Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Coopers Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon White-rumped Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Bonaparte's Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Tern Parasitic Jaeger Short-eared Owl Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern Wood Pewee Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Palm Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Eastern Meadowlark Red-winged Blackbird Rusty Blackbird Purple Finch
It's been a moderately busy week here in the Hamilton. The migrant mix continues to change with more of our later migrants showing up and moving through. VanWagners beach has been active this week with highlights including Brant, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged and Surf Scoter, Common and Red-throated Loon, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Bonaparte's and Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern and Parasitic Jaeger. Last weekends OFO outing scooted over to VanWagners Ponds and Confederation Park. The haul here was good with Great Egret, Greater Yellowlegs, Tree, Northern Rough-winged and Barn Swallow, Winter Wren, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Bluebird, a late Veery, Hermit and Swainson's Thrush, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Blackpoll and Wilsons Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Ovenbird. Also a variety of sparrows were seen here behind VanWagners ponds including Chipping, Field, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow. Over at Windermere Basin, the OFO group was thrilled by the flush of a Short-eared Owl from the side of the path. Other species found here during the weekend included two late Barn Swallows, Common Yellowthroat, Song, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Shoreacres Park in Burlington was busy today with Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, numerous Winter Wrens, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Northern Parula and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Down at Shell Park in Oakville on the weekend, many Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets were present. Orange-crowned Warblers seemed to be here in numbers last weekend with a few here and many others reported from various weedy spots. Last weekend over Woodland Cemetery a good northwest wind brought migrants over the large open area in the east of the property. Here large flocks of blackbirds, mostly Red-winged Blackbirds but also some Rusty Blackbirds flew over. There were quite a few Purple finches mixed in with House Finch flocks. An Eastern Meadlowlark also made a flyover. The hawk migration also was trickling through with Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawk. An adult Bald Eagle was also seen soaring over the cemetery. Nearby at LaSalle Park during the week, an increasing number of American Coots (14) have arrived. Migrants included Hermit and Swainson's Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, Nashville, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Black-and-White Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Parula, many Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a smattering of both Kinglets. A very late Eastern Kingbird was seen last Saturday. In the odds and sods this week, a late Ruby-throated Hummingbird made an appearance at a feeder in Ancaster on the weekend. White-rumped and Stilt Sandpipers were seen from the bridge on Plains Road overlooking the Valley Inn mudflat. A Grasshopper Sparrow was photographed in Bronte Creek Provincial Park, a nice find on migration and an American White Pelican was spotted in the Dundas Marsh. Have a great weekend. Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline _______________________________________________ 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/
