Hamilton Naturalists' Club (HNC) weekly bird sightings report, Saturday, March 21, 2020
Highlights: ROSS'S GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, FISH CROW, WILSON'S WARBLER Other species mentioned: Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Common x Barrow's Goldeneye hybrid, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Sandhill Crane, Wilson's Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red-throated Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Golden Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Shrike, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Gray Catbird. The highlight this week in the Hamilton Study Area (HSA) was the influx of FISH CROWS reported at a number of sites along the lakeshore in Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton. On Mar 16 a flock of nine were found on Beach Blvd at the south end of the Hamilton Beachstrip and two others were at Bronte Harbour. On Mar 17 a group of four birds were located just east of Sioux Lookout Park in Burlington at the corner of Lakeland Cres and Fruitland Ave, and over the next few days this group increased to up to 13 birds being found within a few blocks of this site. On Mar 17 three birds were also found at the SE Sports Field in Oakville near Arkendo Park. On Mar 20 six birds were found in Confederation Park. It seems this species' relatively recent foothold in our part of Ontario is now well established. Migrant waterfowl provided a few highlights earlier in the week but there was relatively little movement compared to the previous week. One GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE was found in the flooded field adjacent to the entrance roadway to Flamboro Downs on Mar 15 and was present the next day. On Mar 15 a ROSS'S GOOSE was found at the floodplain of Fairchild Creek south of Conc Rd 5 W, likely the same bird found a few days earlier near Orkney. The Snow Goose at the Blue Creek pond north of Brantford on Hwy 24 north of Governors Rd was seen up to Mar 15. A few Cackling Geese continued to be seen earlier in the week at all of the sites mentioned above, and a few lingering Tundra Swans were also noted in the Flamborough area. Amongst puddle ducks, a few Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon and Northern Shoveler were found in flooded areas of Flamborough and Saltfleet but not in any numbers. Green-winged Teal have become more common, most notably a flock of 45 birds from Mar 17-20 in the flooded field on the south side of the Vinemount Swamp viewed from Green Mt. Rd near 6th Rd E. Ten Northern Shoveler were in Carroll's Bay off Valley Inn on Mar 20. The old quarry pond on Green Mt. Rd east of 10th Rd E had 16 Ring-necked Ducks and 10 Hooded Mergansers this week, while a male hybrid Common x Barrow's Goldeneye was there on Mar 14. Numbers of wintering diving ducks on Hamilton Harbour have started to diminish, however numbers along the lakeshore are still high. The first migrant Pied-billed Grebes arrived this week with single birds at the old quarry pond on Green Mt. Rd east of 10th Rd E on Mar 14-20, and one at Carroll's Bay off Valley Inn on Mar 20. Single Horned and Red-necked Grebes were off Fifty Point C.A. on Mar 20. A flock of 16 Sandhill Cranes were in the flooded field on 8th Rd E south of Dofasco Trail on Mar 13-14, a high number for spring locally. The first Wilson's Snipe was heard displaying at the Fairchild Creek floodplain at Conc Rd 5 W on Mar 18. A juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported at the Burlington Ship Canal on Mar 19. One Red-throated Loon was at the end of the Burlington Ship canal on Mar 14, and one was off Burloak Waterfront Park the same day. While numbers of Double-crested Cormorants have been wintering on Hamilton Harbour including at their nesting sites at Tollgate Pond and the NE Shore islands, one flying past Burloak Waterfront Park on Mar 14 and one past Fifty Point C.A. on Mar 20 were surely new migrants. Great Blue Herons also started to arrive this week with birds past Beamer C.A. on Mar 18 and Mar 20 and past Woodland Cemetery and Fifty Point C.A. on Mar 20. One returned to the nesting heronry in the Hayesland Swamp on Mar 19. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Memorial C.A. on the Escarpment above Grimsby had its best day of the week and season so far on Mar 15 with 220 raptors counted including 33 Red-shouldered Hawks, 106 Red-tailed Hawks and one Golden Eagle. Notable passerine reports were few this week. An Eastern Phoebe was seen at Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle on Mar 14, but may not have been an early migrant as one was found at this site earlier in January and could have overwintered. A Northern Shrike was also at this site on Mar 14. A territorial Tufted Titmouse continued this week in the Dundas Valley C.A. on the Mineral Springs trails. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet was again seen at Sedgewick Forest Park in Oakville from Mar 16-20, and the lingering WILSON'S WARBLER was seen there on Mar 15. A lingering Gray Catbird was seen again on Mar 20. That's the news for the past week. Please report your sightings to the local (and provincial if warranted) email listserves. Rob Dobos, Hamilton Naturalists' Club. -- 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. 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