GRAY PARTRIDGE GOLDEN EAGLE EASTERN PHOEBE BOHEMIAN WAXWING FIELD SPARROW SAVANNAH SPARROW EASTERN MEADOWLARK HOARY REDPOLL
Wood Duck American Wigeon Pied-billed Grebe Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Red-shouldered Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Glaucous Gull Great Horned Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse Winter Wren Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Towhee Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll The mix is different this week in the Hamilton Study Area with a few new species popping up to give a bit of spice. This week, the ever elusive Brantford Airport GRAY PARTRIDGE reared their heads. The birds were seen yesterday and then relocated today. The birds were on the south side of Robinson road at least 200m from the road on a slight bare ridge. This ridge is about 250m east of the junction with Potruff Road. Today they were seen from Green Road likely on the same ridge but different view point. A scope is necessary to see these beasts. Also in the vicinity were FIELD AND SAVANNAH SPARROW. The FIELD SPARROW was seen along Robinson Road 400 m west of Green Road earlier in the week and yesterday a little further east of Green Road with a flock of Tree Sparrows. Last weekend a SAVANNAH SPARROW was seen feeding on the exposed grass along Green Road about 200m south of Robinson Rd. These birds are moving about with flocks of sparrows, Snow Buntings, Horned Larks and Longspurs so it's good to cruise the roads a few times to look amongst the birds coming to the road for grit. A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen along the Grand River at the village of York, an excellent winter record. The EASTERN PHOEBE was once again present last weekend in the Hendrie Valley on the trail off Unsworth Avenue. This bird is hit and miss as several birders have gone down there and been unsuccessful. It likely has a wide territory to get enough food to make a living. Also reported from here was Great Horned Owl and Winter Wren. BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS seem to be increasing in numbers. A flock of 40 were seen at Freelton Road and Hwy 6 midweek and Thursday a small flock made a good yard list bird at Middletown Road and Concession 5 in Flamborough. Last weekend a surprise was a tight group of EASTERN MEADOWLARKS which were reported south of here a couple of weeks ago, but reappeared at the corner of 10th Road East and Ridge Road coming down to the side of the road. A couple of the birds were seen at the feeder at the first house on 10th Road East in Saltfleet. Also present here is at least 1 of 3 White-crowned Sparrows. At dusk, it's worth a trip to see the Short-eared Owls fly near the tracks on 10th Road East between Ridge Road and Green Mountain Road. Flocks of Common Redpolls still seem to be moving about with numbers on the increase. A HOARY REDPOLL was seen amongst flocks in Rock Chapel and at the feeders at Bogles Seed at Safari Road and Highway 6. There other good winter birds to be seen around the area. A female Wood Duck was seen at the west end of the Desjardins Canal near the Urquhart Butterfly Garden. American Widgeon are also seen sporadically in the canal as well along with the long lasting Pied-billed Grebe. Nine Black-crowned Night Herons were seen in the Red Hill Creek Outlet this week with two of them being adults. A record group of 30 Turkey Vultures were seen at the Brantford Dump last Sunday. Also in the vicinity was a White-crowned Sparrow. Another Turkey Vulture was seen over Stoney Creek today. The Red-shouldered Hawk present at the overpass of 401 and Regional Road 32 near Cambridge was present again here this week. Rough-legged Hawks are on the increase in the south end of the Hamilton Study area in Haldimand. Cruising the roads down there a HNC field trip found a number of these birds down here along with one Short-eared Owl. Tufted Titmice are still coming into feeders at Ruthven Conservation Area. A Glaucous Gull was seen behind Canada Centre for Inland Waters. Unfortunately a Northern Saw-whet Owl met its demise along the roadside on Fifty Road just south of Ridge Road, just a reminder for people not to throw garbage out their windows which attract rodents to the road therefore attracting the owls on the hunt. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker along with the Fox Sparrow were seen behind the Olympic Arena last Sunday. A Yellow-rumped Warbler persists at Sedgewick Park in Oakville, unfortunately the only survivor of that amazing group of birds. An Eastern Towhee was present at Brant Park Conservation Area in Brantford which may be just out of the Hamilton Study Area. White-winged Crossbills were reported at Bronte Creek Provincial Park and a single bird was heard near Binkley's Hollow in Dundas. There are birds on the move already and migration is happening and more just around the corner. Large flocks of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs have been reported in several areas of the Hamilton Study area. There is a still a good group being seen on Fallsview Road near Dyments Farm. Last weekend a group of 65 Lapland Longspurs were seen on Lower Base Line Road just east of Tremaine in a group of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings. Brantford Airport also had numbers of these birds too. It's not that long until you will see a whole different mix of birds being reported. Rarities are still a possibility as birds move around. 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/
