LAUGHING GULL CONNECTICUT WARBLER CERULEAN WARBLER Wood Duck Gadwall Northern Shoveler Redhead Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Red-breasted Merganser Common Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Red-shouldered Hawk American Bittern Least Bittern Virginia Rail Sora Common Gallinule Lesser Yellowlegs Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Dunlin Stilt Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Common Tern Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Common Raven Marsh Wren Swainson's Thrush Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Blue-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Hooded Warbler American Redstart Cape May Warbler Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson's Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Lazuli x Indigo Bunting Bobolink Orchard Oriole
It has been slightly less busy here in the HSA but not by much. Migrants continue to move through, rain showers keep them down but some nights when the skies clear they just pass through and can be heard calling overhead. Migration is certainly not over. At the top of the list today, a LAUGHING GULL was found this morning at Port Credit Harbour and fortunately stuck around all day for those who were brave enough to battle QEW traffic to get there. An excellent find, there is rumour that this bird may have been seen a week ago. However a full blown breeding plumage LAUGHING GULL is something to shout about and chances are it could be there tomorrow given that there were hundreds of gulls and terns feeding in the mouth of the harbour today. Other notables found there were Glaucous Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull. It seems like a Common Tern colony is located on the flat roof of a warehouse east of the harbour. In the woodlots a couple of uncommon warblers have been seen. A CONNECTICUT WARBLER was seen in the northeast corner of Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington yesterday. There was indication that this bird may have been present the night before. At Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek a female CERULEAN WARBLER was seen on a Baillie Birdathon earlier in the week. Another singing CERULEAN WARBLER was heard on 6th Concession West just east of Middletown Road. Of interest this week, a potential Lazuli x Indigo Bunting hybrid was photographed. Frustrating that it was not a pure bred and yet an interesting study on how the mixing of these two species can occur. As is the usual lakeside woodlots seem to be the most active. This week at Sherwood Forest and Shoreacres in Burlington, Princess Point in Hamilton, Confederation Park and Edgelake in Stoney Creek, birds seen here include Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied and Least FLycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested FLycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-throated, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Ovenbird, Tennessee Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackburninan, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Canada and Wilson's Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo and Orchard Oiole. It's still not too late to do a Baillie Birdathon so if you need help in the waterfowl department, Hamilton can bump up your list significantly. Birds seen at Windermere Basin include Wood Duck, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Greater and Lesser Scaup. White-winged Scoters were seen from Fifty Road. Long-tailed Ducks can be seen sprinkled along the west end of Lake Ontario. A Bufflehead was present of West Street in Oakville today. Red-breasted Merganser in good numbers were seen from Shoreacres in Burlington. Long-tailed Ducks continue to be seen around at various places around the west end of the lake. Common Loons are present still out on the lake off Bronte. Horned Grebes were seen off Burloak Park. The tire set up there is home and nest to Red-necked Grebes now. A good place to visit for marsh birds seems to be the Safari Road Wetland on Safari Road just east of Kirkwall Road. Here this week were American and Least Bittern, Virginia Rail, Sora, Common Gallinule and Marsh Wren. Shorebirds are in the news this week. Habitat is hit and miss here in the Hamilton Study Area. Excess water is making traditional areas such as the Red Hill Stormwater Pond and Windermere Basin uninhabitable although a few Dunlin, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Semipalmated Sandpiper have found a bit of shoreline to hide on. A great find this week was of two Stilt Sandpipers on Highway 6 just south of Caledonia near Haldimand Road 5. A flooded field on the east side of Hwy 6 provides excellent habitat for shorebirds to drop in. Least Sandpipers were also seen in this location. One of my highlights this time of year, is seeing and hearing skeins of Whimbrel migrate through the area. Although most travel east of here with favourable winds they hit the Hamilton Study area. Yesterday a flock of around 150 birds flew over the Suncor Pier. Today, a sizable flock was seen at Port Credit along with flocks of Dunlin, a Semipalmated Sandpiper and Rudy Turnstone. At Burloak Park, an attempt to get Whimbrel this morning fell short but three flocks of Dunlin flew by east to west along the water. A Lesser Yellowlegs was also seen at the flooded field on 5th Road East in Saltfleet. In the odds and sods this week, an interesting sighting was a Red-shouldered Hawk on Walker's Line up toward Rattlesnake Point soaring with a few Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures, a possible nester. A Black-billed Cuckoo was seen east of Highway 6 on Oneida 2nd Line near Hagersville. Common Nighthawks were noted in Dundas and at Garth & Fennell in Hamilton. Chimney Swifts were seen at Walker's Line and New Street. At the Fletcher Creek Preserve in north Flamborough, Common Raven, Blue-winged Warbler and Grasshopper Sparrow were noted. Alder Flycatchers are back on territory on 8th Concession West at Westover and at the Millgrove Loam Pits. Marsh Wrens are numerous at the loam pits located west of Moffat Road on 5th Concession West. Grasshopper Sparrows are singing on 6th road east just west of Westover despite the clearing under the hydro wires. Clay-colored Sparrow was heard near 6h Concession West and Valens. Bobolinks seem to be doing well with many birds seen on Concession 9 south of Highland up on the mountain and South Grimsby Road 15 south of Mud. To end, just to show you that you don't have to travel far to bird, four Bobolinks made a nice addition to a yard list on 1st Side Road between Guelph and Cedar Springs Road in the week. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrush, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning Warbler, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warbler were new yard birds at the residence near New Street and Tipperary. There is still lots to look around for, get out and scour the local patch. Rarities are turning up! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! 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