PIPING PLOVER WILLET CONNECTICUT WARBLER RED CROSSBILL Red-throated Loon Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Common Tern Forster's Tern Yellow-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern woo-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Swainson's Thrush Black-and-White Warbler, Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler American Redstart Northern Paula Magnolia Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson's Warbler Clay-colored Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Indigo Bunting Bobolink Eastern Meadowlark Orchard Oriole
One of the final bursts of spring migration occurred yesterday after the north winds turned around south and we are at the tail end of long reports! This week there have been a number of great birds that have showed up. Last Friday, shortly after putting out the report a PIPING PLOVER was found at Windermere Basin. The ghostly bird moved in and out of sight all afternoon and then was seen briefly the next morning but then spooked when a young peregrine found the breakfast buffet scattering most of the birds there. Today a late WILLET was seen on the pier at the west end of Bronte Pier in Oakville. Yesterday amongst a cornucopia of migrants a female CONNECTICUT WARBLER was found at Shoreacres in the same location as the Acadian Flycatcher was seen earlier this spring. A number of migrants were with it with all of them being gone today. Finally the RED CROSSBILLS were seen at the east end of Confederation Park feeding on some deciduous seeds. They keep a low profile though and are only seen sporadically. There has been a good variety of lingering migrants this week mixing with breeding birds. Birds reported along the lakeshore properties at the west end of the lake include Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Alder, Willow and Least Flycatcher, Yellow-throated, Blue-headed and Philadelphia Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Black-and-White, Nashville, Mourning, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, Pine, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Canada and Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart and Northern Parula. Shorebirds are worthy news still. Windermere Basin, despite the dives by the Peregrine, continues to be a place of rest for a variety of species. Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated, Least and White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitcher were all seen this week. Along the end of the lake during east winds on Tuesday, American Golden Plover and Whimbrel were seen along with some of the above species at Lakeland. Forsters and Common Terns were also present. Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Dunlin were seen on the islands off Eastport Drive. In the odds and sods, Red-throated Loons were seen from Van Wagner's Beach and Sayers Park this week. Common Loons continue to migrate from here as well. Red-necked Grebes are on eggs at Bronte Harbour and Burloak Park. The Bald Eagles are growing and visible on the nest down at Cootes Paradise. Broad-winged Hawk was seen flying over Bronte Woods last weekend. Yellow-billed Cuckoo along with Indigo Bunting, Eastern Meadowlark and Bobolinks were seen in Bronte Creek west today. Yellow-billed Cuckoos were also seen at Rock Chapel. Common Nighthawks were reported from the Devil's Punch Bowl on the mountain and over Grimsby yesterday. Hooded Warblers are back nesting at Sudden Tract. A good place for sparrows is City View Park in Burlington at the corner of Dundas and Kerns Road. Here Clay-colored and Vesper Sparrows are seen regularly. A pair of Orchard Orioles was seen at Saddington Park in Mississauga while on a Whimbrel watch earlier in the week. Lastly Pine Siskin was reported in Brantford, perhaps a migrant or a potential nester. That's the news this week. There are a few rarities popping up in the province. Migration isn't over yet. 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/
