Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network. Original Message From: Cheryl Edgecombe <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2015 4:18 PM To: 'Hamilton' Subject: [hamiltonbirds] Hamilton Naturalists Club Birding Report - Saturday, August 8th, 2015
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON LITTLE GULL BLACK TERN DICKSISSEL (week before last) American Wigeon Redhead Green-winged Teal Long-tailed Duck Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Merlin Sandhill Crane Semipalmated Plover Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Bonaparte's Gull Black Tern Black-billed Cuckoo Chimney Swift Eastern Kingbird Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Winter Wren Black-and-White Warbler Yellow Warbler Canada Warbler White-throated Sparrow Indigo Bunting It's been a quiet time in the past couple of weeks overall however, the tide has turned and weekly reports will be coming now as the winds have turned to the east and we prepare for high season in the HSA. Quiet is relative, as you can see at the top of the list a few great birds have graced the area prompting birders to not let their guard down. The most recent rarity was found late yesterday at Confederation Park in the pond just west of Beaches Grill where a blue bridge crosses a pond. Pictures were forwarded this morning and confirmed to be an immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. The bird could not be relocated this morning but could return to the same area this evening. Other good spots for this bird to reappear are Red Hill Stormwater Pond, VanWagners Ponds, Windermere Basin and Tollgate Pond. A LITTLE GULL was seen last week flying with a group of Bonaparte's Gulls past Green Road. A juvenile BLACK TERN was a highlight flying around Windermere Basin today occasionally landing to give excellent views of this unique plumage. Last week two DICKSISSEL were seen in a large field in south Mississauga just west of Erin Mills Parkway south of Lakeshore. The birds may have been around for some time as a male and female along with two possible young were seen. Shorebirds are on the move this week with a couple of highlighted spots to look for them. Windermere Basin is the closest to the heart of the HSA. Here this week for shorebirds Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, two adult Sanderling, juvenile and adult Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper. Today a White-rumped Sandpiper was a good find in a group of peeps. Two Pectoral Sandpipers, two Ruddy Turnstones (one present today) were present earlier in the week and up to 3 Short-billed Dowitcher were seen in the week. Other waterfowl seen here are American Wigeon, Redhead (up to 10), Green-winged Teal and a juvenile Pied-billed Grebe. Herons include Great Blue Heron, up to eight Great Egrets including a green tagged individual seen early in the week and again today. Green Heron and Black-crowned Night Herons complete the list. Another noteworthy spot for shorebirds is Townsend Sewage Lagoons located just outside of the HSA in the town of Townsend. Numbers are greater here but the diversity is about this same. Numbers this week were Semipalmated Plover (4), Solitary Sandpiper (1), Lesser Yellowlegs (20), Semipalmated Sandpiper (200), Least Sandpiper (40) and Pectoral Sandpiper (20). This spot is definitely worth a check frequently. In the odds and sods this week, Long-tailed Ducks, Redhead, Green-winged Teal and Common Loon were seen off Lakeland Tower yesterday. Two Sandhill Cranes were heard over a property near Glen Morris this morning, a lovely sound to wake up to. A Merlin buzzed past this birder at New Street and Walker's Line. Merlins are often seen here in the winter, maybe they nested nearby this year. Five Green Herons were doing the Safety Dance last night as they were seen flying over the Festival of Friends concerts featuring Men without Hats. Today a Black-billed Cuckoo was seen swallowing a caterpillar behind VanWagners Ponds likely a post breeding bird on the move. Chimney Swifts, Tree, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow are congregating at Windermere Basin in large numbers. Winter Wren, Black-and-White Warbler, Canada Warbler and White-throated Sparrow were seen and heard on 10th Concession at Middletown Road in Flamborough. Yellow Warblers can be heard on the move in the wee hours. Baltimore Oriole and Indigo Bunting were interesting yard birds in east Hamilton yard, perhaps bird on the move. The east winds have started today and tomorrow. As August passes our famous birds will be coming to the area. It's not too early for Black-legged Kittiwake. Get out and enjoy the sunshine at the beach. Let us know what you see. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Hamilton Birders email group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To reply to the group, click Reply-all. To reply to the individual who wrote the email, click Reply. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hamiltonbirds?hl=en?hl=en _______________________________________________ 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
