GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE EURASIAN WIGEON WESTERN GREBE FISH CROW BOHEMIAN WAXWING HARRIS'S SPARROW
Snow Goose Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Sandhill Crane Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Pectoral Sandpiper Wilson's Snipe Iceland Gull Eastern Phoebe Northern Shrike Common Raven Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Cliff Swallow Fox Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark It's been a great week for migration here in the Hamilton Study Area. A warm push of air at the beginning of the week brought some fresh migrants and some nice birds to the area. Let's start with the top of the list. GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were once again in the picture for us in the HSA, this has been a rather new phenomenon over the past few years with larger flocks being seen in the south of the circle. This week on Tuesday, 49 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen at Dry Lake. A flock of this magnitude was seen several weeks ago. Also three more were seen at Fairchild Creek on 5th Concession West in Flamborough. Other birds seen at Fairchild Creek were Snow Geese, Cackling and many Canada Geese. Up on the roads of Saltfleet a nice find was a EURASIAN WIGEON on 8th road east. Unfortunately it was a short lived sighting as an over ambitious person was eager to get photos of Tundra Swans elsewhere in the field and flushed the ducks. The bird was not seen thereafter. Other birds seen up in the field here through the week include Tundra Swans, up to 68 Wood Ducks, American Wigeon, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail. The WESTERN GREBE was spotted again off Saddington Park in Mississauga on Saturday. On Sunday waves were too big to search for the grebe and then the fog set in. It has not been reported since last Saturday. As the warmth set in on Monday, the floodgates opened up with migrants. Among them, two FISH CROWS were seen and heard at South Shell Park at the end of Great Lakes Blvd in Oakville. Unfortunately American Crows took chase of them and then headed toward Bronte Harbour. They were not seen subsequently but two FISH CROWS were in this area for the season last year so they are possibly returning. Two BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen in a group of Cedar Waxwings near Tremaine Road and Hwy 5 in the North corner of Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Lastly, the HARRIS'S SPARROW that has been present in Milton for a couple of weeks now, continues to show inbetween 1623 and 1625 Gowlings Terrace where seed has been placed out. Patience is necessary, it can take a while for the bird to come to the seed. Some new migrants this week include Osprey at the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe at 5th Road East, Pectoral Sandpipers at Fairchild Creek and 5th Road East, Eastern Phoebe in a few locations, Tree Swallow and very early records of Northern Rough-winged Swallow over the Grand River at the York crossing and an early record of Savannah Sparrow at Great Lakes Stormwater Pond in Oakville. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch has had a successful week with Monday being the best day so far with the count. Hundreds of Turkey Vultures flew over here and could be seen in a wide stretch throughout the area. Other raptors seen here were Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle. Elsewhere that day an adult Northern Goshawk was in a small kettle of hawks near King Road and Plains Road. A few minute later at LaSalle Park an adult Golden Eagle flew over. Other non-raptors seen in the week at the hawkwatch include Sandhill Crane, Eastern Phoebe and Purple Finch. In the odds and sods, a Pied-billed Grebe was present at LaSalle Marina along with several Horned Grebes. Red-necked Grebes were present in some numbers out near the Suncor Pier but also along other points of the lake as they pass through. A Merlin was hunting along Spencer Creek & Mill St in Dundas. Another was seen on Powerline Road near Tapleytown with a possible Shrike in its claws. The Shrike that caused a stir last week on 10th Road East south of Green Mountain Road was deemed to be a Northern Shrike. Common Ravens are now being seen regularly near Great Lakes Stormwater Pond and in the quarry up on 10th Road in Saltfleet. A Fox Sparrow was a new bird for the yard in Stoney Creek, possibly an early migrant or just a winter displaced individual. That's the news for this week. It's supposed to be a decent weekend. Once this misery lifts, the birds will be eager to move again. Report your sightings here!!!! Good birding 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
