WILLET FISH CROW
Ring-necked Pheasant Red-throated Loon Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe American Bittern Great Egret Green Heron Virginia Rail Sora Common Gallinule Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Dunlin Common Tern Ruby0throated Hummingbird Red-headed Woodpecker Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Common Raven Winter Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Blue-winged Warbler Black-and-White Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rusty Blackbird Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole A general formula during migration is nice weather=fewer birds. The warm temps and clear skies have not been conducive to bringing birds down into the woodlots and it is apparent from reports further north that some birds are just choosing to head for the breeding grounds. Others are stuck behind the frontal system south of us but this could all change today as reports of birds to the south of Lake Erie holds promise for them moving a short distance before the rains. Nonetheless it has been a good week here in the Hamilton Study area. There have been no mega rarities but definitely a few notables for the area. The WILLET present at the Windermere Basin for the last couple of weeks was last seen yesterday. The islands and tall grasses there hide birds so it could be still around and just not visible for the time people were there today. A definite highlight this week was the discovery of a pair of FISH CROWS building a nest in southeast Burlington, a first confirmed nesting record for Ontario. The nest is near the top of a large White Pine tree in the front yard of a house at 5499 Lakeshore Rd E, which is just west of Burloak Rd on the north side. To view this, park at the parking lot at Burloak Waterfront Park a few hundred metres west of the house and walk east. One can easily view the nest from the south side of the road, which is also City parkland. Please be respectful of the homeowners, who have been made aware of the nest. The birds are still nest building so may or not be present at the nest at any given time, but have also been seen at Burloak Waterfront Park as well as Shell Park to the east. Another great place to go for an evening serenade is Safari Road Marsh which is located on Safari Road just east of Kirkwall in Flamborough. Here this week, American Bittern was gallunking away, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Gallinule and Virginia Rail were also present. At one time Whippoorwill could be heard here as well but so far not yet this spring. The Grey Tree Frogs try to outcompete everything so it's best to go just before dusk when they get fired up. A good location for Sora is Kerncliffe Park located on Kerns Road in Burlington. There is a small marsh tucked in the north west corner of the park that is productive for Sora and Virginia rail. Shorebirds are still in the picture. The Windermere Basin continues to produce good variety. A scope is highly recommended as many of the shorebirds are way at the back and sometimes difficult to see in the vegetation and at that distance. Here in the week were Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper and Dunlin. A Common Tern colony has nicely set up on the flat topped islands and eggs can be seen. A Solitary Sandpiper was in the Red Hill Stormwater Pond earlier in the week. The flooded field on 5th Road East needs some water but the one located between 10th and 11th Road East on the Dofasco Trail in Saltfleet was host to Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper and Dunlin. There has been little movement on the passerine front this week with places up country being more productive than woodlots near the lakeshore. Crawford Lake up in Halton produced Blackburnian, Yellow-rumped, Yellow, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Nashville and Pine Warbler, Ovenbird and a Northern Waterthrush. A singing Winter Wren was likely setting up shop in this area ideal for breeding. Starting east and working west, Lakeside Park in Mississauga was host to Blackburnian, Tennessee and Nashville Warbler. Sedgewick Park in Oakville had both Veery and Wood Thrush singing earlier in the week. At Shoreacres in Burlington, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Warbler Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee, Nashville, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warbler were present in the week. A male Scarlet Tanager was a welcome sight here for these eyes last Sunday. At Confederation Park in Hamilton, Green Heron, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Cape May, Yellow, Palm, and Pine Warbler were present. A first year male Orchard Oriole was a definite highlight. At Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek, Hermit Thrush, Northern Waterthrush, Black and White, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Palm, Yellow-rumped and Black-throated Green Warbler were birds seen on Saturday. Lastly at Fifty Point Conservation Area, Blue-headed Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, White-crowned Sparrow and Rusty Blackbird in addition to some of the same warblers gave some variety to the mix. In the odds and sods this week, Red-necked Grebes are nesting on the tire at Burloak Waterfront Park once again. Ring-necked Pheasant could be heard on 10th Road East at the Dofasco Trail. Both Red-throated and Common Loons continue to move off the lake. A Great Egret was seen at Confederation Park Pond mid week. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been reported a few feeders in the area, likely more will pour through this weekend. Red-headed Woodpecker was seen at Sawmill Road in Ancaster, they nested here last year. Common Raven can be seen fairly regularly at the quarry on 10th Road East where they have nested. Blue-winged Warblers were heard at Martins Road and in Hyde Tract up in Flamborough this week. American Redstart was seen at LaSalle Park in Waterdown. A total of 7 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were seen at Rock Chapel in Flamborough yesterday. Orchard Oriole was a yard guest at a feeder on Old Onandaga Road in Brant County earlier in the week. That's the news for this week. I expect a significant change over the next few days as birds start to move. Report your sightings here! Cheers, 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/
