EASTERN PHOEBE BOHEMIAN WAXWING HARRIS'S SPARROW Snow Goose Cackling Goose Wood Duck American Wigeon Ring-necked Pheasant Wild Turkey Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Rough-legged Hawk Killdeer Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Barred Owl Horned Lark Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Winter Wren Eastern Bluebird Brown Thrasher Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbirds Eastern Meadowlark Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll
Thursday marked the end of the winter listing period and it's been a great season here in the Hamilton Study area. Highlights included Barn Swallow Swainson's Thrush, Eastern Phoebe, Bay-breasted, Nashville, Orange-crowned and Cape May Warbler and to cap it off a Harris's Sparrow. That's just the mega winter rarities, there were alot of good birds to make the list this year. Of the birds that were exceptional this week, the EASTERN PHOEBE made several appearances in the Hendrie Valley on the trail leading from Unsworth Road in Burlington. Although elusive sometimes, the bird was seen daily between the first and second bridges. A flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen on York Road about 500 m south of Hwy 6 Thursday. Another flock of 60 Bohemian Waxwings was seen on the north side of HWY 8 just east of McLean road earlier in the week. The HARRIS'S SPARROW was seen again at 6547 Ellis Road in Cambridge throughout the week. The bird has been favouring feeding under the Spruces instead of coming to the feeders. In the new arrivals department a Killdeer was heard at Great Lakes Blvd and Rebecca on Thursday. An unfortunate casualty was an AMERCIAN WOODCOCK found by the side of the road yesterday on 10th Road East in Saltfleet. Down in the south of the Hamilton Study Area, a quick boot around last Saturday yielded flocks of Wild Turkey in several locations, a Turkey Vulture near Taquanyah Conservation Area, Northern Harrier and Rough-legged Hawks in several locations, Eastern Bluebirds were seen on Townline Road and Tufted Titmouse at the feeders at Ruthven Historic Park. Up on 10th Road East in Saltfleet, last day attempts to bump up the winter list yielded a male Ring-necked Pheasant across from house number 627, Northern Harriers cruising the field, several Horned Larks, four White-crowned Sparrows at the feeder on 10th at Ridge Road and four Eastern Meadowlarks near the tracks on 10th Road East. Waterfowl are starting to move about. A white-morph Snow Goose was found at Burloak Park on Tuesday and reseen Friday at Bronte Harbour. Cackling Geese were seen on the east side of Bronte Harbour last weekend and yesterday near Bronte Beach. A male Wood Duck continued at LaSalle Marina for most of the week and three were seen on the Desjardins Canal on Tuesday. American Wigeon are also still present in the Desjardins Canal. In the odds and sods this week, an immature Iceland Gull was seen in front of Canada Centre for Inland Waters Wednesday. Another adult bird was hunkered down behind the pier at the canal Wednesday with a number of Herring Gulls. You can see down at Tollgate Ponds and at Bronte Harbour that Ring-billed Gulls have arrived. Two Barred Owls were seen in Bronte Provincial Park East perched not too far from one another near Parking Lot A. Horned Lark, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs in dwindling numbers have been seen at Dyments Farm on Sydenham Road this week. Close by a Rough-legged Hawk was seen cruising the field. Two Tufted Titmice on the Grand River slope behind the Bell Homestead along Tutela Heights Road in Brantford, earlier in the previous week a Brown Thrasher was seen poking around here. A Brown Creeper was seen in a yard in South Burlington and another at Ruthven. Winter Wrens were seen in numbers in the Hendrie Valley at the Phoebe spot off Unsworth Ave in Burlington this week. Up to three were seen with one in full song. Also seen along the path were Song and Swamp Sparrows. Brown-headed Cowbirds were seen at several locations this week at feeders in Dundas, Saltfleet and South Haldimand. No sign of other Blackbird species yet although I expect soon. On Monday a Hoary Redpoll was seen in a group of 200 Common Redpoll at Peters Corners in Flamborough. Another was seen again at a feeder near Rock Chapel. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Conservation Area in Grimsby has started up again. They are still looking for counters and its always worth a visit when conditions are good. If you are interested in counting, I can put you in touch with the organizers, email me privately. Soon the warmer temperatures will bring us new birds, so hang in there. Keep me posted on your sightings! Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC. _______________________________________________ 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/
