At 5:00pm, Thursday, January 15th, 2004, this is the Hamilton Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline Report. The Hotline is normally revised on Thursday, unless an unusual bird turns up in the Hamilton area.
The bird of the week was a PRAIRIE FALCON discovered at the foot of 2nd Street in Toronto on Sunday morning. The bird was viewed by a number of observers but disappeared soon afterward, only to be refound at High Park on Monday. It has not been reported since. Locally, the Lake Ontario Waterfowl Survey also took place this past Sunday the 11th. Highlights included four first year male KING EIDERS at L.P. Sayers Park in Stoney Creek, and a very unusual COMMON GOLDENEYE x BUFFLEHEAD hybrid at Sioux Lookout in Burlington. A trip to the RBG Arboretum produced BROWN THRASHER and NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, plus SONG SPARROW and TUFTED TITMOUSE. Further east, PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN COOT, CANVASBACK, HOODED MERGANSER, and REDHEAD were reported from LaSalle Marina, and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, RUDDY DUCK and NORTHERN SHOVELLER were seen in the Windermere Basin. Other local reports include a MERLIN in downtown Hamilton, COOPER'S HAWK at Mount Albion and Stonechurch Roads, SHORT-EARED OWL on 10th Road East in Grimsby, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD in Jerseyville, and FOX SPARROW in Bronte. Out of town, a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER turned up a the Brantford Waterworks, four SAVANNAH SPARROWS were spotted near Brantford Airport, a pair of DUNLIN were lingering on the Lake Erie shore near the Stelco plant just west of Nanticoke, and ICELAND GULL, CALIFORNIA GULL, LITTLE GULL and BLACK-HEADED GULL were among the highlights from the Niagara River. Now for a Hamilton Christmas Bird Count roundup. A total of 77,280 birds were counted, representing 101 species - a new record for the Hamilton CBC. Another eight species were recorded during the count week, bringing the total to 109 species. The 111 participants was also a new record. New species for the count this year included GREATER WHITE FRONTED GOOSE and COMMON RAVEN. That's all for this week. Be sure to let us know about your sightings. 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]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
