At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 3rd, 2005 this is the HNC Birding Report:
GREAT GRAY OWL GRAY PARTRIDGE COMMON GRACKLE Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Northern Shoveler Ring-necked Duck Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Northern Goshawk Peregrine Falcon Wild Turkey American Coot Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Horned Lark Brown Creeper Eastern Bluebird Fox Sparrow Purple Finch Pine Siskin A few good tidbits about in the Hamilton Area this week. There has been a report of GREAT GRAY OWL in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area once again. I am still following up on this report as to location so I will keep people advised as I find out. Other owls have been about this week with Short-eared Owls in Stoney Creek area, Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owls near Parking Lot A in Bronte Creek Provincial Park. While out and about in Hamilton this week I did manage to get three GRAY PARTRIDGE peeking out of the snow. They have been seen today . Had to settle for just heads but a good tick anyway. A few Horned Larks were about on Robinson Road. On my way back I had a Northern Goshawk just west of Hwy 52 on the 403 as well as the flock of Turkey near the Hwy 52 and 403 Interchange. Turkeys were also seen this week at 8th Rd E and Green Mountain and in the orchard which borders Centennial Pkwy as you go up the mountain. Ducks are non-existent on a frozen bay and frozen lake but Windermere Basin is still open with Double-crested Cormorants, Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Ducks, an American Coot and a couple of hardy Great Blue Herons standing on the shore. The lake although frozen was good for one observer to see an immature Bald Eagle having lunch with a goose this week. Feeders continue to be good. At the maintenance yard at the Hamilton Conservation Area on Mineral Springs Road Northern Flicker, Pine Siskin and Purple Finch have been seen coming into the feeders there. Purple finches were also seen in the Martins Road area in the access from Mineral Springs Road last weekend. A feeder in Dundas is host to a COMMON GRACKLE a good winter bird although it won't be long before we see some return. Maybe this warm weekend? Two pair of Peregrine Falcons have been reported this week. One pair remains at the lift bridge, feeding on the resident Rock Pigeons with a side of Bufflehead. A couple of hard working people have reported seeing a pair of Peregrines near the Standard Life Building downtown Hamilton. One pair was actually harassing a Red-tailed Hawk. In the odds & sods department are Fox Sparrow still at the Valley Inn Feeder, Brown Creeper reported from Cherry Hill Gate on Monday and Eastern Bluebirds seen in the Hopkins Tract on York Road. That's the report for this week. Keep the sightings coming, it looks like things are moving again. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline
