Hamilton Naturalists' Club (HNC) weekly bird sightings report, Friday, September 20, 2019 POMARINE JAEGER PARASITIC JAEGER SABINE'S GULL Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler American Wigeon Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup White-winged Scoter Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Black-bellied Plover American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Upland Sandpiper Hudsonian Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Stilt Sandpiper Sanderling Baird's Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Greater Yellowlegs Wilson's Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Black Tern Common Tern Red-throated Loon Common Loon Least Bittern Great Egret Green Heron Osprey Merlin Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Olive-sided Flycatcher Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Common Raven Red-breasted Nuthatch Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson's Thrush Purple Finch Pine Siskin Lapland Longspur Savannah Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-throated Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Bobolink Ovenbird Black-and-white Warbler Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Connecticut Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Cape May Warbler Northern Parula Magnolia Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Wilson's Warbler Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Cheryl Edgecombe is taking a break this week so I am filling in for her. The fall lakewatch at Van Wagners Beach has been very productive over the past two weeks with east or northeast winds on numerous days. We have seen one of the best flights ever of SABINE'S GULLS so far this season with at least 48 birds including 3 adults on Sep. 8 (the vast majority of our birds are juveniles), another 5 on Sep. 9, and 13 on Sep. 16. Numerous PARASITIC JAEGERS have been seen on these and other days, and 5 or 6 POMARINE JAEGERS have been identified including a subadult on Sep. 12. Other migrants seen here included Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 adult Sep. 14, 1 juv. Sep. 16-18), Great Black-backed Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Black Tern (Sep. 12 and 16), Common Tern, Common Loon, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Sanderling, Osprey, and 2 Common Ravens on Sep. 18. Off nearby Confederation Park an early Red-throated Loon and Bufflehead were found on Sep. 15. Shorebirds continue to be an attraction although numbers are decreasing. The Tollgate Pond on Eastport Drive has produced the most birds locally, with a juvenile Red Knot Sep. 12-13, up to 5 Red-necked Phalaropes on Sep. 10, 1 Wilson's Phalarope on Sep. 10, 2 juv. American Golden-Plover on Sep. 9, Semipalmated Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs. Waterfowl numbers are slowly building here with Blue-winged (10) and Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler (40), American Wigeon, Redhead and Lesser Scaup (5) present. Two juvenile Bonaparte's Gulls lingered here for several days along with a Green Heron. Water levels in Windermere Basin have been rising over the past week and very little mudflats remain. Highlights here include 3 Black-bellied Plover on Sep. 17, increasing numbers of Green-winged Teal, a few Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler and Redhead. North Island on the northeast shore of the Harbour has held up to 3 Ruddy Turnstones and a few Sanderling over the past week. A stormwater pond along Highway 407 (a toll road) southeast of Britannia Rd on the Oakville/Mississauga border has good shorebird habitat with a juvenile Hudsonian Godwit Sep. 10-12 a great find there amongst numerous more common species. An adult Bald Eagle has been hanging out here as well. Passerine migration has picked up somewhat with a few good days last week (Sep. 10 and 13 were notable) although we still haven't had a major fallout of birds. Some late season species have recently been turning up, however the high pressure system the past few days has halted migration. Things should pick up with the passing cold front by Monday. Species reported over the past couple weeks include: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher (Sep. 11 at north end of Kelson Ave), Eastern Kingbird (Sep. 17 at Bronte Creek Prov. Park), Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo (Sep. 10 at Confederation Park and Sep. 14 at Woodland Cemetery), Blue-headed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Gray-cheeked Thrush (Sep. 13), Swainson's Thrush, Purple Finch (Sep. 15), Pine Siskin (Sep. 8), Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Connecticut Warbler (Sep. 14 at Ruthven Park), Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Scarlet Tanager and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. A record early Lapland Longspur was a nice find on Sep 17 in a scrubby field behind the Longos store at Wyecroft Rd east of Burloak Rd in west Oakville, and was seen again on Sep. 18. In the odds and sods this week, Lesser Black-backed Gulls continue to be found in Brantford on the Grand River at the foot of Church St with 3 birds of different ages there on Sep 10, while 4 were at the Brantford Landfill on Sep. 15. Four late Bobolink were also at that landfill on that date. A flock of 40 Common Nighthawks seen over Hwy 403 & Paris Rd exit in Brantford on Sep. 15 was a good number for this late date, while 6 were over the Strathcona neighbour of west Hamilton on Sep 11. An Upland Sandpiper was heard calling as it migrated over Stoney Creek on the night of Sep. 14. A birder paddling by canoe through Dundas Marsh on Sep. 14 encountered a Least Bittern and counted 21 Great Egrets. Four Marsh Wrens were at the west end of the Dundas Marsh today. Two Great Egrets were at Woodland Cemetery Sep. 15. Merlins were at the RBG Centre on Plains Rd Sep. 15 and in Dundas Sep. 20. That's the news for this week, Rob Dobos, Hamilton Naturalists' Club.