ACADIAN FLYCATCHER FISH CROW RED CROSSBILL Common Loon American Bittern Northern Goshawk Merlin Virginia Rail Sora Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Lesser Yellowlegs Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Red-headed Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson's Warbler Clay-colored Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Bobolink Orchard Oriole
Migration has slowed down a bit here in the Hamilton Study area. Many of the warblers seen this week were females and first spring individuals from last year. Nonetheless, there were some good days of birding and a few unusual birds to be seen here. At the top of the list, the ACADIAN FLYCATCHER was seen again at Shoreacres last weekend where on Sunday, a birder witnessing a coyote in the same corner heard it call. There was another report of an Acadian from Shell Park on the weekend as well. Bad news of the week was the probable demise of one of the nesting FISH CROWS. A small crow was scooped up from the park across and west of the nest on Monday. Results of identity and cause of death are pending. If you have any further sightings of these birds in that area, please email me privately. I suspect the nest was abandoned and the cause of death was harassment by American Crows. Finally the RED CROSSBILL made another appearance at the top of an evergreen at the east end of Confederation Park where they are nesting. Sightings are sporadic though. The lakeshore properties were still the place to be for migrants this week. Last Sunday was particularly busy at many of the woodlots along the Mississauga/Burlington/Oakville Shoreline (Lakeside Park, Sedgewick, Shell Park Sherwood Forest, , Shoreacres,) and also fairly active at Confederation Park and Fifty Point C.A. in Grimsby. Among the birds seen in these locales were Black-billed Cuckoo, Red-headed Woodpecker (Bronte Bluffs), Olive-sided Flycatcher (Shoreacres/Paletta), Eastern Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Alder, Willow, Least and Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Philadelphia Vireo and Red-eyed Vireo, Veery, Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrush, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Nashville and Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Chestnut sided, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Canada and Wilson's Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow and Scarlet Tanager. Shorebirds are more prominent this week with the Windermere Basin continuing to be the best place to view multiple species. A scope is necessary here as many of the shorebirds are at the back of the basin. Patience and time are necessary as birds move in and out of view. Here this week were Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated, Least and White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher and Wilson's Phalarope. Bonaparte's Gulls seem to rest here as well. At the Great Lakes Stormwater Ponds on the northeast corner of Rebecca and Great Lakes Blvd, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated, Least and White-rumped Sandpiper have been highlights. This weekend is also the prime migration for Whimbrel. Saddington Park at the end of Mississauga Road is traditionally the best spot to view this species on migration however on the right winds such as last night a very lucky observer saw 220 from the balcony at the end of Green Road in Stoney Creek. It's hard to know what these north winds will do to the path of migration this weekend. In the odds and sods this week, many Common Loons were seen migrating from Saddington Park in Mississauga. American Bittern is still chugging away at the Safari Road marsh on Safari Road west of Kirkwall Road. Another one was heard at Valens and 6th Concession West. Sora and Virginia Rail can be heard at the small marsh at Kerncliffe Park in Burlington. Also here this week were both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos. Yellow-billed Cuckoo was seen at the RBG Arboretum. An adult Northern Goshawk was seen on 8th concession west just west of Valens. Common Nighthawks were reported over Hamilton, Flamborough and South Burlington. Yellow-throated Vireo was seen at the RBG Arboretum. Clay-colored Sparrow was one of five species of Sparrow heard at the Northland Nurseries in Flamborough last weekend. Bobolinks seem to be doing well with birds reported again from Bronte Creek Provincial Park and up on the Dofasco Trail in Saltfleet. Lastly a male Orchard Oriole was present at the west end of Saddington Park in Mississauga on the spit of land that juts out where the Whimbrel are best viewed from. That's the news for the week, things are settling in for breeding season but there are still migrants 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/
