On Thursday, April 26th, 2007 this is the HNC Birding Report: EARED GREBE BROAD-WINGED HAWK - dark morph LEAST BITTERN YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER YELLOW HEADED BLACKBIRD
New Migrants! Sora Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Common Tern Chimney Swift Blue-headed Vireo Purple Martin Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Palm Warbler Ovenbird Hooded Warbler Vesper Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Harlequin Duck Ruffed Grouse Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Horned Grebe Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Golden Eagle Peregrine Falcon Virginia Rail Greater Yellowlegs Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Bonaparte's Gull Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Brown Creeper House Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Pine Warbler Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco What a difference a week makes and having typed half the report in the wee hours this morning, what a difference a day makes. Where to start? One of this weeks highlight has to be the YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER found today at Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek. Found this morning the bird was still around mid-afternoon for some photographic opportunities. What a great find to brighten up this spring. Other birds found in this little parkette included Brown Thrasher, Palm Warbler, both Kinglets and Brown Creeper. The Yellow-throated Warbler was last seen around 5:00 p.m.. Another bird found today up on Hamilton Mountain off of Upper Wellington was a bizarre sighting of a LEAST BITTERN sitting in a small tree at eye level in the middle of a woodlot. Obviously brought down by weather, this little gem was present for most of the day, shattering the earliest Hamilton Record by 10 days. Not to be outdone today a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD made a brief appearance from 10:30- 11;00 a.m. today at a feeder in Dundas. The bird was not seen after but may still be in the area. The house was located just a short distance from the Dundas Hydro Pond. Another find of the week was a dark morph BROAD-WINGED HAWK found in a small kettle of Broad-wings which were coming through in great numbers over Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in Grimsby on Tuesday. Only a few have been recorded in the HSA and it certainly was a handsome bird for the dedicated people at the Hawkwatch that day. Other raptors migrating this week included, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Golden Eagle. Passerine migration was good up there as well with migrants including Brown Thrasher, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Black-throated Green Warbler. Up in the Saltfleet area, Upland Sandpipers are back at the traditional nesting location of 10th Road East near the Dofasco trail. Flooded fields have been temporary stopping places for Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper through the week. Wilson's Snipe and American Woodcock continue in their dusk and dawn displays in this area. Not to be forgotten the EARED GREBE was still present as of last Sunday in the south pond of the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons. The lakeshore areas were hopping this week with the discovery of a Hooded Warbler at Lakeside Park in Mississauga. This refreshing little bird was found last Tuesday and was present Wednesday along with a Nashville Warbler. Lakeside Park is between Southdown Road and Winston Churchill Road on Lakeshore Road. At Shell Park in Oakville, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Pine Warbler, Chipping and White-throated Sparrow were reported and further along at Paletta Park in Burlington, Bonaparte's Gull, Spotted Sandpiper, Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, both Kinglets, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Nashville and Yellow-rumped Warbler were reported in the week. Moving west along the lakeshore at Tuck Creek, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, both Kinglets, Dark-eyed Junco, Swamp, White-throated and Field Sparrow were seen Tuesday and Wednesday. All of our swallow species are back this week with Northern Rough-winged, Bank, Cliff, Tree and Barn Swallow reported in many areas. Purple Martins have been reported over Beamer and on Fifty Road. Chimney Swifts are back as well being seen at Beamer, downtown Hamilton and Lambs Hollow off Unsworth Ave in Burlington, a bit early considering the weather. A large Bank Swallow colony is located at Burloak Park in Oakville and a Cliff Swallow colony can be viewed down at Bronte Harbour. >From out in Flamborough at Christie Conservation Area, Pine Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warblers, both kinglets, Eastern Phoebe and Osprey were additions the year list on Tuesday. Out in Mississauga, many Red-necked Grebes, Horned Grebes and Common Loons could be seen off of Watersedge Park in Clarkson. Lots in the odds and sods department this week, more early migrants to report! An early Ovenbird was seen at a ravine in the Creek Path Trail/Woods in Oakville on Saturday. Common Yellowthroat was reported on the Brantford Rail Trail near Glen Morris. A House Wren was heard on the Sheldon Creek Trail just east of Burloak perhaps the same individual as the winter record from February. Ruffed Grouse were seen on Concession 8 in Flamborough. A female Harlequin Duck was seen off of Fifty Road last Saturday. Sora Rails were present in the marsh on Safari Road just west of Kirkwall Road. Virginia Rails are back on territory at Kerncliffe Park. A Vesper Sparrow was heard singing at Highland and 6th Road East near the airstrip up in Grimsby. A very early Rose-breasted Grosbeak was heard and seen in a garden in Ancaster early in the week. An adult Peregrine Falcon made a low and over while I was in the grocery store parking lot sending Rock Pigeons and gulls fleeing! Quite a sight about 20 feet above my head. That's the long and winded news this week. With the bizarre day we have had in the HSA today, its time to get out this weekend and see what other goodies have dropped in. Thanks for your sightings! Have a great week. Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
