MISSISSIPPI KITE LARK BUNTING Brant Common Loon Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Willet Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Pileated Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder FLycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Sedge Wren Veery Swainson's Thrush Louisiana Waterthrush Brewster's Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Mourning Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Canada Warbler White-throated Sparrow
This week has been relatively quiet with a couple of great birds to make it flavourful. Migration has slowed to a trickle and breeders are setting up shop in the HSA. PMD (Post Migration Depression) has set in for many birders. This being said, there are alot of rarities in the province and if you don't get out there, you don't find them. This week's rarities include a MISSISSIPPI KITE seen over Rock Chapel in Flamborough on Monday. A study of flight patterns, structure and calls, identified the bird later but nonetheless with so many of these birds province wide it is not unexpected. The news of the week for most birders was the LARK BUNTING seen last Saturday up on Valens Road in north Flamborough between Safari and 8th Concession. A first year male was showing well for the majority of the day but was a one day wonder and moved on. Shorebirds are still in the news. Yesterday a couple of Whimbrel were reported off Burloak Park sitting on the rocks and east down the shore a group of 48 were photographed moving east along the shoreline at Ennisclaire in Oakville. At Windermere Basin and Redhill Creek, two Willet persisted through the week, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper, Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitcher were noted. Nearby at Tollgate Ponds, White-rumped Sandpipers were seen crawling along the berm amongst the gulls and Cormorants. Two Willets were also seen at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga. Ruddy Turnstones were present at Port Credit on the abandoned ship and a good number were seen along the shoreline at Burlington Beach earlier in the week. A few late migrants continue to move through. Common Loons continue to leave the Great Lakes for the smaller lakes up north. A Brant was at Coronation Park in Oakville for a day. Next day it moved on but Black-billed Cuckoo and Philadelphia Vireo were other migrants there. Common Nighthawks have been moving through in the week with reports along the Grimsby Shoreline, over Dundas and over Halton. There have been a few reports of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers in the woodlots. A Sedge Wren was reported from 8th Line and Derry Road. A great late migrant was a Louisiana Waterthrush last Monday at Bronte Bluffs in Oakville. A search the next day came up short but yielded an Olive-sided Flycatcher. Migrants at Sherwood Forest Park included Swainson's Thrush and Black-throated Blue Warbler. An interesting place to go yearly for the northern breeding birds is in Flamborough on 10th Concession East along the LaFarge Trail. Here this week, Veery, Black and White Warbler, Canada Warbler and White-throated Sparrow were all singing on territory. In the odds and sods this week, a Sandhill Crane was spotted on 5th Concession east of Brock Road in the Millgrove Loam Pits. It seems like a good year for cuckoos with several reports of birds from 8th Concession East in Flamborough , McMaster Forest, the wetland behind Rona in Waterdown and Lions Club Road in Ancaster. A Pileated Woodpecker made a second appearance to a window frame at a house in Rock Chapel. Hopefully it's not installing air conditioning holes for the home owners. Yellow-throated Vireos can be heard at Princess Point From the parking lot, follow the woodchip trail west towards the view of Cockpit Island. The trail runs above the shore for a bit, then dips down a bit then back up as it enters the oaks. The birds have been heard here in the last few years indicating a breeding area for these lovely birds. An interesting find was a Brewster's Warbler just north of North of 1146 Valens Road in Flamborough. Hooded Warblers are back on territory at Martins Lane in Ancaster. Mourning Warblers have set up shop in Joe Sams Park in Waterdown in a couple of areas. That's the news for this week, the system coming in today and bringing thunderstorms and rain could ground some interesting birds. Please report your sightings here! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC. --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
