On Friday, April 13th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: BLACK VULTURE FISH CROW
American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Harlequin Duck Black Scoter Ruddy Duck Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Black-crowned Night-Heron Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Sandhill Crane Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Wilson's Snipe Bonaparte's Gull Glaucous Gull Caspian Tern Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Eastern Phoebe Northern Shrike Purple Martin Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Fox Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Rusty Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Purple Finch Pine Siskin Back in Black is the theme again this week with the highlights being BLACK VULTURE and FISH CROW this week. Another BLACK VULTURE made an appearance at Beamer yesterday circling around for about an hour going east then west. A difficult decision whether to call it a migrant nonetheless it is a significant sighting again here. Another BLACK VULTURE was seen today at Ruthven Conservation Area indicating that this species is on an invasion in the Hamilton Area and elsewhere in Ontario this spring. FISH CROW is the other star of the week with a number of different sightings over the past week. Four individuals were seen over south Burlington at White Pine and Verhoven last Friday. A couple of these birds (probably same ones) were seen at Bronte Harbour over the weekend. Again, patience is necessary and the best time seems to be after 5:30 p.m.. More birds were reported from the Guelph area with a bird being seen at the University of Guelph Arboretum and a very convincing candidate being photographed in the Aberfoyle area. Caution is necessary as it is now coming to light that American Crows may have nested early due to the warm conditions and young American Crows may be producing begging calls that can be similar in nature. Not in the rare category but birds well worth seeing in the area are a pair of Harlequin Ducks seen from Gairloch Gardens on Lakeshore Road east of Trafalgar at the food of Cairncroft in Oakville over the past three days. The male is in stunning plumage and if you have not had a chance to study this bird make the effort to go and see this exquisite species. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Memorial Conservation area has been steady this week with the first Broadwings of the season birds of note. Other raptors seen here in the week include Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk. Non-raptors include Eastern Phoebe, Purple Martin, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Fox Sparrow. In the area known as Saltfleet not far from Beamer, Wilson's Snipe were seen on 11th Road East and a number of them still are furrowing on 5th Road East between Green Mountain and Ridge Road. A couple of Pectoral Sandpipers were also present at the 5th Road East location. On 10th Road east, a late lingering Northern Shrike is a highlight. Bonaparte's Gulls were seen over 11th Road east. Pied-billed Grebes are present in the quarry on Green Mountain Road between 10th and 11th Road East. If you are into waterfowl, Mountsberg Conservation area is a good place to check especially the back of it off Leslie Street. Here last weekend, Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Green -winged Teal, Ruddy Duck and Pied-billed Grebe. Others to look for here include Osprey, Greater Yellowlegs, Tree, Northern Rough-winged and Barn Swallows. Continuing on the waterfowl theme, birds seen at the west end of Lake Ontario off Green Road include Black Scoter, Common Loon, Horned and Red-necked Grebe. At Edgelake Park located on Church Street in Stoney Creek, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush and Chipping Sparrow were highlights. Further east at Fifty Point Conservation Area migrants included Red-shouldered Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Barn Swallow Brown Creeper, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and Rusty Blackbird. In the odds and sods this week, Sandhill Cranes were calling from the Fuciarelli trail which runs behind the Millgrove Loam Pits on 5th Concession West in Millgrove on Monday. Lesser Yellowlegs and Dunlin were highlights at Valens Conservation area. Black-crowned Night Heron is back and seen on the NE shore of the Hamilton Harbour as well as Bronte Harbour. Bald Eagles were seen on nest at Cootes Paradise this week and another nest has hatched at Brant Park in Brantford with adults seen bring food to young. A Spotted Sandpiper was seen flying over the Grand River at Ruthven, good date for this species. A lateish Glaucous Gull was seen from Canada Centre for Inland Waters on Wednesday. Caspian Terns continue to grow in numbers on the Hamilton Harbour. Pine Warbler continues to be heard singing at LaSalle Park. An Eastern Towhee was a welcome yard guest at in Hidden Valley in Burlington. More were heard singing out in Flamborough on Concession 4 and Concession 5 west. Savannah Sparrow were also singing here. Vesper Sparrows were seen at Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle along with a few Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Pine Siskins were heard at LaSalle Park and at Kerncliffe Park in Burlington last weekend, still moving through. A Brewer's Blackbird was report south of Guelph yesterday. The switch in the winds and the incoming system could bring in a flood of migrants. Please report your sightings. Cheers, 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/
