On Friday, April 30th, 2010, this is the HNC Birding Report: BLACK VULTURE LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER
Red-throated Loon Common Loon American Bittern Turkey Vulture Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Sandhill Crane Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Upland Sandpiper Dunlin Iceland Gull Chimney Swift Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Cliff Swallow House Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Louisiana Waterthrush Eastern Towhee American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Clay-coloured Sparrow Fox Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch What a difference a day makes, last night the warm winds and clear skies favoured migration and species diversity increased significantly today in the HSA. On a start with the highlights this week, a BLACK VULTURE has been seen at the Valley Inn and perched on a hydro tower on Old Guelph Road with Turkey Vultures again last Saturday and also the same but most likely another individual recorded at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area on Tuesday. There have been no reports in the last few days. Another highlight of the week was the discovery of a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER just east of 10th Road East viewed from the Dofasco Trail between 10th and 11th Road East. This bird, found last Saturday and rare on spring migration, was still being seen yesterday. At the same location, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Upland Sandpiper and a Dunlin were reported. The lakeshore properties lit up today with the arrival of some migrants from the deep south. At Shoreacres this morning, Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Nashville and Yellow Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, many White-throated Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole and a singing female Purple Finch were highlights. West of here at Shell Park, Blue-headed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green and Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, Eastern Towhee, White-throated Sparrows and Rose-breasted Grosbeak were seen earlier today. At Sherwood Forest Park off Prince William in Burlington, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, many Hermit Thrush, Black-and-White, Yellow-rumped and Black-throated Green Warbler were present today. Around the west end of Lake Ontario, House Wren, Palm, Pine and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Waterthrush were seen at Edgelake Park on Thursday. At Fifty Point Conservation Area, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Palm and many Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen on Thursday. On a lakewatch earlier in the week, Red-throated and Common Loon and several Iceland Gulls of various age were noted from Fifty Road. Last Tuesday on the Northshore Trail of the Royal Botanical Gardens a flurry of activity ay included Warbling Vireo, Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warbler, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow. At the Valley Inn, Virginia Rails seem to be in good supply in the marshy areas here. Also seen in the week were Broad-winged Hawk, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Nashville and Yellow-rumped Warbler. In the odds and sods Fox Sparrows are still moving through with individuals seen at Tuck Creek and Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle. An early Clay-colored Sparrow has made its debut at a feeder on Sumach Drive just above Hidden Valley in Burlington yesterday and today. Also at the above location Warbling Vireo, Eastern Towhee and White-crowned Sparrow. Chimney Swifts have been reported in Grismby today. A lone Sandhill Crane was seen at Glenn Morris today. American Bitterns were seen and heard at Safari Road Wetland on Safari Road just west of Kirkwall Road and on 8th Concession West between Antrim Glen and Ponderosa Resort last Monday. Spotted Sandpipers were seen in the wet area on 5th Road East and at the stormwater pond seen from the ramp to the Red Hill Valley Expressway North. Cliff Swallows were seen flying at Van Wagners Ponds. Louisiana Waterthrushes a bird becoming more rare in the Hamilton Study area were seen this week behind the Canterbury Hills Camp in the Dundas Valley and at Crawford Lake Conservation Area in Milton. A single American Tree Sparrow is still present at a feeder in Flamborough. More warm air from the south and a front coming through make a good recipe for rarities coming through the area. Please report your sightings! 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/
