GRAY PARTRIDGE KILLDEER EASTERN PHOEBE HARRIS'S SPARROW
Wood Duck American Wigeon Ring-necked Pheasant Ruffed Grouse Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Glaucous Gull Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Shrike Tufted Titmouse Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Yellow-rumped Warbler Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Common Redpoll It's been a good week here in the Hamilton Study Area with a great bird to wrap up the winter listing season and to add to a Hamilton List. Last Saturday a HARRIS'S SPARROW was spotted at a feeder by a keen observer, the bird may have been here for a while. The bird was reported as of yesterday and likely still around at 6547 Ellis Road. Please be advised that this is a busy road and to pull off to the side to view. It was recommended that parking is on the south side of the road I believe to allow traffic flow. Patience is necessary, the bird tends to disappear for hours at a time, it's all a matter of luck really. Also along Ellis Road at house number 6619 Ellis Rd, a wintering Savannah Sparrow was refound. The Red-shouldered Hawk was also seen in this vicinity in the week, so a hat trick of winter birds for the taking. The other rarity in the area surfaced again. The EASTERN PHOEBE, which makes intermittent appearances in the Hendrie Valley, was seen again between the 1st and 2nd bridges along the trail that runs west from Unsworth Ave. Subsequent attempts to find the bird have come up short but it's a big valley and the bird could wander up the slope to houses to glean insects in colder temperatures. A Great Horned Owls was seen in the area as well. A glimmer of spring was a KILLDEER heard at the old Plainsman Restaurant on Highway 5 west of Clappison's Corners earlier in the week. The Brantford Airport has also been a hotspot as the GRAY PARTRIDGE made an appearance for some but not for all. Nine of them sat out in the airport field seen from Robinson Road last Saturday. Further east down Robinson Road about 800 m past Green Road, a Field and Savannah Sparrow were seen in a large flock of Tree Sparrows. While slightly outside the Hamilton Study Area a dark Rough-legged Hawk was a nice sight at Robinson and Rest Acres Road. On the way to or from Brantford, a Turkey Vulture has been a regular sighting at the Garden Ave exit. Up in Saltfleet yesterday on 10th Road east, a Ring-necked Pheasant was a welcome surprise. Short-eared Owls continue to fly at dusk once the Northern Harriers have settled. A Northern Shrike was seen along the Dofasco Trail west of 10th. Four Eastern Meadowlarks were scared up by a Harrier yesterday at the tracks between Ridge and Green Mountain Road. At the feeder at the corner of Ridge Road and 10th Road East, four White-crowned Sparrows are present. A large group of Common Redpolls were flying around at the tracks on 10th Road. A Fox Sparrow was seen just off Ridge Road on 6th Concession East. In the odds and sods, American Wigeon was seen at the west end of the Desjardins Canal at the Butterfly Gardens. A male Wood Duck continues to be seen at LaSalle Marina. Ruffed Grouse continue to visit a feeder near Westover Road and 8th Concession in Flamborough competing with the Wild Turkey and the Deer. There are still 9 Black-crowned Night Herons at the Red Hill Outlet off Eastport. Two more Turkey Vultures were reported from Upper James and Mohawk and from Dartnall and the Linc. Glaucous Gulls are scarce this year but an adult and a juvenile were seen on Wednesday. Carefully scan gulls sitting on the ice off Eastport Drive. Another Great Horned Owl was quite vocal at the Tyandaga Golf Course in Burlington. A Barred Owl was seen again in Bronte Provincial Park on the east side. A Tufted Titmouse is singing at the corner of West Hart Crescent and South Street in Burlington. Out at Dyments farm, Horned Lark, Lapland Longspur and Snow Buntings continue to be present. Another group of Snow Buntings was seen behind Olympic arena and lastly a Yellow-rumped Warbler was seen at the parkette at Arkendo. That's the news for the week, the last push for winter listers is this week so please report your sightings here. Good birding, 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/
