Good afternoon and welcome to the HNC birding hotline report: BARROW'S GOLDENEYE WILSONS SNIPE Great Blue Heron King Eider Ring-necked Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe N. Shoveler N. Pintail Ring-necked Duck Ruddy Duck Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Peregrine Falcon Gray Partridge Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Glaucous Gull Iceland Gull Long-eared Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Northern Flicker Northern Shrike Common Raven Horned Lark Brown Creeper Tufted Titmouse Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Yellow-rumped Warbler White-crowned Sparrow (subspecies gambelii) White-throated Sparrow Fox Sparrow Snow Bunting Purple Finch Pine Siskin Common Redpoll
A very hearty congratulations this week to Anthony Miller winner of the Ross Thompson Trophy for his efforts in finding over 270 species of birds in Ontario last year. Congratulations also go to Laina Don who was runner up. We look forward to seeing how Laina and other members of our under 18 birders group do in their quest to win the Ross Thompson trophy this year. It is certainly an encouragement to see these young keen birders enthusiastically tick species off their lists each year. Winter lingers on in the area making things quiet, saving our energy and giving us a rest period before the invigorating experience of migration yet to come. This week was a relatively quiet week again with much of the same birds showing up in various places in the Hamilton Area. The WILSON'S SNIPE was reloated at Taquanyah C.A. as well as the Great Blue Heron both seen last Sunday. The lake continues to be fruitful for species of ducks and scoters. Some people have had a chance to view the BARROW'S GOLDENEYE this week off of Jones Road which is east of Fruitland Road. The King Eiders have also appeared along the lakeshore this week being reported from Sayers Park and Millen Road. Both species have been seen at various distances giving great views on one day and microscopic views on other days. Some of us continue our quest to find these elusive birds and have missed it by only five minutes, but who's bitter. All three scoters have appeared this week off of Sayers Park and Fruitland Road. The Ring-necked Ducks continue to be seen at the back of the Venture Inn and in Windermere Basin. A Canvasback was reported from this location. Windermere Basin and the Bay have also been good for Ruddy Duck, Northern Pintail, Pied-billed Grebe, Red-necked Grebe and Hooded Merganser. White-winged gulls mostly Glaucous are being reported regularly on the ice in the bay and on the lake. I had a lovely Glaucous Gull fly over Felker's Falls Conservation Area up on the escarpement last Saturday. Of note, 2 adult Bald Eagles were seen sitting on the ice in the bay last Saturday. Raptors seen this week have been Rough-legged Hawks in Hamilton and Flamborough, a Peregrine Falcon still being seen around the lift bridge and a Sharp-shinned Hawk having lunch at a local Hamilton feeder. Long-eared Owls are still being seen near the lift bridge. There have been up to four birds present. They are extremely good at camouflaging and birders are asked to respect the distance at which they view these birds. Another camouflage artist being spotted this week was a flock of six Gray Partridge at the Brantford airport. This weeks favorite bird has been Northern Shrike. Two were reported from a yard in Bronte, I had one on the 4th concession and Hwy 8, one on Concession 8, and one seen carrying off a house finch in a Mississauga back yard. This week at Patterson Tract located on 4th Concession just past Woodhill Road, Purple Finch, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Flicker, Golden-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warbler have all been reported from this site. A new place for me to visit there seems to be lots of berries here for birds to feed on. Hendrie Valley continues to be reliable for Brown Thrasher, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Gray Catbird, Fox Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow . The RBG trails leading from the Arboretum also continue to produce with Pileated, Red-bellied, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker along with Tufted Titmouse, White-crowned Sparrow (subspecies gambelii)(located just west of the Arboretum), and Brown Thrasher. Feeder birds reported this week include Ruffed Grouse, Common Raven (flyover, Pine Siskin, Common Redpolls and Purple Finch. The end of February is quite often time for movement of winter finches down from the north to search for food or up from the south on the way back so keep those feeders stocked! That's it for this week. I have enjoyed the emails of sightings of the area, keep them coming! Cheers, Cheryl Edgecombe Hamilton Naturalists' Club > Tel: (905) 381-0329 > www.hamiltonnature.org "Cheryl Edgecombe" <[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.
