On Thursday, September 29th, 2005 this is the HNC Birding Report: RUFF SABINE'S GULL BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE NELSON'S SHARP TAILED SPARROW BREWER'S BLACKBIRD
Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Redhead Greater Scaup Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Merlin Sora American Coot Parasitic Jaeger Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren House Wren Marsh Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Pine Warbler Blackpoll Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Wilson's Warbler Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rusty Blackbird This week continues the pilgrimage south for many of our birds. With the change in the weather, particularly today, the mix of birds which we are seeing this week is definitely more mid-fall in nature. A few rarity or seldom seen birds in the area also top the list. Van Wagner's Beach continued to provide excitement this week with another large number of Sabine's Gulls being seen last Friday on easterly winds. In total, approximately 33 were counted. This in addition to Parasitic Jaeger and Black-legged Kittiwake made the wait on the beach extremely worthwhile. Another regular visitor to the HSA has not disappointed again with the return of NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS to the Dundas Marsh. Last Friday, there were 3 reported and over the weekend others were seen. The Southshore Trail out to the Willows is a bit treacherous and requires rain pants and boots. There is also a significant portion of Poison Ivy out there. This message serves as notice for people to search other areas in which Sharp-tails have been seen as well. While out in the marsh there were reports of Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Lesser Yellowlegs, Sora, Eastern Phoebe, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow and Rusty Blackbird. A week ago Tuesday I had a report of a Glossy Ibis which dropped into the marsh for a short time. Last Thursday late afternoon, a RUFF made an appearance at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga. Attempts to relocate turned up short. Rattray was also a good area to see Red-necked Grebes staging on the lake. Another significant sighting this week in the area was the drop in of a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD after the thunderstorms on Sunday, seen preening in a back yard in Hamilton. This weeks rain also brought a flurry activity along the lake once it subsided on Monday. In the tree across the street, I had a dozen or so Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and Red-breasted Nuthatch. Down at Shoreacres there were Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Northern Flicker, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Creeper, House Wren, Winter Wren, 40 + Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Gray-cheeked, Swainson's and Hermit Thrush, Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green and Wilson's Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and White-throated Sparrows galore all trying to dry out. Also seen on the lake were 18 Greater Scaup and a number of Red-necked Grebes. Woodland Cemetery was also active after the rain with the appearance of our first White-crowned Sparrows. Down along this end of town, on Wednesday at LaSalle Park, Pied-billed Grebe, Redhead, American Coot, Belted Kingfisher, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit and Gray-cheeked Thrush, Magnolia, Blackpoll and Pine Warblers were recorded. Other areas along the escarpment are also reporting Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, both Kinglets and more Dark-eyed Juncos. In the odds & sods department, a Merlin was seen overhead during a guilt free trip to the chip wagon at New Street and Walker's Line. That's all for now, if you're out this weekend don't forget to post. Maybe something good came in on these brutal winds. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
