On Friday, September 14th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: RED KNOT SABINE'S GULL
Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Egret Green Heron Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Silt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Jaeger Sp. Common Tern Common Nighthawk Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Common Raven Winter Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Brown Thrasher Brewster's Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Bobolink Purple Finch You can tell by the lengthy list that we are in the height of fall migration. There is a wide variety of birding to be done and with the passing front, this weekend could be good! Rarities this week include the RED KNOT down at Princess Point last reported on the weekend. SABINE'S GULLS continued to be seen as of last Sunday down at VanWagners beach with a group of 7 being seen in the morning and a group of 15 which was put up by a Jaeger sp. In the late afternoon. I am positive that this will not be the last of them to be seen. Common Terns were continuing to move through. Shorebirds are still in the news. In addition to the RED KNOT down at Princess Point, other shorebirds seen here included Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, Least, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpiper and a Short-billed Dowitcher. Last Sunday a Red-necked Phalarope was seen spinning around at Tollgate Ponds. At the Red Hill Stormwater Pond today were Lesser Yellowlegs and a Bairds Sandpiper. Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling were seen at Van Wagner's Beach last Saturday. Solitary Sandpiper is still present at Onondaga Farms near Glen Morris and an American Golden Plover was still being seen at the back of Mountsberg along with Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper. Hawks are a news story as well. A heads up that tomorrow should be good for the Broad-winged Hawk migration. Last Monday on northwest winds over South Oakville and Burlington, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Coppers, Broad-winged (in good numbers) and Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel were raptors noted moving along the lakeshore. Warblers and Vireos are a big change in this week's numbers. More variety of species were reported this week than in past weeks. A good place to look for these species is Woodland Cemetery. Last Sunday, Least Flycatcher, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Wilson's Warbler, Bobolink and Purple Finch were seen in the morning. The same day at Confederation Park, Swainson's Thrush, Orange-crowned, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Black-throated Green Warbler, Ovenbird, Wilson's Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat were birds of note. Today, down at Shoreacres, Red-necked Grebe, Great-crested, Least and Traill's Flycatcher, Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat and Wilson's Warbler were seen rising from the ground after a solid afternoon of rain. Nearby at Tuck Creek this week, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Veery, Winter Wren, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Purple Finch were different species seen here yesterday and last weekend. At Shell Park in Oakville, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green and American Redstart were birds seen last weekend. Lastly, at up at the Berry Tract off Patterson Road, a Brewster's Warbler was seen along with species mentioned above earlier in the week. Nearby at Rock Chapel a Brown Thrasher was seen. In the odds and sods, Red=necked Grebes were off shore gathering and Red-throated Loons were seen flying over Rattray Marsh, Great Egret, Green Heron and Sandhill Cranes were seen at Onondaga Farms near Glen Morris during the week. A Merlin looks like its setting up a winter territory in Dundas near Pleasant Valley. A Common Raven was seen and heard at Iroquois Conservation Area in Ancaster. Single Common Nighthawks were seen over Princess Point last weekend and over Dundas on Wednesday. This is definitely a weekend to be out wherever you are. Things are piled up and ready to go. Don't forget to send along your sightings! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. 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