On Friday, May 6th, 2011 this is the HNC Birding Report: AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN RUFF SUMMER TANAGER YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
American Wigeon Green-winged Teal Common Loon American Bittern Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Northern Goshawk Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Sora Sandhill Crane Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Dunlin American Woodcock Glaucous Gull Common Tern Forster's Tern Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Bank Swallow House Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler (eastern race) Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Field Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole The list is growing as I type this week with birds arriving not in great waves but great variety. We will start with the rarities this week with AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN being seen at Cootes Paradise at the beginning of the week and again today from the lookout at the Marsh Boardwalk on the RBG Trails. Hard to tell whether it is the same bird seen in April. While trying to relocate the pelican these lucky observers had good looks at a female SUMMER TANAGER at Bull's Point. The point was active with warblers and it was mixed in them. This can be accessed from the Northshore Trails at the RBG Arboretum. Also found this morning was a female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in a flock of blackbirds west of the Suncor Pier at the end of Great Lakes Blvd in Oakville. Park at the bottom of Great Lakes Blvd and walk west toward the presentation centre for the new condominium. The bird was in the open area here. Last Sunday, lightning struck twice in same field, same bird, same finder. A RUFF was found in the flooded field at Britannia and 8th Line in Oakville. This time it was a black RUFF. The last two years ago almost to the day an orange one. The bird was only around a short time and unfortunately viewing and weather conditions were very poor. Other birds seen in the fields here are American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and Greater Yellowlegs. Weather conditions have not produced mass migrations but the woodlots around the lake have been active with expected migrants and a few early records. At Shell Park in Oakville and Shoreacres in Burlington, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo (many), House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, Nashville, Yellow, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Pine, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded (Shell), Field, White-throated Sparrow and Baltimore Oriole were birds this week. The Bay-breasted and Blackpoll Warbler were record early by a few days. A Glaucous Gull seen off Shoreacres is getting late for this time of year. An American Woodcock, Wood Thrush and a "Yellow, eastern race" Palm Warbler were seen yesterday at Sherwood Forest Park in Oakville. An Orchard Oriole was seen earlier today at Burloak Park and the Bank Swallows are back at the large colony there. Around the lake at Fifty Point Conservation area last Saturday, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Nashville, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Pine, Palm, Black-and-white Warbler and Common Yellowthroat were recorded. Three Willets were seen here on Friday evening but were not present Saturday Morning. A Forster's Tern was a consolation prize. Up in Saltfleet, a trio of shorebirds were seen last weekend on 5th Road east. This included a record early Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper and a Dunlin. Upland Sandpiper was seen on 10th Road East. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were present in the flooded field seen from Ridge Road between 8th and 10th Road East. A Sora called here from as well. At the Grimsby Air Park nearby, a small hawk flight including Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Northern Goshawk and Broad-winged Hawk occurred last Saturday. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch is winding down however good birds have occurred in May and with warmer temperatures, its Kite season. Shorebirds are in short supply everywhere but the Clappison's Corner wetlands in Waterdown have good promise. In here on Monday were Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper. Three Lesser Yellowlegs were in a flooded field at Olfield Road and Concession 4th West. Another Willet made a stopover at Burloak Park last Friday. The three seen at Fifty Point on Saturday were likely birds that passed by VanWagners Beach earlier in the day last Friday. Out in Flamborough a trip up to the marshes here yielded American Bittern and Sora at a wetland at 6th Concession West and Valens and another two American Bitterns and Virginia Rail at the Safari Road Marsh. Another good spot for Sora and Virginia Rail is the small wetland at Kerncliffe Park. Lots to report in the odds and sods this week. Common Loons were in good supply last weekend with over 200 being seen from Green Road. There have been a couple of reports of Sandhill Cranes, one flying over at 5th Concession West and Middletown Road, another flyover at Beamer Conservation Area and a Sandhill Crane flying northeast over 8th Con Rd. West. A Forsters Tern was seen at Bronte Marsh yesterday and again at the harbour today. Chimney Swifts continue to build with numbers being seen over Bronte Village and Dundas, good to check for Swiftwatch. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird made a stop at a yard in Ancaster, the first of many to come, get those feeders out! A Veery was seen at Taquanyah Conservation Area and both Veery and Swainson's Thrush were heard over Brantford on their overnight migration mid-week. An impressive 13 Northern Waterthrush were seen/heard near the Fletcher Creek Reserve in North Flamborough. White-crowned Sparrows are starting to turn up at feeders and there have been several reports of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at feeders throughout the area. An Orchard Oriole was a welcome guest at a feeder in Dundas in the early week. A Scarlet Tanager was seen over Woodland Cemetery today. This is a very exciting time of year, time to get out and look and report your sightings! Thanks to all who have. Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
