On Friday, December 10th, 2010 this is the HNC Birding Report: GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE KING EIDER BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE
Wood Duck Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Northern Goshawk Rough-legged Hawk Merlin Dunlin Lesser Black-backed Gull Long-eared Owl Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Northern Mockingbird American Pipit Yellow-rumped Warbler Fox Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Our list is looking a little small and winterish but there may be some morsels in it for winter listers to feed on. Forgive me for listing species that seem mundane but they might provide interest for intensive winter listers who are out and about. Our more uncommon birds this week include a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE which was found with a flock of Canada's at Confederation Park yesterday. Later in the afternoon, the bird had moved down further to Hutch's where it was photographed. No reports yet today. Another good bird seen last Sunday was a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE off Fifty Point. The bird was flying in a westerly direction. On Saturday, an adult male KING EIDER was seen flying west. There are lots of nooks and crannies in the area to crawl around and look in when you are winter listing. Behind the Olympic Arena in Dundas, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrows were seen. At the nearby Dejardins Canal, a Pied-billed Grebe has been seen sporadically in the canal, a traditional wintering spot. Also seen last Sunday were a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Northern Goshawk. On Monday, a Merlin cruised through this area. There is also a lingering Belted Kingfisher here. At Princess Point before the freeze over, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal and a single female Wood Duck were seen last weekend. Along the Burlington Oakville Lakeshore, Common Loons were found in several places. Red-necked Grebes were still at Bronte Harbour. Along the shoreline, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Winter Wren were noted at Burloak Park. Feeders have been somewhat productive this week in some spots although there are other reports that birds are absent at feeders for the first time. In South Burlington, Tufted Titmouse and Purple Finch were reported. A Brown-headed Cowbird was coming to a feeder in the Hidden Valley Area. In Flamborough, Pine Siskins in growing numbers and a single Common Redpoll were present. In Grimsby up to three Tufted Titmice are present at a feeder and nearby a Fox Sparrow was scratching around. A Northern Goshawk made a flyover here too! In the odds and sods, Bald Eagles seem to be using the nest in Cootes Paradise with adults carrying material to the nest. Two Hermit Thrushes were seen in the Patterson Tract on 4th Concession West and also roosting at this same location just a bit further west were 5 Turkey Vultures. A sizable flock of twenty American Pipits were flying around a field at 5th Concession West and Westover. Rough-legged Hawks are growing in numbers in Flamborough as well with individuals being seen on Lynden Road and on 5th Concession West. There are a few Great Blue Herons around, one of the more reliable spots being the Valley Inn. A female Red-winged Blackbird was seen on the boardwalk here. Two Northern Harriers were seen flying along the lakeshore on Monday, one at Appleby and New Street and one at LaSalle Marina. Three Northern Flickers were seen at a woodlot near Grimsby Airpark. Finally a Long-eared Owl made a stop for a day in South Oakville but was not seen again. With heavy snows up north, there may be more moving into the area. That's the news this week. Intensive weather systems can bring in good birds. Have a great week Cheryl Edgecombe 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/
