On Friday, February 24, 2012 this is the HNC Birding Report: Redhead x Ring-necked Duck Hybrid Cackling Goose Tundra Swan American Wigeon Redhead x Ring-necked Duck Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser King Eider Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Rough-legged Hawk Glaucous Gull Eastern Screech Owl Great Horned Owl Snowy Owl Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike Horned Lark Winter Wren American Pipit Field Sparrow Snow Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Pine Siskin
It's been fairly quiet here for the last week of winter listing. A few scouts of migrant birds have been seen with Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbirds creeping into the area. It's hard to tell at this time of year whether they are overwintering or migrants, probably a combination of both. Tundra Swans were a big mover this week with flocks reported over Brantford, Dundas, Grimsby and Burlington. Turkey Vulture numbers seem to be on the rise or maybe the same moving further afield. Multiple birds were seen at Orkney Road with individual birds reported over Grimsby and Dundas earlier in the week and over Binbrook today. There are lots of good winter listing birds about to finish up the list. A group of Cackling Geese were seen off Whitaker Park in Grimsby along with American Wigeon. American Wigeon were reported from the Desjardins Canal with an American Pipit being relocated last Sunday but not seen since. King Eiders were seen off Fifty Point and one still present down at LaSalle Marina. Glaucous Gulls are still moving about with one being seen at Canada Centre for Inland Waters today and a couple off Bayfront earlier in the week. A Pileated Woodpecker was seen by a keen observer up in the Bluffs subdivision on Guelph Line north of Highway 5. Winter Wren and Field Sparrow were reported at the Valley Inn last weekend, no sign of the Chipping Sparrow. A good winter bird if you are looking to wrap up the list is Eastern Meadowlark with three present on 10th Road East up in Saltfleet. Owls are in the news this week. An red-phase Eastern Screech Owl has set up shop at Woodland Cemetery. It likes to sun itself during bright days. A Great Horned Owl is still being seen and on nest between the expansion joint of the bridge at the Valley Inn. Snowy Owls seem to be multiplying. Unfortunately this week, one became a casualty near the Lift Bridge. Another two Snowy Owls have set up shop at Bronte Harbour. These are fairly barred individuals. One was seen taking down a Ring-billed Gull mid-week. Short-eared Owls are still present on 10th Road East being seen from the road and over the quarry just near the railway tracks. Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owl are present on the west side of Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Down in the south of the Hamilton Study Area, a trip to Haldimand for Lapland Longspurs turned up short. Not even Snow Buntings are here in numbers this year. A few Horned Larks were present along Cheapside and other roads. Rough-legged Hawks and Harriers seem to be in good supply down in this area. Northern Shrike was seen a couple places here. In the odds and sods a Pied-billed Grebe was present at Bronte Harbour. The Red-head x Ring-necked Duck is also present here. The Common Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser hybrid was also still present in the ship canal in the week. Immature Bald Eagles were reported over Binbrook and the escarpment near Rock Chapel in the week. A Northern Shrike still is present at Rock Chapel, a favourite wintering spot for this species. Snow Buntings and Horned Larks were seen in Flamborough at 4th Concession west just past Thompson Road (west of Highway 8). Pine Siskins were present at feeders on Sulphur Springs Road last weekend. They will be moving back through the area. Things are bound to pick up over the next couple of weeks but please report your sightings the next few days for those looking to up the winter list. Large flocks of American Robins seem to be present in a few spots. Perhaps one of them will harbour a surprise (ie, Fieldfare or Redwing) for us to end the winter list. Dream big! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC _______________________________________________ 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/
