Snow Goose Cackling Goose Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal King Eider Red-breasted Merganser Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Sandhill Crane Killdeer Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Little Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Snowy Owl Eastern Phoebe Northern Shrike Common Raven Tree Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Eastern Bluebird Lapland Longspur Chipping Sparrow Rusty Blackbird
Another week of struggling to find spring here in the Hamilton Study Area has brought in some hardy migrants but at the end of the day WHERE IS SPRING???? Over the past week a number of migrants have forged their way through rising and falling temperatures, icy conditions and then a melt. Birds are backed up in a big way and when the warm temperatures persist the flood gates will open. This week's highlight is not in bold but in the end, it was a spectacular find. A full adult male King Eider was seen on the west side of LaSalle Marina on Tuesday. Stunning photos reveal colours that could not ever be replicated. It was a breath of fresh air to light up the spring but sadly a one and a bit day wonder. The bird was seen briefly on Wednesday east of the marina but flew off and was not found again. Migrants coming into the area this week include a number of species of waterfowl. A Snow Goose has been a casual guest at Windermere Basin earlier in the week with another one seen at Trafalgar and Derry Road. Cackling Geese seem to be migrating through the area in numbers this spring with birds seen at 8th Line and Britannia in Mississauga, Bronte Harbour, LaSalle Marina, Satellite Golf Course up on Centennial and Mud Street and at 5th Road East in Saltfleet. Flocks of Tundra Swans were seen over various places in the Hamilton Study Area throughout the week. In the wet fields in Saltfleet on 3rd Road East, 5th Road East and 10th Road East, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal (5th road east and LaSalle Marina), Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal have been seen in numbers with Canada Geese. Red-necked Grebes were seen off Burloak Park, LaSalle and other areas on the west end of the lake. Killdeer continue to grow in numbers. Wilson's Snipe have come into the traditional flooded field on 5th Road East between Green Mountain and Mud Street. American Woodcock have now been reported in numbers from a few areas, the Pinetum Trail at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Windermere Basin and more than a dozen at the campground at the east side of Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Today two Little Gulls were seen off Bronte Harbour. Swallows were studied from here as well with Tree Swallows gathering in numbers here. Tree Swallows were also seen at Windermere Basin. Eastern Phoebes numbers are increasing with birds seen at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area at the Hawkwatch, 6th Line and Upper Middle in Oakville and at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga. A Chipping Sparrow was a welcome yard guest and first arrival at a feeder in east Oakville. A number of reports of Rusty Blackbirds have come from the Saltfleet area this week mixed in with the ever arriving Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles. Lapland Longspurs were seen and heard rattling over Elm Tree/Kemp Road in Saltfleet last Monday. It's been a mixed bag up at the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch this week. Some days have seen good numbers, some days like today a little more dismal. Over the week, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon have been reported. Turkey Vultures seem to still be the majority of the migrants coming through the area. Of interest were a few Rough-legged Hawks seen in Saltfleet last Sunday sitting as they do on tiny branches at the top of shrubs or trees. Over the course of an hour at least 4 were seen up there. The Dark Western Red-tailed Hawk was a highlight up there last Sunday soaring between 8th and 10th Road East south of Green Mountain Road. Two Golden Eagles were seen migrating over Hilton Falls Conservation Area in North Halton. In the odds and sods this week, other King Eiders were seen off the Burlington Ship Canal and at Bronte Harbour where they have been wintering. A Pied-billed Grebe and Horned Grebe were seen at the Desjardins Canal over the past two days. Other Horned Grebes were present at LaSalle Marina. The Osprey found last week at the City View Motel on York Road near the Hwy 6 interchange on the 403 has been seen regularly. Another was seen off Fifty Road out over the lake. Sandhill Cranes have been reported back at Grass Lake, hard to know how far these birds roamed in the winter so could be in the migrant section of the report. Iceland Gulls have been notable this week with one seen today over the northeast shore of the harbour and two more at Bronte Harbour. While looking at the adult King Eider a keen observer was able to find, Lesser Black-backed, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls sitting on the still frozen west harbour. While listening for Woodcock at Bronte Creek Park, a Snowy Owl flew overhead, a reminder that this is still a transition time. A Snowy Owl was still present mid-week at Bronte Harbour. Common Ravens and Peregrine Falcons are each potentially nesting in the quarry up on 10th Road East north of Green Mountain Road with the Peregrines looking like they are comfortable taking over the old Raven nest from last year. Northern Shrikes were seen on 3rd Road East and at Olympic Arena. A reminder! All shrikes should be looked at this time of year as Loggerhead Shrikes are early migrants. Eastern Bluebirds were seen near the Dundas Peak and out at Glen Morris. A highlight for me this week was coming across a Red-breasted Merganser sitting in the middle of someone's lawn about a block from the lake. Tired from migration or knocked down by something, the bird was not injured but sure looked funny as a lawn ornament. Who knows what could have come in from this southern system. When the weather clears, take a run out to look for migrants. Please send your sightings here! Good birding, 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
