[Ontbirds] Summary of the 2014 H.C.B.C (subject to minor changes)
Hello, The weather for the bird count this year couldn’t have been better, mild temperatures, with a low of 0.6 C to a high of 8.3 C and little breezy at times from the west. It was crisp under foot early on, but soon turned soft as the conditions warmed up. Lakes and ponds were ice free, and water courses ran freely. Alas good weather doesn’t always mean good birding, as many complained that birds were hard to find or missing in action. The highlight this year would be the Palm Warbler that hung around at least until Boxing Day and brought our total species seen on the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count since records began to 199. The number of species seen this year was 99, the 10 year average being 101. The total number of individual birds counted was 43,439, the 10 year average being 64,741. We had record counts for the following species…….Turkey Vulture 2 - old record 1 Black Scoter 87 - old record 30 American Coot 186 - old record 167 Carolina Wren 50 second highest count, (record 52) There were above average counts for the following species - 10 year average count in brackets. Common Loon 5 (3), American Wigeon 2 (1), Northern Shoveler 227 (89), Green-winged Teal 27 (20) , Hooded Merganser 139 (71), Northern Harrier 4 (2), Wild Turkey 76 (48), Ring-billed Gull 1876 (1533), Herring Gull 2266 (1592), Glaucous Gull 14 (12), Great Black-backed Gull 343 (114), Belted Kingfisher 8 (6), Red-bellied Woodpecker 78 (50), Hairy Woodpecker 88 (73), Common Raven 2 (1), White-breasted Nuthatch 241 (208), Gold-crowned Kinglet 49 (41), Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 (2), Swamp Sparrow 6 (5). The following species mirrored their exact 10 year average………..Great Blue Heron 9, Merlin 3, Peregrine Falcon 4, Pomarine Jaeger 1, Great-horned Owl 6, Long-eared Owl 1, Tufted Titmouse 1, Winter Wren 17, Fox Sparrow 1. Other interesting finds…..Eastern Towhee, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe. The jury is out on how many Bald eagles there were on Boxing Day, as there were 15 reported, but I’m sure the same birds were seen in many count areas. We know that at least 4 were seen in the air at one time by one group of counters. We had low counts for the following speciesMallard 2,777 (4601), Mallard x Black Duck 2 (17), Northern Pintail 2 (13), Canvasback 84 (206), Redhead 11 (25), Ring-necked Duck 38 (70), Greater Scaup 3,429 (5,128), Lesser Scaup 182 (1006), Long-tailed Duck 5,115 (8,009), Surf Scoter 54 (92), Common Goldeneye 1,364 (2,290), Red-breasted Merganser 148 (314), Ruddy Duck 39 (530), American Kestrel 5 (14), Iceland Gull 2 (8), Rock Pigeon 1,443 (1,968), Mourning Dove 574 (1,235), Northern Flicker 4 (8), Blue Jay 280 (376), American Crow 749 (878), Horned Lark 2 (18), Black-capped Chickadee 1,119 (1,674), Red-breasted Nuthatch 34 (42), Eastern Bluebird 10 (26), European starling 8,339 (11, 043), Cedar Waxwing 75 (357), American Tree Sparrow 289 (681), Song Sparrow12 (32), White-crowned Sparrow 2 (14), Dark-eyed Junco 708 (1,222), Northern Cardinal 406 (546), Red-winged Blackbird 2 (7), Brown-headed Cowbird 8 (15), House Finch 419 (479), Pine Siskin 31 (46), American Goldfinch 480 (881), House Sparrow 1, 293 (2,065). Count Week birds………Harlequin Duck, Snowy Owl, and Marsh Wren. A full report will follow with the full species counts and the list of participants. Many thanks to all the participants, and have a great birding New YearT. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - 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
[Ontbirds] Summary of the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
Hello, This is the summary of the 2013 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count, held on Boxing Day December 26th. 99 enthusiastic birders set off in great anticipation, either to count birds in the field, or watch birds coming to they're feeder. Some were out in the very early hours listening for owls. Temperatures ranged from -4 to -1, with only a slight breeze. The day began with light snow falling, but by mid morning the snow trailed off, and the sun peaked through. Most ponds were ice covered, and the western end of the harbor was ice covered in a line from the Ship Canal to Stelco. Trails were icy and slick from the remnants of the ice storm on the weekend of December 21st. and food sources, Buckthorn, Multiflora rose hips, and even Staghorn Sumac were covered in a thick layer of ice. The total species count is 99, but this could change pending the confirmation of a certain species. The 10 year average for species totals is 101. The number of individual birds counted is 51,989. The 10 year average for individual birds counted is 67,228. Weather always plays a part in any bird count, and the 2013 count was affected by the icy conditions in the bay, and local ponds. Sometimes this brings in more birds to feeders, and it certainly brought in Bald Eagles, much earlier than usual, and were seen in numbers sitting on the ice in the bay. We had record counts for Black-crowned Night Heron with 11 counted, the old record was 10 in 1991. Bald Eagle with 11 counted, the old record was 9 in 2008. Merlin with 5 counted, the old record was 4 in 2012. Lesser Black-backed Gull with 4 equals the record count for this species. Red-bellied Woodpecker with 83 counted, the old record was 82. Fox Sparrow with 4 counted would be a record, but I need more information on this sighting. As you can imagine with the icy conditions, we had low counts across the board for waterfowl, but the following species were well represented...Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Trumpeter Swan, and Red-breasted Merganser. It was an above average year for Raptors, with good counts for Red-tailed Hawks, and Rough-legged Hawks, but the count for American Kestrels again showed the marked decline in this species as we only counted 5, which is near the all time low count. Gull numbers were down, except for the previous stated Lesser Black-backed gull, and Greater Black-backed Gull, with 354 counted, with the 10 year average being 85. Birds on the comeback, after years of decline.Blue Jay, European Starling, Winter wren (2nd highest count). There were above average counts for Snow Buntings and Brown -headed Cowbirds, but overall passerine numbers were below average, with hardly any Winter Finches, which was expected due to the good food supply in the north. Red breasted Nuthatch numbers were surprisingly low, with only 9 counted, with the ten year average for this species being 49. Count week birds so far. Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, King Eider, and Orange-crowned Warbler. Due to the severity of the ice storm, I probably missed some calls from willing participants. If I failed to contact you, I apologize and hope we can get together next time around. The full report with all the species and numbers will follow shortly. My sincere thanks to all those that graciously volunteered their time for this fun and worthy causeT. -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Hamilton Birders email group. To post to this group, send email to hamiltonbi...@googlegroups.com To reply to the group, click Reply-all. To reply to the individual who wrote the email, click Reply. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to hamiltonbirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hamiltonbirds?hl=en?hl=en ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - 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
[Ontbirds] O.F.O. Hamilton/Burlington field trip Oct. 5th. 2013
Hello, A large group of enthusiastic birders (40+) showed up at Hutches' On The Beach, for what turned out to be a pretty good day of birding. Conditions were overcast, mild, and a good east wind was blowing in from the lake. We counted a conservative estimate of 84 species, but not everyone saw every species, as some of the group elected to stay at the beach where the birding was as good as it's been in the history of field trips that I have led to this area. An adult Gannet, all three Jaeger species as well as a Black-legged Kittiwake, Forster's Tern, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Loon, and a Red-necked Phalarope were some of the highlights. For those members who wanted to join in the hike around Hutches' Ponds, the Windermere Basin, and nearby Confederation Park, some of the more notable species werePeregrine Falcon, Merlin and American Kestrel, Dark eyed Junco, Purple Finch, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, Eastern Phoebe, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Northern Parula, Black-throated Blue (f) Black-throated Green, Palm, Blackpoll, and Yellow-rumped Warblers were spotted. At Windermere Basin, the only shorebird here were a single Killdeer, and a couple of Dunlin. Duck species..Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, American Widgeon, and a couple of Pied-billed Grebes. Later in the day we saw three Yellowlegs (sp) flying over Confederation Park. Some members took the drive into Hamilton / Cootes Paradise, in search of the American White Pelican that's been around most of the week, they managed to find it, and also saw their first American Tree Sparrows of the season. Overall it was a most enjoyable day, and I hope everyone had as much enjoyment as I did. Cheers...T. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - 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
[Ontbirds] (no subject)
Hello, This is the summary (unofficial) of the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count held on December 26th. 2012. Counters in the field including bird feeder watchers totaled 103. Weather on the day was dominated by strong easterly winds and a temperature of a steady -2 C. with intermittent light snow showers, and the Hamilton area was on the cusp of its first Winter storm. Lakes, ponds and creeks were ice free, and there was a little crunch underfoot on the trails as the overnight frost had taken its grip. At the lake, conditions were probably as bad as they have been in many years with winds gusting up to 50 k, and waves in the 6ft. range, making it very difficult to identify and count birds that were always in motion. Almost everyone commented on the winds affecting the number of birds seen. The final results reflected this, with a total number of birds counted, a low 37,445. The 10 year average for number of birds counted is 73,334. The number of individual species counted was 99 with the 10 year average for individual species counted being 101. We added three new species to the count list, Pacific Loon, Sandhill Crane, and Barn Swallow. They say one swallow does not a Summer make, but two Barn Swallows certainly make a Winter. We had record counts of Black-crowned Night Herons (10) equals previous record Cackling Goose (4) old record (2) Northern Shovellor (285) old record (179) Hooded Merganser (157) old record (70) Merlin (4) old record (2) Wild Turkey (93) old record (66) Black-legged Kittiwake (2) old record (1) Northern Saw-whet Owl (2) equals previous record Common Raven (4) old record (3) We had higher than the 10 year average counts for the following species- Common Loon, Great Blue Heron, Gadwall, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, American Coot, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Great Black-backed Gull, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Wren, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll, and Pine Siskin. We had low counts, and for some species, numbers were down by 50% or more for- Northern Pintail, Redhead, Greater Scaup, Long Tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Herring Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucus Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Eastern Screech Owl, Downey Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker (1), Northern Shrike (1), Blue Jay, American Crow, Back-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, American Tree Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Snow Bunting(1), Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch and House Sparrow. Misses were - Swamp Sparrow, Wood Duck, Red-throated Loon, Horned Lark, Hermit Thrush, and Evening Grosbeak. Count week birds included - Snow Goose, Wood Duck, Rough-legged Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, Horned Lark, Bohemian Waxwing, White-winged Crossbill, and Evening Grosbeak. A full report with all the numbers and participants will be made available soon. Many thanks to all the counters, you did a great job in tough conditions. Cheers..Tom Thomas. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] 2012 O.F.O. Hamilton/Burlington field trip.
Hello, Approximately 30 plus birders arrived at Hutch's On The Beach for what was to prove a chilly but exiting day of birding in the Hamilton/Burlington area. A fairly strong wind was blowing off shore, and the lake was calm, and other than the usual Ring-billed Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants, the only other bird seen on the lake was a Pie-billed Grebe. The shoreline was bouncing with birds however, mainly Yellow-rumped Warblers, and White-throated Sparrows, but things got a little more interesting when we crossed over the road at Barangas. A couple here were looking for a bird they had flushed, and as more people arrived, it flushed again, and this bird turned out to be a Laconte's Sparrow, a life bird for many in the group. Other birds seen here and the ponds behind Hutches, were Pine and Blackpoll Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Greater Yellowlegs, and Pectoral Sandpipers. I learned later that at least two birders had seen a Mourning Warbler, but it didn't get through to the majority at the time. I also noticed on the check list that someone reported a Yellow warbler here as well, this is getting late for this species, so I'm not sure if I should include this bird in our species total, maybe the person can email me privately to confirm this sighting. Our next stop was at Windermere Basin. Windermere Basin is a work in progress at the moment, and it's going to be great when it's finished, and plants start to grow in, but right now you have to view the birds from a great distance to a background that's quite cryptic. It would be great if they built a bridge across the creek , and allowed birders to walk around the new wetlands, right now you could compare it to someone building a zoo, but you could only view the animals from the car park. It was quite windy here so it was difficult to hold your bins and scope steady, never the less we had great views of a pair of Peregrine Falcons hunting, and then coming to rest on one of the man made islands. Other birds seen here were Golden and Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal, and American Kestrel. After lunch at Hutch's, the majority of birders that were left, wanted to try for the Nelson's Sparrow, so off we went to visit the Dundas Marshes. On the trail we had Winter Wren, Swainson's Thrush, Lincoln's Sparrow, and Palm Warbler. Upon reaching the area that has been reliable for seeing Nelson's Sparrow, we saw many Swamp Sparrows popping out of the cattails, but after a while they seemed to move out, and miraculously replaced by Nelson's Sparrows. Everyone in the group had great looks at this species, as they were flitting back and forth in front of us. If you stayed in one spot eventually a bird would land in front of you. I know there were at least three birds and as many as six, and from the views that some of the birders got, the word I heard to describe it was 'orgasmic', but what Japanese paper folding had to do with birds I don't know. Whilst looking for the Nelson's Sparrow, we had good looks at a pair of adult Bald Eagles, and a Merlin. Not satisfied with the days birding yet we left for LaSalle Park. It was quite birdy here, and we added Brown Creeper, Red-necked Grebe, American Coot, Greater Scaup, Blue-headed Vireo, Nashville, Pine, Blackpoll and Orange -crowned Warblers, and Hermit Thrush. Thanks to everyone who made the day so enjoyable, and to Cody Law for keeping score. Our final tally was 87 give or take, and we failed to identify a small group of flying shorebirds at Windermere Basin, as they never did land to give us the chance. Best Regards.Tom. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] American White Pelican near Sky Lake on the Bruce P.
From: Tom Thomas [mailto:ttho...@cogeco.ca] Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2012 7:54 PM Subject: American White Pelican near Sky Lake on the Bruce P. Hello, I'm not sure if the O.F.O. members field trip to the Bruce Peninsula this weekend was able to see this bird, but it was soaring high over Red Bay Road just west of Sky Lake on Friday June 15th. The bird looked to be in high breeding plumage, with the keel on the upper bill very much in evidence. My apologies for the late report, but this is my first chance to post. Cheers..T. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] FW: Hamilton C.B.C. results
From: Tom Thomas [mailto:ttho...@cogeco.ca] Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 10:40 AM To: 'Tom Thomas' Subject: FW: Hamilton C.B.C. results Hello, The Hamilton C.B.C. took place on Boxing Day December 26th 2011. A perfect day for counting birds if not for the stiff 20 k. northerly wind , with temperatures varying from a low of plus 1, to a high of plus 6. Skies were cloudy at first, but by mid morning the sun broke through for the rest of the day. The rivers and large bodies of water were ice free, with perhaps a thin covering of ice on some of the smaller ponds. We had a large number of participants 89, most of these were counting birds in the field , whilst others counted birds at their birdfeeders. This year (2011), the 90th anniversary of the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count, we broke the record for the number of species counted. The old record was 104, but we broke that by 1 to give us a new record total of 105. The total birds counted were 77,877, not far off our current 10 year average of 80,348 We added three species never seen previously on our Boxing Day count Franklin's Gull, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Unfortunately the Black-throated Gray Warbler previously seen at Bayfront Park, was not seen on the day. As we all know now, it has recently reappeared. We had new count records for the following species.Common Loon 9 old record 6 American Wigeon 10 6 Northern Shoveler 179 134 Canvasback 1,073 393 Lesser Black-backed Gull 43 We equaled the record for Eastern Bluebird with 52 counted, and Fox Sparrow with a count of 2. There were low numbers for many species, far too many to mention here, but Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Black Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Common Merganser, American Kestrel, Wild Turkey, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Pileated Woodpecker, American Crow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Tree Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Snow Bunting, Common Redpoll, and Pine Siskin numbers were approximately 50% below the current 10 year average. Count week birds were.. Black-throated Gray Warbler, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Killdeer. Best Regards...Tom Thomas. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] O.F.O. Hamilton/Burlington 2011 field trip report
From: Tom Thomas [mailto:ttho...@cogeco.ca] Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2011 8:17 PM T Subject: O.F.O. Hamilton/Burlington 2011 field trip report Hello, On Saturday October 8th 2011, 23 avid birders met at Hutches on the Beach Strip, on what was a perfect day to look for birds. I have found from experience, that perfect days don't always mean that there are lots of birds around. I did some scouting mid week, and there were lots of birds to be found, but by Friday most of these birds had left, and on Saturday morning we had to really search hard with meager results. The lake was as calm as a mill pond, and the winds if any, were not favorable to blow in any of the rarer species. Having said all that, we did however find some nice birds. On the trails behind Hutches' we saw Black-throated Blue, Common-yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Rusty Blackbird, Trails Flycatcher, Field sparrow, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. A trip out to the Windermere Basin ( there is some extensive rehabilitation work going on here, and there is no longer a large pond for waterfowl ) was good for Black-bellied Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper. Other species found here were, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, Northern Mockingbird, and Horned Lark. After lunch most of the group wanted to check out the Dundas Marsh, which proved to be a good decision. Here we found Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Marsh Wren, Swamp Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow ( a few of the sparrows showed well, and most of the group had good looks at what was a life bird for some of them ), Hudsonian Godwit, and a soaring Goshawk. In total we had 75 species, which I would have jumped at, before the trip started. Here is the final species tally for the members who participated...Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy woodpecker, Trails Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Horned Lark, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, Golden and Ruby -crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Black-throated Blue and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Field, Nelson's, Song, Swamp, White-throated, and White-crowned Sparrows, Northern Cardinal, Red-wing Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, and House Sparrow. I would like to thank Anthony Miller for keeping score, Barry Cherriere for pointing out the shorebirds at the Windermere Basin, and to all those who turned out for the field trip, and hopefully had a good time. Cheers...T. ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] Results of the 2010 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
- Original Message - From: Tom Thomas Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 9:21 PM Subject: [hamiltonbirds] Results of the 2010 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count Hello, On Boxing Day December 26th. 2010, a total of 57,194 individual birds and 98 species were recorded by 80 observers, in the field, and at birdfeeders. Weather conditions on the day..North east winds, at times gusting to 20k. Temperatures ranged from a low of -7, rising to -5 by mid afternoon. The skies were overcast for the most part, with the sun trying to break out late in the day. The ground was snow covered, smaller ponds were frozen, and creeks were partly frozen over. The weather always plays a part in the bird count, and this year proved no exception. Strong winds at the lake, with 5ft. waves, made it very difficult to count and identify diving ducks, therefore the count in this area was well below average. We had new records for Trumpeter Swan - 193 Old record 184 Cooper's Hawk - 23 20 Wild Turkey - 66 59 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 8160 Bohemian Waxwing- 422 Cedar Waxwing -1,1361,030 Hooded Merganser - 70 equals previous record Orange-crowned Warbler - 1 equals previous record. There were low counts for - Green winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Mourning Dove, American Crow, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Redpoll, American Goldfinch and House Sparrow. Species missed - Red-throated and Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, King Eider, Iceland Gull, Glaucus Gull, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Highlights - Pomarine Jaeger, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Bohemian Waxwing. Count Week birds - Turkey Vulture, Northern Goshawk, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Pine Grosbeak. Many thanks to all who took part in the count, and to those that reported birds for count week. Best regards.T. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Hamilton Birders email group. To post to this group, send email to hamiltonbi...@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to hamiltonbirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hamiltonbirds?hl=en?hl=en ___ 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/
[Ontbirds] O.F.O's field trip to the Hamilton/Burlington area
Hello, For the 40 or so members that showed up at Van Wagner's Beach on a picture perfect Saturday morning, it was a question of quantity of birds over quality. The winds were perfect for Jaeger watching, but unfortunately we were looking into the early morning sun, and all the bird activity was on the far horizon. We did manage to pick out a number of Bonaparte's Gulls, and flocks of Long-tailed Ducks however. Walking along the Waterfront Trail, we saw many Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers, Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-crowned, White-throated, and Chipping Sparrows. The ponds and trails behind Hutches were good for Hermit Thrush, Eastern Phoebe, Least Flycatcher, Orange-crowned, Black-throated Blue, and Nashville Warblers, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and perhaps a hundred or more Juvenile White-crowned Sparrows, I suspect the ratio of adults to juveniles was about a hundred to one in favor of the juveniles. The timing of our walk on the trail behind Hutches was fortunate for one particular bird. A sharp eyed birder spotted something in a bed of Burdock. On further investigation we found a Golden-crowned Kinglet with its wings and breast feathers totally snagged. The bird was still alive, although it looked like it was exhausted, and ready to give up, we gently untangled it, and it flew a couple of yards into some nearby Goldenrod, where hopefully it can quietly recover. After lunch we took a trip to the Windermere Basin, to look for ducks and shorebirds, there was lots to look at here, but a scope is a must to identify the distant shorebirds and the large mix of waterfowl. Some of the highlights here were a late Barn Swallow, and an Orange-crowned Warbler that popped up and sat for a while on some Goldenrod, giving us great looks. From the Windermere Basin we backtracked to Confederation Park, where this year the birding was less than stellar, but we did add an Eastern Wood Pewee, and Wood Duck to the tally. There were just a couple of birders left when we decided to check out the lake in a last effort to see a Jaeger. Fortunately for us Cheryl Edgecombe was looking at two distant jaegers as we arrived at the Lakeland viewing area. We both agreed that these were more than likely Parasitic Jaegers, as this is the species that goes after gulls in a big way, and this is what these two birds were doing. At the end of the day we counted a total of 78 species, which is a pretty good effort when the birding gets tough. List of Species...Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Ruddy Duck, and Common Loon. Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron. Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon. American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin. Bonaparte's Gull, Great-Black-backed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, and Herring Gull. Parasitic Jaeger. Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker. Easter Wood Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe. Blue-headed Vireo. Blue Jay, American Crow. Barn Swallow. Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher. European Starling, Cedar Waxwing. Orange-crowned, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Nashville and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Eastern Towhee, Chipping, Field, Fox, Song, Swamp, White-throated, White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco. Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Goldfinch, and House Sparrow. I would like to thank everybody who took the time to make this trip so enjoyable, and I hope to see you next year. Cheers..T. ___ 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] Hamilton CBC
The 88th Hamilton C.B.C. was held Saturday December 26th 2009. There were 66 participants including birdfeeder watchers. Temperatures on the day ranged from a morning low of +1 and by late afternoon it had climbed to +4. Overnight and early morning rain put a dent in the owling activity, and held back a few of the early starters. We recorded a total of 98 species, slightly above the 10 year average count of 96. The total number of birds counted was 76,396. The ten year average count is 72,599. The highlights this year were: Two Brant - equaling the previous record of two. A pair of Common Ravens. Good numbers of diving ducks, with the added sightings of a King Eider, and a Barrow's Goldeneye. New record for Wood Duck 6 (previous record 4). Red-breasted Merganser 589 (previous record 502). Mourning Dove 2,173 (previous record 2,052). Carolina Wren 51 (previous record 40). Winter Wren 37 (previous record 23). There were low numbers for Black Ducks, Mallards, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, and Common Merganser. With lots of open water around the region, these birds could have been scattered, and not yet starting to concentrate in our area as is usual when a freeze sets in. Low counts were had for Iceland Gulls, Belted Kingfisher, American Crow, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and House Finch. Misses this year - American Wigeon (c.w.), Horned Lark, White-crowned Sparrow. Count Week species - Red-throated Loon, Turkey Vulture, American Wigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Gray Catbird and Pine Siskin. I would like to thank all those who made the 2009 count a success. Best Regards..Tom Thomas. ___ 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] O.F.O. Hamilton/Burlington field trip report
Hello, First of all I would like to thank the many participants of today's trip, for a very enjoyable and memorable outing. Approximately 40 birders were at Hutches at Van Wagner's Beach for the 8:am start. A couple of lucky birders who where early arrivals had the chance to see a Parasitic Jaeger harass a D.c.Cormorant before most of us had arrived. With fairly benign winds, the action at the beach was fairly slow, but we managed to spot groups of White winged Scoters, Bonaparte's Gulls, three Common Loons, a juvenile Bald Eagle, and a lake bound Merlin. We then walked down the beach and at Baranger's, we crossed over to the fields and ponds to the west of Van Wagner's Beach Road. There were many birds to be found here, not all of them very co-operative for long looks however.Some of the highlights were..Cooper's Hawk, Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (many), Eastern Phoebe (many), Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, a late Veery, Palm Warbler, Ovenbird, Wilson's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping, Lincoln's, Field, White-crowned, White-throated and Swamp sparrows, Winter Wren, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Great Egret. After lunch we headed for Windermere Basin, where Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels were hunting. In the pond were.Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Canvasback, Hooded Merganser and Pied-billed Grebe. The highlight though was the Short-eared Owl that flushed from the side of the path and then circled high above some obviously delighted birders. Our last stop was to the grounds of Confederation Park A (the north side). Some of the highlights here were... A close encounter with a hunting juvenile Redtail, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Blackpoll, Nashville and Palm Warblers, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood Pewee, and many more Hermit Thrushes and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Our final Tally was 86 species, not too bad, considering we saw virtually no shorebirds. Best regards..T. ___ 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] Results of the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
Hello, These are the results of the Hamilton C.B.C. held on Boxing Day December 26th 08. There were 94 participants and we counted 67,488 birds. This was below the ten year average of 73,234 birds. The species count equaled last years record total of 103 species, now if only the Oregon Junco was classified apart from the Dark-eyed Junco, we might have had a new record total. New species for the count was Cackling Goose. The highlight of the count would have to be the record number of White-winged Crossbills counted 2,528, which shattered the old record of 397 We set new records for the following species: Red-necked Grebe 16 (13) ( old record ) Trumpeter Swan 184 (162) Mute Swan 138 (89) Red-breasted Merganser 502 (331) Ruddy Duck 882 (809) Bald Eagle 9 (5) Cooper's Hawk 22 (16) Wild Turkey 59 (51) Iceland Gull 51 (9) Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 (2) Red-bellied Woodpecker 59 (47) Blue Jay 527 (498) Carolina Wren 40 (35) American Robin 1,692 (1,255) Dark-eyed Junco 2,027 (1,910) American Goldfinch 1,404 (1,082) We had low counts for the following species: Ring-necked Duck 19 (74)( 10 year Average ) Greater Scaup 4,183 (8,221) Lesser Scaup 1,162 (1,799) Surf Scoter 22 (93) Long-tailed Duck 3,967 (8,590) American Coot 34 (100) Ring-billed Gull 974 (1,809) American Crow 651 (2,057) Red-breasted Nuthatch 23 (38) European Starling 8,143 (15,251) Common Redpoll 8 (47) Misses: Tundra Swan Northern Goshawk Field Sparrow Fox Sparrow Count week species: Red-throated Loon Gray Catbird Yellow-rumped Warbler. Best Regards and a Happy New Year.Tom Thomas. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds]OFO - Hamilton / Burlington area field trip report
Hello, The OFO's annual field trip to the Ham/Burlington area was enjoyed by a small but enthusiastic group of birders. It was not surprising that with the OFO convention held in Hamilton barely a week ago, and the fact that was a Thanksgiving weekend, I did not expect the usual number of participants. That being said, the eleven birders who made the trip, were some of the most eager and enthusiastic people you could wish to lead. In fact there were still some who wanted to keep birding well into the afternoon and early evening. We met at Hutch's on Van Wagner's Beach, and spent the first hour there, always hoping to see Jaeger or two, but although the wind direction was good, it was far too light for any action. One of the first birds we saw here was a Red-throated Loon flying overhead, and the only birds close enough to identify was a Red-necked Grebe, and some White-winged Scoters. The fields and ponds behind Hutch's were good for Hermit Thrushes, Eastern Towhee's, warblers( Black-throated Blue, Nashville, Palm and Yellow-rumped), Green Heron,Pied-billed Grebe, Lincoln Sparrow, and flyover Rusty Blackbirds, American Pipits, and a late Osprey. After lunch we then proceeded to the Windermere Basin, where we had a good tally of ducks, but the highlight here was the discovery of a recently arrived Brant Goose. Shorebirds at Windermere this year was restricted to a couple of Greater Yellowlegs and a lone Dunlin. Our next stop was the Dundas Marsh, or the Willows to be more specific. Here most of the group had good looks at one of two Nelson's sharp-tailed Sparrows we encountered in a patch of Manna Grass just off of the main trail. These birds were in a very accessible area that was discovered just days ago by a local birder. After saying goodbye to most of the group, a few of us headed to Tim Horton's, and on to Valley Inn, where we added a few more species to our list. So a very good day, with lots of birds to look at, and our total species count was 80, not too bad for Hamilton in October. Regards..Tom. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds]Black Vulture at Tobermory
Hello, Yesterday afternoon while birding the Garbage Dump near the airport at Tobermory,Tim King and I along with Gill Arden and Bob Zarnke spotted a Black Vulture. We were scanning the birds foraging in the garbage piles, when two of us saw this large bird coming in to land, and we both instantly said 'that's a Back Vulture'. It was out of sight for a while, and the area it landed in was fenced, but no matter, as it soon took to the air and proceeded to fly in circles overhead giving us terrific views, and we marveled at this beautiful Vulture and it's graceful flapping flight pattern. CheersTom. Tobermory is at the tip of the Bruce Peninsular. To get to the dump, take Warner Bay Road which is on the west side of Hwy 6, just south of Tobermory and drive past the airport, then turn right on McArthur Road. Look for the dump on the left hand side just up the road. Good luck.T. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds]Fw: Hamilton CBC preliminary results
- Original Message - From: tom thomas To: Subject: Hamilton CBC preliminary results Hello, Here are the preliminary results of the 2007 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count, held on December 26th. 2007. On a cool -4 degrees C, relatively calm but foggy morning, 85 participants set out to count birds in the field, at the lake, or at their birdfeeders. The temperature settled in for most of the day at -2 degrees C. There was a hint of hoar frost on the pines and the tall weeds, and it was tricky underfoot on some of the woodland trails. In some of the outlying areas it was too foggy to see or identify birds in flight, and on the lake, counters had difficulty determining the number of ducks that were scattered over the lake, with many too far out, and at the limits of the counters ability to identify them. The total number of birds counted was 63,046, which is below the last ten year average of 70,228. Thanks to the influx of some of the northern finches, we broke the old individual species count record of 102 set in 2004, by one, so the new individual species count record now stands at 103. It also appears that the common woodland and garden species are becoming even more common with new record counts for the following species... Old Record New Record Mourning Dove 1,507 2,040 Black-capped Chickadee 2,109 2,223 Northern Cardinal 598 661 Red-breasted Nuthatch 81 97 American Goldfinch 1,005 1,055 Red-bellied Woodpecker 33 46 Downy Woodpecker 288 316 The number of Hoary Redpolls counted this year ( 5 ) broke the old record of ( 1 ) seen in 1993. On the lake and Inland waters we broke count records for... Old Record New Record Trumpeter Swan 106 162 Mute Swan 85 89 Lesser Black-backed Gull1 2 Mallard x American Black Duck 44 48 Red-breasted Merganser 285 331 Hooded Merganser48 70 Iceland Gull7 9 There were low counts for the following species.American Crow, Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, Brown-headed Cowbird, Purple Finch, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Canvasback, and Redhead. We missed on the Wood Duck, and American Wigeon. Up to this point, only one count week species has been tallied.Evening Grosbeak. Regards..Tom Thomas, Compiler .Hamilton Christmas Bird Count.. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
[Ontbirds]Black-headed Gull still on the Niagara River.
Hi, Today while birding in the Niagara area with Peter Booker, Brian Mishell and Sean Ella, we re found the Black-headed Gull on the shoreline opposite house # 455 Niagara Blvd. This is just up river from an old railway bridge that crosses the river, and there is a no dumping sign at this spot.The gull was easy to pick out from a small group of Bonaparte's gulls, owing to it's bright red legs and red bi- colored bill. There were two Purple Sandpipers above the falls near the barge in the spot where they are reliably found at this time of year. At the Adam Beck overlook we found nothing out of the ordinary, but there was an adult Thayer's Gull and an adult Iceland Gull at the Whirlpool. Above the Falls there were many Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a juvenile Thayer's Gull. CheersT. ___ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
Black Vulture over Townsend sewage lagoons
This morning at 11:00 a.m. I watched a Black Vulture soaring above two Turkey Vultures at Townsend sewage lagoons, it continued to circle for about five minutes while steadily gaining height, and eventually moving off to the North East. Other birds seen at the lagoons today were---Eared Grebe, seen in the North West cell, a pair of Buff -breasted Sandpipers, foraging on the mossy-like Algae that is growing in the South western cell near the dyke that separates the two Southern cells. I saw a few Raptors--two Northern Harriers , Osprey, and a Cooper's Hawk that took repeated dives at the various shorebirds, but was unsuccessful on this occasion. I also saw a few Bobolinks and some American Pipits. To find the Townsend sewage lagoons, follow the excellent directions given by Dr. C. T. Burris, and remember that there are no trespassing signs posted, so you enter at you're own risk. Keep looking up -Tom Thomas. Tom Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
Cerulean Warbler at Shell Park Burlington.
This morning a fresh group of Warblers arrived at the Park, including a Cerulean Warbler, Yellow W., Black-throated Green W., Chestnut-sided W., Black-and - white W., Nashville W., Blackburnian W., Blue-headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo. Shell Park can be found on Lakeshore Rd. East Burlington, just East of Burloak Dr. Regards Tom Thomas. Tom Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
Yellow-breasted Chat still at LaSalle Park, Burlington.
The Yellow-breasted Chat that I reported a couple of weeks ago, and consequently seemed to disappear, leaving me to think that it had done the obvious and migrated,showed up again today and looks in pretty good shape. At 3 p.m. it was in the thick brambles that border the north side of the South Shore Trail, between the two lookouts that have the benches. At this point I wasn't one hundred percent sure it was the Chat, it was raining and my binoculars were fogging up and all I was seeing was a yellow blur as it flitted about the undergrowth.I decided finally to try and see it from the trail that winds back through the woods directly opposite from the spot where I first saw it , and with a little pishing, it popped up into a berry bush and started feeding. LaSalle Park can be found by exiting the 403 at Waterdown Rd.Burlington and heading South to the Bay. Regards-Tom Thomas. Tom Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
