At 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 30th, 2005, this is the HNC birding hotline:
CATTLE EGRET * SEDGE WREN DICKCISSEL Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Green Heron Wood Duck Hooded Merganser Peregrine Falcon Caspian Tern Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Cliff Swallow Tree Swallow House Wren Marsh Wren Veery Common Yellowthroat Grasshopper Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark *denotes out of Hamilton Study Area A short list this week signifies that the height of breeding season is upon us. Many of the birds which regularly give us the dawn chorus have quieted down and settled into housekeeping duties, maybe quiet because they are too busy and too tired with raising the young (all too familiar!!!). This week starts out on a sad note with the loss of one of the Peregrine Falcons from downtown. Unfortunately Canso collided with a window on the south side of the Standard Life building around 09:00 on June 26th and was killed. Interestingly the behaviour of the remaining chicks and adults were altered that day. On a more positive note, our Dickcissels are still around in north Bronte Park. The male has been seen at the top of a dead tree down from the small entrance located off of Hwy 5 just west of Tremaine. While out of the area, another great sighting this week was the discovery of a second CATTLE EGRET in the field on Regional Road 3 near Rock Point. This sparks interest in the possibility that these birds could be breeding somewhere around this vicinity. The birds are located on Regional Road 3 just past Stomness about 0.5 km after the road bends to the east. The birds were in with a small group of cows in a barnyard on the north side of the road between house numbers 1925 and 1911. Also this week a SEDGE WREN was discovered on an atlassing excursion just east of Olfield Road on 4th Concession. Unfortunately this sedge meadow has been cut leaving the fate of the bird and its possible nest a mystery. Also while out atlassing this week Grasshopper Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlarks seem to be abundant in the radio tower field on Valens Road. A great canoe trip into the Millgrove Loam Pits off of 5th Concession in Flamborough yielded Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, many Great Blue Herons, Caspian Tern, Wood Duck, Yellow-throated Vireo, Cliff Swallow, Tree Swallow, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Veery and Common Yellowthroat. (This covers most of the list.....) A nice place to canoe, extensive marsh however water levels are in desperate need of replenishment so it is a little soupy in parts. In the odds & sods department, a Green Heron was seen over Centre Road a couple of times in the week, a Blue-headed Vireo was reported from Powerline and Paddy Green Road, and a Hooded Merganser was reported from the Desjardins Canal. That's all for this week, have a great long weekend and don't forget to report your sightings. Cheers and good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
