EURASIAN WIGEON FISH CROW
American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Coopers Hawk Northern Goshawk Virginia Rail Spotted Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Dunlin Bonaparte's Gull Glaucous Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Short-eared Owl Chimney Swift Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker Purple Martin Tree Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Brown Creeper Winter Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Palm Warbler Chipping Sparrow Fox Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Well I think we finally made it to spring. This week has seen a significant increase in number and variety of migrants in the area. It's about time. Our rarities of the week include a EURASIAN WIGEON seen at Mountsberg Conservation Area on Tuesday and then refound Wednesday in a small flock of American Wigeon, best seen from the Mountsberg Dam. A scope is necessary as the distance is great. A FISH CROW was heard today over Sedgewick Park in Oakville going west toward Bronte Harbour. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch was more active this week. Yesterday 8 Ospreys and 7 Northern Harriers were seen. A well studied Accipiter was determined to be a Northern Goshawk. Turkey Vultures, Sharp-shinned, Coopers and Red-tailed Hawks continue to filter through. Other highlights this week include a number of Common Loons, a very early Chimney Swift, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Fox Sparrows still scratching under the feeder. Other migrant highlights this week include many Blue-winged Teal reported in various places around the study area including Princess Point and Bronte Marsh. A spectacular sighting was a huge number of Red-necked Grebes seen moving past the Suncor Pier on Wednesday. In a short span of less than an hour 960 birds passed in a south-westerly direction with 100 birds in the water around the pier. A Pied-billed Grebe was seen on the west side of the pier same day. Black-crowned Night Herons were seen on the Northshore islands off Eastport Drive and at Bronte Marsh. Our first Spotted Sandpiper of the season turned up at Valley Inn yesterday. A Dunlin was seen at Windermere Basin a couple of days ago. A Virginia Rail was a welcome sound in the marsh in the Hendrie Valley last evening. Bonaparte's Gulls were on the bay and several passed by around the west end of the lake. This weekend should see some numbers with perhaps a Little Gull Mixed in. Caspian Terns are here in numbers and two Common Terns were early migrants on Wednesday down at Valley Inn. Swallows continue to grow in numbers with Trees and more Barn Swallows showing up. A Cliff Swallow was seen at Canada Centre for Inland Waters. The lakeshore woodlots are full of the early migrants. Brown Creepers seem to be on every tree, Ruby-crowned Kinglets are starting to come in as are Hermit Thrush. Woodpiles laying around often have a Winter Wren as a guest. An early Palm Warbler was seen at Shoreacres in Burlington today. Up to three Pine Warblers were present at Sedgewick Park in Oakville. Brown Thrashers were also seen here. Chipping Sparrows grew in numbers this week as did Swamp and Field Sparrows. A White-crowned Sparrow was an early migrant seen today. Fox Sparrows are starting to decrease in numbers but can still be heard singing or scratching around in the woodlots. In the odds and sods, Glaucous Gulls continue to be seen in the area with a second summer bird being seen at the break wall at Canada Centre for Inland Waters. A Short-eared Owl is still present on 10th Road East and Pine Siskins are still being reported at feeders throughout the area. That's the news for this week, please get out and enjoy this weather this weekend. Report your sightings here! Happy Spring! 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
