VIRGINIA RAIL BLACK VULTURE EASTERN PHOEBE GRAY CATBIRD WILSON'S WARBLER Cackling Goose Northern Pintail Wild Turkey Sandhill Crane Iceland Gull "Thayers Gull" Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Snowy Owl Northern Flicker Northern Shrike Common Raven Tufted Titmouse Horned Lark Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush Snow Bunting Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Yellow-rumped Warbler It's been an interesting week here in the Hamilton Study area particularly for this time of year. Let's start at the top. Another VIRGINIA RAIL was flushed out of a marsh in south Brantford this week. The marsh can be reached by driving to the end of Davern Rd off Tutela Heights Rd, parking and walking 250m south along an ATV trail to the marsh. You then walk westwards along the marsh for about 400m, where the marsh gets very open just before where a farm vehicle track crosses the marsh. This is a great record for this time in February. Another surprise this week was a BLACK VULTURE seen flying west from Oaks Rd south of the South service Rd in Winona heading to Stoney Creek last Wednesday. Another EASTERN PHOEBE was turned up yesterday at Ruthven Historic Park near the mansion where it was relocated again today around the same place. GRAY CATBIRDS are in good supply this winter with two being seen in the Hendrie Valley, one at Confederation Park (two have been seen previously) and another one seen at Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga this week. The hardy WILSON'S WARBLER is still alive at Sedgewick Park being seen yesterday making it through the coldest night of the year. A trip to the south of the HSA in Haldimand today yielded a few good birds. At Ruthven Park with the Phoebe were two Tufted Titmice. An adult Bald Eagle flew over the park at the entrance. Travelling from Ruthven, a Northern Harrier and three Horned Larks were seen on West River Road SE of Cayuga. A nice quartet of Sandhill Cranes were seen on West River Road at Yaremy Road. Another Tufted Titmouse was seen on Irish Line and West River Road. In Decewsville 17 Brown-headed Cowbirds and a Common Raven were seen. Nearby at Taquanyah Conservation Area, two male American Wigeon and a female Pintail were seen in the open water there. Along West River Road south of York a dozen Eastern Bluebirds were present. Yesterday, two Cackling Geese were seen along the Grand River at Caledonia. In the odds and sods this week, seven Cackling Geese were seen at South Shell Park/Suncor Pier in Oakville yesterday. A male Northern Pintail is still present at LaSalle Marina. Gull enthusiasts would be advised to go to Pier 4 Park in Hamilton. There this week were Iceland, Thayer's , Lesser Black-backed and Glaucous Gull. Wild Turkeys were seen on Waterdown Road yesterday. A Turkey Vulture was seen over Mill Road in Oakville. Northern Harrier and Northern Shrike were a consolation prize on an unsuccessful outing on 10th Road east for Short-eared Owl. Bald Eagles seem to be moving about with a total of 5 being seen from Waterdown to Carlisle. Two Bald Eagles were seen over Woodland Cemetery on Wednesday. Two Snowy Owls are present in Bronte spending time between Suncor Pier and Bronte Marina. A Northern Flicker and a wintering Field Sparrow are present on Fifth Road East in Saltfleet. Hermit Thrushes have been seen at LaSalle Park in Burlington and Sedgewick Park in Oakville this week. A group of twenty five Snow Buntings were seen along Fallsview Road in Flamborough. An Eastern Towhee was seen near Brantford near Silvercreek. A Chipping Sparrow is coming into a feeder on Waterdown Road north of the QEW. An immature White-crowned Sparrow is coming into feed at LaSalle Park. A couple of Common Grackles were reported this week, one at a feeder near Bronte Creek Provincial Park and one at the Brantford Dump. A Yellow-rumped Warbler was photographed at Woodland Cemetery earlier this week. Thats the news for this week. Keep the sightings fresh, things are still interesting here in the Hamilton Study Area. Good Birding, Cheryl Edgecombe HNC