On Friday, September 7th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: SWAINSON'S HAWK RED KNOT SABINE'S GULL PARASITIC JAEGER LONG-TAILED JAEGER
Green-winged Teal White-winged Scoter Great Egret Green Heron Sora Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Caspian Tern Black Tern Common Tern Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Chimney Swift Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Barn Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Veery Swainson's Thrush Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Lincoln's Sparrow The rarities are picking up here in the Hamilton Study area this week. Just in, a SWAINSON'S HAWK was seen perched on a telephone pole near 722 Concession 5 West in Flamborough a short time ago. Unfortunately the bird flushed and flew south and has not been relocated yet. Just shows you that anything can happen! Another great find this week was a juvenile RED KNOT at Princess Point at the bottom of Longwood in Hamilton. The bird is still present today along with other shorebirds mentioned below. Hamilton birders are lucky this time of year to be near the best place in Ontario to view specialties on migration from James Bay and further north. This week was no exception as Northeast and East winds blew over Labour Day weekend. On Saturday a spectacular 52 SABINE'S GULLS lifted off the water spooked by perhaps a Jaeger. In this record bunch were at least 6 adult birds. Other birds seen that day were both PARASITIC and LONG-TAILED JAEGERS harassing the gulls and each other. The action slowed down a bit on Sunday and Monday. A Red-necked Phalarope was seen being harassed by a Jaeger on Monday. Other birds seen at the beach were Green-winged Teal, White-winged Scoter, Sanderling, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black, Common and Caspian Tern. There was a report of a possible Kittiwake on Monday. Shorebirds are still well in the picture here in the area. The best place to view shorebirds at present is Princess Point at the end of Longwood or Macklin in Hamilton. Here this week in addition to the RED KNOT were Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, White-rumped, Baird's Pectoral and Stilt Sandpiper. A number of Great Egrets are also foraging here and in Cootes Paradise. They are beginning to pump water at Windemere Basin, Killdeer are here for the most part but two American Golden Plover dropped in to have a look last week. Another American Golden Plover was seen at the back of Mountsberg. At the Red Hill Stormwater Pond, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Baird's Sandpipers were birds seen here. A Ruddy Turnstone was present at Tollgate Ponds. The warbler migration has slowed a bit. After this large front moves through, I am sure they will be on the move again. At Berry Tract, owned by the RBG off Patterson Road this week Philadelphia Vireo, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian and Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart and a probable Connecticut Warbler were highlights. Along the lakeshore at Shoreacres in Burlington, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Swainson's Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Magnolia and Wilson's Warbler and American Redstart were highlights. Up at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington Red-breasted Nuthatch, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, American Redstart and Mourning Warbler were birds seen here. In the downtown core of Hamilton at Gage Park, Great Crested Flycatcher, Bay-breasted Warbler and two early Lincoln's Sparrows were highlights. Lastly the trails near VanWagner's Ponds had Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Blackpoll, Blackburnian and Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat were seen yesterday. In the odds and sods, sadly a Sora was the result of a hydro wire hit in South Burlington, shows you that they do pass over city lights at night. Great Egrets, Green Heron and Solitary Sandpipers are still been seen in the pond near Onandaga Farms with the egret count at 11 this week. Sandhill Cranes are still bugling near Deer Run Court in Brantford. A Common Nighthawk was seen over this yard as well, their numbers fewer these days. Chimney Swifts, Barn and Rough-winged Swallows were seen high over Cootes Paradise today, likely feeding heavy and moving ahead of the coming rain. Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen again on Burt Road near St. George two weeks ago. That's the news for this week. Tomorrow is supposed to be wet and windy but this bodes promise for the rarities it may blow in. That Frigatebird may end up in the Hamilton Study Area yet. Keep up the reports of 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/
