GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE BARROWS GOLDENEYE SLATY-BACKED GULL RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET GRAY CATBIRD WILSON'S WARBLER
Snow Goose Tundra Swan Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal King Eider Common Goldeneye Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Common Loon Turkey Vulture Snowy Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Peregrine Falcon Northern Shrike Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Common Grackle Fox Sparrow Yellow-rumped Warbler Red-winged Blackbird Evening Grosbeak Its a little quieter this year than most for birds, most have cleared out and are thankfully spending winter in warmer climes. Results from Christmas bird counts around the province seem to echo this. There are still a few goodies about and the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count is on December 26th so count week begins in a couple of days. As always we will start from the top. Twice this week a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE has been seen amongst the thousands of Canada Geese at the Hespeler Mill Pond. The BARROW'S GOLDENEYE male and female have been seen intermittently with flocks of Common Goldeneye at the end of Grays Road and into Confederation Park although there have been no reports in the last few days, perhaps birders getting Christmas shopping done. The SLATY-BACKED GULL at Mohawk Lake in Brantford has not been seen this week but was seen last week perhaps it is now the one showing in the Niagara Region or in London. At Sedgewick Park in Oakville, two RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and the WILSON'S WARBLER were seen through the week. Two GRAY CATBIRDS were seen last Sunday at the east end of Confederation Park. The South Peel Christmas Count was conducted last Saturday in dismal rainy conditions. Some highlights from the HSA include four Tundra Swans and two Northern Pintails in a field along Fourth Line south of Omagh, a Snow Goose at Forth Line and Lower Base Road and an Evening Grosbeak was heard over MacEwan House at Riverwood Conservancy where one wintered last year. In the odds and sods, four Tundra Swans were seen yesterday over Walker's Line and Harvester Road. A Northern Pintail and three Green-winged Teal were seen in the Red Hill Creek outlet from the viewing platform of Windermere Basin. The King Eider was seen last week at the Burlington Ship Canal but seems to have moved on or somewhere else. Pied billed Grebe, Horned Grebe and Common Loon were seen in the Willow Cove area along the north shore of the Harbour along with 3 Glaucous Gulls. A Red-necked Grebe was seen with Horned Grebes at LaSalle Marina (currently under construction). An Iceland Gulls was seen at Oakville Harbour last Sunday. A Turkey Vulture was seen on a building in Dundas. A Snowy Owl was seen at the end of the Suncor Pier on Tuesday, first arrival for this region. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker made an appearance on Thursday at a feeder in Dundas. Peregrine Falcons seem to be wintering in Brantford a juvenile was seen flying over the Mohawk Institute on Mohawk St and later there was an adult sitting on a cell phone tower along Greenwich St near Port St.. A Northern Shrike appears to be wintering in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery with another seen week before last on 10th Road East south of the tracks. A Common Raven was seen at 2nd Side Road and Appleby Line on Sunday. Tufted Titmice have been seen in a couple of locations with two being seen at the Royal Botanical Gardens along Caleb's Walk, Ginger Valley Ravine Trails. Other birds seen at Sedgewick Park in Oakville include Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Hermit Thrush. Up to sixteen Eastern Bluebirds were seen at Gates of Heaven Cemetery last week with three being seen last Tuesday. A single Common Grackle was seen with some starlings at Centennial and Mud Street last weekend. A Fox Sparrow was present at the Mowhawk Landfill. Three Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Winter Wren were good finds on the McMaster Campus West. Finally, a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds were seen yesterday on Fallsview Road east of Oldfield. All the best this holiday season to you and yours and good birding in 2020. Please forward any sightings along here for the Christmas Count period and our count on Boxing Day. 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
