On Friday, May 1st, 2009, this is the HNC Birding report: YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER PRAIRIE WARBLER YELLOW-CREASTED CHAT LARK SPARROW
American Bittern Green Heron Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Virginia Rail Sora Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Upland Sandpiper Dunlin Great Horned Owl Whip-poor-will Ruby-throated Hummingbird Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Tufted Titmouse House Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Blue-winged Warbler Golden-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Lapland Longspur Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rusty Blackbird Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch What a week we have had in the Hamilton Study Area. Migration at its finest and so early. Many of our early dates were blown away this week as migrants arrived on warm winds and a few surprises showed up. On Monday of this week a LARK SPARROW was seen with two Chipping Sparrows on the lawn at Tyneside and Haldimand Road 66. An excellent record for this area, this bird was reported up until Wednesday but could still be there. Anyone seeing this bird please report its status. One observer reported another Lark Sparrow seen later on Monday. It's worth a look to see if there are any more around, please report any additional birds over the weekend. The bird does have quite a range on Tyneside Road being seen mostly at the farm on the northwest corner but has been seen down the road at the first house on the east side of Tyneside. Patience is necessary. Other birds seen at this location include Rough-legged Hawk, Chipping, Vesper and Savannah Sparrows. Down at Ruthven Banding Station a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was banded yesterday, a good record for the HSA. This is probably the best place to see Tufted Titmouse and its worth a visit to check out the facilities. At Lakeside Park last weekend a PRAIRIE WARBLER made an appearance on Saturday, an uncommon migrant for this area. Other birds seen there included Pine, Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Warblers and thrushes have come in with a vengeance this week. It would be impossible for me to include all the sightings I have received unless you would like to read a novel but here are some of the highlights. By the way, all sightings are appreciated and forwarded on to our Noteworthy Bird Records so please keep sending. At Fifty Point Conservation Area last weekend a combination of earlier and late migrants made for good birding. Many locations this week reported large numbers of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Fifty Point was also host to Least Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Black-throated Green, Palm and Pine Warbler. Exiting Fox Sparrow and Purple Finch were also seen. East of here at Confederation Park last Sunday the same mixture was reported with the addition of a Hooded Warbler, always nice to see. LaSalle Park was good yesterday even in rainy conditions. Great Crested Flycatcher, Swainson's and Wood Thrush, Golden-winged, Tennessee and Magnolia Warbler were seen. The Northshore Trails at the RBG Arboretum reported Sandhill Crane, Green Heron, Great Horned Owl, Warbling and Blue-headed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-winged, Yellow-rumped, Nashville, Palm, Black and White, Pine, Black-throated Green Warbler and Common Yellowthroat in addition to White-throated, White-crowned and Field Sparrow earlier in the week. The Dundas Marsh is high but birds reported from here include both Virginia Rail and Sora, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper, Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Yellow Warblers in numbers. Rusty Blackbirds also continue to be seen here. At the Dundas Hydro Ponds, Virginia Rail, Spotted Sandpiper, House Wren and Yellow Warblers were reported here. Around the lake at Shoreacres/Paletta Park in Burlington a number of migrants have been seen in the week including Blue-headed and Warbling Vireo, House Wren, many Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Nashville, Yellow, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, Black-and-White and Chestnut-sided Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, a first year Orchard Oriole and Baltimore Oriole. Nearby at Tuck Creek Ovenbird and Eastern Towhee were additions to the above list. Down at Shell Park, the same mixture in varying numbers with the addition of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Veery. A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was reported there last weekend. For shorebirding around the HSA, the best place appears to be Saltfleet. Up on 5th Road East just south of Powerline road, flooded fields on the west side were a good place for Greater Yellowlegs. On 8th Road East in the flooded field on the east side just south of Ridge and further down on the west side, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper and a single Black-bellied Plover was seen on Wednesday. As expected Upland Sandpipers have returned to 10th Road East with up to 4 individuals being seen at the tracks. A small flock of Lapland Longspurs were still present on 6th Road East south of Green Mountain last weekend. Up in Flamborough on 8th Concession West just west of the Ponderosa Housing Community, American Bittern, Virginia Rail and Sora were all heard last Monday. Close by at the Beverly Swamp a Broad-winged Hawk is exhibiting potential nesting behavior. In the odds and sods, we have had quite a few reports of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks back at the feeders. Eastern Kingbirds have returned to Courtcliffe Park (one was reported record early a couple of weeks ago). Swainson's Thrush was record early in the Sulphur Springs area of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area and at Lakeside Park the same day and reported in several places since. A record early Gray-cheeked Thrush was thrashing around a garden in Brantford. A number of Sandhill Cranes have been seen over Deer Run Court in Brantford possibly signifying breeding evidence in the wetlands around there. A Dunlin was seen at the corner of Hwy 5 and Brock Road last Sunday. A Whip-poor-will was cleverly spotted on the west side of Bronte Creek and Baltimore Orioles, Gray Catbird and Brown Thrasher have returned to the Jerseyville Trail in Ancaster. Things continue to be busy here in the HSA, a small break over the past two days but many more migrants to come. Please report your sightings! Good Birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC Hotline 905-381-0329 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
