Hamilton Naturalists' Club (HNC) weekly bird sightings report, Saturday, August 31, 2019
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON LONG-TAILED JAEGER FISH CROW Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler American Wigeon Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Lesser Scaup White-winged Scoter Ruddy Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Virginia Rail Sora Common Gallinule American Coot Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Ruddy Turnstone Stilt Sandpiper Sanderling Baird's Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Lesser Yellowlegs Greater Yellowlegs Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Tern Common Loon Great Egret Green Heron Osprey Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher "Traill's" Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Swainson's Thrush Dark-eyed Junco Bobolink Baltimore Oriole Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Canada Warbler Cheryl Edgecombe is taking a break this week so I am filling in for her. The highlight of the week was a well described juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON found on Aug 27 along the north shore of Cootes Paradise east of Bulls Point. Unfortunately subsequent searches for the bird have not turned it up, but it could still be present somewhere around Cootes Paradise or Hamilton Harbour. The fall lakewatch season got off to a good start in east winds on Aug 25, with two juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGERS seen by a handful of observers at Van Wagners Beach, with one bird doing a close flypast of the beach. One or two very distant jaegers were also seen on Aug 24-25. Other migrants seen here on these days included several Common Loons, a juvenile and second year great Black-backed Gull, small numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls, a few migrant Common Terns, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, White-winged Scoter (Aug 24), and a sinlge adult Sanderling (Aug 26). East winds forecast for tomorrow, September 1, may be productive. Fall migrant shorebirds are normally peaking in diversity of species at the end of August, however continuing high water levels on Lake Ontario have limited suitable habitat, with only 17 species being reported this week. Windermere Basin has decent habitat but very few shorebirds; although today an American Golden-Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Stilt Sandpiper and a lingering Short-billed Dowitcher were seen amongst more common species. Ducks here include Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, and summering Redhead, Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Duck. Green Heron and Bonaparte's Gull have also been present this week. Nearby at Tollgate Pond on Eastport Drive, a few more shorebird species and slightly higher numbers have been found including (high numbers and date in brackets): Semipalmated Plover (4 -Aug 31), Ruddy Turnstone (1 juv. -Aug 31), Baird's Sandpiper (5 -Aug 24), Least Sandpiper (20 -Aug 31), White-rumped Sandpiper (1 ad. -Aug 31), Pectoral Sandpiper (1 juv. -Aug 26; 1 ad. -Aug 29), Semipalmated Sandpiper (8 -Aug 31), Lesser Yellowlegs (8), and Short-billed Dowitcher (1 -Aug 29). Waterfowl numbers at Tollgate Pond are building with Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, and Redhead present. A subadult Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen there today, and a Green Heron has also been seen a couple times in the ditch next to Eastport Dr. Fall migrant passerines and other landbirds have been somewhat slow this week, with small numbers of warblers, vireos, flycatchers and thrushes being reported from a few lakeshore sites and backyards. Species include: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Chimney Swift, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher (Shoreacres/Paletta Park and Valens C.A.), Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, "Traill's" Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Swainson's Thrush (nocturnal calls heard over Stoney Creek), Bobolink, Baltimore Oriole, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Canada Warbler. In the odds and sods this week, a fourth year Lesser Black-backed Gull was found in Brantford on the Grand River at Lorne Bridge on Aug 29 and a full adult was at the same location the next day. Three FISH CROWS were seen at Sioux Lookout Park in Burlington this week. Small numbers of Common Nighthawks were noted over Dundas on Aug 28 and Aug 31 and Burlington Aug 31. Up to five different Bald Eagles have been seen this week at the west end of Hamilton Harbour (Woodland Cemetery, Valley Inn), and up to 10 Ospreys are also present. At Cootes Paradise, an adult Common Gallinule with three young and an American Coot were seen from the Marsh Boardwalk on Aug 28. A few Great Egrets have been found at Valley Inn and Cootes Paradise. At Kerncliff Park in Burlington today, Sora and Virginia rail were seen and heard, as well as a very early Dark-eyed Junco. A Northern Harrier was at Rock Chapel on Aug 26. A male and female Ring-necked Pheasant were found at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery on Snake Rd in Aldershot, however they are likely recent released (or escaped) birds as this species has been locally extirpated as a sustainable wild population in recent years. That's the news for this week, Rob Dobos, Hamilton Naturalists' Club. _______________________________________________ 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
