On Friday, March 25th, 2011 this is the HNC Birding Report: MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Osprey Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Sandhill Crane Killdeer Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Glaucous Gull Eastern Phoebe Common Raven Horned Lark Eastern Bluebird Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Wow, what a wild weather week here in the Hamilton Study Area and a wild bird week too. Last weekend was a great time to get out birding with migrants coming in with the warmer weather previous to this. Colder temperatures did not deter birders and when we needed a warm up, we went wine tasting at the Ridge Road Winery in Stoney Creek located at 1205 Ridge Road. Lo and behold behind the winery as we were tasting, a female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was sallying from post to post and to the ground digging up caterpillars. Some questioned the sobriety of the finding party but pictures were taken and birders were called. This was a good news story for the winery as well as many who came enjoyed the tasting and bought wine too. The bird managed to survive the wicked storm we had on Wednesday and was seen briefly yesterday afternoon. Also present was an Eastern Bluebird which was associating in the same location. The Eastern was not seen today. Patience is necessary as it disappears sometimes for a couple of hours. There is lots to do there though. Besides enjoying the wines, the winery sits along the path of the hawk migration coming across the escarpment. Last weekend and again today, streams of Turkey Vultures were passing through. Other raptors seen were Northern Harrier, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Other birds seen in the Saltfleet area were early Wilson's Snipe, two at 3rd Rd. E. just south of Highland Rd. and two at Green Mountain Rd. just west of 6th Rd. E., both pairs flushed from wet fields. Male Ring-necked Pheasants were seen in two locations, one on 10th Road East above Ridge Road and another on 1st Road East just south of Mud . Eastern Meadowlarks were singing on 10th Road East and one could be heard at the winery. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch is in full swing with mixed conditions throughout the week. Obviously nothing, not even the counters were moving on Wednesday. Throughout the week though, Turkey Vultures in numbers, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawk were among raptors seen. Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Common Raven and an Eastern Phoebe were also noted in the week. Last evening over Grimsby there was a late push of Turkey Vultures and an early Osprey was seen amongst the group. It could be a good day today at the Hawkwatch as there was a late flight in the afternoon. Dress warm! The other good bird of the week which true to their name have been roving Flamborough were BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. These flocks have been seen in the area bordered by 5th Concession West, Valens Road, 6th Concession West and Kirkwall Road. There was a flock of 20 on Saturday on 5th Concession West between Valens and Kirkwall and probably the same group of birds on Sunday mixed in with Cedar Waxwings on Kirkwall Road on Sunday. Further afield at the Fairchild Creek flood plain, increasing numbers of waterfowl were seen last Sunday including Tundra Swan, Canada Geese, Cackling Geese, Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon and Green-winged Teal. This area can be viewed from 5th Concession West, west of Lynden Road and east of Sheffield. Another sizable flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen 15th Sideroad and 4th Line Nassawaygawa Road in North Halton. In the odds and sods category this week, Red-throated Loons and Horned Grebes were seen on the east side of the lift bridge last Saturday. A good numbers of Horned Grebes were seen along the west end of Lake Ontario and at LaSalle Marina over the last weekend. Bald Eagles are on nest in Cootes Paradise. Sandhill Cranes are back in Glen Morris at Grass Lake on Shouldice Side Rd north of Waterloo-Brant Rd and another pair found Beke Rd between Shouldice Side Rd and West River Rd in the field next to Dean's Lake on the south side of the road behind house no. 1407. The Desjardins Canal had Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, a mixture of ducks including good numbers of Ring-necked and Wood Ducks. Eastern Bluebirds are present here too. Killdeer are everywhere now. American Woodcocks can still be heard in the traditional spots of Lower Lions Club Road in Dundas, Hopkins Tract and Bronte Park East, a tough go for them with this weather. A Glaucous Gull flew past Fifty Point last Saturday. Common Ravens were seen again in Flamborough at the quarry at Brock Road on 5th Concession West. A sizable flock of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs were seen yesterday on Great Lakes Blvd. where it T's with Burloak Drive. Feeders were swamped with Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds after the snow with a couple of feeders reporting over 100 birds. Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins are being seen in reduced numbers. Purple Finch were seen at a feeder out on Deer Run Court in Brantford. Sandhill Cranes are regular here as well. Just at the border of the Hamilton circle last Sunday three White-winged Crossbills were seen feeding in the spruce trees surrounding the small parkette on Sir Montys Drive, part of the Riverrun Park, beside the Credit River in Mississauga. That's the news this week, it is an exciting time of year sure to get better and warmer. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
