[Ontbirds] Tundra Swans etc. Grand Bend area
Hi all, Tuesday 10/03 - 6 Tundra Swans - hugging far S edge of flooded area on S side of Greenway Rd - quite windy. Wednesday 11/03 - ~120 Tundra Swans - mostly in same area with many back in the 'reeds' so hard to count accurately - winds gusting to 70+ kph. Thursday 12/03 - over 500, possibly close to 1,000 but again mostly at a distance with best viewing from River Road south of Greenway Rd looking east top the extensively flooded areas, mostly frozen over to-day. I would NOT advise trying to drive closer to them from here, nor down Hagmier due to very soft muddy conditions(even with to-days colder temps). Also this afternoon - 1 Killdeer along main ditch at east edge of flooded area south of Greenway and 1 ad. Northern Shrike on north side of Greenway Rd. Lots of Horned Lark everywhere and several sp. of other waterfowl but not great numbers - did see 12 male and 6 female Common Merganser in the Ausable outlet to the lake in Grand Bend. Of note I had a very early House Wren checking out each of the 4 brush piles in my back yard last Sunday - 08/03, but have not seen it since. They nested here the last 2 summers, but this has to be a month or more early(?). Cheers! Maris Directions - Greenway Rd runs east off Hwy#21 near Lambton County Museum(almost opposite Pinery P.P. entrance. River Road is 1st driveable road east of #21, running south of Greenway Rd Maris Apse 10094 Red Pine Road, Box 22, RR #2 Grand Bend ON N0M 1T0 (519) 238 - 8415 _ Reunite with the people closest to you, chat face to face with Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9650736___ 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/
[Ontbirds] Snow and Ross's Geese at Pelee
Further to Dean Wares post of this, what was presumably the same group of "white" geese (plus a few more individuals with a grand total of 256 birds) were flying over the Marsh Boardwalk early this morning. They appeared to have flushed from one of the ponds in the marsh (possibly West Cranberry) around 9 am and circled over the tower before turning north towards Hillman Marsh. This was a truly amazing sight for the Pelee area. One has to remember only a few decades ago when the status of both these species was dramatically different. I was able to get a number of images of the birds in flight which are on my blog (including comparisons of Ross's and Snow). The link is below. Good birding. Tom G Tom Hince RR 1, 21298 Harbour Road Wheatley, ON N0P 2P0 Canada home: (519) 825-9070 mobile: (519) 981-5994 E mail: pelee...@netcore.ca Web: www.netcore.ca/~peleetom/webdoc11.htm NEW: Toms blog: http://tomhince.blogspot.com ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] Kingston area birds to Marcgh 13, 2009
The Gyrfalcon, first seen on March 3rd, hasn't been reported since Tuesday when it was sighted on Garden Island just to the west of the ferry channel to Wolfe Island. The weather has not yet turned mild so it would still feel right at home although the windstorm on Wednesday might have taken it to parts unknown. Nevertheless it has been a good week for falcons; there was a Merlin on Amherst on Saturday and 4 Am. Kestrels on Sunday. The resident Peregrine was seen near downtown Kingston this afternoon. Other raptors included a Cooper's Hawk and a Bald Eagle at Bedford Mills and another eagle at Chaffey's Lock. There were still some owls on Amherst last weekend; 5 Snowy, 8 N. Saw-whet and a Barred. Spring is trying to arrive. Canada Geese have moved inland; the cornfields are bare but the marshes are frozen solid. Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles are widespread but not yet in huge numbers. Feeders remain busy with lots of Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins (numbers are down but they still outnumber everything else). Purple Finches seem to be a bit more abundant. Waterfowl numbers are increasing; there were 2000 Greater Scaup off Amherst on Sunday and a Snow Goose was also seen. There was some open water in the Cataraqui River and that attracted 6 Ring-necked Ducks on Monday and a pair of Am. Wigeon on Tuesday. Trumpeter Swans were tallied in Westport, at Chaffey's and Davis Lock. Other migrants of note included our second Turkey Vulture of the year at Bedford Mills on Sunday and the first Killdeer, on Amherst, also on Sunday. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] Addendum to Presqu'ile Birding Report.
A very cooperative male Black Scoter was consorting with a pair of Redheads at the calf pasture on March 7. -- -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0 VOICE: (613) 475 5309 If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] TUNDRA SWANS AT AYLMER ONT. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
Subject: Tundra swans at Aylmer Ont Wildlife area. Date: Mar 12, 2009, 11.00 A.M. Jim Dunn Hi Birders: Today about 150 Tundra Swans showed up at the Aylmer Wildlife Management Area and another 200-300 in a flooded field at the south west corner of Imperial Rd. & John Wise Line south of Aylmer. Also at Hawk Cliff, there were many large flocks of swans flying west over Lake Erie. At Pt. Stanley lagoons... 2 Male Bufflehead ducks 1 Male Gadwall duck 2 Common Mergansers 4 Ringnecked ducks 4 Mallard ducks Many Canada Geese, Herring Gulls and Redwing Blackbirds The Aylmer Wildlife Management Area is located at the back of the Ontario Police College. Exit 401 @ exit 203 Imperial Rd. south to Ron McNeil Line, turn east towards Springfield, Turn south on Hacienda rd. to the South side of the Police College. There is an access rd. at the extreme south boundry of the College property. Follow to the viewing area. Google 42.80034,-80.94200 John Wise Line & Imperial Rd... Follow Imperial Rd south thru town of Aylmer to John Wise Line (3rd rd.) Google 42.72480,-80.99064 Port Stanley lagoons are on Scotch Rd. northwest of Port Stanley Google 42.67923,-81.24140 Hawk Cliff is on Lake Erie, first rd. east of Port Stanley on Dexter Line Google 42.67448,-81.16913 Jim Dunn St. Thomas On. jamesed...@sympatico.ca ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] Presqu'ile Birding Report for Week Ending March 12, 2009.
At Presqu'ile Provincial Park this week, in anticipation of the Waterfowl Viewing Festival on the next two weekends, all eyes have been on the location of the ice margin in Presqu'ile Bay, which is where the bulk of the waterfowl are concentrated. With southerly winds predicted for Friday afternoon and evening, there may well be an influx of both water birds and land birds this coming weekend. The most recent sighting of a Trumpeter Swan, an adult, was on March 8 in Presqu'ile Bay with the ubiquitous Mute Swans. Several species of dabbling ducks have arrived, including Wood Ducks (two on March 7 and five on March 8), Gadwalls (first seen on March 7 and up to fifteen on most subsequent days), American Wigeons (maximum of four), and Northern Pintails (first seen on March 7 and 8 - five on each day). Ring-necked Ducks and Hooded Mergansers are also being seen in small numbers almost every day now. One or two White-winged Scoters have been spotted in Presqu'ile Bay from time to time. Two sightings of a Horned Grebe (March 7 and 12, at the government dock and at the calf pasture, respectively) were both earlier than the previous earliest spring arrival at Presqu'ile. There were two sightings in the past week of the Cooper's Hawk that has been patrolling Bayshore Road for some weeks. A single American Coot was in Presqu'ile Bay on March 7 and 8 and may still be there but beyond the range of spotting scopes. The first American Woodcock of the season should be among the next new arrivals. A Glaucous Gull was on the ice of Presqu'ile Bay on March 9. The Snowy Owl seen near Owen Point may be a different bird from the one that has been seen repeatedly as recently as March 10 on the ice of Presqu'ile Bay. A Northern Shrike was seen on March 7. A Brown-headed Cowbird appeared at 186 Bayshore Road on March 12. Hoary Redpolls in one's and two's have been at that address every day this month. Their appearance is sporadic, the redpoll flock is very flighty, and patience is required if one expects to see one of them. To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton. Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid that is available at the Park gate. Access to the offshore islands is restricted at this time of year to prevent disturbance to the colonial nesting birds there. Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be directed to: fhellei...@trentu.ca. -- -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0 VOICE: (613) 475 5309 If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] HSR: Beamer Conservation Area (12 Mar 2009) 89 Raptors
Beamer Conservation Area Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 12, 2009 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 23 29 29 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 2 8 8 Northern Harrier 1 4 4 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 5 5 Cooper's Hawk1 7 7 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 2 Broad-winged Hawk0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 56155155 Rough-legged Hawk3 7 7 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 0 0 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter0 1 1 Unknown Buteo0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 4 4 Total: 89222222 -- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter:Sandy Darling Observers:Barry Cherriere, Linda Cherriere Visitors: Barry and Linda Cherriere Weather: Generally sunny with variable cloud cover; cold from -5 to 0 C Raptor Observations: At 4:10 p.m. Buteos and Eagles were still coming through at high elevations Non-raptor Observations: 15 Tundra Swans Predictions: Activity continued throughout afternoon, and the clear weather should mean that there are birds in the pipeline Report submitted by Sandy Darling () Beamer Conservation Area, Grimsby, ON information may be found at: http://www.hwcn.org/link/niaghawk/ Site Description: The hawk migration at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area is conducted by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch (NPH). The counting is all done by volunteers. Not all members are counters nor does a counter have to be a member. Typically one person is the designated counter for each day but other observers present assist with the spotting and identification. Counting is done from a steel observation tower with a wooden floor. For wind protection on the cold days of March, a black plastic wind guard is installed around the towers platform. This platform easily accommodates ten people but on most busy days, no more than five or six observers would be on it. The site lies within a publically accessible property owned by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. There is no charge for admittance. The tower stands in the centre of a mowed area with a gravel ring road near the outer edge. This provides lots of room to park vehicles (along the road) and set up lawn chairs, telescopes and cameras. Toilet facilities are present. During the counting season, the NPH erect a counting board to display the days observations for the public. The box enclosing the sign contains brochures and silhouette sheets for the public as well as bulletin boards with news and historical sighting records. Directions to site: To get to Beamer CA, take the QEW to Exit 72, follow Christie St./Mountain St. to the top of the escarpment, turn right on Ridge Road West, and go 1.6km to Quarry Rd. Turn right on Quarry Rd. and drive 100m to the conservation area. Parking is normally available inside the park. If parking at the entrance or on the roads, do NOT leave valuables in your car. Please note: Data in this report is not official until reviewed and finalized after the end of the season. © 2008 Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] WNY Dial-a-Bird 12 Mar 2009
- RBA * New York * Buffalo * 03/12/2009 * NYBU0903.12 - Birds mentioned - Please phone in rare sightings for update Submit email to dfsuggs localnet com Thank you, David - GREAT EGRET SNOWY OWL Wood Duck Green-winged Teal American Black Duck Mallard Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Gadwall American Wigeon Redhead Ring-necked Duck Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Rough-legged Hawk Killdeer Iceland Gull L. Black-b. Gull Eastern Screech-Owl Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Short-eared Owl Yellow-b. Sapsucker Pileated Woodpecker Horned Lark Common Raven Eastern Bluebird Northern Shrike White-w. Crossbill Common Redpoll Pine Siskin - Transcript Hotline: Dial-a-Bird at the Buffalo Museum of Science Date: 03/12/2009 Number: 716-896-1271 To Report:Same Compiler: David F. Suggs (dfsuggs at localnet com) Coverage: Western New York and adjacent Ontario Website: www.BOSBirding.org Thursday, March 12, 2009 Dial-a-Bird is a service provided by your Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Press (2) to leave a message, (3) for updates, meeting and field trip information and (4) for instructions on how to report sightings. To contact the Science Museum, call 896-5200. Highlights of reports received March 5 through March 12 from the Niagara Frontier Region include GREAT EGRET, SNOWY OWL and waterfowl. March 9 at the Hamburg Hawkwatch, a very early GREAT EGRET. Well ahead of the previous first arrival in the archives - March 20, 1976. The Hamburg Hawkwatch is located in Lakeside Memorial Park, on Camp Road in the Town of Hamburg. Visitors are welcome at the daily watch, weather permitting. A BOS field trip on March 8 reported 5 owl species. SNOWY OWL at the Niagara Falls Airport, seen from the Calspan parking lot east of the terminal. Two BARRED OWLS at Bond Lake Park in the Town of Lewiston. GREAT HORNED OWL at Davis State Park, also in Lewiston. Two or 3 SHORT-EARED OWLS on Meahl Road in the Town of Cambria. And, an EASTERN SCREECH- OWL, heard calling from inside a tree cavity in the Town of Porter. Also on the trip, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at the Niagara Falls Airport, YELLOW-B. SAPSUCKER and PILEATED WOODPECKER at Bond Lake Park, and HORNED LARKS at several locations. Waterfowl arriving in the Iroquois Refuge and Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area this week included WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, MALLARD, NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK and HOODED MERGANSER. Also in the Tonwanda Area, REDHEAD, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE and COMMON MERGANSER. At Cayuga Pool on Route 77, a pair of BALD EAGLES at the nest, 3 sub-adult BALD EAGLES over the pool, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Casey Road and Chestnut Ridge Road. At Dunkirk Harbor, the arrival of 22 NORTHERN PINTAILS, and over 1500 GREATER SCAUP still in the harbor. And in the Town of Elma, 21 HOODED MERGANSERS. Of note, not one SNOW GOOSE reported in Western New York, while tens of thousands pass through the Finger Lakes in Central New York. KILLDEER were widely heard and seen this week. TURKEY VULTURES and blackbirds also at many locations. Two reports of COMMON REDPOLLS on Grand Island this week. 25 at Buckhorn Island State Park, and 18 at a feeder on the island. PINE SISKINS - 34 in a Silver Creek yard, and a small flock of PINE SISKINS with a single female WHITE-W. CROSSBILL in East Aurora. A dozen WHITE-W. CROSSBILLS feeding on the ground on Stone Road near Sunset Drive in the Town of Lockport, and 3 WHITE-W. CROSSBILLS on Rice Road in Elma. Also in Elma, 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at the Blossom Road bridge. Other reports - In the Cattaraugus County Town of Dayton, COMMON RAVEN and 3 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. And, at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, 5 ICELAND GULLS and one L. BLACK-B. GULL. Dial-a-Bird will be updated Thursday evening, March 19. Please call in your sightings by noon Thursday. You may report sightings after the tone. Thank you for calling and reporting to Dial-a-Bird. - End Transcript ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] 44 Ross' Geese- Hillman Marsh
Birders, Today another 22 Ross' Geese stopped by at Hillman Marsh for a total of 44. other Geese 198 Snow Geese 2 Greater white fronted Geese 2 Cackling Geese Dean Ware Wheatley ON. peleeisbir...@hotmail.com _ More than messages–check out the rest of the Windows Live™. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowslive/___ 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/
[Ontbirds] Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending March 12, 2009
WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING Thursday, March 12, 2009 The weather some days may beg to disagree, but at least a few species of birds seem to be under the impression that spring has arrived. The season's first KILLDEER appeared on the west side of Trenton yesterday, and COMMON GRACKLES arrived across the region on March 8th, seemingly overnight. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS have also increased in numbers with upwards of 30 at some feeders, and even higher numbers in flocks elsewhere. Four females, likely individuals that had wintered somewhere, were at a feeder on Fry Road yesterday. Five HOODED MERGANSERS seen March 7th in the Glenora Ferry Channel, although representing an early date, were likely spring migrants. CEDAR WAXWINGS at Prince Edward Point on Sunday numbered 350, and smaller groups of 40 at Fry Road, 25 west of Albury and a dozen at South Bay were other sightings. CANADA GEESE are starting to move around and at an estimated 1,000 made an impressive pass down the Bay of Quinte from Carrying Place this past week. a small open spot along Belleville's Bayshore Trail attracted the attention of 50 MALLARDS during the week who wait patiently for conditions to improve in the Bay of Quinte. Any ice not securely anchored surely moved out in yesterday's gale force winds. One stalwart observer checked out the action in Prince Edward Bay in the Kaiser Crossroad area yesterday as wind rocked her car and a roiling sea of whitecaps sent icy spume flying through the air. Through it all, she found both GREAT and LESSER SCAUPS, COMMON GOLDENEYES and LONG-TAILED DUCKS. Four days earlier, under much calmer conditions, there were 2,500 CANADA GEESE here along with 18,000 GREATER SCAUP, and smaller numbers of COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER, BUFFLEHEAD, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, RING-NECKED DUCKS and about 100 REDHEADS. Also present were 15 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, 9 MUTE SWANS, 4 TUNDRA SWANS, 6 GADWALL and singles of AMERICAN WIGEON and NORTHERN PINTAIL. Another observer the same day found the same numbers along with a couple WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. The headwaters of the Outlet River opened quickly this spring, and most species are some distance out from a prime observation area at the Glendon Green boat launch off County Road 18. MUTE SWANS there have numbered 20 or more, and a couple of TRUMPETER SWANS that were too far out to reveal their numbered tags clearly, have also been seen in with the usual species typical for that area. While yesterday's wind would seem to have improved conditions at Wellington Harbour, the opposite was true yesterday with nary a bird in sight. Water is opening up around the Norris Whitney Bridge between Rossmore and Belleville, and 10 COMMON MERGANSERS have moved in. An injured MUTE SWAN in the Trent River that has spent the entire winter near the train bridge, has disappeared to better hunting grounds now that the ice has disappeared from the river. Meanwhile, despite the arrival of spring migrants and waterfowl, winter continues at feeders across the region. COMMON REDPOLLS now number 150 at a feeder east of Lake on the Mountain, and with them, 3 HOARY REDPOLLS. Two HOARY REDPOLLS are also at a feeder not far from there along County Road 7. Eighty COMMON REPOLLS are still at feeders at 2800 County Road 1 where there are also so 40 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS. There are 50 COMMON REDPOLLS still at a Belleville feeder, and some 50 or more at 23 Sprague Road where at least 30 PINE SISKINS were also present all week. A BROWN CREEPER that showed up in a backyard along Harmony Road in late February is still in the area, and 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS make occasional appearances at a feeder at South Bay. Over 50 finches, comprising PURPLE and HOUSE FINCHES, PINE SISKINS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and COMMON REDPOLLS are gorging on niger seed at an Allisonville feeder. PILEATED WOODPECKERS have been heard calling on Harmony Road in Thurlow, and others were noted elsewhere this week in the Quinte area. An AMERICAN KESTREL is still fairly dependable along County Road 2 in the Allisonville to Wellington area, and HORNED LARKS were noted yesterday fighting the wind as they fed along County Road 2. Still a hundred or so WILD TURKEYS being seen along County Road 10 in the Ridge Road to Cherry Valley stretch of highway, and 30 were seen along County Road 14 west of Demorestville yesterday. A dozen or so continue to enjoy conversation chatter in a deciduous woods west of Sprague Road most mornings. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Robert Pinilla, Angela Mantle, Pamela Stagg, Kathleen Rankine, Janet Foster, Louisa Ielo, Rosemary Kent, Russ Williams, Fiona King, Jess Chambers, Nancy Smits, Ron Weir, Nancy Fox, Frank Artes & Carolyn Barnes, Doris Lane, Suzanne Pierson, Mia Lane, Mike Burge & Kathy Felkar, John Charlto
[Ontbirds] Hamilton Naturalists Club Birding Report - Thursday, March 12th, 2009
On Thursday, March 12th, 2009 this is the HNC Birding Report: Snow Goose Ross's Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Killdeer Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Snowy Owl Northern Shrike Horned Lark Tree Swallow Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll Pine Siskin Its been a little quieter this week with wintery weather returning today to the Hamilton Study Area. Things do however look up as warmer weather this weekend encourage early migrants to continue to slowly infiltrate the area. Waterfowl and blackbirds are the first to arrive here. The rains this week have made the fields in Saltfleet and in Flamborough nice and muddy, an attraction to waterfowl migrating through. Yesterday a flock of 15 Snow Geese and 2 Ross's Geese were seen in a flooded corn field near the Rockton Berry Farm on Hwy 8 , north of Peter's corner in Flamborough. Tundra Swans were also noted on Orkney Road near Highway 5 and near Seaton Road between Safari and Highway 8. A flock of 26 flew over Clappison's Corners yesterday and a flock was also seen at LaSalle Marina. Earlier in the week, flocks of Tundra Swans were seen at LaSalle and over Dundas. Up in Salfleet on 8th Road East, 11 American Wigeon, a Wood Duck and a Northern Pintail were seen in the fields on Tuesday. Many of the fields on 5th road East, 8th Road East and 10th Road East will be prime spots for migrating ducks, geese and swans. Also in Saltfleet a Snowy Owl still continues to be seen sporadically in the Mud Street and 6th Road East area. Along the sides of the road and fields Horned Larks continue to move through. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer has been quiet this week. More favourable conditions appear to be coming on the weekend. Two Turkey Vultures were seen over the escarpment battling the winds. Yesterday, a few Bald Eagles moved through, one Turkey Vulture, several Killdeer and a probable Tree Swallow, one of our earliest records. Down at LaSalle Marina, in addition to the Tundra Swans, American Wigeon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebes (in increasing numbers), Green-winged Teal, Glaucous and a second year Lesser Black-backed Gull were highlights in the week. Out at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga at the end of Bexhill Drive, a flock of Wood Ducks touched down on the lake and an overwintering Ruby-crowned Kinglet was also noted last weekend. Blackbirds in the form of Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle and Brown-headed Cowbird have been reported at numerous places and in increasing numbers this week. Look for Rusty and Brewer's Blackbirds sneaking in amongst them. Winter finches seem to be travelling north with the mix changing. Common Redpolls with a Hoary Redpoll in the mix were reported from Saddington Park in Mississauga this week. Pine Siskin numbers seem to be decreasing although they are being reported at feeders throughout the HSA. Purple Finch are still present at the RBG Arboretum and several flocks of White-winged Crossbills were seen in the week at various places. There was a notation of a White-winged Crossbill skulking around in the evergreens in downtown core of Burlington and other reports of single birds in possible nesting activity. Any further sightings are most appreciated since these birds could possibly be nesting in this area already. In the odds and sods, Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Brown Creeper were spotted at Shoreacres, possibly migrants. A Red-shouldered Hawk was seen at Spencer Gorge and a Northern Shrike was seen at the orchard on Harvester and Cumberland. That's the news for this week. Keep listening out for those American Woodcock sure to arrive soon. 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/
