At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 9th, 2004 this is the HNC Birding Report
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN PARASITIC JAEGER LONG-TAILED JAEGER SABINE'S GULL BLACK TERN BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Common Loon Great Egret White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Chimney Swift Olive-sided Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Marsh Wren Nashville Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black and white Warbler American Redstart Mourning Warbler Wilson's Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak Another great week at the beach. Saturday and yesterday were phenomenal with mixed conditions and strong easterly winds. This week at the Van Wagners Beach the crowds of the patient gathered and were rewarded with PARASITIC JAEGER, LONG-TAILED JAEGER, SABINE'S GULL, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE along with other migrants such as White-winged Scoter, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and Red Knot. A Peregrine Falcon also scooted down the beach and even perched itself on a pile of rocks giving excellent views. The SABINE'S GULL and LONG-TAILED JAEGERS were seen very close to shore allowing some excellent photographs of these rarely seen birds. Today a Red-necked Phalarope was seen flying amongst the waves. The AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS seen in Dundas Marsh were last reported last weekend when only two of the three birds present were seen. Other birds seen in the marsh included a growing number of Great Egrets and Marsh Wrens. Movement has slowed down for the smaller migrants probably due to strong south winds over the past few days. However, last Saturday at Woodland Cemetery, numerous Chimney Swifts, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black and White Warbler, and American Redstart were amongst the small flocks of warblers seen. Roday, Shell Park in Oakville had the same general mix with a few flycatchers such as Olive-sided Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher and Least Flycatcher and Veery adding spice to it. Shoreacres/Paletta Park was quiet this week however on Monday, Wilson's Warbler, a female Mourning Warbler and the chink of a Waterthrush and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak were among the birds noted here. Also on the long weekend, a Black Scoter was seen off the shore here. Tollgate Ponds had about the same mix as last week with Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover and one lonely Short-billed Dowitcher. Black-bellied and American Golden Plover made a brief stop this morning but were not seen in the afternoon. A yard report of a female Purple Finch tops off the report this week. This weekend should be productive and nice weather for birding. Please forward all your sightings especially if one of those hurricane birds show up!!! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329
