On Friday August 10th, 2007, this is the HNC Birding Report: EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
Wood Duck Gadwall American Wigeon Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Osprey Black-bellied Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Bonaparte's Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Great Horned Owl Red-headed Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Willow Flycatcher Great-crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow Warbler Purple Finch Quite a variety of sightings from the HSA this week with the main target still being shorebirds moving through the area. Despite the lack of places to view shorebirds here, a wide diversity was seen. Starting with the Dundas March, a trudge out in steamy conditions last Friday yielded our first Black-bellied Plover of the fall migration. Other birds reported from here this week were Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, Semipalmated, Least and Pectoral Sandpiper, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian and Common Tern. An odd sighting was of a Great Horned Owl flying around the marsh last Friday. Also found in the marsh was a leg band on what appeared to be a Great Egret which had been eaten. Out at the Grimsby Sewage Lagoons, highlights were a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher, a molting adult Semipalmated Sandpiper along with four Least Sandpipers. Also present were Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail and Hooded Mergansers. At the Smithville Sewage Lagoons, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Ducks, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral and Least Sandpiper were seen last Sunday. Another small area located on Hwy 6 at Hewitts Dairy has a potential for something good to drop in here. Last Sunday, Solitary, Semipalmated and Least Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs were found in this small pond. A Cattle Egret was seen here last year on our fall bird count so it pays to keep an eye out in these little nooks and crannies. The Valley Inn also has potential for shorebird habitat now with water levels dropping. Out here this week were Lesser Yellowlegs, Least and Solitary Sandpipers with the report of a pair of Common Shelducks being an odd sighting. These are likely escapees. The Guelph Line storm ponds are presenting the same mixture of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers. At the Windermere Basin accessed off of Eastport Drive at the new parking area, conditions remain dry however in the basin itself shorebirds include Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted and Least Sandpiper. A good variety of ducks can be seen here including Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Green winged Teal, Lesser and Greater Scaup, Canvasback and Bufflehead. A steady east wind blew yesterday and a watch at the beach had good potential for Jaeger activity. Birds seen were Bonaparte's Gull, many Common and Caspian Terns and an Osprey flying down the beach. A couple of distant birds appeared good for Long-tailed Jaeger but distance was a factor in having to "let it go" reluctantly. The lakewatch will gear up soon bringing patient people to the beach for our Hamilton specialties. The EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE continues to be seen at the intersection of Fifty Road and Ridge as of last weekend. The Red-headed Woodpeckers and their young were photographed on 5th Concession West just west of Sheffield Road. A walk down the Northshore Trails produced many Yellow Warblers (which should be on the move soon!), Great-crested, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird and Eastern Wood Pewee. A pair of Purple Finches arrived at a feeder in the 8th Concession West/Beverly Swamp area in Flamborough, likely breeding birds. Thats the scoop from the HSA this week. Things will be picking up with passerine migration starting soon. Please report your sightings to the hotline. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329
