Hamilton Naturalists' Club (HNC) weekly bird sightings report, Friday, March 13, 2020 Highlights: ROSS'S GOOSE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, KING EIDER, CASPIAN TERN, FISH CROW, WILSON'S WARBLER Other species mentioned: Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Tundra Swan, Wood Duck, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Common x Barrow's Goldeneye hybrid, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, American Woodcock, "Thayer's" Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red-throated Loon, Golden Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Shrike, Tufted Titmouse, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-rumped Warbler. Migrant waterfowl was the focus again this week in the Hamilton Study Area (HSA). On Mar 8 four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were found in the fields on the north side of the Mattamay National Cycling Centre on Tremaine Rd in Milton with many Canada Geese and at least 17 Cackling Geese, however they did not linger for long as they flew off to the NE, but were again seen briefly there the morning of Mar 9 before flying off to the NE again. On Mar 11, a flock of 34 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were found north of Brantford on a farm pond on Blue Creek on the west side of Hwy 24 about 1 km north of Governors Rd, but were not present the next day. A white morph Snow Goose was also there remaining up to today, and 17 Cackling Geese were also there on Mar 11 along with small numbers of Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal. Flooded fields in the Flamborough area have been very productive for waterfowl this week. On Mar 12 an adult ROSS'S GOOSE was found west of Orkney on Woodhill Rd south of Hwy 5 in a flooded field on the west side, but soon after flew off not to be refound until this morning when it was seen about 1 km away in a farm field on the north side of Conc. Rd 2 W between Woodhill Rd and Orkney Rd with many Canada Geese and about 20 Tundra Swans. Again, it did not stay here for long (or was hidden out of sight) for others to see. Four Cackling Geese were with it on Woodhill Rd on Mar 12. On Mar 9, 13 Cackling Geese were in flooded fields along the entrance road to Flamboro Downs along with small numbers of American Wigeon and Northern Pintail. The floodplain of Fairchild Creek south of Conc Rd 5 W had 135 Tundra Swans on Mar 9, 5 Cackling Geese on Mar 12 and 4 there today along with 20 Northern Pintail and 8 American Wigeon. A flooded field north of Sheffield on the east side of Seaton Rd between Hwy 8 and Safari Rd today held 150 Northern Pintail, 75 American Wigeon, 8 Northern Shoveler, 9 Green-winged Teal and 5 Redhead while 9 Cackling Geese were in the corn stubble field next to the road. Tundra swans continued their flight through the Hamilton area every day this week with flocks reported over Hamilton Harbour, Saltfleet, Grimsby, Burlington, Bronte, Flamborough and Brantford. About 200 were staging on Cootes Paradise on Mar 9, and around 700 were roosting at the Hagersville Quarry Ponds the evening of Mar 10. Seven Cackling Geese were at Valley Inn on Mar 7. The Saltfleet area has had relatively fewer waterfowl reports despite good habitat, however on Mar 10 the flooded fields on 5th Rd E between Green Mt. Rd and Powerline Rd briefly held 105 Northern Pintail, 40 American Wigeon, 5 Green-winged Teal and 3 Northern Shoveler amongst many Mallards. The old quarry pond on Green Mt. Rd east of 10th Rd E is now ice free and held 20 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Wood Ducks and a few American Wigeon on Mar 10. Windermere Basin is also ice free now and on Mar 11 had numbers of Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Ruddy Ducks (these are likely mostly wintering birds from nearby). A male hybrid Common x Barrow's Goldeneye was photographed in Red Hill Creek at Windermere Basin on Mar 7 (possibly the bird that had been on Lake Ontario off Grays Rd earlier in the winter). An immature male KING EIDER was found in the Burlington Ship Canal on Mar 7-8, possibly also the bird that was here earlier this winter. Two Horned Grebes were on the harbour off LaSalle Marina and two more of Bayshore Park on Mar 11. Three Red-necked Grebes are now at Bronte Harbour. Two Red-throated Loons were on the lake off the Burlington Ship Canal on Mar 8 with one bird seen up to Mar 12. The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer Memorial C.A. on the Escarpment above Grimsby had its best day so far on Mar 11 with 133 raptors counted including 26 Red-shouldered Hawks. Elsewhere, 20 Red-shouldered Hawks and a Golden Eagle were counted over Valley Inn also on Mar 11. Two different Golden Eagles were migrating over Stoney Creek on Mar 8. Two CASPIAN TERNS were reported flying over the Beamer hawkwatch on Mar 11 which would be a record early date for the HSA by over two weeks and likely as well for Ontario. Six Sandhill Cranes were found at Valens C.A. on Mar 8. American Woodcock showed up this week with the first bird being heard on Mar 7 at the RBG North Shore Trails off York Rd, and subsequent birds at McMaster Forest, Bronte Creek Provincial Park campground and the Beverly Swamp. Killdeer appeared in numbers from Mar 8 onward and are now common. Three "Thayer's" Iceland Gulls were at the Brantford landfill on Mar 11. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported from Cootes Paradise on Mar 8. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was found at the Hopkins Loop Trail of the RBG on Mar 11, possibly an early migrant. A Northern Shrike at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery on Mar 9 was a different individual than one here through Jan-Feb. Another Northern Shrike was at 8th Rd E south of the Vinemount Swamp on Mar 10, and one at Windermere Basin on Mar 12 has apparently been there for a few weeks. A FISH CROW was seen and heard today at Lakeside Park at Oakville harbour. A Tufted Titmouse was found again today at the Dundas Valley C.A. trails near Mineral Springs. The 2 wintering Chipping Sparrows at Woodland Cemetery were seen again on Mar 10. A Field Sparrow was at the Brantford landfill on Mar 8. Eastern Meadowlarks arrived this week with birds at Valens C.A. and Gate of Heaven Cemetery on Mar 8, and on Conc Rd 5 west of Lynden Rd and at Fairchild Creek today. Two overwintering Yellow-rumped Warblers were at the west end of McMaster University parking lot on Mar 7. A Yellow-rumped Warbler at Beamer C.A. on Mar 12 may have been a very early migrant. And lastly, the male WILSON'S WARBLER was seen again at Sedgewick Forest Park in Oakville on Mar 9 so I think can safely be considered as successfully overwintering. That's the news for the past week. During this current difficult time one of the best things we can do is continue to get out birding (although not in very large groups)! Please report your sightings to the local (and provincial if warranted) email listserves. Rob Dobos, Hamilton Naturalists' Club. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus