SABINE'S GULL RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD EASTERN KINGTIRD BARN SWALLOW PRAIRIE WARBLER
Harlequin Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Common Goldeneye Great Egret Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Dunlin White-rumped Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull House Wren Black-throated Green Warbler Purple Finch Pine Siskin Its been a quiet two weeks in the Hamilton Study Area. Strange weather patterns have made for a lack of birds and tough conditions for birders to get out but there have been some highlights. This week when the winds were hard east just prior to the remnants of the hurricane hitting, a late SABINE'S GULL was spotted from Lakeland at VanWagners Beach and even came in to settle on the water. Up in the top of the list are some of the late migrants travelling through the area. A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD buzzed through a yard in east Oakville week before last, providing a late date for this species. Always something to watch this time of year when Hummingbirds show up, they could be vagrant. The bird of the week caused a great stir for all in the Hamilton Study Area. What was finally deemed a late moult juvenile EASTERN KINGBIRD got birders riled up as it presented some characteristics of a juvenile Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Many photos were taken and assessed by some high level individuals but at the end of the day, it was an EASTERN KINGBIRD albeit a late record for this species. Two BARN SWALLOW sightings the week before last, one over the escarpment and one over the sewage treatment plant in Dundas were good dates for this species. Finally a PRAIRIE WARBLER, a month past the record late date was found along a fence line at the end of Millen Road, week before last. As is always this time of year, waterfowl is on the move in the HSA. Thousands of Long-tailed Ducks have arrived. A Harlequin Duck was seen on a flypast with some Common Goldeneye at the end of Millen Road. A couple of days later, a Harlequin duck was seen off LaSalle Park. Scoters are coming in force with hundreds of White-winged Scoters. A good count of Surf Scoters came in from Millen Road and a group of 63 Black Scoters were seen off Grays Road in Stoney Creek. Hawk flights have been slow here in the HSA this year due to lack of North-west winds however, last Sunday a group of 6 Bald Eagles with an adult Golden Eagle travelled over the high level bridge in Hamilton. Other migrants seen along the Burlington lakeshore that day included Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk. A Merlin cruised past a yard on Plains Road today. In the shorebird department, there is a good flat of mud at Princess Point with 120 Dunlin and 6 White-rumped Sandpiper being seen mid-week. In the odds and sods department, tow Great Egrets were seen at the Valley Inn last weekend. Bonaparte's Gulls were seen flying off the tip of Fifty Point. A late House Wren was seen at Sedgewick Park in Oakville. An immature Black-throated Green Warbler was seen along the waterfront park at Bayfront. Purple Finch and Pine Siskins seem to be moving into the area with Purple Finch reported in South Burlington today at two locations and Pine Siskins at Princess Point. IMPORTANT: This Sunday is the Hamilton Naturalists Club Fall Bird Count. If you are out birding anywhere in the circle, please send your sightings here!!!! Have a great weekend! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. 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
