NEOTROPIC CORMORANT WORM-EATING WARBLER PROTHONOTARY WARBLER LARK BUNTING (LATE REPORT)
Red-throated Loon Common Loon Great Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Virginia Rail Sora Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Sanderling Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Common Tern Forster's Tern Eastern Whip-poor-will Ruby-throated Hummingbird Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Common Raven House Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Lapland Longspur Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Golden-winged Warbler Blue-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Common Yellowthroat Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Eastern Towhee Lincoln's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Bobolink Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Pine Siskin Purple Finch Busy is the word here in the HSA. Although numbers aren't great, species diversity is growing and migrants are starting to arrive. In those migrants, several jewels have been found. A NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was once again spotted by the same individual who has had them every year for the last three years from his balcony off Green Road. This one, an immature was seen in a group of Double-crested Cormorants in a feeding frenzy off Fruitland Road and then a couple days later over the Windermere Basin. There is a high probability that this bird roosts at Tollgate Ponds. Those with time and patience should sift through the rubble to find it there. A WORM-EATING WARBLER was a great find at Edgelake Park last weekend. The bird was photographed at the top of a Spruce tree by a lucky individual but the bird was elusive and only seen or heard by a couple people thereafter. A PROTHONOTARY WARBLER makes the rare list as they have been scarce in the last few years in the Hamilton Study Area. The bird was seen from about 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. yesterday but attempts to relocate have come up short today. And a late report of a male LARK BUNTING comes in from Burlington. Sources from Wild Birds Unlimited directed me to the finder who described the bird well as well as its song. Unfortunately the bird only stayed a bit in the afternoon at a feeder in downtown Burlington a week ago Wednesday. Shorebirds are in the news this week with Black-bellied Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper on 5th Road East. At 8th Line and Britannia a first of season Semipalmated Plover made its debut along with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper and Wilson's Snipe. A Sanderling was an early arrival at Van Wagners Beach earlier in the week. The long staying Short-billed Dowitcher remains at Windermere Basin. Perhaps a big highlight this week was the number of Willets seen in the area with a flock of 9 being seen last Sunday at LaSalle Marina. On Monday, two smaller groups were seen along the beach strip and two individuals were seen at Windermere Basin. Another was seen at Bronte Beach. A Pectoral Sandpiper was also first of season for the Windermere Basin. Migrants arriving this week include a Great Egret seen over Confederation Park. Virginia Rail, Sora and Green Heron were seen and heard at the Slote Road Bog on Slote Road near Dundas. Four Green Herons were seen in the Hendrie Valley today. Sandhill Cranes over highway 6 south at the bypass, Forster's Tern at Valley Inn, an Eastern Whip-poor-will calling in Stoney Creek, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds turning up at feeder throughout the area. In the woodlots reported from this week including Fifty Point, Edgelake Park, Confederation Park, Princess Point, Shoreacres Park, Shell Park, Sedgewick Park and Sherwood Forest Park migrants include Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Veery, Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Golden-winged Warbler (Fifty Point), Blue-winged Warbler (Fifty Point), Black-and-white, Nashville, Cape May, Yellow, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Yellow-rumped and Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat (Confederation Park), Northern Parula, Lincoln's Sparrow (Sherwood Forest Park) and Baltimore Orioles were all part of the picture. A Great Crested Flycatcher was seen at Joe Sams Park in Waterdown. Yellow-throated Vireo was back on territory at Princess Point. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were welcome visitors at feeder throughout the area. Bobolinks could be heard tinkling at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery, I am sure that more have returned to traditional nesting sites over the past day. In the odds and sods this week, a number of Red-throated Loons along with Commons were seen from Gray's Road. Black-crowned Night Heron numbers continue to grow with birds reported at Princess Point. Common Tern numbers have skyrocketed with birds at Windermere Basin and all along the western end of the lake. Two Common Ravens were seen over Bronte Creek Provincial Park late week. Lingering migrants in the woodlot include Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren and Hermit Thrush. The large flock of Lapland Longspurs dispersed over the week but a few stragglers were still being seen on 5th Road East as of mid-week. Eastern Towhees were very vocal birds at Shell and Sherwood Forest Parks this week. Rusty Blackbirds were still being seen on 8th Road East, these birds are not always a given here. Lastly, a few Pine Siskins and Purple Finch are being reported at feeders, their numbers should dwindle in the next week unless of course the Siskins decide to stay put and breed. It's exciting times here in the HSA! Report your sightings here. If you take a photo of a bird that you don't recognize, send it along to me and we will try to help you out. You never know what could show up at your feeder or in your local patch. Have a great week. Happy Migration and Happy Mother's Day to the mom birders and birder supporters out there! Cheryl --- 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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