SNOWY EGRET CATTLE EGRET FISH CROW WHITE-EYED VIREO YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER KIRTLAND'S WARBLER YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT DICKCISSEL
Northern Shoveler Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Red-breasted Merganser Common Loon Red-necked Grebe Green Heron American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Solitary Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Short-billed Dowitcher Black-billed Cuckoo Snowy Owl Common Nighthawk Oliver-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Acadian Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Ruby-crowned Kinglet Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Lincoln's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch Pine Siskin Migration was in its peak this past week in the Hamilton Study Area. A huge wave of migrants arrived mid-week sprinkled with some amazing rarities. To start at the top, a SNOWY EGRET was found last Sunday at Windermere Basin where it stayed for at least two days. Two CATTLE EGRETS were seen at a horse paddock inside the Hamilton Study area in Brant County at Big Creek Stables. They were a one day wonder unfortunately. While looking for the two egrets a consolation prize of a male DICKSISSEL was found working its way around the paddock. FISH CROW sightings were up this week with a loose flock being seen past Bronte two days ago and two birds being seen at Paletta/Shoreacres a short while after. On Wednesday, a fallout of passerine migrants occurred and the woodlots particularly around the edge of the lake. At Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington a WHITE-EYED VIREO was found amongst the many birds there. A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was reported at Shell Park mid morning on Thursday but not refound. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was a nice surprise near the River and Ruins Trail along the Bruce Trail in Lowville but was again a one day wonder. The mind blower of the week was a photograph of a male KIRTLAND'S WARBLER seen in a back yard in Brantford on Tuesday, subsequent attempts to relocate even later in the day proved futile. Arrivals this week were counted in a number of locations, Lakeside Park in Mississauga, Sedgewick Park and Bronte Bluffs in Oakville, Sherwood Forest and Paletta/Shoreacres in Burlington, River & Ruins trail (Lowville), Millgrove Loam Pits (Flamborough), Trenholme Park (Hamilton), Sassafrass Point (Hamilton), Joe Sams Park (Waterdown), Edgelake (Stoney Creek) and 40 mile Creek (Grimsby). Migrants reported include Black-billed Cuckoo (Millgrove), Olive-sided Flycatcher (Lowville), Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Shoreacres), Acadian Flycatcher (Lakeside, Edgelake), Willow, Least, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-throated Vireo (Shoreacres), Blue-headed, Warbling, Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush (Sherwood), Swainson's Thrush, Tennessee, Orange-crowned (Lowville, Trenholme), Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Palm, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll (Bronte Bluffs, 40 mile creek) Black-and-White Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning Warbler (Edgelake, Lowville), Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's and Canada Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Lincoln's, White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Rusty Blackbird (Sherwood Forest), and Baltimore Oriole. Not often seen in spring, Common Nighthawks were seen this week roosting on Patterson Road and one very accommodating bird at Edgelake Park on Thursday. Shorebirds are still in the news with numbers that should be increasing as time goes on. At Windermere Basin, American Golden and Semipalmated Plover, Dunlin and Pectoral Sandpipers were seen this week. On 5th Road East, a Solitary Sandpiper was seen earlier in the week, Lesser Yellowlegs and a number of Least Sandpipers were seen there two days ago. Yesterday at a flooded area where Haldibrook Road meets Sawmill Road opposite Glancaster Road, a number of Least Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and a few Dunlin were present. Whimbrel should be moving in the next days, a good place to watch from is Saddington Park in Mississauga. In the odds and sods this week, people doing Birdathons might like to know that at Windermere Basin, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater and Lesser Scaup were seen. A Snowy Owl also made an appearance in the week. A group of White-winged Scoters flew over Shoreacres in Burlington last evening. Long-tailed Duck and Red-breasted Mergansers were present out on the lake through the week. Common Loons are still on the move and can be found at various access points. Red-necked Grebes are on nests at Burloak Park and at Bronte Harbour. Green Heron was seen at Shoreacres in Burlington and at Edgelake Park where it appears there is nest building. A male Purple Finch was seen at a feeder in St. George and Pine Siskins can still be seen/heard in small numbers throughout the area. That's the news for now. From what I see, there is still more to come. Get out and visit your local patch, send your sightings this way. 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. 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
