On Friday, November 2nd, 2012 this is the HNC Birding Report: WILSON'S STORM PETREL LEACH'S STORM PETREL LAUGHING GULL SABINE'S GULL BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE POMARINE JAEGER PARASITIC JAEGER LONG-TAILED JAEGER
Snow Goose Brant Tundra Swan Greater Scaup Harlequin Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Egret Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon American Golden Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Sanderling White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin American Woodcock Red Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Forster's Tern Red-headed Woodpecker Northern Shrike Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Chipping Sparrow Lapland Longspur Rusty Blackbird Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Evening Grosbeak This has been a most exceptional week for Hamilton birds certainly in the years that I have been writing these reports and for many Hamilton and Ontario birders one of if not the best day of birding ever. Words used to describe last Tuesday include epic, sensational and mind-boggling. Monday, the remnants of Hurricane Sandy started to deposit birds on the lake. It started with 10 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES in the late afternoon Monday. By Tuesday, birders clad in all the warm gear they had, stood vigil at Hutch's and Lakeland Centre for 10 hours, invigorated by reports of storm petrels at Fort Niagara New York and off Thickson's Woods. BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES were numerous and a Hamilton record of 88 was reached by day's end including 2 adult birds. A flock of 18 was seen flying along together. Jaegers were numerous with all three species LONG-TAILED, PARASITIC and POMARINE being seen. Adult Pomarines with twisted spoons at the back were a highlight for some. A probable juvenile LAUGHING GULL was seen by one observer. Then at 11:45 p.m. the megas started. First spotted by Dave Don, a LEACH'S STORM PETREL was seen about 40 feet offshore. The bird, close enough to be photographed and a first for the Hamilton Study Area, prompted a huge round of high fives and cheers. A quick call to the group at Lakeland and they too were able to share in the glory. About a half an hour later, a WILSON'S STORM PETREL first spotted by Rob Dobos, sent another round of cheers through the crowd. During the next hour or so, two STORM PETREL sp. were seen too distant to identify. It was truly an epic event. Action in the afternoon slowed down and sadly none of the storm waifs save a couple of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES and POMARINE JAEGERS (somewhat expected species for this time of year) were seen again that day. However, this just in today a STORM PETREL sp. was seen from Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon travelling west toward Burlington. I am certain these storm waifs are still about but persistence and of course a lot of luck is needed to find them. Other birds seen down along the west end of the lake through the week including Tuesday were Snow Goose (flock of 75), Brant, Tundra Swan, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck (in the thousands), Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, American Golden Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Sanderling, White rumped Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Red Phalarope, Bonaparte's, Lesser Black-backed, Glaucous, Great Black-backed Gull and Forster's Tern. Yesterday and today a mass exodus of raptors occurred along the escarpment, the lakeshore and Bronte area. The majority of birds moving are Red-tailed Hawks but others include Turkey Vulture, Osprey (Fifty Point), Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned and Coopers Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered and Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle (8 over a yard in Dundas the last two days), Merlin and Peregrine Falcon. Winter finches are on the move in a big way. This week, more Evening Grosbeaks than have been reported in the last few years were seen at feeders and flying over places in Flamborough, Dundas, Gage Park in Hamilton and Burlington. White-winged Crossbills were seen at Hyde Tract in Flamborough and 56 were seen today in Bronte Park. Common Redpolls were seen in Dundas. There are still reports of Purple Finch and many Pine Siskins on the move. In the odds and sods this week, Horned Grebe and Red-necked Grebe were seen along the Burlington Lakeshore with a good number of Horned's counted. Great Egrets are still being seen at Valley Inn. Two American Woodcocks were found on the west side of Bronte Park. A juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker was seen last Sunday at Woodland Cemetery. Another one was recorded on Sawmill Road in Ancaster. A Northern Shrike was seen on 10th Road East in Salfleet, a traditional area for this species. Eastern Bluebirds numbered 45 this morning at Woodland Cemetery. Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Hermit Thrush were present at Shoreacres in Burlington. I still have a Chipping Sparrow coming into my feeder here in South Burlington, another one seen at Bronte today. A flock of 35 Lapland Longspurs were seen in a field near Frances Avenue in Stoney Creek. Icterids are on the move in a big way with many flocks over Woodland Cemetery this morning and in Saltfleet. Rusty Blackbirds were seen near 5th Road East and Powerline Road in Saltfleet this morning. This Sunday is the Hamilton Naturalists Club Fall Bird Count. If you are in the area looking for storm waifs, please report your sightings. Birds are officially counted on Sunday but Saturday and Monday are in the count period. Please email your sightings to me. Have a great week! 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/
