On Friday March 30th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding report: FISH CROW
Wood Duck Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Teal King Eider Hooded Merganser Ring-necked Pheasant Wild Turkey Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Osprey Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Virginia Rail Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Wilson's Snipe Bonaparte's Gull Forster's Tern Northern Flicker Eastern Phoebe Northern Shrike Common Raven Purple Martin Tree Swallow Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Towhee Field Sparrow Fox Sparrow Lapland Longspur Pine Siskin It's been another good week for birders here in the Hamilton Study Area with more migrants filtering in and another sighting of FISH CROW for the area. Yesterday, two FISH CROWS were seen over the University of Guelph south residences with one of the birds being seen again today. Clearly this species is expanding or on an invasion year in the area. Lesson learned: Look at all Crows and listen to their call! The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch was slow but steady this week with the first Osprey being recorded early in the week. Another Osprey was seen at Fifty Point Conservation Area. Today Osprey sightings came from Valley Inn and at the Golf Driving Range near Plains Road sitting on a pole with its catch. Other raptors seen at the Hawkwatch this week include more Turkey Vultures (in steady numbers), Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Goshawk and Merlin. Common Loon, Eastern Phoebe, Purple Martin, Northern Flickers (25 in one morning), Golden-crowned Kinglet and Fox Sparrow were also recorded during the watch. Nearby in Saltfleet last weekend, highlights consisted of a Peregrine Falcon flyby, Wilson's Snipe on territory, Northern Shrike, a singing Field Sparrow and 33 Lapland Longspurs Flying over on 10th Road East. Later in the week a Ring-necked Pheasant was seen between 8th and 10th Road east on the Dofasco Trail. Two Pied-billed Grebes were in the Quarry Pond on Green Mountain Road. At the flooded fields seen from Ridge Road between 8th and 10th Road, Green-winged Teal, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were birds of note. An Eastern Phoebe and a Savannah Sparrow were found on 8th Road East north of Green Mountain. Wild Turkeys were seen near the Ridge Road Estate Winery. On 5th Road East a decent total of 21 Wilson's Snipe were present in the fields between Powerline and Green Mountain Road. Another flock of Wild Turkey were seen here too. A record early Forster's Tern made and appearance at LaSalle Marina on Tuesday. This bird was seen later in the day off Princess Point. The bird was seen again Thursday at the Valley Inn with two Bonaparte's Gulls and later on what was the same photographed bird ended up at LaSalle Marina. Down at LaSalle the King Eider continues to be present as of today and can be well seen sleeping on the beach. Other birds noted here are Pied-billed and Horned Grebe and a Hermit Thrush. Another early record this week was Virginia Rail with two heard along the south shore of Cootes Paradise and another in the Dundas Marsh. Other birds seen along the south shore include Tree Swallows, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren and Hermit Thrush. Birds seen in the Dundas Marsh include Wood Duck, Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Down in Brantford at the west end of the Hamilton Study Area on the S.C. Johnson trail from Wilkes Dam to Hardy Road, Tree Swallow, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Towhee and Pine Siskins were highlights. Today at the RBG property known as Lamb's Hollow off Unsworth Ave in Burlington, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow (over 50), Golden-crowned Kinglet and Fox Sparrow were noted. In the odds and sods, Sandhill Cranes were calling from the marsh behind the houses at Deer Run Court near Brantford. Purple Martins made an early appearance in several places beside the Hawkwatch. Birds were seen over south Guelph at Scottsdale and Stone Road area, another seen in west Oakville at Rebecca and 4th Line. This ties the record early date for this species. A Common Raven was seen over Millgrove Road at Concession 5 West in Flamborough. Two to three hundred Pine Siskins were seen from March 24 - March 27th at the Crieff Bog in north Flamborough. As I look out my window, the snow flies! It will be interesting to see how these early migrants fare in the cold temps and snow. Keep your feeders stocked and ready, the birds might just need the extra boost. 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/
