At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday April 22, 2004 this is the Hamilton Naturalists Club Birding Report:
WHIP-POOR-WILL HOODED WARBLER New Migrants! (I have placed these in bold at the bottom to point them out) Great Egret Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Sora Common Moorhen Greater Yellowlegs Dunlin Spotted Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull (many) Forster's Tern Common Tern Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Blue-gray Gnatcatcher House Wren American Pipit Pine Warbler Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Golden Eagle Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker Tufted Titmouse Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Yellow-rumped Warbler Savannah Sparrow Eastern Towhee Pine Siskin This weeks report(as I am sure many will be following) is full of new migrants flooding in from the warm winds brought to us this week. Where to start? The star of the show this week was the appearance of the HOODED WARBLER in a yard in Oakville. Many people were able to enjoy this bird this week before its departure on Tuesday. Thanks to the owners who allowed us a peek at this little treasure. Another good sighting of the week was the flushing of a WHIP-POOR-WILL along a trail up in Saltfleet. The place to be last Saturday was Woodland Cemetery. Migrants such as PURPLE MARTIN, ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and COMMON TERN among new migrants. Other birds seen in numbers here were Common Loon, Northern Flicker and Tree Swallows. Not too far from this location, PINE WARBLERS were heard trilling at LaSalle Park at the end of Waterdown Road. Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer in Grimsby has seen the first Broad-winged Hawks this week with 1257 seen on April 20th. Other birds moving through this week were Rough-legged Hawks (many last Friday), Red-tails, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle. Flybys over the watch include Common Loons (many)and Sandhill Cranes (3 this week). In the hawkwathc area, on the west side of Mountain Road between Kemp and Mud St. 30 American Pipits were spotted in a field here, excellent conditions for shorebirds as well. Our resident UPLAND SANDPIPERS appear to have moved back in to the location at 10th concession east north of the tracks with up to four being seen this week. This is also a good location for Wilson's Snipe. Continuing in the raptor category, a second nest of Peregrine Falcons has been found on the left side of the lift bridge on Eastport Drive. As you may recall Peregrines have been seen here during the winter and have decided to set up shop. This week at Grimsby Sewage Lagoons 2 DUNLIN and 1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER were among the first guests. Please remember to stay behind the No Trespassing signs in the north cell and to park at the shed on the west side of the property. On the lake on a very windy Monday a whopping 1400 BONAPARTES GULLS were seen along with a FORSTERS TERN. In and around Flamborough, a good number of migrants were spotted Saturday, Merlin at Millgrove Loam Pits, Osprey at Valens C.A., Pine Warblers at Hyde Tract on Safari Road, FIELD SPARROWS, CHIPPING SPARROW and Eastern Towhee. VIRGINIA RAIL AND SORA were heard in the marsh area on Safari Road west of Westover Road. VIRGINIA RAIL was also heard at Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle. A GREAT EGRET was reported from Christie Conservation Area and in Copetown on Monday. A COMMON MOORHEN has come back to the marshy area at the back of Mountsberg C.A.. PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS and BLUE-WINGED TEAL were reported from 4th concession and Oldfield Road. At the RBG property at Northshore Trails a HOUSE WREN was heard singing as well as Eastern Towhee. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher seen today at Shell Park, Oakville and along Kelson Road in Stoney Creek. Various reports of yard birds have come in this week including Hermit Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Thrasher, Tufted Titmouse and Yellow-rumped Warbler and Pine Siskin. Good Birding Cheryl Edgecombe Hamilton Naturalists' Club Tel: (905) 381-0329 www.hamiltonnature.org
