On Friday, September 21st, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: HUDSONIAN GODWIT BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER SABINE'S GULL WHITE-EYED VIREO CONNECTICUT WARBLER
Snow Goose Red-throated Loon Great Blue Heron Great Egret Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Common Tern Ruby-throated Hummingbird Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Winter Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Pipit Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Chipping Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Lapland Longspur Rose-breasted Grosbeak Purple Finch It's been another incredibly busy week here in the Hamilton Study area with the mass exodus continuing on all fronts. A couple of nice uncommon birds for the area turned up this week. Uncommon shorebirds this week include HUDSONIAN GODWIT, found at Valley Inn last Sunday and the same or another one seen out in Cootes Paradise today. At the new shorebird habitat at Windermere Basin off Eastport Drive, a late BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was seen last Sunday. Last Sunday at VanWagners Beach, an adult SABINE'S GULL was seen feeding with a mass of gulls in front of the wave tower at Lakeland. Adults are extremely scarce but have been seen sporadically the last few years in the area. Lastly, today near Van Wagner's Ponds a WHITE-EYED VIREO was in with a group of migrants including a first fall CONNECTICUT WARBLER. Shorebirds still seem to be a force in the area with several good places to view them. In addition to the Hudsonian Godwit, birds at the Valley Inn included Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper. Out in Cootes Paradise, American Golden Plover and Least Sandpiper were birds seen. At Princess Point Black-bellied Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least, Semipalmated and Stilt Sandpiper along with a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher were birds seen this week. As an aside a big presence here is Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets with 33 and 28 respectively being seen from here today. At Windermere Basin, Black-bellied and Golden Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and American Pipits were birds of note. Hawk migration has dwindled a bit, waiting for the next round of migrants to come through. However, over Brantford a couple days ago, small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks were still moving through. Over South Burlington, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Broad-winged, Red-tailed and Cooper's Hawk and American Kestrel were seen. Last Saturday over Woodland and towards the escarpment at Gates of Heaven Cemetery, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Sharp-shinned, Red-tailed and Broad-winged Hawks were seen on North-west winds. Numbers of Broad-wings were slightly less than the 20,000 + seen at Hawk Cliff that day. Passerines are on the move still with another wave of Flycatchers, Vireos and Warblers to keep us entertained. There were several locations with good movement this week. At Woodland Cemetery last Saturday migrants included, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Tennessee, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Palm, Bay-breasted and Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat were birds of note. At the lakeshore properties this week, Shell Park reported Magnolia and Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Redstart and White-throated Sparrow. Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington lived up to its name of being the best place for thrushes in the area with many Swainson's, a few Gray-cheeked and a Hermit Thrush to the list. Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Winter Wren, Nashville, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Black-and-White Warbler, American Redstart, Wilson's Warbler, White-throated Sparrow and Rose-breasted Grosbeak were highlights also. Moving west down the lakeshore, Shoreacres in Burlington reported Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Nashville, Magnolia and Black-throated Green Warbler and Ovenbird. Out at Fifty Point Conservation Area migrants included Northern Flicker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush, Winter Wren, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Wilson's Warbler and Common Yellowthroat. Down at 40 mile creek in Grimsby a similar list to above with the addition of a Canada Warbler. In the odds and sods this week, a Snow Goose was seen flying over Ruthven with a flock of Canada Geese earlier in the week. A Red-throated Loon was seen on fly-over from a yard in Dundas. Three Common Terns were seen from the end of the ship canal in Burlington yesterday. A Short-eared Owl was seen over the 403 @ Trafalgar this week. A very early Lapland Longspur was seen high over a field near Rebecca and Great Lakes Blvd. At Gates of Heaven Cemetery on York Road, Lincoln's, Song and Swamp Sparrows were birds seen here. Lastly two Rusty Blackbirds were seen on the mud flat at Valley Inn. There are lots of birds to be found still, rarities can turn up anywhere. After the rain, get out and enjoy the crisp fall weather. Report your sightings here! 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/
