On Thursday, October 25th, 2007 this is the HNC Birding report: GREATER WHITE FRONTED GOOSE AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN WHITE-FACED IBIS SABINE'S GULL BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE ARCTIC TERN PARASITIC JAEGER POMARINE JAEGER CAVE SWALLOW YELLOW WARBLER
Snow Goose Brant Cackling Goose American Wigeon Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Red-throated Loon Common Loon American Bittern Black-crowned Night-Heron Bald Eagle Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Golden Eagle Peregrine Falcon American Golden-Plover Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Bonaparte's Gull Thayer's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Eastern Phoebe Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Bluebird Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Tree Sparrow Field Sparrow Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Snow Bunting Rusty Blackbird Purple Finch Common Redpoll Pine Siskin Evening Grosbeak What an exciting week its been here in the Hamilton Study Area. Starting out the week with highlights including southern species, rarities from the north came in mid week and some remain here still. Last Friday, a new species for the Hamilton Study Area was found. A WHITE-FACED IBIS was present in the Dundas Hydro ponds, Friday thru to Sunday making Hamilton Listers very very happy and many other people too. On Tuesday, a second surprise, a CAVE SWALLOW was well seen in the same location by two observers. The swallow flew out of the marsh late on Tuesday afternoon and was not viewed again. Other birds seen in the marsh during the time of these two sightings were American Wigeon, Black-crowned Night Heron, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, an immature Golden Eagle, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, a very late YELLOW WARBLER and Rusty Blackbirds. Nearby at Dundas Arena, a number of species of sparrow were seen in the week including our first American Tree Sparrow along with Field, Song, Swamp, White-throated, White-crowned and Fox Sparrow. The Northern Red Bishop is still there. Although an escapee, it is a truly beautiful little bird to see. Eastern Bluebirds were also cruising about. Out in the Dundas Marsh, the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was seen during the weekend and may still be present. People who ventured into the marsh while in the area were able to catch up with Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow as well. Another immature Golden Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Swainson's and Hermit Thrush were seen on Wednesday. Down at Van Wagners Beach, things were hopping again yesterday and today. Yesterday a probable ARCTIC TERN was seen flying with Bonaparte's' Gulls. As well yesterday, PARASITIC and POMARINE JAEGER were seen, Red-throated and Common Loon, Great and Lesser Black-backed Gull and Thayer's Gull along various point along the lakeshore. Today, PARASITIC JAEGER, SABINE'S GULL, BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, Brant, Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Peregrine Falcon and Short-eared Owl were among birds seen. Continuing along the lakeshore at Green Road, a Brant and a Snow Bunting (Yikes!) were seen. At Fifty Point, an American Bittern was flushed and a Common Redpoll was also reported. Earlier in the week at the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons, a very late Solitary Sandpiper was seen and along the lakeshore that same day a large (ie hundreds) of Bonaparte's Gulls migrating. Geese have been big here in the Copetown Area this week. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen on Monday in a field just south of Hwy 5 on Hwy 52. On Wednesday, two Snow Geese joined the group and today, two late American Golden Plover were seen in the same field. At least one Cackling Goose was seen at Christie Conservation Area today. Finches are still moving through the area. Today, a couple of reports of Evening Grosbeak, a bird not often seen in the area, one from Rock Chapel and the other from Webster's Falls area. Purple Finches were moving through in numbers over Woodland Cemetery last weekend. Pine Siskin were reported from Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington, Sherwood Forest Park and at Woodland Cemetery last weekend. This is probably the biggest movement of finches we have seen in a few years. In the odds and sods this week, Northern Saw-whet Owls have been seen migrating through along the lakeshore areas and one in the Walker's Line and Fairview area last week. An Eastern Phoebe was present on the Sheldon Creek Trail. Hooded Mergansers were seen in the Desjardins Canal. Wild Turkey were reported from the Rock Chapel and from the Binkley's Hollow area. Eastern Bluebirds (24) were seen at Courtcliffe Park and an immature Bald Eagle was seen over McMaster University today. That's just the highlights of this busy week. More goodies to come I'm sure. Keep reporting your sightings. Our annual fall bird count is November 4th and we need to know where to find these birds. Good birding! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdshow.htm ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm
