At 10:10 p.m. on Thursday, June 3rd, 2005, this is the HNC Birding Report: Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Dunlin Yellow-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Pileated Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Brown Creeper Gray cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Blue-winged Warbler Golden-winged Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Connecticut Warbler Mourning Warbler Hooded Warbler Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Ovenbird Scarlet Tanager Lincoln's Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Orchard Oriole
A slightly shorter list this week and the arrival of the cuckoos signify that migration is tapering off in the Hamilton Area. However, some great birds have been seen in the area this week and what's great about this week is that there are some reports of birds in areas that haven't been reported from in a while or ever which gives opportunities to birders throughout the area to diversify. Starting at Shell Park this week migrants such as Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Black-billed Cuckoo, Philadelphia Vireo, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Canada Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a lingering Lincoln's Sparrow. Frustrating bird of the week: Connecticut Warbler - sang about 5 feet in front of us, sang three times at various distances but never showed its face. Story of my life with this bird. The bird was heard up the pipeline in Shell Park toward Rebecca Street on the west side of the pipeline. At nearby Burloak Park a gorgeous full breeding plumaged Black-bellied Plover sat on the rock islands for a rest on Tuesday morning. Shoreacres was quiet this week with a Common Loon and many Red-necked Grebes sitting offshore here. A female Black-throated Blue Warbler was present at Appleby Creek on Wednesday. Tuck Creek, a small woodlot located near John T. Tuck School, again produced several migrants for viewing pleasure this week the best being an Olive-sided Flycatcher present last Friday. Other birds seen here in the week include, Traill's Flycatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, Mourning Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler and Swainson's Thrush. Shorebirds are as scarce as the habitat in the area however at Tollgate Ponds this week were Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper and Dunlin. Cuckoos were reported from several locations this week including Black-billed Cuckoo in Dundas Valley C.A., Hendrie Valley and the Beverly Swamp area, Yellow-billed Cuckoos in North Oakville, in the Curry Tract in Milton and an unfortunate window trauma for a Yellow-billed Cuckoo here in Burlington. Other notable birds seen up in the Curry Tract in Milton today were Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Vireo, Mourning Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, and Blackburnian Warbler. This tract of land is located north of the 401 opposite the Mohawk Race Track. At Mineral Springs this week Blue-winged Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Ovenbird and Wood Thrush. On the Radial Trail accessing at Kennilworth Street, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Orchard Oriole, Mourning Warbler, Wilson's Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler were are seen here. For the odds & sods department, Golden-winged, Blue-winged and Hooded Warbler were reported from Martins Lane in Ancaster and a Common Nighthawk made a flyover of a yard in Dundas. A Brown Creeper is nesting in on the South Shore Trails at the RBG, quite a cute sight to see little creepers I'm sure. Our peregrine family is flourishing this week with the babies being banded today. All four chicks are visible on the web cam at the address following http://www.hamiltonnature.org/hamfalcam.html That's the news for now, keep up the reports of significant species nesting in your area as this is the last year of the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas and your information is valuable. Until next week.....good birding. Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
