On Friday, March 23rd, 2012 this is the HNC Birding Report: GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE BLACK VULTURE LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE
American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck King Eider Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Sandhill Crane Lesser Yellowlegs Pectoral Sandpiper Wilson's snipe Snowy Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Eastern Phoebe Northern Shrike Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow Lapland Longspur Eastern Meadowlark Rusty Blackbird White-winged Crossbill Pine Siskin It's been a busy and warm week here in the Hamilton Study Area. Migrants continue to filter into the area with some early records being broken again. It's a good time to be out looking for migrants that are arriving early although the neotropical migrants will probably be more on time. This week's highlights include a record total of thirty GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE seen at Dry Lake Last Friday. There have been no reports since then. A BLACK VULTURE was seen last Friday just west of Quarry Road in Grimsby and two BLACK VULTURES were seen at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby on Thursday. Today, one of these same birds or a different one was seen up on the escarpment in a kettle of Turkey Vultures. This was the first time in Beamer history that two have passed over the tower at the same time. A sign of this species moving further north or Niagara birds? One can only speculate. Other raptors seen at the hawkwatch this week include Turkey Vultures in big numbers, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Goshawk. Other birds seen over the watch include Pectoral Sandpiper, Eastern Phoebe, Tree and a very early Barn Swallow. The other highlight of the week was a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE at Windermere Basin last Sunday. It was a banded individual. Photos were taken of the bird but it is likely just passing through. Other early arrivals include Sandhill Cranes bugling back at the wetlands at Grass Lake in Glen Morris. Three Sandhill Cranes were seen over Valens Road and Concession 8 last Saturday. An early Lesser Yellowlegs on 5th Road East up in Grimsby. Fifteen Wilson's Snipe were also present. A group of thirty Rusty Blackbirds were seen here, the first of many. Ruby-crowned Kinglet was reported at a yard in Oakville and a few at Shell Park yesterday. Golden-crowned Kinglets were reported in increasing number along the escarpment in Grimsby. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was an earlyish arrival at Joshua creek. A Chipping Sparrow arrived last weekend at a feeder in South Burlington. Two Field Sparrows were seen at Kerncliffe Park in Burlington mid-week. A Vesper Sparrow was an early arrival to the Clappisons Corner Wetlands behind Rona in Waterdown. Savannah Sparrow was singing at Smithville Sewage Lagoons and another on Elmtree Road at Sawmill in Grimsby on Friday. Fox Sparrows were back at Shell Park on Monday. Eastern Meadowlarks are increasing in number and a welcome song in the grassy areas. Saltfleet (10th Road East in Grimsby) is a good place to look for this species. Waterfowl are still moving through. At Valens Conservation Area in Flamborough, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Redhead, Common Merganser and Ruddy Duck. A single Horned Grebe was a new migrant. In the quarry on Green Mountain Road up in Saltfleet, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, Redhead and Pied-billed Grebe were highlights. Just to remind us that winter birds are still around, two Snowy Owls were seen at Bronte Harbour this week with one being reported on Thursday. Two more were seen in Burlington today on the North Service Road near Oakville (5500) and another one seen near Joseph Brant Hospital. Red-necked Grebes have moved back into the Bronte area. Up to eight Lapland Longspurs were seen on 6th Road East south of Green Mountain Road. An interesting sighting of a pair White-winged Crossbills acting territorial came in last Saturday from 4th Concession West of Brock road on the north side of Flamborough Downs. Thirty Pine Siskins seen there could also be candidates to stick around and nest. In the odds and sods, the King Eider was seen on the beach at LaSalle Marina in the past couple of days. If you haven't had a chance to view this species up close, now is the time. That's the news this week, please report your sightings! 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/
