On Friday, August 24, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: LONG-TAILED JAEGER BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
Red-necked Grebe Great Egret Green Heron Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Common Tern Eastern Screech Owl Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Red-eyed Vireo Red-breasted Nuthatch Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Golden-winged Warbler Brewster's Warbler Tennessee Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Baltimore Oriole It's been a busy week here in the area with a good mix of shorebirds, passerines and the official start of beach season at the west end of Lake Ontario. Last Monday, two Jaegers were seen at a distance from the Lakeland Tower exhibiting flight behavior like a Long-tailed Jaeger, an expected species at this time of year. Today, a beautiful adult Long-tailed Jaeger was seen from Lakeland flying not too far out past the wave tower. Another distant jaeger was seen earlier. Onshore breezes were not strong but present. A Red-necked Phalarope also made a flyby. Common Terns were flying near the shore and two Bonaparte's Gulls were seen further out. The best is yet to come. Another great bird seen earlier in the week was the brief appearance of a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT at Rattray Marsh. There have been no further reports. Shorebirds continue to be in the focus this week. Today out in Cootes Paradise, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, Least, Baird's, Stilt and BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER and Short-billed Dowitcher were seen. The only accessible spot to view is from the tower at the Marsh Boardwalk at the Royal Botanical Gardens. At Tollgate Ponds, American Golden and Black-bellied Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Baird's Sandpipers were highlights this week. Nearby at the Red Hill Stormwater Pond, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers rotated in and out during the week. At Rattray Marsh in Mississauga, Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper were birds seen there. A traditional place for BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPER is the sod farms out near Mount Hope. A search this week found one Black-bellied and one American Golden Plover and many Killdeer. Worth checking over the next week, it is likely our turn to host this species. Songbird migration has started in earnest with birds moving through the migrant traps in the area. At Woodland Cemetery last Saturday Chimney Swift, Eastern Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied and Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Wilson's Warbler, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole were noted. A nice surprise later that day at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington was a Golden-winged Warbler. This species should almost be highlighted as a rarity in these parts. A search Sunday did not turn that up but turned up Great-crested Flycatcher, Veery, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia and Wilson's Warbler. Nearby at Shell Park on Saturday, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Magnolia, Black-and-white and Canada Warbler, American Redstart were seen. At Rock Chapel near Borer's Falls, a Brewster's Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler and an early Ruby-crowned Kinglet were different highlights in addition to some of the above species. In the odds and sods, a Red-necked Grebe was seen off Bayfront Canal and a couple from Shoreacres in Burlington. Great Egret (6) and Green Heron were seen at Onondaga Farms out near Brantford. Common Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts have been reported in growing numbers in different spots including Dundas, Rock Chapel and South Burlington. Another Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen in Hyde Tract in Flamborough last Saturday. This week I was happy to have Eastern Screech Owl, Willow Flycatcher, Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia and early Yellow-rumped Warblers added to my yard list in South Burlington. That's the news this week, it will be a great weekend to get out and look for stuff stalled before the next front moves through Monday. Make sure to report your sightings! 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/
