On Friday, October 7th, 2011, this is the HNC Birding Report: PARASITIC JAEGER
Green-Winged Teal Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Red-breasted Merganser Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Great Egret Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Pectoral Sandpiper Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Common Tern Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Brown Creeper House Wren Winter Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Pine Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Purple Finch Pine Siskin Things have toned down here in Hamilton this week as the mix of birds definitely takes on a more mid fall flavour with some wintery migrants moving in. The beach was a good place to be on the north winds last weekend for those who were patient. Several Jaegers were seen including three adult PARASTIC JAEGERS which passed over the Lakeland Centre early on Saturday morning. Other individuals of this species were reported on both days of the weekend. In addition to these other species noted included Brant (flock of a dozen seen Saturday), Green-winged Teal, Surf and White-winged Scoters in growing numbers, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Osprey, Black-bellied Plover, Sanderling, Bonaparte's and Lesser Black-backed Gull. During periods of inactivity, VanWagners ponds were good for the passerine migration with many birds grounded due to strong winds and intermittent showers. Birds seen on the rail trail included Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-headed Vireo, House and Winter Wren, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's and Hermit Thrush, Nashville, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warbler, Eastern Towhee, a nice fall Grasshopper Sparrow, Song, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Shorebirds are decreasing in numbers but this week on the mudflat at Cootes Paradise two Hudsonian Godwits were seen yesterday along with Black-bellied Plover and Dunlin. The mudflat can be viewed from the marsh boardwalk on the Northshore trails at the Royal Botanical Gardens. At Rattray Marsh a small selection of shorebirds including Solitary and Pectoral Sandpiper were seen. A few Sanderling were seen along the Burlington beach strip last weekend. The hawk migration has been slow this week due to the wrong winds but one day of northwest winds was enough to move a large flight of Turkey Vultures over Olympic Park in Dundas. Other birds seen during this migration included Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon. The local woodlots are still good for rooting around. The mix has changed this week with many of the later migrants showing up in larger numbers and the long-distance migrants clearing out. At Shoreacres in Burlington, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Eastern Towhee, many White-throated Sparrows with a few White-crowned Sparrows mixed in were reported. Similar species were observed at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington and Shell Park in Oakville with the addition of a Fox Sparrow at Sherwood and a grounding of many Swainson's Thrushes at Shell Park. At Rattray Marsh in Mississauga on Tuesday, a scour of this park turned up Eastern Phoebe, Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets in good numbers and good numbers of Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Magnolia, Orange-crowned, Black-and-White, Pine and Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and a late Northern Waterthrush, Purple Finch and Pine Siskins. Offshore were over 400 Red-necked Grebes. In the odds and ends this week, Purple Finches and Pine Siskins were reported in numbers moving through the area earlier in the week so stock those feeders. It's good to check the yard for migrants this time of year. Highlights in south Burlington included Osprey, Bald Eagle, three species of thrush, Bay-breasted and Blackpoll Warbler, White-throated, White-crowned and Chipping Sparrow here in my yard. During the nice weather, take your bins to sit outside or do yard work. Remember to report any late hummingbirds too. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend and enjoy the weather. Please report your sightings. Cheryl Edgecombe Hamilton Naturalists Club _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
