On Friday, August 13th, 2010, this is the HNC Birding report: Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Great Blue Heron Great Egret Black=crowned Night Heron Osprey Bald Eagle American Coot Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Bonaparte's Gull Common Tern Canada Warbler
It's all about shorebirds here in the HSA this week. Several good spots are suitable with an increasing number of shorebirds gathering, none of these locations terribly scenic though! At the Red Hill Stormwater pond this week Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron were present throughout the week. Nearby at the Windermere Basin, a floating mat of algae at the west end of the basin at the entrance to the harbour, seems to be a magnet for several species of shorebirds. Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Sanderling, Semipalmated, Least and Pectoral Sandpiper were seen at a distance from the lookout at the end of the gravel path. A scope is mandatory to see shorebirds on this floating mat as the access is restricted. In the basin itself, a smattering of different ducks were present in small numbers including, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck and American Coots. Up at the Monaghan Mushroom Farm located on Guelph Line north of Derry Road, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Least and Pectoral Sandpipers were recorded last weekend. Another good spot to check is the stormwater pond on the 407 at Brittania Road. Low water levels here were good for Short Billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper and Green Winged Teal. Viewing the Dundas Marsh from the North Shore of Cootes Paradise yielded Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Great Egret, Osprey and Bald Eagle. East winds were present yesterday and today at Van Wagner's beach. Birds reported from here include Green-winged Teal, Bonaparte's Gull and Common Tern. A Sanderling landed on the beach near the Lakeland Centre yesterday. A good cold front is needed to start to bring in our specialties. In the odds and sods, Wild Turkey were seen on Concession 4 east of Oldfield. This included a flock of 3 adults and 5 juveniles and a Canada Warbler was a welcome yard bird in Dundas earlier in the week. Things are starting to move so start scouring and don't forget to email your sightings! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe _______________________________________________ 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/
