On Friday, August 19th, 2011 this is the HNC Birding Report: Great Egret Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Upland Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Bonaparte's Gull Yellow-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Red-eyed Vireo Veery Blue-winged Warbler Nashville Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Northern Waterthrush Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Rose-breasted Grosbeak Baltimore Oriole
The birds are starting to change finally here in the Hamilton Study area. Shorebirds are still in the news this week with several species present in a few places in the area. The biggest venue for shorebirds remains Windermere Basin with at least a couple hundred being seen here last night. It has been difficult to access the viewing area as they are building an elevated perch to view on. Some viewing may be possible on the weekend when the trucks are not present. Seen here this week though were American Golden Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Solitary, Semipalmated, Least, Baird's and Pectoral Sandpiper and quite a few Short-billed Dowitcher. A scope is highly recommended here and please heed the safety fence erected where they are working. The majority of the mud is on the other side of the basin so patience is necessary and afternoon lighting is the least favorable. Other shorebird spots include North Island seen from Eastport Drive in Burlington where Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper, Sanderling and a Short-billed Dowitcher were present this week. The Red Hill Stormwater pond had Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Solitary and Least Sandpiper a couple of days ago. A tour of the sod farms out in the Mount Hope area proved quiet today save two American Golden Plovers, moulting adults, across from 8214 Airport Road in Mount Hope. Earlier in the week, two Black-bellied Plover were seen on these fields. These sod farms should continue to produce plover and Buff-breasted Sandpipers in the coming weeks. Slightly out of our area but with great habitat the Townsend Sewage Lagoons produced a Long-billed Dowitcher. Passerine migration has started here as well. This week at Shoreacres in Burlington, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Chestnut sided, Black-and-white, Wilsons and Canada Warbler, Northern Waterthrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak were migrants of note here. >From the northern parts of our Hamilton Study Area, on Lennon Road, American Redstart, Black-and-White Warbler, Canada Warbler and Veery were heard and seen. These are also breeders in this area so hard to tell migrants at this time of year. On Calfass Road, Black and White and Nashville Warbler and Baltimore Oriole were birds seen earlier in the week. Near the Badenoch Swamp a Chestnut-sided and a first year male Black-throated Blue Warbler were birds recorded. Finally on 4th Line Nassagaweya, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Least Flycatcher, Nashville and Canada Warbler were present. A Blue-winged Warbler was seen at the opening on 10th Sideroad near 4th Line. In the odds and sods, a Great Egret was seen at Rattray Marsh. Two adult Bonaparte's Gulls flew past Canada Centre for Inland Waters yesterday. An Upland Sandpiper was heard calling over Brantford in the wee hours of the morning a couple of days ago. A Common Nighthawk was spotted over Iroquois Park in Burlington and another over the Walker's Line and New Street area. Canada Warblers were also reported in yards in south Burlington and up in the Waterdown area in the conservation area on Rockcliffe Road. A cold front this Sunday could produce some migrants, time to dust off the bins and get out again. Please send along your sightings. Good Birding, Cheryl Edgecombe _______________________________________________ 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/
