Hamilton RBA
November 2, 2000
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 19:24:58 -0500
Reply-To: Mike Street <mikestreet@HWCN.ORG>
Sender: "National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Central)"
<BIRDCNTR@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
From: Mike Street <mikestreet@HWCN.ORG>
Subject: Hamilton ON Birding Hotline Report for Thursday, November 2, 2000
Comments: To: ontbirds@hwcn.org
To: BIRDCNTR@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
At 7:00PM Thursday, November 2, 2000 this is the Hamilton
Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline report.
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 905-381-0329.)
Birders who would like to help out with the annual Hamilton Fall
Bird Count this Sunday, Nov. 5 should contact Compiler Bill
Lamond at 519-756-9546 soon.
The last stop for the touring exhibit of original hand-coloured
prints of North-American birds by John James Audubon began last
Saturday at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The exhibit runs until
December 3, 2000. Gallery hours are 11-5 Tuesday through Sunday,
except Thursday when the gallery is open until 9PM. There is NO
charge to see the Audubon prints.
An immature BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was off Gray's Rd. in Stoney
Creek this afternoon. Also seen there today were RED-THROATED
LOON, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER and SURF SCOTER. The
NORTHERN GANNET was seen off at Van Wagner's Beach Saturday and
then off the pier at Bronte Harbour on Sunday morning. On Sunday
a light morph juvenile plumage POMARINE JAEGER was seen off
Gray's Road in Stoney Creek.
Last Friday three BRANT, one a juvenile, were on the goose
pasture south of Ontario Street at Bronte Harbour, while two
pairs of RED-NECKED GREBES were in the harbour. Among waterfowl
at Cootes Paradise in the last few days were GREEN-WINGED TEAL,
GADWALL, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELLER, AMERICAN
WIGEON, RUDDY DUCK and NORTHERN PINTAIL.
A Saturday outing in the Hendry Valley area of the Royal
Botanical Gardens produced 10 WOOD DUCKS, a GREAT BLUE HERON,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, SONG SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and a
few late RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS.
Other sightings include a pair of SNOW BUNTINGS over Van Wagner's
Beach, plus an immature NORTHERN SHRIKE and a LONG-EARED OWL at
Shell Park, all on Saturday. Seen on the North Shore Trails were
EASTERN BLUEBIRD, FOX SPARROWS, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, WHITE-
THROATED SPARROWS.
The cold air which moved in overnight last Friday/Saturday
brought more raptors to the area. Seen at Hawk Cliff on Sunday
were 3 BALD EAGLES, 98 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, 1360 RED-TAILED
HAWKS and 22 GOLDEN EAGLES.
A Hamilton birder spotted a rare western bird, a TOWNSEND'S
SOLITAIRE, at Hawk Cliff Sunday. Four LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS
were found at the landfill at Niagara Falls. Another NORTHERN
SAW-WHET OWL was banded at Selkirk Provincial Park. Among
highlights from the Long Point area were GOLDEN EAGLE, PARASITIC
JAEGER, EASTERN SCREECH OWL, SURF SCOTER, NORTHERN GOSHAWK,
LAPLAND LONGSPUR and a really late PINE WARBLER.
Further out of town, a CALIFORNIA GULL was seen at Cornwall, and
NORTHERN HAWK OWLS turned up in southern Ontario at Presqu`ile
Provincial Park and near Brockville. Birders near Lake Erie
should keep their eyes open - a Wood Stork was reported near
Erie, Pa and a Dovekie was reported in Ohio. Way out of town, a
second winter Heermann's gull at Fort DeSoto, Florida has people
wondering if it is the same bird which spent most of the last
year at Toronto.
Good birding.
Mike Street
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
mikestreet@hwcn.org