On Friday, August 20th, 2010 this is the HNC Birding Report: Common Loon Great Egret Green Heron Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Wilson's Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Black Tern Common Tern Common Nighthawk Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Traills Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Blue-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Baltimore Oriole
There was significant increased activity this week in the Hamilton Study Area as numbers and diversity of shorebirds continue to increase and there was a significant change in passerine migration. Starting with shorebirds, there are several places to view shorebirds in the Hamilton Study Area. Windermere Basin on Eastport Drive at present seems to be the most productive with a floating mat of algae located near the entrance to the harbour, viewed from Windermere Basin itself. Work was being done in this area but the placement of booms in the basin seems to have helped in catching more algae and birds have returned. Last weekend a juvenile Baird's Sandpiper was seen on Saturday along with Semipalmated Plover, Sanderling, Pectoral, Least, Semipalmated and Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs. Yesterday a Wilson's Phalarope was seen poking around the booms in the area on the east side. Nearby at Red Hill Stormwater Ponds, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper and two Great Egrets were present on Monday/Tuesday. On North Island viewed from Eastport Drive, Semipalmated Plover, Sanderling, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstone were reported through the week. Lastly in this area, on east winds a flock of Red-necked Phalaropes were seen on Wednesday down from the Lakeland Centre. Bonaparte's Gulls, Common and Black Terns were also seen that day. A new place to check out is Franklin Blvd. stormwater ponds which are on north side of Hwy 8 just east of Franklin Blvd near Cambridge. This is on the border of the Hamilton Study Area. Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted and Least Sandpiper are birds seen there this week but this is a spot to watch in the following weeks. Passerines are on the move this week with several locations being reported from. At Joe Sam's Park in Waterdown located on Waterdown Road on the east side just north of Concession 5, several species of warblers were seen. Birds from here include Yellow-bellied and Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-winged Warbler, Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Black-and-white, Wilsons and Canada Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird and Baltimore Oriole. Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle is always a good spot for flycatchers this time of year. Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Olive-sided, Least and Traill's Flycatcher were all seen mid-week. Other birds seen here include Green Heron and Eastern Bluebird. At Shoreacres in Burlington, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, Black-and-White and Canada Warbler were among the first migrants recorded earlier in the week. In the odds and sods this week at Green Lane Wetlands in Paris, American Bittern and Green Heron were seen this week. Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen at Brant Park in Brantford. A Nashville Warbler was photographed in Bronte Creek Campground. Another Great Egret was seen at Confederation Park early in the week. Migrant Common Nighthawks were seen over Brantford and Dundas during the week. A Canada Warbler made an excellent yard bird in south Burlington (this is a good time of year to check your yards!). A Common Loon was seen off Fifty Point on Tuesday. Forecasted east winds starting today and early next week could be promising for the start of jaegers. Good to check the forecasts for significant east and northeast winds, it is a perfect time of year. That's the news this week, please report your sightings! Cheers, 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/
