BLUE-HEADED VIREO MARSH WREN RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET GRAY CATBIRD BOHEMIAN WAXWING ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER COMMON YELLOWTHROAT PALM WARBLER WILSON'S WARBLER RUSTY BLACKBIRD EASTERN MEADOWLARK
Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck King Eider Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl Short-eared Owl Belted Kingfisher Northern Flicker Northern Shrike Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Winter Wren Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Yellow-rumped Warbler Fox Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbird Happy New Year to all! As the new year lists start, birders are out digging up the birds from last year and some new ones to give us some flavour. This week's top of the list indicates that the cold intolerant birds were able to make it through the couple of days of below zero temperatures. Starting with the sewage treatment plant north of Arkendo in Mississauga, the BLUE-HEADED VIREO and WILSON'S WARBLER have been showing nicely through the week although the WILSON'S can be a bit of a challenge at times. These birds are consistently seen on the east side of the tanks. Parking is accessed off Armiger Road. Moving west Sedgewick Park has held another BLUE-HEADED VIREO, at least two RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, ORANGE-CROWNED and PALM WARBLER. All have been seen this week in addition to Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren and Yellow-rumped Warbler. In the new department a PALM WARBLER was found at the Dundas Sewage Lagoons located across from the Urquhart Butterfly Gardens on King Road. You can park at the Urquhart Butterfly Garden parking lot across the road, or closer still at the east end of Hunter St. which borders the north side of the STP, accessed by going north on East St. from King St., then turning right on the first road, Hunter St. Also found in this area was a GRAY CATBIRD close to the Desjardins Canal on Olympic Drive where the sumacs border the north side. A MARSH WREN has been an elusive find here but was heard last weekend chattering in the reeds. At Olympic Arena just north of here, a flock of 5 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS have been coming into the seed in the woodlot. These are good birds any time of year but it's been a while since Hamilton has had them in the winter. Other birds seen behind the arena at the feeders include Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Fox, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows. A Northern Harrier was a nice treat here last weekend. A Belted Kingfisher can be heard rattling between here and the canal and the luck folk have Eastern Bluebirds along the hydro lines here. A BOHEMIAN WAXWING was a one day wonder in a flock of Cedar Waxwings at the RBG Arboretum near Raspberry House last weekend. At the edge of the HSA at Erindale Park in Mississauga, a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was seen along the river to the north and east of the large pedestrian bridge. Lastly an EASTERN MEADOWLARK poked its head out of a field on the east side of 10th Road East in Saltfleet. This is a sporadic winter bird in the HSA hence its position at the top of the list. A lovely Rough-legged Hawk was cruising this area and a Northern Shrike is quite often seen around this stretch between Ridge Road and Green Mountain. At dusk a Short-eared Owl can be seen out hunting for patient waiters around the area where the railway tracks are. Waterfowl is always a story here in the HSA in winter. For the new year and for the Duck Count tomorrow here is a rundown. American Wigeon have been seen at Lakeside Park in Mississauga and at the Desjardins Canal. Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck and a Pied-billed Grebe are birds that were found in the Red Hill Creek Outlet seen from the platform at Windermere Basin. A Wood Duck was seen at Shoreacres in Burlington yesterday mixed in with the Mallards. King Eiders are in good supply this week with a female present at the end of Fruitland Road. One was also seen at the end of Glover Road. There were also a few at Jones Road. Red-necked Grebe (possibly 2) were seen off LaSalle Marina last weekend and another one at Bronte yesterday. Tundra Swans seem to be showing up in the area, these have moved late due to the mild winter. Birds have been seen at the west end of the lake, Windermere Basin, LaSalle Marina, along the Northshore islands and at Bronte. In the odds and sods this week, Ruffed Grouse have been visiting a feeder in Flamborough. Wild Turkey were reported from Hwy 56 just north of Binbrook, on Fifty Road just below the escarpment and in the Dundas Valley. With all the open water, Great Blue Herons were seen at Windermere Basin, flying over Fifty Point and at Erindale Park in the week. A good winter bird up near Wellington Road 32 and the 401 is a Red-shouldered Hawk. One has wintered here over the last several years. White-winged Gulls are starting to show up with Iceland Gull at the Burlington Ship Canal, at Princess Point and seen from the Leander Boat Club on the bay. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen and photographed from the Leander Boat Club. A Glaucous Gull flew past Canada Centre for Inland Waters yesterday. Snowy Owls seem to be moving in with one seen near the plaza at Burloak Drive and the QEW. Another bird possibly two have been ranging from Burloak Drive to the Suncor Pier to Bronte Harbour. Two Northern Flickers were seen on the Peachtree Count last weekend, up in the Vinemount Swamp. Eastern Bluebirds seem to be roving the area although hard to pin down. A group of four were seen on Patterson Road a couple of days ago. During the cold snap a small mixed flock of Horned Lark and Snow Buntings had two Lapland Longspurs mixed in near Dyments Farm in Flamborough. Brown-headed Cowbirds are still being seen in flocks of starlings up in Saltfleet although these are hard to find in such a big area. That's the news this week. Please report your sightings here! Cheers, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. 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