AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN MISSISSIPPI KITE FISH CROW CERULEAN WARBLER Brant American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Lesser Scaup Ruddy Duck American Bittern Least Bittern Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Sora Common Gallinule Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Iceland Gull Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Red-headed Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Yellow-bellied FLycatcher Alder FLycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least FLycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Paula 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 White-crowned Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Bobolink
This week has been a little quieter but still packed with action and some good rarities to top things off. Today, the yard bird of the year appeared over Brantford much to the delight of the occupants who took a great photo to go with it. An adult MISSISSIPPI KITE flew over a yard near Carolina Park in Brantford. The bird stuck around for a few minutes giving a great display and then flew to the south. Another great yard bird(s) today which occurred late this afternoon was three FISH CROWS flying over a yard in south Burlington. Last Saturday an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN made a brief appearance at the back of Mountsberg Conservation area off Leslie Street. The bird was flushed by a fishing boat and flew to the south about an hour after its arrival. To end the rarities, two CERULEAN WARBLERS were reported, one at the Beverly Swamp on 8th Concession West and another on the S.C. Johnson Trail in Brantford this past week. For a changeup we will cover shorebirds first. There are a few spots around to check for shorebirds, Windermere Basin, Red Hill Stormwater Pond, Confederation Park, Great Lakes Stormwater Pond and the stormwater pond on the 407 at Britannia. Over the past week there have been 4 Willet sightings, two remain at the Windermere Basin today, one at the 407 Stormwater Pond and another one seen flying over Fifty Point Conservation Area last weekend. Other birds seen at Windermere include Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Spotted, Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper, Dunlin by the dozens, two Short-billed Dowitchers and a male Wilson's Phalarope earlier in the week. As an aside for the birdathoners, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron and Bonaparte's Gull were all present this week at this location. Nearby Confederation Park and Red Hill Stormwater ponds had Dunlin, Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper. A single Short-billed Dowitcher was at the Red Hill Pond. At the Great Lakes Stormwater Ponds at Rebecca and Great Lakes Blvd, a small edge on the pond gave room for Least Sandpiper and Short=billed Dowitcher. An interesting sighting there was a Blue-winged Teal. At the 407 Stormwater pond, in addition to the Willet, Solitary Sandpiper and a White-rumped Sandpiper along with the above mentioned species in other locations along with 74 Semipalmated Plover. Worth mentioning on its own, the Whimbrel Watch is on in earnest. Although most of the Whimbrel migrate east of here, some enter into the Hamilton Study Area and pass through Saddington Park at the end of Mississauga Road in Mississauga. Today twenty five Whimbrel came to rest on the rocks at the Park and six Brant also flew by. It will be a great weekend for the Whimbrel Watch down along this end of the lake. A day early and a dollar short this birder could only come up with four Ruddy Turnstones exploring the ship out at the end of Port Credit. Another interesting spot this week was the marsh at Safari Road. Seen or heard here this week were up to three Least Bittern, a flyover American Bittern, Common Gallinule, Virginia Rail, Sora and Marsh Wren. A Sora was also heard at the Slote Road Marsh as well. The lakeshore woodlots have also been busy this week with a good mix of early and late migrants. Places reported from include Shell Park in Oakville, Shoreacres in Burlington, Edgelake in Stoney Creek, McMaster Forest in Hamilton and Fifty Point in Grimsby. Seen here this week were Olive-sided Flycatcher (Shoreacres), Yellow-bellied, alder, Will and Least Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo (Edgelake), Blue-headed, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Gray-cheeked, Swanson's and Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black and White, Tennessee, Nashville, Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler (Edgelake), 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, White-crowned Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. In the odds and sods this week, a late Iceland Gull was seen at the mouth of Bronte Creek in Bronte. It will be a good year for Cuckoos I think with Yellow Billed being reported at Rockcliffe Park in Waterdown and at the Townsend Sanctuary off Patterson Road. Black-billed Cuckoo was reported at Hillview Road in Grimsby. Both species of Cuckoo were reported in the McMaster Forest and up in the Beverly Swamp. A Common Nighthawk made a pass at a yard in Burlington near Guelph Line and Mainway. A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers were a highlight at the Bronte Cemetery last weekend. Last reports come from Sunday. Another Oliver-sided Flycatcher was heard near the high level bridge in Hamilton A Louisiana Waterthrush was singing at Appleby Creek at New Street just east of Appleby Line. Lastly Bobolinks have returned to established territory up on 10th Road East along the Dofasco Trail. That's the news for this week. Although migration in waning, there are still birds around, please report your sightings here! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC. --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! 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