At 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 23, 2004, this is the HNC Birding Report:
WHITE-WINGED DOVE LONG-TAILED JAEGER PARASITIC JAEGER BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE NELSON'S SHARP TAILED SPARROW Red-throated Loon Black-bellied Plover Willet Sanderling Ruby-throated Hummingbird Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Marsh Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Gray-cheeked Thrush Swanson's Thrush Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pine Siskin Another busy, beautiful week, welcome to summer! Fall migration marches on despite the balmy temperatures. Two birds of note this week. The WHITE-WINGED DOVE was spotted again in a fly by on the west side of the garden allotments at Shell Park yesterday. Today, nothing so far. This morning at about 11:30 a.m. myself and James Lees spotted the first NELSON'S SHARP TAILED SPARROW of the season at Dundas Marsh. Marsh Wrens seem to be about in this area but American White Pelicans appear to have left. At the Dundas Marsh last weekend a Willet was seen up until Saturday. Van Wagner's Beach was still a hot spot last Saturday with BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE sitting on the beach with the gulls, 2 LONG-TAILED JAEGERS and a number of PARASITIC JAEGERS. Sanderling can also be found here although there have been reports of sick and dying birds on the beach perhaps signifying an outbreak of some sort. Please be careful not to handle sick birds but make a report via email to me and I will contact Canadian Wildlife Service for collection and testing of these birds. Warblers still continue to move in numbers. Reports from Shell Park and Paletta/Shoreacres on Lakeshore include a variety of Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Blackburnian, Nashville, Black & White, Magnolia, Orange-crowned, Chestnut-sided, Canada, Wilsons and Mourning Warbler along with American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat. Today at Dundas Marsh, Black-throated Blue, Northern Parula and Yellow-rumped Warblers were amongst the species of warbler seen. In addition to the warblers, Vireos are also travelling with them with many Philadelphia Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo and many Red-eyed Vireo being seen at Shoreacres and Shell Park. Kinglets both species have been moving along with the above groups as well as those little Brown Creepers. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds also on the move zipping around with the rest of the troop. In the vicinity of Shoreacres, along Tuck Creek just off of Spruce in Burlington, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and Eastern Phoebe and an Ovenbird were seen. Sparrows are also moving in numbers this week. Many White-throated Sparrows have been present all week at Shoreacres/Paletta and at VanWagners Beach ponds. Two White-crowned Sparrows were among the White-throats on Monday at Shoreacres and today I had 2 Lincoln's Sparrows along with my first Dark-eyed Junco. Other species seen migrating this week include Rose-breasted Grosbeaks various spots, Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes and I have had several reports of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers around this week as well. Last weekend a Red-throated Loon was spotted on the bay off of Woodland Cemetery on a field trip for the HNC. Tollgate Ponds has been quiet as the water has dried up and they are filling this area in however a Black-bellied Plover was seen here in the week. Odds and sods was a Northern Waterthrush which met its demise on a backyard window and a lone Pine Siskin showed up at someone's feeder this week. That's the news for this week, I'm sure that the change in weather this weekend will bring in some more goodies. Have a great week and good birding! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
