On Friday, May 27th, 2011, this is the HNC Birding Report: COMMON EIDER FRANKLIN'S GULL CERULEAN WARBLER
Brant Common Loon American Bittern Least Bittern Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Broad-winged Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Common Moorhen Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Solitary Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Upland Sandpiper Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Red-headed Woodpecker Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Winter Wren Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush American Pipit Tennessee Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Northern Waterthrush Connecticut Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Orchard Oriole Purple Finch Pine Siskin Things quieted quickly as the lifting of the bad weather and switch of winds from the south moved birds out last weekend. A great weekend to do a birdathon as long as you weren't counting on too many transients. While doing the Baillie Birdathon our group came across two female COMMON EIDERS which were located off Shoreacres in Burlington. These two birds lasted two days before moving on, a definite bonus to the cause. Also seen this week on Wednesday was an adult FRANKLIN'S GULL down at Port Credit Harbour. Fortunately the bird was seen in the water on the east side of the river. An hour later, attempts to relocate the bird amongst hundreds of gulls was a daunting task that was left unrewarded. Finally, earlier in the week there was a report of two CERULEAN WARBLERS singing at Woodland Cemetery on Tuesday. It is also possible that CERULEAN is once again on territory in Ruthven. Shorebirds are in the news this week. All month it was slim pickings for shorebirds in the fields and on the beaches but this week it really wound up. Late May is always good for the movement of Whimbrel and this year was no exception. A flock of about 45 went over Saddington Park in Mississauga last Monday. Along with this mass numerous shorebirds cruised the shoreline including Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper and yes even a rare Red Knot. The Whimbrel migration continued on Tuesday with flocks of 24 and then 52 birds being recorded at Saddington. Today a large group of 66 birds flew over VanWagners Beach. Earlier in the week a single Whimbrel was found on the rocks at Fifty Point. Windermere Basin has also been good for shorebirds. They don't seem to mind the large trucks or the tethered hawk stationed there. This week, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Semipalmated Least and White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitcher were among the species seen here. Up at 5th Road East in Saltfleet, Semipalmated Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Pectoral, Least and Semipalmated Sandpiper. The lakeshore woodlots have been fairly quiet all week with migrants tricking through in small numbers. With the passage of the cold front last night, the last big push of migrants are moving through and tonight numbers and variety were up in several spots around the lake. At LaSalle Park this evening, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-bellied, Least, Willow and Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Swainson's Thrush, Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Pine Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's and Canada Warbler were seen. On the Burlington Beachstrip this evening, Black-crowned Night Herons flew over. In the shrubbery near the cottages on the beach strip, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrush, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler and Lincoln's Sparrow were present. Shoreacres had a few migrants this week including Eastern Wood Pewee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackpoll Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning and Wilson's Warbler and a female Connecticut Warbler. Down the road at Burloak Park, a Connecticut Warbler was seen at close range last Tuesday evening. Prairie Warbler was seen at Fifty Point in the week and up in Flamborough last weekend. Flamborough is always a good place for breeding birds and a few transients this time of year. American Pipits were found in a flooded field on Middletown Road, south of 4th Concession West. Grasshopper Sparrows are singing madly on the 6th concession just west of Westover. Hyde Tract, located on Safari Road just west of Kirkwall was excellent for Broad-winged Hawk, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Pine Warbler and Pine Siskin. The Safari Road Marsh next door has nesting Least Bittern, Sora and Virginia Rail. An American Bittern continues to chug along at Valens and 6th Road West. Red-headed Woodpecker is back on territory on 5th Concession Road, west of Sheffield. Alder Flycatcher is breeding at 8th Concession West and Westover Road. Further north on Lennon Road, nesting Winter Wren, Black and White and Canada Warbler and White-throated Sparrow can be heard singing in the bog area here. A nest of Common Ravens is present near the Fletcher Creek Reserve with three young that are too big for the nest. In the odds and sods this week, a flock of 36 Brant flew by Fifty Point on Tuesday. Common Moorhen and Sandhill Crane were both calling at Grass Lake near Glen Morris. A Great Egret was found at the end of the Birdathon roosting on Hickory Island out in Cootes Paradise. A Merlin was seen on an antennae in Bronte, probably nesting there again this year. At the lift bridge a fuzzy gray Peregrine chick was a tick for the birdathon at the lift bridge. The peregrine chicks seem to be doing well at both locations. Iceland Gulls were seen at Saddington Park and at the Suncor Pier just west of Bronte this week. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen from the end of Green Road in Stoney Creek. Common Nighthawks have been reported over Valens and north of Burlington this week. Another Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was reported from Rock Chapel last Saturday. Hooded Warbler is back on territory at the back of the recreation centre near Martin's Lane in Ancaster. North of Burlington at a feeder, an Orchard Oriole was among a group of Baltimore Orioles coming into jelly. A female Black-throated Blue Warbler joined the crowd. At the same feeder, Purple Finch and Pine Siskins continue to come in. Tufted Titmice are on territory in the Appleby Creek bed in South Burlington. Orchard Oriole was also seen at Bronte Creek Provincial Park in the orchard there and at the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons. If the fog and mist persist tonight it might be worth a go for the migrant traps again tomorrow. This could be the last push before post migration depression sets in. Have a great week, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
