The Hotline is normally revised on Thursday nights and is updated
if an unusual bird turns up in the Hamilton area. (The phone
number is 905-648-9537.)
Out of town, a confirmed pair of BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES were found
this morning just south of Sarnia, a DICKCISSEL is at the
Algonquin Park Visitor Centre, and an early LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and
a BARROW'S GOLDENEYE were observed at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.
The area's first AMERICAN WOODCOCK was at Shell Park on Sunday,
and two more showed up yesterday in Copetown and Winona.
After a really slow start things have picked up for the Niagara
Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer CA in Grimsby. Last Friday saw a
flight of 100 birds including 3 eagles, 6 eagles and many more
birds showed up Saturday, and then more than 900 birds including
11 eagles arrived Sunday. Most of the eagles were BALD EAGLES,
but at least 4 GOLDEN EAGLES were counted. The first big TURKEY
VULTURE flight helped with the numbers, and many of these big
birds were seen later over the city. COOPER'S HAWKS, RED-
SHOULDERED HAWKS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS made up
the rest of the flight.
The adult male KING EIDER, two females and two immature males
have been seen again on Lake Ontario in the Fruitland Road area
of Stoney Creek. SURF SCOTERS, BLACK SCOTERS and WHITE-WINGED
SCOTERS are also in that area, and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS can be
seen from there all the way over to Bronte. OLDSQUAW, LESSER
SCAUP and GREATER SCAUP and COMMON GOLDENEYE can also be found on
the lake.
The female HARLEQUIN DUCK remains at the Venture Inn, and a RED-
NECKED GREBE was in the nest area at Bronte Harbour. Over the
weekend the quarry on Green Mountain Rd. in upper Stoney Creek
hosted BLUE-WINGED TEAL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIDGEON,
NORTHERN PINTAIL, RING-NECKED DUCK and HOODED MERGANSERS. Some or
all of these species can be found at Princess Point and the Hydro
Ponds. NORTHERN SHOVELLERS and RUDDY DUCKS were at Pier 24,
TRUMPETER SWANS and CANVASBACKS at LaSalle Marina, and GADWALL at
CCIW. GREAT BLUE HERONS are at Dundas Marsh and a GREAT EGRET was
at Valley Inn this morning.
On Sunday flocks of TUNDRA SWANS were all over the region, with
an estimated 8-10,000 Tundras over the Long Point area between
dawn and noon.
Among other reports are KILLDEER in several places, a HERMIT
THRUSH and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS at the Olympic Arena, NORTHERN
SHRIKE on 10th Rd. E. and RING-NECKED PHEASANT on 8th Rd. E. in
Stoney Creek, two CAROLINA WRENS at Shoreacres, a lone TREE
SWALLOW at Grimsby, a possible EASTERN TOWHEE in Copetown, a
LONG-EARED OWL banded at Selkirk PP and a SHORT EARED OWL along
Ridge road in Vinemount.
On the home front a COOPER'S HAWK was busy at a Dundas feeder and
two CAROLINA WRENS were squabbling at an Ancaster feeder.
In the next week or so look for Common Snipe in wet fields,
Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers in woodlots and Song Sparrows in your
neightbourhood. Sharp-shinned Hawks should start to arrive as the
number of smaller migrants increases, and swallows may show up
with warmer weather.
Good Birding.
Mike Street
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
mikestreet@hwcn.org