BARROW'S GOLDENEYE EASTERN PHOEBE FIELD SPARROW RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET WILSON'S WARBLER
Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan Northern Pintail Ruffed Grouse Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Common Loon Turkey Vulture Golden Eagle Bald Eagle Snowy Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Shrike Hermit Thrush Brown Creeper Winter Wren Eastern Bluebird Snow Bunting Chipping Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbird Fairly quiet times here in the HSA but its winter and it's to be expected. Excitement came and went this week as a new sighting of GRAY PARTRIDGE was found on Paris Plains Church road in Brant count midweek only to be dashed the next morning by someone releasing birds into the field. This species is now considered extirpated in the HSA unless this population could get going and sustain itself at some point. There were a few good birds around. The female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was seen again at the end of Grays Road last week. There have been no reports this week but perhaps nobody was looking. A great find was an EASTERN PHOEBE at Courtcliffe Park in Carlisle. The bird has not been reported since it was found last Thursday but the weather turned cold and any open water would have frozen up so this bird may be hard to find. A FIELD SPARROW was found with a flock of Tree Sparrows on 5th Road East at the SW corner of the Vinemount Swamp on January 15th. Lastly our wintering WILSONS WARBLER and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET duo is doing well at Sedgewick Park in Oakville, being seen around the tanks and the woods on the east side. In the odds and sods this week, Cackling Geese were seen amongst the hundreds of Canada Geese down at Bronte Beach yesterday. One was seen over the South Service Road near Fifty Point yesterday as well. Tundra Swans made a move during the warm air week before last and a group of 8 birds were seen on 8th Road East in Saltfleet for a few days. The male Northern Pintail was seen at LaSalle Marina yesterday. A Ruffed Grouse made a very nice addition to a yard list on Monday on Middletown Rd 1 mile south of Hwy 8. Iceland and Glaucous Gulls can be found in the Harbour. A good place to look is Pier 4 park in Hamilton. An adult and juvenile Glaucous gull were seen on the Hamilton side of the ship canal. A single Turkey Vulture was seen over the 403 just before Hwy 6 on Sunday. A Golden Eagle was a nice sighting at Glen Morris Rail Trail Parking lot on Monday. An adult Bald Eagle was circling over the QEW last Sunday at the junction to Niagara. One or possibly two Snowy Owls have showed up around Bronte Harbour/Suncor Pier in Oakville. A single Short-eared Owl made an appearance on 10th Road East at the tracks along the Dofasco trail. A Northern Shrike is back wintering here and another is still present at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery. Birds seen along with the Wilsons and Ruby-crowned at Sedgewick include Hermit Thrush, Brown Creeper and Winter Wren. Another Winter Wren was seen at LaSalle Park yesterday. The number of Bluebirds has decreased at Gates of Heaven Cemetery but can still be found. Horned Larks and Snow Buntings seem to be arriving with flocks seen on Fallsview Road near Dyments farm and along Glen Morris Road. A wintering Chipping Sparrow is still coming into seed at Woodland Cemetery and lastly two male Brown-headed Cowbirds were also seen along Fallsview Road. That's the news for this past two weeks. Please send along your sightings along to keep us going till spring. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
