On Friday, Feb 10th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding report: MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD
Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Wood Dcuk American Wigeon King Eider Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Lesser Black-backed Gull Eastern Screech Owl Barred Owl Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shrike Chipping Sparrow Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill Pine Siskin It's a quiet week here in the Hamilton Study area but typical for mid-February. Some good birds are still lurking about and many an opportunity still exists for getting birds on the winter list. The female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD is still present on Concession 1 west of Hwy 6 in Puslinch. The bird was seen and photographed earlier in the week and has been present since the beginning of January. The hotspot of the winter, Bayfront Park, continues to turn up birds. This week an immature male King Eider, Common Loon and Horned Grebe (seen off the Leander Boat Club) were the highlights. Turkey Vulture sightings were on the increase this week with 7 being seen in Brantford at the 403 and Garden Road. Individual sightings came from Hwy 5 near Woodhill where up to 3 were seen this week. A juvenile Bald Eagle was seen on Concession 5W near Lynden Road. Owls are also in the news as well this week. Eastern Screech Owls were heard and seen on 8th Concession West just west of Westover Road. A Barred Owl was photographed in the Wild Goose Woods at the Guelph Arboretum last Sunday, further attempts to relocate have come up short. Short-eared Owls were seen on 10th Road and 11th Road East up in Saltfleet and in Bronte Creek Provincial Park West, Long-eared Owls and two Northern Saw-whet Owls were seen mid-week. In the odds and sods this week, Tundra Swans were reported over Grimsby near Fifty Point Conservation Area and another flock over Dundurn and Aberdeen in Hamilton, unusual for this time of year but with the weather being so mild possibly a movement north. Wood Duck and American Wigeon were seen at the Desjardins Canal in Dundas. A Pied-billed Grebe is a winter resident here. Another American Wigeon was photographed at LaSalle Marina. Ruffed Grouse are coming to a feeder north of Concession 8th West on Westover Road. They have been seen through the week. A female King Eider was seen off Fifty Point mid-week. A Cackling Goose was part of a larger group of Canada's on the main pond at Fifty Point C.A. on Wednesday and Thursday. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen near Neare Island off Eastport Drive. Northern Shrike was reported from 10th Road East in Saltfleet and the Guelph Arboretum. A Chipping Sparrow was photographed at Woodland Cemetery, possibly the same bird that was coming to seed at the Valley Inn. Purple Finch were reported from Patterson Tract located on 4th Concession West west of Woodhill. A small flock of White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins were seen in the west Dundas Valley today. That's the news this week. Tonights snow fall might be good to drive birds into feeders. Please report your sightings. Cheers, Cheryl Edgecombe _______________________________________________ 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/
