On Saturday October 31st, 2009, this is the HNC Birding Report: Brant Tundra Swan Green-winged Teal Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Red-breasted Merganser Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Great Egret Osprey Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs White-rumped Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Dunlin Bonaparte's Gull Sabine's Gull Pomarine Jaeger Parasitic Jaeger Northern Saw-whet Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Shrike Blue-headed Vireo Common Raven Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Nashville Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow Snow Bunting Rusty Blackbird Purple Finch
Migration moves along and winter residents are beginning to filter into the HSA this week. A highlight this week was on east winds at VanWagners beach on Monday. A late Sabine's Gull made a 10 minute appearance across the horizon. Both Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers were seen, Bonaparte's Gull, a flock of unknown Terns, probably Common, both Red-throated and Common Loons and two Short-eared Owls. Ducks are moving into the area with numbers of all three scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers and Greater Scaup being seen in growing numbers through the week. Horned Grebes were seen from Fifty Point. Shorebirds are still in the news with Dunlin, Baird's and White-rumped Sandpiper and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are still being seen on the extensive mud out in Dundas Marsh. Dunlin were present at Princess Point and a Baird's Sandpiper was also seen last Saturday at the Valley Inn. Woodland Cemetery was a good place to do a watch last Sunday. Tundra Swan, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Eastern Bluebird (87!), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Snow-bunting and Purple Finch (76!) were all seen in a two hour period. Thousands of blackbirds Red-winged and Rusty also flew over. A late Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was a highlight. Snow buntings were also seen at 50 Point Conservation Area last weekend. A Northern Saw-whet Owl was seen in the park. Another one was seen and photographed near the lift Bridge in the week. At Shoreacres in Burlington, a Red-bellied Woodpecker made an appearance in addition to a number of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Nashville and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Lots to report in the odds and sods this week. A Sandhill Crane flew over Waterdown last weekend, Blue-headed Vireo reported from the same area. An exciting find by some of our young birders in the club this week was three Brant at Sackville Hill Park on Upper Wentworth. Another Brant was found along the Burlington beach strip. A Great Egret is still present at Valley Inn. A Nashville warbler was also seen there last weekend. An Osprey was seen flying over the Dundas Marsh yesterday. Two Common Ravens were seen over Greensville last Saturday. American Tree Sparrows were found behind the Dundas Arena. Two Fox Sparrows are present at a feeder in Flamborough and another was seen at the feed at the Valley Inn. That's the news this week. AN IMPORTANT REMINDER that our Fall Bird Count is Sunday. Please send in your sightings from Saturday to Monday to me so I can send them to the compiler. Hopefully with all these birders crawling around a rarity will be found! Cheers, 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 information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
