AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN ACADIAN FLYCATCHER WESTERN KINGBIRD FISH CROW WORM-EATING WARBLER
American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal American Bittern Merlin Virginia Rail Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Solitary Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Wilson's Phalarope Eastern Whip-poor-will Red-headed Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great-crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue0headed Vireo Warbler Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Marsh Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Golden-winged Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut -sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson's Warbler Eastern Towhee Clay-colored Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Bobolink Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Pine Siskin Finally birds are here in the Hamilton Study Area! It's been a little slow up until this week but what a difference south winds make after experiencing sleet and cold temperatures earlier in the week. Let's start with the rarities. Last Monday afternoon a group of four AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were seen flying over Cootes Paradise and eventually settled in on the west end of Hamilton Harbour. The birds made their way back to Cootes where they have been seen roosting on Hickory Island. The birds were still present as of yesterday but no reports yet today. Yesterday, during a sweep of the Burlington/Oakville Lakeshore, an ACADIAN FLYCATCHER was found in the southeast corner of Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington. The bird stayed the afternoon and evening but was not refound again today. A WESTERN KINGBIRD was seen in an orchard near St. Georges in Brant County yesterday. The bird was observed for a brief time sitting on a fence but not refound when the observer returned an hour later. Subsequent attempts came up short. Our nesting FISH CROWS seem to be sitting on eggs as one was seen on the nest yesterday. The nest is near the top of a large White Pine tree in the front yard of a house at 5499 Lakeshore Rd E, which is just west of Burloak Drive on the north side. To view this, park at the parking lot at Burloak Waterfront Park a few hundred metres west of the house and walk east. One can easily view the nest from the south side of the road, which is also City parkland. Please be respectful of the homeowners, who have been made aware of the nest. Finally a WORM-EATING WARBLER was seen at close range at the Berry Tract off Patterson Road yesterday morning but not refound in the afternoon. Shorebirds are increasing in the area with the best spot to view at Windermere Basin. Here this week were Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher and Wilson's Phalarope. This place is ever changing as birds seen in the morning on Thursday, multiplied and changed by afternoon. Also present at the basin was American Wigeon and Blue-winged Teal. Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper were seen in the Red Hill Stormwater Pond. Two Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover and Dunlin were seen at the Great Lakes Stormwater Pond in Oakville yesterday. Grass Lake is productive still with photos of a young Sandhill Crane sent to me this week. Also there are American Bittern and Common Gallinule. Safari Road Wetland on Safari Road just west of Kirkwall Road in Flamborough is also good with American Bittern, Common Gallinule and Virginia Rail reported from here this week. The passerine migration has finally kicked in with the lakeshore properties being hotbeds of activity this week. Shell Park in Oakville, Sherwood Park in Burlington, Shoreacres/Paletta in Burlington, Confederation Park in Hamilton, Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek, Fifty Point Conservation Area and Forty Mile Creek in Grimsby have all been active this week. I will try to summarize all the species giving any highlights at a specific park. Eastern Wood-Pewee(40 Mile Creek), Willow Flycatcher (Edgelake Park), Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo (Edgelake), Red-eyed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Marsh Wren (Edgelake), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Swainsons, Hermit and Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, Golden-winged Warbler (40 mile creek), Blue-winged, Black-and-white, Tennessee, Nashville, Cape May, Magnolia, Bay-breasted (40 mile Creek), Blackburnian, Yellow, Chestnut sided, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Pine, Yellow-rumped, Prairie(Confederation Park), Black-throated Green and Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Eastern Towhee (40 mile Creek), Clay-colored Sparrow (Fifty Point C.A.), Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orchard and Baltimore Oriole and Pine Siskin (Forty Mile Creek). In the odds and sods this week, a Merlin was seen flying over Shell Park, perhaps the one nesting in Bronte. American Woodcock was flushed in Shell Park along the pipeline. An Eastern Whip-poor-will was heard singing early morning south of Hillview Drive in Grimsby last Friday. Red-headed Woodpecker was seen on Burt Road in Brant County just north of Howell. Red-headed Woodpecker is also back on territory on Sawmill Road in Ancaster. A pair of Tufted Titmice were seen at Sedgewick Park in Oakville with another being seen at Little Tract in Cambridge. Louisiana Waterthrush is on territory off Artaban Road in Ancaster. Orange-crowned Warbler was seen in two separate locations in Dundas Valley today. Golden-winged Warbler was also heard and seen this week at the end of Lions Club Road in the Dundas Valley. Blue-winged Warblers have a strong hold in the valley at Merrick Orchard, Artaban Road and at Berry Tract off Patterson Road. Hooded Warblers are back on territory at Martin's Road. Canada Warbler was seen at the Berry Tract at the same location as the Worm-eating Warbler. Along Howell Road near Burt Road, Vesper Sparrow was heard singing in two locations. Vesper Sparrow was also hear singing near the corner of Concession 5 & Sheffield Rd.. Bobolinks seem to be doing well in the area with some reported from Bronte Park West this past week. That's the news for the week, birds are out there to see and rarities to find. Let me know what you see, there are lots of birdathons that would appreciate the updates. The Hamilton Naturalists Club wishes our celebrity birder Len Manning and his team the best of luck this weekend as they do their birdathon to support the Baillie Birdathon and the Hamilton Naturalists Club. If you wish to sponsor Len, please email me privately and I will put you in touch with the right people! Cheers, 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/
