On Thursday, November 9th, 2006 this is the HNC Birding Report: BRANT LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE EASTERN KINGBIRD LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE WHITE-EYED VIREO VARIED THRUSH YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER BAY-BREASTED WARBLER AMERICAN REDSTART NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW
Green-winged Teal Shoveler Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle Rough-legged Hawk Sora American Coot Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Dunlin American Woodcock Bonaparte's Gull Pomarine Jaeger Northern Saw-whet Owl Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Tree Swallow Winter Wren Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Black-throated Blue Warbler Common Yellowthroat Pine Warbler American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Rusty Blackbird Common Grackle Purple Finch The Hamilton Naturalists Club Fall Bird Count was November 5th and what a day it was. Great conditions, calm (i.e. no trees falling on us like last year) and great birds. Probably the best bird of the week didn't make an appearance on Sunday but was seen on Saturday, a late EASTERN KINGBIRD. This bird has not been reported since Saturday. However, equally as good the YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was seen and photographed last Sunday at the little parkette at the base of Shell Pier. Drop dead looks at it on Saturday as it gleaned insects off the rocks in the corner at the base of the pier. Also seen on Sunday with it was a late BAY-BREASTED WARBLER a really nice addition to the count. Other great birds included a VARIED THRUSH (male) seen on the Dofasco Trail between 2nd and 3rd Road East, a CATTLE EGRET which landed in the pond north of Hewitt's Dairy near Hagersville at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday and a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was reported from Binbrook Conservation Area. All of these seem to be one day wonders but nonetheless great additions to a record count. Lots of other highlights on Sunday. In the Dundas Marsh, 2 NELSON'S SHARP TAILED SPARROWS, a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were highlights for this counter (especially after making 5 pilgrimages out to see those *&(*)&*( Sparrows with no success). Other birds seen here were Green-winged Teal, Common Goldeneye, Shoveler, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle (reported again today), Rough-legged Hawk, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Bonaparte's Gull, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Common Yellowthroat, American Tree Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird (too many!), Rusty Blackbird, and Common Grackle. Other odds & sods reported in were WHITE-EYED VIREO along the beach canal, SORA in the maintenance yard off of Lakeshore Road, a late AMERICAN REDSTART at Middletown Road just south of 6th Concession, GREEN HERON at Taquanyah Conservation Area in the South end of the HSA, HARLEQUIN DUCK off of West River Road in Bronte, and a Purple Finch was seen at Woodland Cemetery. House Wren and Ring-necked Pheasant were seen at undetermined locations but excellent birds for the count for our area. Tree Swallows were seen in the southern end of the Hamilton Study area, no Cave Swallows like last year! Two BRANT were viewed off of Bayshore Park in Hamilton. Black-bellied and American Golden Plover at VanWagners Beach and Pomarine Jaeger also along this shore. Good numbers of all three scoters were seen on Sunday on the Lakeshore. On Saturday, a Northern Saw-Whet Owl was seen at Fifty Point Conservation Area and during the week Red-throated Loon and a Pomarine Jaeger were seen offshore from here. At LaSalle Marina today a lone BRANT was seen on the west side. Other reports from here in the week include Pied-billed Grebe, a female Black-throated Blue Warbler and a Pileated Woodpecker. Finally, three Sandhill Cranes were reported from the Cayuga area near the Grand River, an excellent species to watch for in the next couple of weeks and a Pine Warbler seen today at the Hydro Ponds. That's the news for the week. Keep reporting you sightings, late dates are of interest to everyone! Good birding! Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
