YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON MARBLED GODWIT BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE SUMMER TANAGER
Common Loon Great Egret Black-crowned Night-Heron Broad-winged Hawk Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Dunlin Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Great Black-backed Gull Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Willow FLycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested FLycatcher Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo House Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Golden-winged Warbler Tennessee Warbler Northern Paula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Prairie Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Bobolink Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch It has been a very busy couple of weeks in the Hamilton Study Area. Rarities continue to pop up and it's that time of year when anything can happen. In the rarity department, the YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON in Cambridge was last reported on August 16th. The one at Windermere basin appears to have departed before then. A good find on Thursday was a MARBLED GODWIT at Tollgate Pond which continued on today. Shorebirding at this location has been very productive although a scope is definitely needed to see the birds along the shore here. At this location this week Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot (last Saturday), Sanderling, Semipalmated, Least, White-rumped, Baird's Sandpiper (up to 4 a couple days ago and 3 today), Short-billed Dowitcher and today 2 Red-necked Phalaropes. This is the time of year when people and birds flock to Van Wagner's Beach on east winds. Last Monday did not disappoint as on east winds a 1st Summer going into 2nd Basic BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was seen. Another juvenile BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was photographed on a rock near the high level bridge on the bay the same day. A distant Jaeger was seen, a probably Long-tailed Jaeger judging by the flight style. Also seen were a few Bonaparte's Gulls and a Common Loon. Passerine migration has been huge this week with a SUMMER TANAGER being seen mid-week at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area near their headquarters. The bird was not relocated but was last seen on private property. Returning to shorebirds, Windermere Basin has had a decline in numbers of shorebirds, likely due to higher waters. Today Black-bellied Plover (2 adults), Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, Least and White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, and Short-billed Dowitcher were seen. Two days ago a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper was present. Another location for shorebirds is along Eastport Drive on the Northshore islands. This week, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers and an early Dunlin were seen on Wednesday. Woodland Cemetery has been the place to be this week for passerine migrants. Last weekend a Golden-winged Warbler was seen near Section 25 and yesterday a beautiful male Prairie Warbler was found in the morning and refound in the afternoon. Warblers were everywhere there this week along with other species of migrants. Birds reported from here this week include Black-billed Cuckoo, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied, Traill's, Willow and Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian (in numbers), Bay-breasted, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning and Canada Warbler, Bobolink(flyover) and Baltimore Oriole. Joe Sam's Park in Waterdown also is a great place to bird with similar species being seen to Woodland and along the River and Ruins trail near Lowville, Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Chestnut-sided, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Wilson's Warbler and Bobolink were recorded. In the odds and sods, hawk migration has started with a trickle of Broad-winged Hawks moving this week. A couple of Peregrine Falcons flew high over Woodland today, their preference is to migrate on south winds. Great Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons continue to come into roost at Caroll's Point seen at dusk on the high level bridge. Up to 32 Great Egrets were seen here this week. This is an excellent place to check for a wayward heron. Common Nighthawks can be seen at time in migration with birds being reported from Brantford earlier in the week and nine from Dundas last night. A juvenile Purple Finch was an unexpected yard guest at a feeder in Caledonia last week and in St. George this week, a good reminder for us to think about feeding during migration. That's the news this week, please send your sightings along. If I have forgotten any, I do send everything along to our noteworthy bird records. Get out to your local patch, this is an exciting time of year. Cheryl Edgecombe HNC. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. 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