Tundra Swan Red-throated Loon
American Bittern Great Egret Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Merlin Virginia Rail American Coot Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Hudsonian Godwit Semipalmated Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Bonaparte`s Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Common Raven Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Swainson`s Thrush Hermit Thrush Orange crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Lincoln`s Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rusty Blackbird The weather has been a bit uncooperative for migration this week with south and west winds dominating for most of the week. The tide will turn though tomorrow as northwest winds will push migrants through and perhaps bring forth a vagrant that has been pushed in with the wild weather we have had this week. There were no rarities for the week but there have been some good finds through the week as people scour the local haunts. A good find this week was a Hudsonian Godwit in Cootes Paradise. Visible by scope from Princess Point, the bird was present over the Thanksgiving weekend and may still be out there. At the same viewing, seven Tundra Swans were early migrants and nineteen Great Egrets were seen flying out from a roost. A Common Tern was also seen flying around. There is mud out at the end of Cootes but currently there are no good access points in which to view it. The Windermere Basin has been good for shorebirds again this week. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, White-rumped and Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin and an extremely late Short-billed Dowitcher persisted through the week. A large group of Bonaparte's Gulls made a circle around the basin mid-week and on the same day an American Bittern was flushed from the basin, a good find for this time of year. Other shorebirds reported were two Dunlin at Valley Inn and a couple of Dunlin at the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons. There was a small hawk flight in the week as winds shifted to the northwest late Wednesday afternoon. Kettles of Turkey Vultures, four Bald Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Merlin were seen over the high level bridge. There should be a movement of raptors tomorrow with winds from the northwest. The lakeshore properties were good for migrants this week with late migrants filtering through and then stalled with the south winds. Today at Confederation Park, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Lincoln`s Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow were seen. In the odds and sods this week, Red-throated Loons were seen flying from Fifty Road. A gathering of over 60 American Coots was seen at Bayfront Park mid-week. Another juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull was photographed at VanWagners Beach. This one seems different than previous birds there. Bonaparte`s gulls were seen here as well. A Common Raven was a good new yard bird in south Oakville. Earlier in the summer there were reports of Common Raven in the area so perhaps they nested some place here. Two more Common Ravens were seen over Carlisle. A late Swainson`s Thrush was present in this birders yard in south Burlington earlier in the week. Down at LaSalle Park, Nashville, Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers were of note. Rusty Blackbirds seem to be on the move now with several reports throughout the area. Seems quiet for now but I predict change is in the air with snow forecast for areas to the north. Be on the lookout for vagrants in your local patches. 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 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
