ROSS'S GOOSE EURASIAN WIGEON Snow Goose Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan American Wigeon Canvasback Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Bald Eagle Killdeer American Woodcock Iceland Gull Snowy Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Common Raven Eastern Bluebird White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Purple Finch
The pace is slow and steady here in the Hamilton Study Area. A mild spell then a blast of winter last Monday brought out some of the migrants that had gone under the radar but generally we are on track for mid March here in the HSA. In our rarity column a couple of ROSS'S GEESE were subjects of discussion over the past week. One at the Desjardins Canal exhibited slight characteristics of a Snow Goose while a bonafide ROSS'S GOOSE has been at the Arboretum on Old Guelph Road for the past two days. Three Cackling Geese have been seen with the one at the Arboretum on and off. More Cackling Geese or perhaps some intergrades were seen at Shell Park a couple of days ago. There has been some discussion of all of these Cackling Geese over the week and at the end of the day I guess only the goose really knows if it's a Cackler but it appears that in Ontario there can be a wide range for identification of these birds. A bonafide Snow Goose was seen at Bronte Harbour just after the snow storm last Monday. Also of interest a male EURASIAN WIGEON was photographed and put on a facebook last weekend at Concession Rd. 7, between Gore Rd and Concession 1. A check of the area did not turn it up, there are lots of places for it to hide here and open water comes at a high price this week. As for the rest of the list here, Tundra Swans, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Pied-billed, Horned and Red-necked Grebe were all present at LaSalle Marina this week. A sizable flock of Wild Turkey were seen along York Road on the way to Dundas. Bald Eagles are still being reported around Cootes Paradise, likely getting ready to set up shop again. Killdeer are slowly finding more open spots to get food as the snow melts away again. Probably one of the best times to find American Woodcock is after a snow fall. A careful check of creek beds yielded one at Sedgewick, one at Petro Canada Park, and two more at other locations trying to find food. An Iceland Gull was a good find down at Suncor Pier in Oakville. It has been a slow winter for white winged gulls. On Thursday a Snowy Owl showed up on the outer break wall of Bronte Harbour. On Friday there were two, obviously a movement of these owls as none have been reported there all winter. Of note, a feeder which had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker coming in intermittently in the winter had two come out of the woodwork during the snow storm. Common Raven sightings have significantly increased again in the HSA. Two were seen over the RBG last weekend and mid week three were seen cavorting in the wind down along the lakeshore at Appleby and New Street. Eastern Meadowlarks and Eastern Bluebirds have returned to the Gates of Heaven Cemetery to set up shop. White-crowned Sparrows continue to be seen at the end of Macpherson road in Oakville. Lastly in a year that has been poor for winter finches, Purple Finches and now Pine Siskins seem to be showing up in small doses at feeders. That's the news for the week, keep the faith that things will change for the better soon. Please keep sending your sightings! Cheers Cheryl Edgecombe HNC. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
