On Friday, June 24th, 2011, this is the HNC Birding Report: AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
Redhead Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Peregrine Falcon Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper American Woodcock Black-billed Cuckoo Great Horned Owl Chimney Swift Willow Flycatcher Common Raven Bank Swallow Marsh Wren Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Pine Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Mourning Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Just a short report this week to let you know that the author of these is still writing them. I skipped a week, lack of birds, lack of sighting reports, this will be the pattern until it picks up. We are knee deep in nesting season and even birds that were singing for mates have quieted down making things more difficult to hear and the quantity of rain has made the vegetation thick and lush and therefore harder to see birds. There was one unusual sighting for the week and a couple of very late dates for other birds. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN has made another appearance out in the Dundas Marsh. This may or may not be the same pelican from the spring. It seems to disappear for long periods of time or remains hidden in the marsh. Any records of this bird in future would be appreciated. In the late category, a dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers were present ten days ago at the Windemere basin. Although not record late, it is getting on and at some point around now we change over to southbound migrants. Two warbler species seen or heard this week were a late Parula west of Great Lakes Blvd near Shell Park and a Blackpoll Warbler heard near King Road and Plains Road. A couple of spots reported from in the last two weeks have some interesting nesting species. At the Clappison's Corner Wetland behind the Walmart in Waterdown, Pied-billed Grebe, Green Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Bank Swallow and Chimney Swift were noted. Close to here at Borer's Creek Out west of Clappison's Corner an American Woodcock was caught on camera. In Flamborough at the Millgrove Loam Pits a short walk here produced Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Willow Flycatcher, Marsh Wren and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. A walk out on Paddy Green Road in Ancaster in the Dundas Valley was productive for Black-billed Cuckoo, Mourning Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting. In the odds and sods this week, a Redhead and Greater Scaup were seen at the Fifty Point Marina. A Lesser Scaup was seen at the Tollgate Ponds on Eastport. A number of Black-crowned Night-Herons were seen here carrying nesting material which is a good sign. A couple of Common Loons were seen at Fifty Point with another one flying past Canada Centre for Inland Waters again. A young Great Horned Owl was heard at Rock Chapel last night. A bizarre sighting this week was a Peregrine Falcon taking down a young Black-crowned Night Heron between U.S. Steel (formerly Stelco ) and Arcelor Mittal Dofasco (formerly Dofasco), food for the whole family and then some! There have been two sightings of Common Raven, one on Centre Road south of Carlisle and two birds near 4th Line and 5th Line Nassagaweya. Pine Warblers are nesting in Bronte Woods again this year. Please keep me informed of your sightings. Even though its quiet, birds still wander and you never know if you will come across a wayward heron from the south or a Ptarmigan from the north! Anything is possible. Cheers, 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/
