At 5:30pm, Thursday, March 20th, 2003, this is the Hamilton Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline Report. The Hotline is normally revised on Thursday nights, unless an unusual bird turns up in the Hamilton area.
Warmer temperatures produced good flights of hawks for the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Conservation Area in Grimsby. Friday's flight of 132 raptors included four BALD EAGLES, two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, one NORTHERN HARRIER, and one MERLIN. Highlights of Tuesday's flight of 532 birds were six BALD EAGLES, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 70 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, and a NORTHERN HARRIER. Other birds seen at Beamer include COMMON RAVEN, GREAT BLUE HERON, EASTERN SCREECH OWL, and PILEATED WOODPECKER. A BLACK VULTURE was seen heading north at the Ripley Hawkwatch in New York state on Monday. This bird has not been seen at Beamer, but could (just maybe) turn up later this week. There was an interesting sighting from Guelph of a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. The observer felt the bird may have been an escapee, but for interested birders the directions are as follows: take Highway 6 north to the 401. At the junction of Highway 6 and the 401 continue heading north on Old Highway 6. The bird was just north of the Gordon Street intersection with Old Highway 6. As expected there were a flood of reports this past week. To deal with the number of waterfowl sightings, location is listed first, followed by the birds reported: Jordan Harbour - GADWALL, LONG-TAILED DUCK, GREATER SCAUP, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, COMMON MERGANSER, REDHEAD, SONG SPARROW Lewis Road on Stoney Creek lakeshore - AMERICAN WIGEON, LONG-TAILED DUCK, BLACK DUCK, MALLARD, GREATER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW)- AMERICAN COOT, HORNED GREBE, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, LESSER SCAUP, GREATER SCAUP, HOODED MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, RING-NECKED DUCK, REDHEAD, and TREE SWALLOW. The male HARLEQUIN DUCK was reported just south of the CCIW near the breakwall. Other local reports include TURKEY VULTURE and EASTERN MEADOWLARK at Rock Chapel, TUNDRA SWANS in Dundas, a GREAT HORNED OWL at Christie Conservation Area, NORTHERN SHRIKE and SHORT-EARED OWL on Tenth Road in Stoney Creek, three KILLDEER behind the YMCA in Waterdown, SAW-WHET OWL near Bronte Provincial Park, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Tollgate Ponds, COMMON RAVEN at Milton Heights, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, CEDAR WAXWING, and NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD at the Berry Tract, and a GREAT HORNED OWL on the nest seen from the Highway 6 bypass around Caledonia. This weeks yard reports reflect the season: CEDAR WAXWING and AMERICAN ROBIN in east Burlington, COOPER'S HAWK, COMMON GRACKLE and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD in Hamilton, and HOUSE FINCH, DARK-EYED JUNCO, NORTHERN CARDINAL, BLUE JAY, and COMMON GRACKLE on the east mountain. Be sure to let us know about your sightings this week. Leave your name, telephone number, as well as the time and date of your call. Sightings can also be reported by e-mail. GOOD BIRDING! Keith Dieroff C/O Hamilton Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline Report Hamilton, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hamilton Naturalists' Club Tel: (905) 381-0329 www.hamiltonnature.org ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca Keith Dieroff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
