On Friday, October 26th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: YELLOW RAIL POMARINE JAEGER PARASITIC JAEGER CAVE SWALLOW BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Brant Wood Duck Greater Scaup Harlequin Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Red-throated Loon Common Loon Osprey Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Sandhill Crane Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Purple Sandpiper Dunlin Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Bonaparte's Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Northern Shrike Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Eastern Towhee American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Snow Bunting Rose-breasted Grosbeak Eastern Meadowlark Purple Finch Pine Siskin This time of year is always exciting in the Hamilton Study Area and this week was no exception with great numbers of birds and a few really good ones to make it all better. We will start at the top of the list with the YELLOW RAIL, found and flushed last Saturday at the Dundas Hydro Ponds, the bird was seen twice and then disappeared altogether. Efforts by enthusiastic birders the next day came up short but what an excellent find. The beach was another great hotspot this week with both PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGERS being seen on multiple days. North and northeast winds brought some of them close to shore. Other birds seen along with them here included Brant, Wood Duck, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf, White-winged and Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Common and Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated and Common Loon, Bonaparte's, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull and today a first of season Glaucous Gull. Today brought some excitement for the early birders who poised at Fifty Point for an anticipated CAVE SWALLOW invasion. Conditions and birds did not disappoint for those there before 11 a.m. where 148 Swallows (probably all Caves) were counted. Lastly this morning along the lake near Frances Road, a flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS made a flyby. Another big story this week was the grounding of hundreds even thousands of passerines along the lakeshore. Foggy conditions made for good viewing of large flocks of various sparrows and juncos. Among birds seen along the shore from the Lift Bridge to Confederation Park were multiples of Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Towhee, American Tree, Chipping, Field, Vesper, Fox, Song, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Juncos in the hundreds. The ground was literally crawling with these multiple species making counting difficult. Two Tufted Titmice were a highlight at Confederation Park and four Orange-crowned Warblers were seen on the path between VanWagner's Ponds. Along the lakeshore today for a brief period of time when the wind shifted from the south to the northwest, raptors which had been pent up, suddenly made the move before the impending front. Moderate numbers of Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks moved along the shore. Also seen in the mix were Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin and an adult and sub-adult Golden Eagle. Shorebirds are dwindling in numbers and diversity. Two Long-billed Dowitchers were present most of the week along with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and a Wilson's Snipe at the back of Mountsberg Conservation Area. Purple Sandpiper and Dunlin were reported yesterday from Lakeside Park in Mississauga but not seen today. In the odds and sods this week, a late Osprey was seen flying along the lakeshore at the lift bridge early in the week. A Northern Goshawk was seen while looking for the Dowitchers at Mountsberg. Sandhill Cranes were seen over a yard in south Guelph today making an excellent addition to the yard list. A Common Raven was seen again over Lowville. A first of season Northern Shrike was seen at Fifty Point Conservation Area today near the ball hockey courts. A late first fall female Nashville Warbler was working its way along the Burlington Beachstrip yesterday. A single Snow Bunting was seen earlier in the week at the beach, one around the same time up near Highway 5 and three today at Fifty Point. A late Rose-breasted Grosbeak was seen last weekend at Fifty Point. An Eastern Meadowlark sat atop a tree near the Dundas Hydro Ponds. Winter finches continue to move through the area with Purple Finches still being seen at feeders and more Pine Siskins moving through with over 100 banded at Ruthven this week. That's the news for this week. It could be a very interesting week weather wise. Banked vacation days could come in handy with the potential of a significant weather event dubbed Frankenstorm mid-week. Please report your sightings, these Cave Swallows could turn up again! 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/
