FISH CROW
Snow Goose Canada Goose Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Pintail Redhead King Eider Black Scoter Horned Grebe Red=necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Northern Goshawk Rough-legged Hawk Merlin Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Snowy Owl Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse American Crow Snow Bunting Purple Finch Things are looking brighter here in the Hamilton Study area with snow melting, longer days and warmer temperatures. Birds are starting to move around and gulls and ducks are starting to arrive in the area. The rarity of the week was seen up near Milton. Two FISH CROWS were seen and heard calling in a group of American Crows a few times over the mid week. The birds were noticed flying from the woods of Brighton Tract over 6th Line into the Dufferin Aggregates Milton Quarry. There is a large crow roost at Brighton Tract and this area and the quarry may be worth checking. A resident pair of Pileated Woodpeckers are also present here. Waterfowl are moving about now with the fields up in Saltfleet and down in Haldimand looking good for holding migrating waterfowl when the ice finally melts. A Snow Goose was seen yesterday with a large number of Canada Geese along with Northern Pintail and Redheads in a flooded field at 2nd line and Highway 6 in Haldimand. Down at Bronte Harbour, nice sightings this week include American Wigeon, Black Scoter, Red-necked Grebe and up to 3 King Eiders. The King Eiders (2 females and 1 first year male) were seen together on Monday. Yesterday one of the birds were present but the choppy waters may have prevented the others from being spotted. Also seen down at Bronte Harbour were a number of deceased ducks, likely some due to the prescience of the Snowy Owl down on the dock. Along the lake and in the harbour as the ice recedes waterfowl are getting closer to shore and easier to see. Two King Eiders are present in the ship canal at the Lift Bridge. Black Scoter was seen off L.P. Sayers Park in Stoney Creek. The same birds were also seen off Grays Road. A Horned Grebe was seen here as well. Wood Duck was seen at Desjardins Canal. Finally a place to watch is a large corn stubble field at 11th Road East and Ridge Road where last night hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks were gathered late in the afternoon. A Northern Pintail was seen in the group. Last weekend a Snow Goose was seen up in this area on 10th Road East between Ridge and Green Mountain. Snowy Owls continue in the area with many being seen this week. Locations include Bronte Harbour, Suncor Pier, Wyecroft and Burloak (near the Home Depot), 10th Road East between Green Mountain and Mud Street, likely same individual seen on 8th Road East yesterday. A new bird arrived at Guelph Line and the North Service Road in Burlington this week. A bird has returned to Taywood and Appleby Line. One bird was seen near Cayuga crouched in a field near the raceway yesterday. In the odds and sods this week up to 20 Turkey Vultures were seen near the roost on Concession 2 in Orkney. Bald Eagles continue to sit on the ice on the Harbour. An adult flew over the QEW and Waterdown Road yesterday. Several were seen along the Grand River in Haldimand. Also in Haldimand in the fields were Northern Harrier and Rough-legged Hawk. A Merlin was seen at Bronte Harbour yesterday and earlier in the week over New Street near Walkers Line. White-winged Gulls, Thayer's, Iceland and Glaucous Gull were seen at Bronte Beach yesterday. Iceland and Glaucous were seen sitting on the ice in the Harbour. In both locations Ring-billed Gull numbers are building as they move in for the season. Out in the Beverly Swamp, two Northern Goshawks were seen in a tract off Safari Road near Valens. Also seen near here was a Pileated Woodpecker and a Northern Shrike. A pair of Tufted Titmice are coming into the feeders at Ruthven Conservation area. This is an extremely reliable spot for them. Horned Larks are on the move as they gather near road sides up in Saltfleet and down in Haldimand. Down in Haldimand large flocks of Snow Buntings were seen near Cheapside. Purple Finches have visited a feeder on Deer Run Court near Brantford. Time to stock the feeders and these birds may be on the move north. That's the news for this week, please report your sightings. Things are starting to look hopeful here. GO CANADA!!! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC. --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
