BLACK VULTURE FISH CROW BOHEMIAN WAXWING Snow Goose Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal King Eider Harlequin Duck Red-throated Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Iceland Gull Snowy Owl Eastern Phoebe Northern Shrike Common Raven Tree Swallow Eastern Towhee Rusty Blackbird
Migration remains on a slow pace with a couple of nice days bringing in a few migrants last week but halted to a standstill with another round of cold weather now. This week should prove to be a little better for migration as temperatures warm up and stay warm overnight. In the rarity department a few BLACK VULTURES were seen earlier in the week over the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch. These could be Niagara birds moving to another location or just coming over this way and returning to roost in Niagara. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby has had a better week this week with the movement of mostly Turkey Vultures but also numbers of Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks. Other raptors include Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's Hawks and a few Rough-legged Hawks. Mid-week a nice adult Golden Eagle was seen from the tower. FISH CROWS should maybe taken off the rarity list as every year there seem to be more and more reported. This week a number of locations reported multiple crows, Bronte Harbour, Oakville Harbour, Saddington Park in Oakville, Coronation Park in Oakville and lastly a few seen at Wilton and Lakeshore in Burlington where a pair is apparently setting up a nest. It's a good time to look or listen for these beasts as when nesting start they tend to quiet down. The BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS that dazzled birders last weekend at the University of Guelph Arboretum were last seen on Tuesday. A group of about 100 were reported. Waterfowl continue to move through. A Snow Goose was seen at Flamborough Downs on Thursday. Cackling Geese were also present here. Greater White-fronted Geese and Cackling Geese were seen in North Oakville at the flooded field at Drumquin Park west of Trafalgar and more seen at 8th Line and Britannia. Other waterfowl here included Tundra Swan, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal. In the odds and sods, an immature male King Eider was seen at Glover Road on Wednesday. A female was seen on Friday at Millen Road. The immature male Harlequin Duck that has been seen on and off all winter at the Suncor Pier returned this week. A Ruffed Grouse made a brief appearance at a feeder on Westover Road north of 8th Concession in Flamborough. Red-throated Loons and Horned Grebes are still in numbers on the Hamilton Harbour. Red-necked Grebes continue to stage along the Burlington-Oakville-Mississauga shoreline. Four Great Blue Herons were seen on Thursday at Flamborough Downs. Wilson's Snipe are here in small numbers at the flooded field on 5th Road East between Powerline and Green Mountain. American Woodcock continue to peent on warm evenings and can be heard at the parking lot at Bronte Creek Campground accessed off Bronte Road at Upper Middle. There have been several sightings of Iceland Gull on the harbour and at Bronte. A Snowy Owl continues to be seen on the docks at Bronte Pier this week. Eastern Phoebes were reported at Beamer C.A. in Grimsby, on 5th Road East and at Concession 5 and Kirkwall. A Northern Shrike hangs in on 10th Road East near the railway tracks. Common Ravens have been reported over Beamer in numbers this week. These along with Fish Crows are giving American Crows some competition. A few Tree Swallows have come in, two seen over the Red Hill Parkway on Wednesday and three seen at Windermere Basin. A single Swallow was seen over Dundas on Friday. A striking male Towhee made an appearance at the NP Hawkwatch in Grimsby on Friday. Rusty Blackbirds were seen and heard on 8th Road east but hard to track as they move around Saltfleet. This week should bring more change in the birding landscape. Be sure to let me know your sightings. 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
