NORTHERN GANNET AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN IBIS sp. BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE POMARINE JAEGER PARASITIC JAEGER LONG-TAILED JAEGER Brant Cackling Goose Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Red-breasted Merganser Ring-necked Pheasant Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Great Egret Lesser Yellowlegs Sanderling Pectoral Sandpiper Red-necked Phalarope Northern Harrier Merlin Peregrine Falcon Bonapartes Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Forsters Tern Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Swainsons Thrush Hermit Thrush Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Northern Parula Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Eastern Towhee American Tree Sparrow Nelsons Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch Its hard to know where to start here in the Hamilton Study Area, this weeks list is again packed with great birds. Starting with the rarities, most of them are based around the hotspot for the season Van Wagners Beach. Last weekend the OFO outing was treated to some spectacular birds as east and northeast winds prevailed (something that rarely happens when you want them to for a field trip). Birders were treated mid-day to the adult NORTHERN GANNET which was seen both Saturday and Sunday down at the Lakeland Centre. Although the distance was great, the striking white bird with black wing tips made for a HUGE round of high fives for those who have been hoping to see this bird down here. Also seen on Saturday and Sunday was a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE. All three jaegers, POMARINE, PARASITIC and LONG-TAILED were seen on Saturday. The AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN continues to be seen in Cootes Paradise. This week an intriguing report of a Plegadis Ibis came from the Millgrove Loam Pits out on Concession 5 West in Flamborough. This is a large tract of marsh perfect for this species but daunting when it comes to finding it. Perhaps it will surface again this weekend. Other birds seen at Van Wagners Beach include Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Greater Scaup, Surf and White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe, Sanderling, Red-necked Phalarope, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Bonapartes and Lesser Black-backed Gull and Forsters Tern. The woodlots too have been full of late migrants. This week at Confederation Park and Van Wagners Ponds, Yellow0bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainsons and Hermit Thrush, Orange Crowned, Nashville, Blackpoll, Black throated Blue, Palm, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and first of season Purple Finch. At Shell Park, a huge influx of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, both Kinglets, Winter Wrens, Creepers, and Hermit Thrushes along with Swainsons Thrush Nashville, Palm, Yellow-rumped and Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Northern Parula, was an unexpected fall out for a birder last Sunday. In the odds and sods, seven Cackling Geese and a Brant were seen along the Grand River on Blair Road. Pied-billed Grebes were present at the Windermere Basin. A Ring-necked Pheasant was heard on the Dofasco trail last Saturday. Great Egrets continue to stage in Dundas Marsh,. Another Merlin was spotted at Montgomery Park in east Hamilton. Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpipers were found in the Red Hill Stormwater Ponds. A couple of Dunlin were seen at Windermere Basin. People in Cootes Paradise had their first American Tree Sparrows last weekend. This is also a good time of year for Nelsons Sparrow. Thats the news for the week. With things like Brown Booby turning up in Niagara who knows what will come next to the Hamilton Study Area, maybe we will get a visit from the Niagara bird or one of our own. Keep sending your sightings. Happy Thanksgiving, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC.
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