On Friday, June 14th, 2013, this is the HNC Birding Report: AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN (June 6th)
Wood Duck Lesser Scaup White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Red-throated Loon Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Least Bittern Green Heron Osprey Peregrine Falcon Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane Semipalmated Plover Upland Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Dunlin Bonaparte's Gull Common Tern Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Red-headed Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Veery Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Golden-winged Warbler Hooded Warbler Clay-colored Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark It's been a quiet two weeks here in the Hamilton Study Area typical of this time of year. However, there are still birds to report that are of interest. In the highlighted category, an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was seen flying over Cootes Paradise on the afternoon of June 6th. It was only a flyover though as it was not located again. There are some great places to go to see breeding birds in the area. One place of interest is Grass Lake in Glen Morris. Here last weekend, Green Heron, Common Gallinule and five Sandhill Cranes at or in the marsh. Across the road in the grassy fields are Grasshopper Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and Bobolink. Nearby on Beke Road Sudden Tract is a large piece of woodlot which is definitely under birded. A walk through the trail yielded Black-billed Cuckoo, Willow and Alder Flycatcher, Veery, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager and a surprise Louisiana Waterthrush. In past this tract has been a good place to find Acadian Flycatcher, Hooded and Cerulean Warbler. Not far from this location along West River Road, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-throated Vireo were seen and heard last weekend. City-view Park in Burlington, located at the corner of Dundas and Kerns Road, has been productive for Sparrows including Clay-colored, Field and Vesper Sparrow. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo was also seen here in the week. Summering waterfowl may be of interest to some this time of year. Lesser Scaup and Bufflehead were seen at Windermere Basin. Along the Grimsby Lakeshore, White-winged Scoter (62!), Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated and Common Loon were seen here. Today at Shoreacres in Burlington, a pair of Common Mergansers and a Ruddy Duck were seen off shore. Several Red-necked Grebes were also present. Another Red-throated Loon was seen near Bronte Harbour. Shorebirds have decreased significantly. At Windermere Basin, leftover shorebirds include Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Dunlin. Some of these birds may stick around for the summer but in a couple of weeks, other returning shorebirds may show up here again. The Common Tern Colony is doing well here with an interesting sighting of two second cycle Common Terns. In baby news, the Peregrine Falcons at the Sheraton Hotel and at the Lift Bridge are both doing well. There are two chicks at the Sheraton Hotel, one significantly larger than the other. We will see next week when the birds are banded if male and female birds could explain this difference. Four birds hatched at the lift bridge and to my knowledge are still thriving. These birds are significantly older than the Sheraton birds. Mindful Falconwatchers are already on the alert for birds ready to fledge. In the odds and sods this week, Pied-billed Grebe and Least Bitterns could be heard on Foreman Road in Flamborough. Osprey have been seen at several places along the Grand River. One was seen over Dyments farm this week. Upland Sandpiper was seen again at 10th Road East near the tracks between Ridge and Green Mountain Road. Bonaparte's Gulls were seen at Bronte Harbour. Red-headed Woodpeckers are breeding successfully on Sawmill Road in Ancaster. One was seen at a feeder last week. A late Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen at Joe Sams Park the week before last. A late Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was seen in Brantford this past week. Another Louisiana Waterthrush was heard at Artaban Road in the Dundas Valley. Golden-winged Warbler is still being seen in the Cartwright Sanctuary off Patterson Road. Hooded Warblers are back at the breeding site at Martin's Road. That's the news for this week. Please keep reporting 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
