On Friday, May 7th, 2010 this is the Hamilton Naturalists Club Birding Report:
WHITE-EYED VIREO YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT Wood Duck Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Red-necked Grebe Least Bittern Great Egret Green Heron Bald Eagle Virginia Rail Sora Sandhill Crane Semipalmated Plover Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Dunlin Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Forster's Tern Ruby-throated Hummingbird Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo House Wren Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Veery Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush Blue-winged Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Louisiana Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat Scarlet Tanager Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole This week has made a significant dent in the Bird Checklist although numbers of migrants are still low and rarities are certainly yet to come. There have been a number of fruitful areas to look for migrants in the Hamilton Study Area. The shoreline properties are always good traps for migrants. Starting from the east, at Rattray Marsh, Blue-headed and Philadelphia Vireo, Nashville, Palm and Yellow Warbler were seen. Several species of shorebirds have been seen here in the week including both Yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, Least and Pectoral Sandpiper. At Lakeside Park at the Oakville/Mississauga border ten species of warbler were recorded last Saturday with Cape May as a highlight. In Oakville, a WHITE-EYED VIREO, a bird not all that common in these parts was seen at the end of Arkendo last Saturday. Blackburnian Warbler was also seen here. At Shell Park in Oakville this week a smattering of migrants including Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Yellow-rumped. Black-throated Green, Palm, Black and White Warbler, American Redstart Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak added to the mix. A first year Orchard Oriole was seen last Saturday on the Sheldon Creek Trail just south of Shell Park. A huge treat this week was the sighting of 11 Willets at the end of this Sheldon Creek Trail flying along the lake last Sunday. The same birds were later seen at Shoreacres in Burlington in the early evening. A highlight at Shoreacres Park in Burlington was the discovery of a YELLOW BREASTED CHAT on Wednesday along the creek. Other highlights here include Warbling Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-White Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Baltimore Oriole. Offshore, Red-necked Grebes continue to be present. It also appears that courtship display is ongoing at Bronte Harbour. At Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek, Great Crested Flycatcher, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, Palm and Black-and-White Warbler and Northern Waterthrush were highlights. Fifty Point Conservation Area was hopping Wednesday and Thursday with highlights including, Least and Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-winged, Nashville, Magnolia, Cape May, Yellow-rumped, Palm and Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Clay-coloured and White-crowned Sparrow. A Least Bittern was seen last Sunday, a nice date for this species. Out at the Dundas Marsh shorebirds are a highlight with Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone, Least, Semipalmated, Pectoral, Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper all being seen on the extensive mudflats here. Wood Duck, Northern Shoveler, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, Great Egret, Green Heron, Bald Eagle, Virginia Rail, Sora, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian, Forsters and Common Tern were also birds recorded in the week. Passerine migrants include Eastern Kingbird, Marsh and House Wren, Warbling Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-White, Palm Warbler, Lincolns, Swamp and White-throated Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak. In the odds and sods this week a Sandhill Crane was seen flying over the 407 and Walker's Line on Tuesday. Two Great Egrets flew past Canada Centre for Inland Waters today. Solitary Sandpipers were also recorded on 5th Concession West and Middletown Road and at the Valley Inn. Louisiana Waterthrush was seen and heard at Spencer Gorge early last week. A Cape May Warbler made an excellent addition to the yard list for birders in East Hamilton this week. The first Ruby-throated Hummingbird for the area was reported yesterday between Guelph Line and Cedar Springs north of Dundas. Bobolinks were heard out in Flamborough this morning. A Wood Thrush gave its Triolay on Middletown Road north of 5th Concession. That's the busy report this week. If I didn't use your sightings, please know that they are all forwarded to the noteworthy bird records, thanks for sending them along. Please keep up the reports, the next three weeks will be very exciting. 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/
