On Friday, June 3rd, 2011, this is the HNC Birding Report: AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN BLACK VULTURE CATTLE EGRET ACADIAN FLYCATCHER YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT LARK SPARROW NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW
Blue-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Ruffed Grouse Common Loon Red-necked Grebe American Bittern Least Bittern Great Egret Osprey Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Common Moorhen Sandhill Crane Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin Wilson's Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Olive-sided Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Red-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush Blue-winged Warbler Brewster's Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Connecticut Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-throated Sparrow We went from feast to famine over the course of the week. Last Saturday was another spectacular fall out here in Hamilton. Many migrants both early and late were grounded by fog and bad weather and the mix was quite good. Interestingly enough many were female and younger birds. As you can see by the top of the list, we also had our fair share of rarities here this week! We will start as always with the rarities of the week. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN has been seen again on a couple of occasions the latest being May 28th out in Cootes Paradise. It is difficult to say whether this is the same or different pelican than in the past few weeks. On Wednesday a BLACK VULTURE was reported in Binkley's Hollow near University Plaza in Dundas. Again, previous reports of this species generate from this area so it's hard to tell whether it is a summering bird but any further reports would be appreciated. On Monday a CATTLE EGRET was discovered in the same locale as one last fall on Centre Road north of 5th Concession East north of Waterdown. The bird discovered in late afternoon was only a half hour wonder as people who attempted to see the bird soon after post were disappointed. With many farms and fields in the area, this bird could still be lurking about. ACADIAN FLYCATCHER has been given special status as they are uncommon to our area. One was heard up in the Moffat Swamp near Guelph and they are again on territory at Spooky Hollow, out of the Hamilton Area but a property owned by the Hamilton Naturalists Club near Normandale. Another great bird discovered in the fall out last Saturday was a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT found at Fifty Point. The bird was reported only Saturday. Scanning through the low brush, the place was just crawling with birds (see below). A LARK SPARROW was found on the mud out on the service road at Windemere Basin on Monday. Just a short stay before the construction started, this bird has a lot of territory to be found in and could still be there. Please be advised that this area is now full of ticks. Lastly a rare spring record of a NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW came from a property located south of the QEW and east of Burloak Drive on Superior Court in a field east of the Ryder Truck plant. The bird was in a small marshy area to the south of Superior but was only reported last Sunday. Fall is the best time for these birds in the area so a spring record is exceptional. Last Saturday was the last big push of migrants in the area. The migrant traps, specifically located around the western end of Lake Ontario which was flush with birds. As mentioned, many of these birds were young and females. A good selection of birds were seen and unusually late migrants were among them. Down along the Burlington beach strip Yellow-bellied, Alder, Willow and Least Flycatcher, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Gray-cheeked, Swainson's and Wood Thrush, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's and Canada Warbler and Lincoln's Sparrow were all birds of interest on Saturday. At Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington a female Connecticut Warbler was the highlight. At Fifty Point Conservation Area, all of the same species as the beach strip plus Olive-sided Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Tennessee and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush and White-throated Sparrow added to the mix of birds seen there. A good place to visit this time of year if you can handle the mosquitoes is the Currie Tract located in north Halton. The parking lot is located just off Guelph Line north of the Mowhawk Raceway which is north of the 401. In here this week were Ruffed Grouse, Yellow and Black-billed Cuckoo, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-winged and a hybrid Brewster's Warbler. Shorebird numbers have been dwindling, fields are now drying up and the migration has slowed. Sightings this week include Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated and White-rumped Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope and Dunlin at Windemere Basin and Semipalmated Sandpiper and Dunlin on 5th Road East in Flamborough. In the odds and sods this week, down at Fifty Road on the lake, Ring-necked Duck, Bonaparte's and Lesser Black-backed Gull were seen on a lake watch. A Blue-winged Teal was an unusual sighting at Green Road in Stoney Creek. Red-necked Grebes are again on nest at Bronte Harbour incubating one egg as of last weekend, probably more now. A Ruddy Turnstone was a bonus sighting there. American and Least Bittern and Common Moorhen were reported from the Safari Road Marsh located east of Kirkwall Road. Great Egret was seen at 4th Concession West and Oldfield Road in Flamborough. Sandhill Cranes can be heard at Grass Lake as well as Grasshopper Sparrow in the fields if your ears are fine tuned to this pitch. Common Nighthawks were seen over Grimsby. Osprey and Bald Eagle were seen over Dundas Marsh and Broad-winged Hawk was seen over the Merrick Orchard and at Martin's Lane yesterday, likely breeding in the area. That's all the news this week. Keep birding, there are rarities to be found. 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/
