TUFTED DUCK NORTHERN GANNET GYRFALCON BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE NASHVILLE WARBLER YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (AUDUBON'S) BALTIMORE ORIOLE
Snow Goose Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan Wood Duck American Wigeon Northern Shoveler Redhead Greater Scaup King Eider Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Horned Grebe Turkey Vulture Golden Eagle Merlin Sandhill Crane Killdeer Snowy Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Horned Lark Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Brown Thrasher Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) White-throated Sparrow Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Fox Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Evening Grosbeak It may be cold outside but the action is hot here in the Hamilton Study Area for winter birding. Let's start at the top. Yesterday on the Peel Christmas Bird Count a keen eye picked out a TUFTED DUCK in a sea of Greater Scaup just off the Lorne Park Estates in Mississauga. The group eventually moved down to Ben Machree Park and then were flushed by two Great Black-backed Gulls. The TUFTED DUCK eventually settled just outside the HSA at the end of Elmwood Drive but this morning returned to Ben Machree Park where it has spent the day. The NORTHERN GANNET made another appearance last weekend as it cruised the shoreline of Lake Ontario, being seen anywhere from Grimsby to Burlington. It also visited Hamilton Harbour briefly. It has not been reported since last weekend but could still be around. On Thursday, a dark GYRFALCON was seen terrorizing Rock Pigeons in the Southdown Road/QEW area. It was seen a few times in the afternoon but has not been seen since. Last Wednesday, a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE made a flypast at Canada Centre for Inland Waters where it continued in a southerly direction. This bird could still be on the lake. Two were photographed in the water at Hutches Restaurant around the first of the month. Sedgewick Park in Oakville continues to be a hotspot although the number of birds seem to be dropping and there is a chance that some have perished in this cold. Seen this week were the two NASHVILLE WARBLERS, AUDUBON'S YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET along with Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, and White-throated Sparrows Lastly, on December 2nd a BALTIMORE ORIOLE was still present along the trail at Bayfront Park. Any further updates on this bird would be appreciated. The Hamilton Study area is always a great place for a variety of waterfowl this time of year. A Snow Goose made a brief visit to LaSalle Park and then scooted over to Bayfront Park for a visit. Up to 12 Cackling Geese were seen at Bronte Harbour on Thursday. A group of Tundra Swans moving through were seen over downtown Hamilton last Monday. Two male Wood Ducks are among the masses of ducks at LaSalle Marina. Waterfowl seen while looking for the TUFTED DUCK at Ben Machree Park included American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler and Redhead. A second year male King Eider was seen off Fifty Point on December 9th. All three scoter species can be seen peppered along the west end of the lake. A Horned Grebe was also seen briefly off Fifty Point. In the odds and sods this week a Turkey Vulture was seen over Mowhawk Road at the 403. There is usually a winter roost somewhere out in the this area. If you find it, let us know where it's at. A couple of interesting sightings of adult Golden Eagle came from Weir's Lane in the Dundas Valley and from Concession 4 west and Highway 6. A Merlin has set up winter territory again in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Hamilton at Peter and Napier. Two Sandhill Crane were seen up near Scotch Block which is at the northeast extremity of the Hamilton Study Area. A Killdeer was a good one day wonder down at Bronte Beach on Wednesday. Snowy Owl reports continue with birds being seen on the ramp to the Red Hill Expressway, on Eastport Drive and on the rocks at Van Wagner's Beach. Two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are present at a feeder in Ancaster. Northern Flicker and Pileated Woodpecker were two unexpected species on the Dofasco trail west of 8th Road East in Saltfleet. Northern Shrikes are slowly moving into the area with birds seen out near Ben Machree Park and in Waterdown this week. Common Raven was also heard near Ben Machree Park. Tufted Titmice were seen near the Hermitage in the Dundas Valley. A good spot for a winter visit is Fallsview Road in Flamborough. Here today were Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and four Lapland Longspurs. A Brown Thrasher has been reported a few times from Preservation Park in Guelph. A Fox Sparrow was an unexpected guest at a feeder in South Burlington today, keep those feeders stocked. A single Red-winged Blackbird was feeding at the Guelph Arboretum and a dozen or so were seen mid-week at a feeder near Burloak and Upper Middle in Burlington. A Common Grackle was a one day wonder at a feeder in Carlisle. Lastly a good sighting of a female type Evening Grosbeak came from a yard in Stoney Creek. Not too many winter finches are around this year so this was a good record. That's the news this week. Sorry for the delayed report, busy work days for this reporter this time of year. Keep reporting your winter birds, I am keeping a list. The Hamilton CBC is December 26th so forward your sightings of birds in the area here please! Cheers 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. 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