EURASIAN WIGEON AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
SABINE'S GULL POMARINE JAEGER PARASITIC JAEGER Tundra Swan American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel American Coot Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Stilt Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Phalarope sp. Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern Phoebe Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Yellow-rumped Warbler White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch Pine Siskin Another week of wacky south winds makes migration difficult for birds heading south but yet should bring in some vagrants. This week didn't produce any southern specialities but nonetheless some good birds are at the top of the list. A EURASIAN WIGEON was seen last weekend at the back of Mountsberg C.A. off Leslie Street. The bird could not be relocated on Monday due to mist and poor viewing but was found again on Thursday. The bird is likely still out there amongst the hundreds of American Wigeon present there. The west end of the lake did not disappoint on Sunday as POMARINE and PARASITIC JAEGER, SABINE'S GULL and a phalarope sp. were seen on northeast winds. Today a PARASITIC JAEGER was flying close to shore at Sayers' Park. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN made a surprise visit for a couple of days this week at York along the Grand River. Shorebirds are still moving through and this week's hotspot was Princess Point located at the end of Longwood Drive in west Hamilton. Down here this week Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, White-rumped and Pectoral Sandpiper, a great showing of 15 Stilt Sandpipers and Dunlin were present. This is an excellent location as you don't need to squint to try to identify these shorebirds and a scope affords good looks. A look off toward Cootes Paradise yielded several Great Egrets and a Tundra Swan. The Red Hill Stormwater Pond and Windermere Basin have been quiet with only Greater Yellowlegs and Dunlin present. At the back of Mountsberg off Leslie Street again, Stilt and Pectoral Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were seen. This is also an excellent place for ducks. Viewing here and from the other side at the Mountsberg Dam, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe (60) and Horned Grebe and a huge pack of American Coots were all in the mix. Last weekend a hawk flight was recorded over Bronte. Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Red-tailed and Sharp-shinned Hawk were noted. This weekend there should be a major movement when the wind turns again to the north and west. In the odds and sods for the week, all three Scoter Species are present at Sayers Park in Stoney Creek. Two Red-throated Loons were also seen here. Greater Scaup, Common and Red-breasted Merganser, Pied-billed and Horned Grebe were seen at LaSalle today. A total of nine Great Egrets were seen at Valley inn today, one with a blue wing tag. Three Black-crowned Night Herons were also present there earlier in the week. Of note and forgotten last week was the last recorded sighting of Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a yard in Aldershot on October 9th. The local woodlots are quieter now but migrants reported include Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Stock up those feeders, there are multiple reports of Pine Siskins and Purple Finches moving through the area, a nice treat for the yard. Maybe an Evening Grosbeak will pop in for a surprise. I have a good feeling about this weekend as these south winds switch over to north and west. This should send birds moving again. Get out and explore your local woodlots or keep your eye to the sky for Golden Eagles and Goshawks. Report your sightings here!!!! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
