On Friday, April 4th, 2008, this is the HNC Birding Report: KING EIDER BLACK VULTURE CALIFORNIA GULL
* denotes new migrants Snow Goose * Tundra Swan Wood Duck Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Ruddy Duck Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Osprey * Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Sandhill Crane Greater Yellowlegs * Lesser Yellowlegs * Wilson's Snipe * American Woodcock Bonaparte's Gull * Glaucous Gull Caspian Tern * Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker * Eastern Phoebe Tree Swallow * Tufted Titmouse Golden-crowned Kinglet Bohemian Waxwing Cedar Waxwing Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow * Fox Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Pine Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Its been a very busy week here in the Hamilton Study Area. Looking above at the list we have had a number of migrants return this week with warmer temperatures and snow and ice FINALLY disappearing here. Excitement was high this week at the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch On Tuesday during high winds a BLACK VULTURE cruised past the tower heading west and then a few minutes later passed by again traveling east. For the brave who stood on the tower in these high winds it paid off. Excitement was not high however by someone who was just 15 minutes away cruising the roads up there and then returning home to see this post. Other raptors passing by Beamer this week include Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk(in good numbers), Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, and Merlin. Other species seen this week include Sandhill Crane, Bonaparte's Gull, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow and a flyby of Evening Grosbeaks. The fields in the area are primed for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. This week as the ice melted flocks of Northern Pintail, Mallard, and Green-winged Teal were seen in the flooded fields and yesterday seen from Ridge Road between 8th and 10th Road were 4 Greater Yellowlegs. The Hamilton Bay was a good place to bird this week. A watch from the high level bridge last Tuesday produced a number new migrants and some on their way out of the area. Among those seen were Tundra Swans, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Wood Duck, 51 Bonaparte's Gulls, our first Caspian Tern of the year, 4 more were found the next day on the islands off Eastport Drive, American Pipit and departing from the area, Pine Grosbeak. On Wednesday, the areas first Osprey was seen flying along Northshore Blvd. and over Carroll's Point. Also seen on the bay this week at various access points were Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Common Loon, Pied-billed, Horned and Red-necked Grebe and some lingering Glaucous Gulls. On the lake side the KING EIDERS were last reported last weekend seen from both Green Road and Fruitland Road. Another hotspot this week was at the east end of the Hamilton Study Area at Rattray Marsh at the end of Bexhill Drive in Mississauga. This week Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, American Woodcock, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-crowned Kinglets (many), Song and Fox Sparrows were migrants seen here. Two Bohemian Waxwings were seen in a flock of 30 on Bexhill Drive. Winter finches and other wanderers still aren't finished with us. There were many reports of Bohemian Waxwings from several areas this week, Burlington, Stoney Creek, Hamilton and Oakville Harbour often in the accompaniment of Cedar Waxwings. Two Evening Grosbeaks were seen again on Cedar Springs Road near Sideroad 2. Pine Siskins are being reported sporadically at feeders. Common Redpolls are also still being reported although in fewer numbers. At Shoreacres/Paletta Park this week two Tufted Titmice were seen yesterday by the bridge near the lake. Other migrants include Horned Grebe, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Fox Sparrow. In the odds and sods this week, another CALIFORNIA GULL was seen and well photographed at the composting station just west of Waterdown Garden Supplies on Hwy 5 near Peters Corners. This appears to be a different individual from the other one found a few weeks ago. The first Wilson's Snipe, a Snow Goose and Chipping Sparrow were reported from the Brantford area. Eastern Meadowlark and American Woodcock were seen at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. An Eastern Towhee visited a feeder on Rock Chapel Road earlier in the week and a Sandhill Crane passed over this observers head last Friday in the Guelph Line and New Street area, made my day. That's the long and windy report for the week, thanks for sending your sightings along. 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/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
