On Friday, May 4th, 2012, this is the HNC Birding Report: SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER FISH CROW WHITE-EYED VIREO CERULEAN WARBLER
Ring-necked Pheasant Red-throated Loon Common Loon American Bittern Least Bittern Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Virginia Rail Sora Common Gallinule Sandhill Crane Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs American Woodcock Common Tern Long-eared Owl Eastern Whip-poor-will Ruby-throated Hummingbird Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo House Wren Sedge Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Blue-winged Warbler Golden-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Paula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rusty Blackbird Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Dark-eyed Junco Pine Siskin Well May begins with a bang this week as winds turned south bringing a flood of migrants to the area and a long report for this compiler! The rarities included this week include a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER sighting which came in a couple days late from Brant County. A bird fitting the description of a Scissor tail was seen at Regional Road 4 and McGill Rd gas station, Brant, Ontario. It would be spectacular if this bird were still around so any reports would be appreciated. Perhaps this is the same bird seen previously south of here near Burford. FISH CROW sightings continue with a bird calling on top of a light standard near Kenwood Ave in Burlington last Sunday. Subsequent sightings occurred at Shoreacres in Burlington with a possible sighting at Confederation Park. A WHITE-EYED VIREO was found on Sunday at Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington. The bird was seen sporadically both Monday and Tuesday but has not been reported since. Today a CERULEAN WARBLER was seen and well photographed in a backyard in east Hamilton. Attempts to locate the bird were unsuccessful however birds seen in a tiny woodlot nearby included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Least Flycatcher, Black-and-White, Black-throated Green, Nashville, Magnolia and an early Wilson's Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Indigo Bunting and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The increase in number and diversity of warblers has been the most notable this week. Reports from the lakeside locations including Shell Park and Sherwood Forest Park in Oakville, Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington, Confederation Park in Hamilton, Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek and Fifty Point Conservation Area in Grimsby contain many of the same birds with some slight differences that I will highlight at the end of this rant. Species in common at these locations include Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed and Warbling Vireo, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Chipping Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Baltimore Oriole. To accents some of the differences from the above, a Sedge Wren was seen briefly at Edgelake Park yesterday along with Rusty Blackbirds. Today at Edgelake, Green Heron, Cape May Warbler and a record early Canada Warbler were different highlights. On Wednesday, Orchard Orioles were seen at Confederation Park and yesterday a Ruby-throated Hummingbird whizzed past this birder's head. Nearby at the VanWagners ponds, a Least Flycatcher and Common Yellowthroat were seen in the week and today a Long-eared Owl and Dark-eyed Junco were highlights there. American Woodcock, Eastern Kingbird, Veery and Lincoln's Sparrow were goodies from Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington in addition to the above Fish Crows. Sherwood Forest Park located off Prince William in Burlington yielded Brown Thrasher, Swainson's Thrush, Northern Parula and Orange-crowned Warbler as good birds here. Shell Park had Green Heron, Yellow-throated Vireo, Orange-crowned and Blue-winged Warbler to add to its list of birds. The Safari Road wetland on Safari Road east of Kirkwall is still productive this week with Common Gallinule, American Bittern, Virginia Rail and Sora still calling from the marsh. Another great area to visit for these birds is Grass Lake in Glen Morris. Along with the above birds, birds reported from this area this week include Sandhill Crane, American and Least Bittern, Upland Sandpiper, Red-headed Woodpecker and Grasshopper Sparrow. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch is winding down but a late push of Broadwings this week has kept things interesting. Northern Goshawk has been seen a couple of times as well as a late Red-shouldered Hawk yesterday. Warblers are migrating through there too with some of the above commoner warbler species in the woodlot and a Yellow-throated Vireo being heard on a "Big Sit" on the tower yesterday. A Sandhill Crane flew over the tower earlier in the week. In nearby Saltfleet, Upland Sandpipers were seen on 10th Road East this week and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were seen on 5th road East between Powerline and Green Mountain Road in what appears to be one of the only shorebird spots this season. In the odds and sods this week a female Ring-necked Pheasant was seen near the intersection of Valley and Patterson Rds yesterday. An Eastern Whip-poor-will made a guest appearance on an apartment balcony in Hamilton this week where it called for about 25 minutes before it flushed. Another one was seen yesterday in Wild Goose Woods up at the Guelph Arboretum. A Red-headed Woodpecker was seen out in Ancaster near the Sawmill/Shaver Rd area last weekend. They have nested in this area before. A Golden-winged Warbler was seen at the Eramosa Karst up on the mountain yesterday. At the HNC Property known as the Cartwright Property near Patterson Road, Blue-winged Warblers and Eastern Towhees were making their presence known on territory this week! Thanks to those who emailed their sightings this week. Many of the feeders were greeted with Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Orioles arriving. Keep up the feeding during these times when it takes a lot of energy to make the long trip and set up shop. Please keep the sightings coming. Its May, get out and bird! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC _______________________________________________ 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/
