BLACK VULTURE FISH CROW BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Greater White Fronted Goose Snow Goose Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Red-throated Loon Red-necked Grebe Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Coopers Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Killdeer American Woodcock Iceland Gull Snowy Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Shrike Eastern Phoebe Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Eastern Meadowlark Lapland Longspur Rusty Blackbird Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Spring is safely here and migrants continue to filter into the area slowly giving birders species to search for. This week saw the return of FISH CROWS to the area. Two were seen down at Oakville Harbour on Thursday and birds have been reported on e-bird down at Bronte Harbour. Yesterday, three individuals were seen flying westward over Bronte Beach. The great wanderers BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS finally made it to the Hamilton Study area after being found in areas to the north and west of here previously. A flock of up to 200 were seen at the Guelph Arboretum yesterday. Waterfowl is always a big part of the early spring migrants. This week Greater White-fronted Geese were seen at flooded fields on Powerline Road between Tapleytown and 5th Road east and also up at 8th Line and Britannia yesterday. A Snow Goose was also a good find here at Britannia as they seem to be hard to find this spring. Cackling Geese are also being found in good numbers this spring with 4 seen at Flamborough Downs on March 22 and up to 12 seen at Tapleytown south of Powerline Road on March 20th. Tundra Swans continue to be seen moving through with a report of up to 1000 in Cootes Paradise yesterday. Other ducks seen in the flooded fields and in the Hamilton Harbour include Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail in big numbers, Ring-necked Ducks and Green-winged teal. Red-throated Loons continue to be seen on the Hamilton Harbour and Red-necked Grebes are here in numbers with 35 being seen off Bronte beach yesterday with two keeners attempting to build a nest on a sunken log. Now is a good time to look for the Western Grebe that has returned each spring. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch is going stronger this week with Turkey Vultures being the mainstay but yesterday three BLACK VULTURES were counted there. Earlier in the week a BLACK VULTURE was seen near IKEA in Burlington. A single BLACK VULTURE was seen on the count earlier in the week as well. Golden Eagles have also started to come through. An exquisite adult bird was seen passing by Vinemount Swamp mid-week. Other raptors noted at the watch include Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Coopers, Red-shouldered(in decent numbers), Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawk. Still in the raptor department a Merlin was seen near the Burlington Seniors Centre last Monday where they have set up shop the last few years and Peregrine Falcons have begun nesting and territorial behaviour up at the quarry on 10th Road East. Other spring migrants arriving this week include Sandhill Cranes (over the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch and one in amongst the Tundra Swans on 8th Line and Britannia), good numbers of Killdeer, American Woodcock (Bronte Campground East in Oakville), McMaster Forest and on Tapleytown and Powerline Road, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe (50 Point), Eastern Meadowlark (10th Road East in Saltfleet and Fairchild Creek in Flamborough), Lapland Longspurs near Paris on West Dumfries Road east of Pinehurst Road and Rusty Blackbirds (a group at 5th Road East in Saltfleet last Sunday and 2 at Middletown Road north of Concession 5). In the odds and sods this week, Iceland Gulls were reported from Bronte Beach and past Woodland Cemetery. A Snowy Owl continues to visit the docks down at Bronte Harbour although elusive at times. Northern Shrikes were seen at 10th Road East near the tracks and at the Guelph Arboretum. A Tufted Titmouse was seen at LaSalle Park. Lastly to remind us that winter species are still moving through Pine Siskins were seen at a feeder in Dundas and a Common Redpoll was seen on March 22nd on Sodom Road near Westover. That's the news this week, today should be a good day again for migrants. Please 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 birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
