On Thursday, August 10th 2006 this HNC Birding Report: Migrants this week!
WILSON'S PHALAROPE BONAPARTE'S GULL YELLOW-THROATED FLYCATCHER CANADA WARBLER NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Long-tailed Duck Osprey Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Semi-palmated Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Least Flycatcher Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Cliff Swallow Yellow Warbler American Redstart Migrants other than shorebirds are appearing in the Hamilton Study Area this week! Today at Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington, two YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS and three CANADA WARBLERS were seen. Other resident birds such as Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Warbling Vireo and Yellow Warblers were also seen and/or heard today. Red-necked Grebes continue to be seen offshore. At the Valley Inn today, the Cliff Swallow colony under the bridge seems to be holding out. A NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was seen as an early migrant along with Great Egret, Osprey, Red-eyed Vireo, American Redstart and Yellow warbler. An Osprey was seen on the weekend over Woodland Cemetery. At Rattray Marsh in Mississauga Wednesday, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron ,Black-crowned Night Heron, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, Least Flycatcher, a male BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, Yellow Warbler and NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH were among the birds noted. The water in the marsh is a little high however Lesser Yellowlegs, Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper and Killdeer are present . A total of 55 Red-necked Grebes were counted offshore last weekend. At Smithville Sewage Lagoons, the mix of shorebirds seems to change on a daily basis. This week many Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, Least and Stilt Sandpiper and WILSON'S PHALAROPE were reported at various times through the week. If I may promote an area outside the Hamilton Study area (just barely!) Townsend Sewage Lagoons seems to be the shorebird hotspot in these parts. On the lakewatch/baywatch this week (soon to be the home of birders looking for Jaegers), a few Bonaparte's Gulls were seen flying on the lake on Tuesday including 2 juveniles and four Long-tailed Ducks were seen on the water, likely oversummering birds. A Common Loon was seen on the bay south of Eastport Drive. A group of three Bonaparte's Gulls were seen flying past Canada Centre for Inland Waters on the bay last Friday. In the odds & sods this week, another Great Egret was seen on the Northeast Shore of the Harbour,another was seen on Long Pond and another one seen at Vanderlieks Ponds located just east of Smithville. These birds seem to be increasing in numbers in the Hamilton Study area. This weekend is supposed to be spectacular. Get out there and look for those early fall/mid summer migrants and report your sightings to the hotline! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline
