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.)
Two annual events return tomorrow, Good Friday. Join the Friends
of the Red Hill Valley and spend the day in a Great Valley. Meet
at the Rosedale Arena at 10AM. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch
Open House at Beamer CA will also start at 10AM tomorrow. From
QEW Exit 72 in Grimsby take Christie St. and Mountain Ave. to the
top of the hill, turn right or west on Ridge Rd. W., go 1.6km to
Quarry Rd. and follow the signs.
The April Hamilton Naturalist's Club meeting will take place next
Monday evening, the 5th. Guest Speaker Sarah Rupert will tell us
about the Flora and Fauna of Point Pelee National Park. Meetings
are held at 8:00PM at the Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd
West, Burlington. Visitors are always welcome.
Birds aren't the only signs of spring. Over the weekend Spring
Peepers and Chorus Frogs started calling, and Garter Snakes and
Painted Turtles were seen.
Waterfowl seen at 87-Acre Park on the mountain include COMMON
MERGANSERS, HOODED MERGANSERS, AMERICAN WIDGEON, WOOD DUCK, RING-
NECKED DUCK, RUDDY DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and PIED-BILLED GREBE.
A GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a very early DUNLIN were at Van Wagner's
Ponds on Monday, and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS arrived at Selkirk PP
this morning.
A CASPIAN TERN was at the NE shore islands of the harbour,
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were in the harbour and at Coote's
Paradise, and REDHEADS, GADWALL, RING-NECKED DUCKS, both Scaup
and BUFFLEHEAD were in the bay. Five COMMON LOONS flew over the
skyway bridge. The Bronte Harbour RED-NECKED GREBES were near the
floating tire nest in the marina.
Other reports include a calling PILEATED WOODPECKER and a flock
of WOOD DUCKS in a tree at Dundas Marsh, the GREAT EGRET behind
the Laking Gardens, AMERICAN WOODCOCK at Binbrook Conservation
Area and Martin's Rd. in Ancaster, NORTHERN SHRIKE at the
University of Guelph arboretum, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS in upper
Stoney Creek and Grimsby, a pair of BELTED KINGFISHERS in Dundas,
plus EASTERN MEADOWLARKS and TREE SWALLOWS in several locations.
SONG SPARROWS have turned up in some locations but according to
area banders have not yet arrived in large numbers.
Spotted on the trails behind the Olympic Arena in Dundas were
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER plus SONG SPARROW, CHIPPING SPARROW and
SWAMP SPARROW, and in the adjacent Hydro Ponds were GREEN-WINGED
TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, GADWALL and HOODED MERGANSER. From Mount
Hope comes a report of a male WOOD DUCK floating on a small pond
and an AMERICAN PIPIT overhead. A CAROLINA WREN was singing at
Walker's Line.
Among waterfowl seen last weekend along the lakeshore from
Burlington to Stoney Creek were RED-NECKED GREBE, BLACK SCOTER
and SURF SCOTER at Guelph Line, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in many
spots, a female KING EIDER and breeding plumage HORNED GREBE,
COMMON GOLDENEYE and thousands of OLDSQUAW off Fruitland Road, as
well as RUDDY DUCKS at Tollgate Ponds.
A report yesterday advised that GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, BROWN
CREEPERS and a few FOX SPARROWS had arrived at Long Point, while
a WINTER WREN and EASTERN PHOEBES turned up at Selkirk PP. Small
numbers of BONAPARTE'S GULLS are being seen on Lake Erie.
On the home front, a pair of CAROLINA WRENS was investigating a
wood pile in an Ancaster yard and a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD made a
first ever appearance at another Ancaster feeder, while in Winona
a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was looking for a meal.
In the next week look for Golden- and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Fox
Sparrows and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in wooded areas, Common
Snipe and Greater Yellowlegs in wet fields, and Osprey and Red-
Throated Loons flying overhead.
Good Birding.
Mike Street
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
mikestreet@hwcn.org