I n T his I ssue : Member Profile – Alan Wormington 2013 Hamilton

JOURNAL OF THE HAMILTON NATURALISTS’ CLUB
Volume 67 Number 7
March, 2014
© photo Joanne Redwood
Birders head out into a “winter wonderland” at Kerncliff Park, Burlington, to conduct the Hamilton Christmas
Bird Count on Boxing Day, December 26, 2013. This was shortly after the amazing ice storm on December 22. The
ice and snow seriously affected numbers recorded. See article on page 148 – photo Joanne Redwood.
I n T h i s I s s u e :
Member Profile – Alan Wormington
2013 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count
War on Science
Northern Lights This Spring?
HSA Bird Records for Fall Season 2013
Eastern Whip-poor-will Status in Ontario
Hoary Vervain in the Hamilton Study Area
Good News About Rainbow Darters at Crook’s Hollow
Table of Contents
Hamilton Christmas Bird Count - 26 December, 2013
Member Profile – Alan Wormington
The Ontario Whip-poor-will Project with Audrey Heagy
Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) in the Hamilton Study Area
Dates To Remember – March & April 2014
Noteworthy Bird Records – September - November 2013
And Now For Some Good News – Rainbows Instead of a Dam
Bumblebee Watch has Launched! Please Visit BumbleBeeWatch.org
Trivia For Nature
Member’s Outing to the Short Hills Nature Sanctuary
Astronomy Corner – We Could See Northern Lights this Spring
Book Review – Rejecting Science in Canada
Land’s Inlet Nature Project: Growing the Nature Corridor
Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch Begins March 1st
Tom Thomas
Bill Lamond
Michael Rowlands
Bill Lamond
Liz Rabishaw/Fran Hicks
Rob Dobos
Bruce Mackenzie
----Jen Baker
Jen Baker
Mario Carr
Don McLean
Jen Baker
Gord McNulty
148
150
152
153
156
158
159
160
160
160
165
166
167
168
© photo Joanne Redwood
Snowy Owl near Fifth Ave and Third Street, St Catharines
This is certainly a good winter for Snowy Owls in the Hamilton area. They have been seen at several locations including: the Brantford Airport; Hamilton
Harbour; Bronte Harbour; downtown Dundas; Burlington; Milton; Mud Street & First Road East; Fruitland Road & QEW; Peters Corners; Grimsby; and just
outside the HSA: south of Burford and St Catharines where this bird was photographed. They come south only for food. Their arctic food source of lemmings
is insufficient, so they instinctively move south to find food – to survive. Understandably when they travel that far, they often arrive in a starved condition and
need to find food fast. Where they “set up shop” inland, they have found an area with lots of mice. When near water, they often feed on ducks. Usually it is
the darker juveniles that come south (as shown above) as they are less experienced at finding food and may have difficulty competing for hunting territories
with the adults within the breeding range. Enjoy them while they are here! - photo Joanne Redwood.
Page 146
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
March, 2014
- Publications Mail Contract No. 40048074
Volume 67 Number 7
CN ISSN 0049-7886
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The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Page 147
Editor’s Note........
I always like getting feedback from readers. It helps to make a better Wood Duck. Please do not hesitate to tell me what
can be done better. I welcome this. In discussion with Rob Dobos, the Noteworthy Bird Records editor, we have decided
to publish the NBR four times yearly in the Wood Duck as opposed to the usual 8-9 times a year. There is a real advantage
to this as it will create more space in the “Duck”; perhaps as much as three extra pages for other articles. Additionally,
putting together the NBR is a very time consuming task and this will make it much easier for the NBR editor. The grouping of the NBR will now be on a seasonal basis: the spring migration season (March - May), the summer (breeding)
season (June - August), the fall migration season (September - November), and the winter season (December - February). This matches how birds are reported in North American Birds. So, expect now to see the NBR every other month.
Because of this, when the NBR do appear, they will be larger and will take up more space in each individual “Duck”. Thus
variety will be a bit diminished in these NBR issues but the benefit of this new system I think is self-evident.
In this issue there is lot of fine reading. The results of the Hamilton Christmas Bird Count are well detailed by Tom
Thomas. Former HNC President Bruce Mackenzie gives us a “good news” story about the Rainbow Darter in Spencer
Creek. Don McLean has written a fine book review of War on Science, detailing our current federal government’s attack
on basic science – perhaps preaching to the converted to a large extent, but an issue that must be highlighted. Also, a
member profile of Ontario’s top birder, Alan Wormington, and a botanical article on the little-known Hoary Vervain.
Hamilton Christmas Bird Count - December 26, 2013
by Tom Thomas
T
he 2013 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count was held on Boxing
Day, Thursday December 26th, and 92 enthusiastic birders
set off in great anticipation, either to count birds in the field, or
watch birds coming to their feeders. Some were out in the very
early hours listening for owls.
Temperatures ranged from -4oC to -1oC, with only a slight breeze.
The day began with light snow falling, but by mid-morning the
snow had trailed off, and the Sun peaked through. Most ponds were ice covered, and the western end of the harbour
was frozen in a line from the Ship Canal to Stelco. Trails were icy
and slick from the remnants of the ice storm on the weekend of
December 21st and food sources such as Buckthorn, Multiflora
Rose hips, and even Staghorn Sumac were covered in a thick
layer of ice.
Most comments from many of the participants were about
the remnants of the pre-Christmas ice storm, and the frozen
conditions in general. The icy conditions and downed trees
made for difficult walking. There was a lack of waterfowl due to
the bay being partially frozen, and most inland ponds were ice
covered. Others found that the icy conditions brought more birds
to feeders, and those counting birds in the bay found they had
more time to look for birds inland. One counter saw a Northern
Shrike chase a Downy Woodpecker, then watched it as it lifted
the woodpecker and flew off with it. Another group with much of
their usual water-based territory ice covered, had time to watch a
Red-tailed Hawk harass a crow for several minutes.
The total species count was 98, just shy of the ten year Count
average of 101. The number of individual birds counted was
52,411, well below the ten year average of 67,228. Page 148
Weather always
plays a part in
any bird count,
and the 2013
Count
was
affected by the
CBC Compiler Tom Thomas scouting on 23rd December
icy conditions 2013 for the Hamilton CBC - photo from cbc.ca/Hamilton.
in the bay and
local ponds. Sometimes this brings in more birds to feeders, and
it certainly brought in Bald Eagles, much earlier than usual, as
they were seen in numbers sitting on the bay ice.
We had record-high counts for the following species: Blackcrowned Night-Heron with 11 - the old record was 10 in
1991; Bald Eagle, with 11 counted, beat the previous record of
nine in 2008; the five Merlins observed eclipsed the old record
of four in 2012; Lesser Black-backed Gull, with four, equaled the
record-count for this species; and Red-bellied Woodpecker at 83
counted, surpassed the old record of 82.
As you can imagine with the icy conditions, we had low counts
across the board for waterfowl, but the following species were
well represented: Double-crested Cormorant (49), Great Blue
Heron (15), Trumpeter Swan (187), and Red-breasted Merganser
(420). It was an above average year for raptors, with good counts for
Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks, but the count for American
Kestrel again showed the marked decline in this species as only
five were counted, which is near the all-time low.
Gull numbers were down, except for the previously stated Lesser
Black-backed Gull. Great Black-backed Gull, with 354 counted,
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
far exceeded the ten year average of 85.
Birds on the comeback, after years of decline include: Blue Jay,
European Starling and Winter Wren (second highest count).
There were above average counts for Snow Bunting and Brownheaded Cowbird, but overall passerine numbers were below
average. There were hardly any “winter finches”, which was
expected due to the good food supply in the north. Red-breasted
Nuthatch numbers were surprisingly low, with only nine counted
- the ten year average for this species is 49.
Noteworthy species on the Count include: Red-throated Loon,
Thayer’s Gull, Pomarine Jaeger, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Tufted
Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Chipping Sparrow.
Count Week birds (seen from Dec 23-29 but not on Count day):
Wood Duck, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe,
King Eider, Orange-crowned Warbler and Rusty Blackbird.
Due to the severity of the ice storm, I probably missed some calls
from willing participants. If I failed to contact you, I apologize
and hope we can get together next time around. My sincere thanks to all those who graciously volunteered their
time for this fun and worthy cause.
Counters in the field
Number of hours feeder
watching:
Number of hours owling:
Number of hours walking:
Number of hours driving:
Distance driven owling (km):
Distance driven daytime (km):
Distance walked owling (km):
Distance walked daytime (km):
93
34
6.50
123.80
58.40
24.80
799.10
1.50
140.20
The individual species count is as follows: (Current
average refers to average count over the last ten years)
5,646
31
187
5
4
333
4,425
Highest
recorded
count
19542012
10,415
138
193
207
278
1,170
11,198
4
48
16
195
2
12
19
7
4
1,156
216
31
285
72
112
1,073
367
205
17,556
4,679
224
75
17
22
223
26
73
6,153
1,160
90
2013
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Mallard x American Black
Duck
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
10 Year
Current
Average
7,063
86
134
13
54
360
4,826
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
“Duck” species
Wild Turkey
Red-throated Loon
Double-crested
Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned NightHeron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
“Accipiter” species
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
American Coot
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
“Gull” species
Pomarine Jaeger
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Snowy Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
“Woodpecker” species
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
504
4
4,110
321
621
83
501
420
41
5,001
89
1
1,077
30
24,304
925
10,456
157
9,000
589
882
10,001
98
2
560
5
8,479
463
2,405
69
1,165
279
565
2,558
39
0
49
15
74
32
41
9
11
11
2
7
16
2
146
6
53
4
1,432
2,323
1
4
4
8
354
18
1
1,210
1,023
18
6
2
1
4
84
230
61
5
4
1
5
5
4
5
449
471
4
961
1
9
10
9
15
21
23
9
186
106
167
111
3,467
12,600
2
51
4
70
433
213
1
5,140
2,180
32
45
9
2
13
82
323
126
52
14
3
50
4
6
21
527
7,000
217
2,228
8
98
5
4
2
12
15
2
139
3
90
1
1,737
1,567
0
8
1
12
85
33
0
1,991
1,202
15
6
0
0
6
43
224
73
9
7
1
16
2
4
4
346
1,153
19
1,732
1
49
Page 149
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Snow Bunting
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
135
15
38
25
48
1
42
2
478
13
13,407
180
188
3
487
2
21
3
51
2
852
486
2
1
27
1
406
286
97
52
38
213
6
52
11
1,587
44
73,000
1,136
1,150
8
2,640
4
290
73
213
52
1,954
672
68
25
182
84
1,669
215
21
34
16
40
0
23
3
577
22
11,187
386
126
2
661
1
32
5
91
13
1,277
539
6
1
13
8
487
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
“Finch” species
House Sparrow
Total individuals
3
677
3
1,802
52,411
800
1,358
46
3,500
57
879
10
2,144
2013 Participants:
Anna Baranova, Gerten Basom, Brad Bloemendal, Barrie Boatman,
Laurel Boatman, Jody Bootsma, Mike Boyd, Alex Breitkopf, Trisia
Breitkopf, Hazel Broker, Wayne Bullock, Alexis Buset, Ron Campeau,
Sue Carson, Heather Cashin, John Cashin, Shena Chisholm, Michael
Clark, Mark Cranford, Tim Cranford, Bill Crins, Ian Darling, Jenny
Darling, Sandy Darling, Sherry Darling, Ewout Degelder, Jan Degelder,
Eric Deruiter, David Dinniwell, Edward Dinniwell, Graham Dinniwell,
Kate Dinniwell, Robert Dinniwell, Rob Dobos, Bryan Drown, Ernie
Dunston, Barney Dutka, Helene Dutka, Cheryl Edgecombe, Denys
Gardiner, Lynn Hanna-Folkes, John Hannah, Connie Hendry, Ian
Hendry, Kyna Intini, Wilma Jairam, Mark Jennings, Andrew Keaveney,
Manfred Kolster, Ursula Kolster, Gordon Lewer, Joyce Litster, Tim Lucas,
Robert Maciver, Stuart Mackenzie, Len Manning, Heather McBrien,
Marlene McBrien, David McCorquodale, Owen McGregor, Sheldon
McGregor, Spencer McGregor, Barb McKean, Kevin McLaughlin,
Gord McNulty, Matt Mills, Frank Morley, Chris Motherwell, George
Naylor, Josh Nieuwenhuis, John Olmsted, Rob Porter, Bill Read, Joanne
Redwood, Caleb Scholtens, Peter Scholtens, Yves Scholten, Alf Senior,
Bill Smith, Robert Stamp, Barb Strang, Chris Street, Mike Street, Neil
Taylor, Lisa Teskey, Tom Thomas (compiler), Phillip Waggett, Rob
Waldhuber, Angie Williams, Ken Williams, Heather Wilson, Ross
Wood, Brian Wylie.
Member Profile - Alan Wormington
by Bill Lamond
A
lan Wormington has been an HNC member since 1968,
and a Life Member since 1970. Currently he resides in
Leamington and has lived there since 1980. He lives there as it
is close to Point Pelee, and no birder is more closely linked to
Point Pelee than Alan is.
Alan was born in 1954 in Hamilton. In the mid-1960s his
family moved to Haddon Avenue North in Westdale, where he
attended Dalewood School, soon followed by a short stint at
Westdale High School. I say short stint, as he was more than
happy to quit school after getting just his Grade 10. Schooling
often got in the way of Alan’s eager pursuit of butterflies and
birds. Alan – when he was only 16 – published his first article
in the Wood Duck (1970) entitled “Butterflies of the Hamilton
Area and Other Interesting Areas.” Although butterflies were
his original passion, birds soon superseded all of his other
interests. It was on Haddon Avenue where Alan met Alf Epp,
who introduced him to birding and then he soon met local
birder and artist Robert Finlayson who he was good friends
with until Bob’s death in 2000. Alan also learned much about
birds from additional Hamilton-area birders including George
North and Bob Curry, often accompanying them in the field. It
doesn’t hurt to have great mentors!
Page 150
Alan has been
one of the most
active birders in
Ontario for the
past 40 years, and
still is. He knows
as much about the
status and Ontario
bird distribution and Alan Wormington at his Leamington residence, 23
August 2013 - photo Bill Lamond.
status as anyone, and
this is also the case with his knowledge of Ontario butterflies.
Despite Alan’s lack of “formal” education, this has not held him
back. He is an accomplished author and has many published
articles, from his Ontario Seasonal Summaries in the journal
North American Birds, to several papers published in Ontario
Birds, and editorship of Point Pelee Natural History News from
2001 to 2003 inclusive. Alan is currently working on three
different books — The Birds of Point Pelee; The Butterflies of Point
Pelee National Park, Ontario; and The Rare Birds of Ontario:
A Catalogue of Distributional Records. Many of us hope these
are all soon in print. In 1982 Alan was a founding member of
the Ontario Bird Records Committee (of the Ontario Field
Ornithologists), and he is the longest-serving member.
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Other than Point Pelee, Alan routinely makes trips to northern
Ontario for birding. For example he has made many trips to the
north shore of Lake Superior (at least 20), and just as many trips
to southern James Bay to visit locations such as Moosonee and
Netitishi Point. At these locations he has made many exciting
discoveries. He also frequently visits Texas, and with 528 species
seen there, he has the largest life-list of any out-of-state birder.
Over the years, Alan has had an enviable number of rare finds.
To date he has found and documented seven species that are new
to the “Ontario Checklist of Birds” namely Lesser Nighthawk
(1974), Royal Tern (1974), Fish Crow (1978), Cave Swallow
(1989), Plumbeous Vireo (1997), Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwater
(2010) and Kelp Gull (2012). Alan was also a finder of the first
(and only) nests of Chuck-will’s-widow (1977) and Cinnamon Teal
(1983) in Ontario. Of course he has found many other rarities as
well, including in 1969 the second record of Kirtland’s Warbler for
the Hamilton Study Area. Outside of Ontario in 2010, he found
and documented an Amazon Kingfisher at Laredo, Texas, the first
record of this species for North America. He is tops in Ontario
with his Ontario list which currently stands at at 443 species and he
has the largest all-time Ontario winter list at 287 species.
Likewise for butterflies, Alan has discovered many rarities and
out-of-range species, including the first Ontario records of Great
Southern White (1981), Funereal Duskywing (1990), Brazilian
Skipper (1991), Marine Blue (1993) and Long-tailed Skipper
(1994). All of these were at Point Pelee!
Alan is an excellent photographer, and many of the rare species
he finds are documented in detail.
Alan never finished High School, but he did earn a diploma in
Historical/Natural Interpretive Services from Seneca College
in 1979 which he put to use for a few years, first as a seasonal
naturalist at Quetico Provincial Park (1978-79) and then working
at the desk as a seasonal park interpreter at Point Pelee National
Park from 1980 to 1984. However, “desk work” never suited Alan
and thereafter he worked as little as possible to free up time to
look for birds and butterflies when it suited him.
He has worked for the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club twice on the
Natural Areas Inventory of Hamilton-Wentworth in 1991 and
again in 2001-2002, as well as the Halton NAI in 2004. Alan was
also a field biologist with the original Natural Areas Inventory in
Hamilton-Wentworth back in 1976, and he worked on the KentElgin Natural Areas Inventory in 1986. For several years (19871997) he worked seasonally for the OMNR as a fisheries research
technician at Wheatley Harbour. Outside of Ontario, Alan has
worked on a number of exotic projects. For three migration
seasons (1999-2000) he was stationed on an oil platform offshore
from south-most Texas, where he was part of the “MigrationOver-The-Gulf-Project”, a study by the U.S. Department of the
Interior. In 2002, he was selected by Zeiss Optics to be part of a
team to search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Louisiana –
he didn’t see any!
Today, Alan works as a biological consultant, often contracted
to work on a variety of projects including those involving wind
turbines, highway and bridge construction, or natural areas
surveys. He continues to spend as much time outdoors as
possible, always on the lookout for rare or unusual species.
At the March BSG Meeting
17 March (Monday) 7:30 p.m.
This month, long-time HNC member Brian Wylie will tell
us about his nature experiences in the Dry Tortugas. The
Dry Tortugas is a paradise for birders. It is an important
nesting colony for several species of pelagic birds such
as Bridled Tern, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Roseate Tern,
Magnificent Frigatebird and Masked Booby. Knowing
Brian, he will work some reptiles into the talk and indeed
the Dry Tortugas derived their name from the abundance
of sea turtles that can be found in the area. Lucky visitors
can spot Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, and Leatherback
Turtles plying the waters. Come at 7:00 for bird-friendly
coffee and conversation. Burlington Seniors Centre (beside
Burlington Public Library) 2285 New St., Burlington.
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
One of the several Snowy Owls that has graced the area
this winter. A real treat for area naturalists! Appleby
Line and Taywood Drive, Burlington. 1 February 2014.
photo Eugene Jankowski.
Page 151
B i r d
S t u d y
G r o u p
M e e t i n g
S u m m a r y
–
J a n u a r y
2 0 ,
2 0 1 4
The Ontario Whip-poor-will Project With Audrey Heagy
By Michael Rowlands
A
t our January meeting, the Bird Study Group was fortunate
to have another excellent guest speaker from Bird Studies
Canada (BSC) give an interesting presentation. Audrey Heagy
is a bird conservation planning biologist at BSC and works on
diverse assignments that include focused species-at-risk projects,
co-ordinating communications for the Canadian Migration
Monitoring Network, and co-ordinating volunteers for the
Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in Ontario.
Her current species-at-risk work includes co-ordinating the
Ontario Whip-poor-will Project, Eastern Whip-poor-will
banding and monitoring at the St. Williams Conservation
Reserve near Long Point, and being lead author of the Ontario
Barn Swallow Recovery Strategy. She has also done field work and
prepared reports focused on Hooded Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher,
and Louisiana Waterthrush. In the 1990s, Audrey worked for
the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club, co-ordinating the HamiltonWentworth Natural Areas Inventory. She’s past president of the
Norfolk Field Naturalists, St. Williams Conservation Reserve
Community Council, and Ontario Bird Banding Association,
and is on the boards of the Long Point Basin Land Trust and
Carolinian Canada Coalition. Her talk to us – entitled “Where
Are the Whip-poor-wills?” – was appropriate because many
people have noted the absence of this iconic bird’s familiar song
in cottage country and other places where they always used to be.
Audrey first gave us some background on her employer to
establish that BSC engages more than 20,000 volunteers nationally
to participate in various “citizen science” programs. Through
monitoring activities and targeted surveys, these volunteers
submit data to help BSC detect trends in bird populations. For
example, the annual Project FeederWatch, held in February each
year, quantifies individual species of birds seen at feeders all over
North America. When these sightings are mapped, it’s possible to
compare the distribution pattern from one year to another.
In the case of the Eastern Whip-poor-will, in the 20 years
between the first and second editions of the Atlas of the Breeding
Birds of Ontario (i.e., from the early 1980s to 2001–5), there was
a 50% decline in its breeding distribution. (Similar declines exist
for other nightjars such as the Common Nighthawk and Chuckwill’s-widow.) Data from various breeding bird surveys confirm
a population decline in Canada of 75% between 1970 and 2011;
eBird reports for the Whip-poor-will are also very scattered.
In 2009, COSEWIC (Canada’s Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife) designated the Eastern Whip-poor-will as
a “threatened” species under the Species at Risk legislation; it’s
also recognized as “threatened” in Ontario under the Endangered
Species Act. This designation ensures special protection for the
species and its habitat, as well as the allocation of resources to
find the reasons for its decline, see whether this can be reversed,
and plan a recovery program.
The Eastern Whip-poor-will is distinguished by a wellcamouflaged, cryptic, grey and brown plumage; it’s extremely
Page 152
difficult to see, especially when it
perches parallel to a tree limb or is
on the ground in leaf litter, unless
it’s flushed. Audrey said it once took
a crew of four people 40 hours to
find a single nesting Whip-poorwill! At night, an adult’s eyes shine
red due to reflection of light from
membranes behind its retinas called
the tapetum lucidum, an adaptation
to make it easier to see at night.
Audrey Heagy from BSC webpage
About the size of a robin, the Eastern
Whip-poor-will has a large head, short stubby legs, and a wide
mouth with rictal bristles around it to help catch flying insects.
Males have a white collar and white outer tail feathers; females are
more buff in colour and have only tan tips on their tail feathers,
to provide better camouflage while on the nest.
The Eastern Whip-poor-will is an aerial foraging insectivore and
feeds on moths, flying ants, beetles, katydids, and other insects
using a “sit and sally” technique: it will sit on the ground or perch
on a branch and watch for a moth or beetle to fly overhead –
visible against the sky – and swoop from below with mouth agape
to engulf its prey in mid-flight.
Whip-poor-wills are named after their call, which they’re capable
of repeating up to a thousand times without tiring! Usually, they
call only at dusk and dawn. But on nights from May through July,
when the moonlight is bright, they may call steadily, which has
caused many cottagers insomnia over the years.
The female lays two eggs, not in a proper nest but in leaf litter
on the ground. The eggs take 20 days to hatch and the parents
will move the young if the nest site is disturbed. It takes 18 days
before the young can fly. Sometimes there will be two sets of
young in a year. The parents return to the same nest site year after
year; some adults may live to be 15 years of age or more. Habitats
used in Ontario include rock barrens, alvars, sand barrens and
dunes, open mixed woodlands, open pine plantations, pine-oak
savannah, and open wetlands (bogs and fens). Hence, Eastern
Whip-poor-wills are found at Rondeau Provincial Park and
Pinery Provincial Park; in the Bruce Peninsula; at the Wainfleet
Bog; and around Kingston, Haliburton, and Muskoka.
The exact cause of the decline of the Eastern Whip-poor-will
in Ontario is not really known and is probably due to several
factors. There has been loss of breeding habitat due to widespread
changes in habitat, such as intensive agriculture in the southwest
and natural forest succession farther north. The food supply
of flying insects has also declined in recent years, affecting
numerous aerial insectivores. Mortality rates may have increased
due to road kills and predators such as raccoons and cats locally,
and problems on their wintering grounds and migration routes.
In 2010, BSC initiated a five-year Whip-poor-will project with
funding from Ontario’s Species at (continued on page 155)
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) in the Hamilton Study Area
by Bill Lamond
H
oary Vervain (Verbena stricta) is a rare plant in the Hamilton
Study Area (HSA), being known only from a few locations
in Brant County. Although it is not officially considered a “Rare”
plant in Ontario (Oldham and Brinker 2009), it is definitely an
uncommon plant in the province, with many naturalists never
having observed it. There are four species of Verbena that occur
in the HSA, and stricta is by far the most attractive. It has racemes
(spikes) of intensely coloured lavender flowers, and while only
a small portion of each spike is in flower at any one time, the
flowers are large enough (5/16”) to make for an arresting display.
I first saw Hoary Vervain in 1991 in Brantford along the Lake
Erie and Northern Railway bed near Hardy Road. Subsequent
to this, I have seen it along other railway tracks within Brantford
and Brant County, and I have seen it in few old-field areas as
well. In southern Ontario, it is very scarce plant although it is
very widespread. Michael Oldham, of the Natural Heritage
Information Centre (OMNR), considers Verbena stricta to be
a very interesting species. In his experience, it is certainly rare
to uncommon almost everywhere in southern Ontario, but it is
known from virtually all counties south of the Canadian Shield.
Even where it occurs, Mike has seldom seen large populations. In
spite of this, it sometimes behaves as a “weed”, being frequently
found in weedy situations such as roadsides, railways, old fields
and other disturbed situations (pers. comm.). Why it is not more
common is difficult to explain.
Within its southern Ontario range, it is much easier to list the
counties where it has not been found: Hamilton-Wentworth;
Halton; Perth; Prince Edward; Prescott
& Russell; and Stormont, Dundas
& Glengarry. It is a southern species
as delineated by its absence from
Manitoulin, Muskoka, Parry Sound,
Nipissing, and Renfrew (Riley 1989,
Oldham et al. 1991, Oldham 1993).
Even in the counties where it does
occur, it is usually listed as rare, with
many county floras listing just a few
or sometimes even one location for
the region. Only in Northumberland
County is it considered somewhat
common in weedy, sandy fields (Wasyl
Bakowsky, pers. comm), and in Peel
and
Haldimand-Norfolk it is considered
Hoary Vervain. Closeup of flowering raceme.
“uncommon to very uncommon” (Don
Information as above.
Sutherland, pers. comm).
Hoary Vervain – although it has lovely flowers – is a rather
coarse-looking plant. Both the stem and leaves are quite hairy,
and the leaves are rather rough-looking due to the impressed
veins. The opposite leaves are oval shaped, coarsely serrated and
about 2” long. This species is a short-lived perennial, up to a
metre tall, which branches frequently near the terminus, often
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
creating multiple flowering spikes. As
this species is showy, Hoary Vervain
could be cultivated as a garden plant.
In fact, I do that in my garden. This
plant readily self-seeds, and I have
had this species in my garden for
many years now, as the seedlings are
easy to recognize and cultivate. I am
a bit surprised that I have never seen
a cultivar of this plant offered for sale
in a garden centre. Nonetheless, this
species is now offered in catalogues Hoary Vervain in Brantford
garden from seeds collected
of nurseries that specialize in native at Brantford Prairie. 18 Aug.
wildflowers. It does have its drawbacks 2013 - photo Bill Lamond.
in the garden as it tends to be quite susceptible to “flopping-over”
as it gets top-heavy with rainfall, therefore needing some staking.
In nature – being more deprived of nutrients and moisture – it
does not get quite so robust and does remain more upright when
exposed to heavy rains.
The other three species of Verbena in our area are not nearly as
attractive as V. stricta. Blue Vervain (V. hastata) is a beauty too.
It has racemes of intensely coloured dark blue flowers, however,
these flowers are small, and each spike only has a few florets in
flower at any one time, diminishing what could be a spectacular
effect if the whole spike was in flower simultaneously. This is
a wetland species that can be found routinely near wetlands,
especially in disturbed soil. White Vervain (V. urticifolia) is the
most common but least showy of the four species, and it has
a sparse inflorescence of small white flowers. Narrow-leaved
Vervain (V. simplex) is the other species that occurs locally, and it
is the least well-known as it is much smaller than the other three
species and is the rarest, being found at only a few sites.
As stated above, Hoary Vervain has yet to be recorded in
Hamilton-Wentworth or Halton Counties. Perhaps searches of
railway right-of-ways in these areas will uncover this species and
fill in the few remaining gaps of this species’ range in southern
Ontario.
Literature Cited:
Oldham, M.J., D. McLeod, W.G. Stewart and J.M. Bowles. 1991.
Preliminary Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Elgin, Middlesex
and Oxford Counties, Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
OMNR. Aylmer.
Oldham, M.J. 1993. Distribution and Status of the Vascular Plants of
Southwestern Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. OMNR.
Aylmer.
Oldham, M.J., and S.R. Brinker. 2009. Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario.
Fourth Edition. Natural Heritage Information Centre. Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources. OMNR. Peterborough.
Riley, J.L. 1989. Distribution and Status of the Vascular Plants of Central
Region, Ontario. Ministry of Natural Resources. OMNR, Richmond Hill.
Page 153
Photos by Bonnie Kinder
Mute Swan family, Cootes Paradise, Hickory Island, 27 June 2013.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher nest, Valley Inn Road, 21 June 2013.
Caspian Terns, Hamilton Harbour, 3 June 2013.
Tree Swallows, Grindstone Creek along Valley Inn Trail, 3 April 2013
Juvenile Eastern Bluebird, City View Park, 6 June 2013.
At the March Monthly Meeting
“Roots and Rocks - From Darkness To Light” - with speaker Lorraine Roy
10 March 2014, Monday - 7:30 p.m. Royal Botanical Gardens, Plains Road, Burlington
In her textile art work, Lorraine Roy has long been inspired by dark geological and biological activity beneath the soil’s surface
and how it affects the plant community. Upon moving to the Dundas area in 2005, she was struck how the exposed rock of the
escarpment provided a tantalizing glimpse of the enormous forces that shaped it. Much of her work since then blended her love
of native trees and their particular challenges in clinging to those harsh surfaces. More recently, new research in mycorrhizal
communication between roots of trees has now become the subject of an entire new and ongoing body of work. Our soil and
rock scientists are literally bringing dark secrets to light. Lorraine asks, what can we learn from these rich and relevant messages
from the earth?
These topics will be illustrated with images and real pieces that mark her process through various concepts from idea to finished
work, highlighting her passion for making connections between art and science.
Raised in rural southwestern Ontario, Lorraine Roy completed a B.Sc. in Horticultural Sciences before opting for a career in art
textiles. Originally devoted to hand-embroidery, she later developed a unique form of machine collage that permits her to ‘paint’
with fabric. This technique incorporates a mixture of machine sewing, collage, embroidery and quilting, integrating thousands
of bits of fabric and threads with fine transparent tulle and machine stitching. Each piece is one of a kind (see below). In recent
work, the Niagara Escarpment area and its native trees and plants are Lorraine’s main inspirations. Her work is featured in collections
throughout Canada and abroad. www.Lroytextileart.com
“Autumn” - 2011. Private Collection. 18” x 36”. Lorraine Roy - photographed by Januscz Wrobel.
Page 154
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
(continued from page 152) Risk Stewardship Fund. The
ultimate goal is to understand why Whip-poor-will numbers
have declined, and to determine how to stop further declines.
The immediate goal is to find out more about their distribution
and abundance patterns in Ontario. This is an ideal “citizen
science” project because volunteers can easily detect and identify
the Whip-poor-will’s loud, distinctive call and effortlessly tell if
the species is present or absent. Rural residents and cottagers, as
well as several birders, have all shown interest in this project.
Data have been collected by three methods:
1) Casual observations – More than 500 volunteers using a
simple survey form reported more than 1,000 Eastern Whippoor-wills, many from Atlas squares, where they had not
been observed in 2000–2005.
2) Roadside surveys – Using routes established for a BSC nocturnal owl survey, mostly secondary roads with some forest
cover, more than 2,000 roadside survey points were sampled
(10 stops of three minutes each) and more than 1,200 Eastern
Whip-poor-wills were heard at 709 points. There were also
more than 1,500 points where no birds were heard.
Silke Nebel et al. (Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2010)
found a geographical gradient in the AI population trends, with
the highest declines being most likely in highly populated and
industrialized northeast North America. Declines became most
noticeable after 1980 and are most acute in species migrating the
farthest – to and from South America.
Several suspected causes for AI declines have been proposed.
Birds that forage while in flight have high metabolic demands
and are particularly susceptible to negative disruption during
key stages of their life history, such as breeding, incubation,
development of young, and migration. Human development,
pesticide uses, and global climate change are also other possible
causes for AI declines. These events can affect the birds directly
(e.g., when the birds are blown off course by storms during
migration or are disrupted by increasingly unfavourable weather
events) or indirectly through changes in insect/prey diversity and
abundance. It seems likely that there are multiple interconnected
reasons for the declines of the Whip-poor-will and other AI.
3) “Where in the square” exercises – This pilot study involved
detailed surveys of 22 Atlas squares and more than 250 point
counts, turning up 229 Eastern Whip-poor-wills, with up to
39 birds in a square.
4) Overall, the findings indicated the species was widespread but
locally common in some places where the habitat was ideal. It
seems it has been under-reported by the latest Ontario Breeding
Bird Atlas and other bird surveys, so it’s unknown whether it’s
still declining or stable. Next steps include continuing to collect casual observation data to develop a habitat model and see
whether there’s support for starting a long-term monitoring
program for Eastern Whip-poor-wills in Ontario and elsewhere.
A collaborative research project (involving Environment Canada,
the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and BSC) was launched
to find out where Ontario Eastern Whip-poor-wills go in the
winter. Suspected destinations were the Gulf Coast (Florida, Texas,
or Mexico) and Central America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, or
El Salvador). There have been no band recoveries, and the birds
are too small for conventional satellite transmitters. Instead, the
researchers are using miniature geolocators attached to the backs
of about 45 birds from Long Point, Muskoka, north of Kingston,
and Rainy River, to determine migration routes and wintering
grounds. The geolocators record the time of sunrise and sunset
where the birds are each day, allowing their daily movements to
be tracked. However, the method is not that precise, especially for
a nocturnal species that roosts in dense cover. So far, it appears
that Guatemala is an important wintering ground, though some
birds may go to Mexico.
Audrey then stated the decline of the Eastern Whip-poor-will is
really just part of a larger issue: the general disappearance of aerial
insectivores (AI), or flying bug eaters, across North America. The
State of Canada’s Birds 2012 (http://www.stateofcanadasbirds.
org/) says that AI have declined the most of any group of birds
in the last 40 years. The troubling part of this trend is that we
don’t know exactly why! A peer-reviewed research paper by
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Eastern Whip-poor-will with chicks, Ganaraska Forest, Durham Region
23 June 2010 - photo Mike McEvoy.
Audrey encouraged us all to get involved in helping solve the
mystery of the missing bug eaters by educating ourselves about
the problem (e.g., by reading The State of Canada’s Birds 2012
report), familiarizing ourselves with the declining species
that may be living in our own neighbourhoods, and reporting
sightings of these threatened birds, especially via eBird Canada,
where the data will be easily accessible to researchers. We can
also make our properties and communities safe and secure for
insectivorous birds and species at risk by minimizing pesticide
use, keeping pet cats indoors, planting native plants, and using
“bird-friendly” products. Of course, getting involved with one of
BSC’s “citizen science” projects that help monitor and conserve
bird populations (e.g., Barn Swallow NestWatch, Project
SwiftWatch, and the Great Backyard Bird Count) is an ideal way
to show personal commitment.
Our guest speaker then concluded her presentation with a slide
that thanked all the volunteers, collaborators, and supporters
of the project. She in turn was thanked by the audience with a
warm round of applause and by Cheryl Edgecombe, our emcee,
who expressed her appreciation to Audrey for making the trip
from Port Rowan to educate us about this worthwhile project.
After a refreshment break and a sightings report, the meeting was
adjourned and some of us no doubt left wondering when (or if)
we would next hear a Whip-poor-will’s call.
Page 155
D AT E S T O R E M E M B E R - M a r c h 2 0 1 4
1 Mar. to 15 May — The Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch’s 40th season of monitoring raptor migration at Beamer Memorial
Conservation Area, Quarry Road, off Ridge Road West, Grimsby. Except in very bad weather, counters are present every day from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST / 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT. Best times are from 10:00 am to 3:00 p.m. See http://www.niagarapeninsulahawkwatch.
org/MoreAboutNPH.php. Information: Mike Street - 905-648-3737, [email protected] or Sandy Darling - 905-689-7481,
[email protected]. Also see article on back page of this issue.
March - 13 April. Savage Gardens/ Nature’s Ninjas, RBG’s Winter Exhibit Double Feature, combines science, botany, and handson activities during its run until April 13, 2014. Please see www.rbg.ca for exhibit information.
2 Mar. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hikes. Free RBG Nature Hike (donations welcome). This week: Hendrie Valley.
Meet at Cherry Hill Gate parking lot on Plains Road.
2 Mar. (Sunday) 2 to 3:30 p.m. RBG - Nature’s Ninjas: Reptiles and Amphibians of Ontario at RBG Main Centre. Stealth, deception,
assassination, even open combat; critters that display ninja abilities to survive, and live on RBG property. Fee: $10, Family $25.
8 Mar. (Saturday) 8:00 p.m. Hamilton Association Lecture. The Human Host: Microbial Communities of the Body in Health
and Disease — Michael Surette. The human body is home to a complex community of microbes, the microbiome, that inhabits
almost all surfaces on the human body. The number of bacterial cells on or in us outnumbers our own cells 10 to 1. These bacteria
influence most aspects of human health and disease, from infections to chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease,
even depression. Dr. Michael Surette is a microbiologist and professor in the McMaster Department of Medicine. Room 1A1
Ewart Angus Centre. McMaster University Medical Centre. haalsa.org.
8 Mar. (Saturday) 9:00 a.m. - noon. RBG Outdoors Club, ages 12 to 15, every other Saturday February 8 to June 7. At the Nature
Centre. Winter/Spring fee: $235 (RBG Members 10% off). Explore the ecosystems that make the RBG a biodiversity hot spot.
9 Mar. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hike: Free RBG Nature hike. Meet at Princess Point parking area.
10 Mar. (Monday) 7:00 p.m. HNC - Monthly Meeting. “Roots and Rocks - From Darkness To Light”. In her textile art work,
Lorraine Roy has long been inspired by dark geological and biological activity beneath the soil’s surface and how it affects the
plant community. (see full summary on page 154). Royal Botanical Gardens, Plains Road, Burlington.
15 Mar. (Saturday) 7:00 a.m. HNC - Spooky Hollow Work Party. Rain date (snow date?) is March 16th. We will be meeting at
“The Egg and I” restaurant, corner of Hwy 2 and 53, behind the Tim Hortons, west of Ancaster, at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast. We will
proceed to Spooky at about 8:00 a.m. This event involves moderate to heavy physical activity. Please wear old clothes. Chili and
sausages will be provided for lunch. Contact Warren Beacham, Sanctuary Director, [email protected] or 905- 627-3343.
16 Mar. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hike: Free RBG Nature hike. Cootes North Shore. Meet at Nature Centre.
16 Mar. (Sunday) 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. HNC - Waterfowl and Other Early Spring Migrants. Leader Rob Dobos will take us on
a tour around our waterfront to look for late wintering and early spring migrant waterfowl and other birds. About 28 species of
regularly occurring ducks, geese and swans, plus another potential six or so rarer species are possible. Meet at LaSalle Marina
in Aldershot at the foot of LaSalle Park Dr./Waterdown Rd. Rob can be emailed at: [email protected]​a
16 Mar. (Sunday) 2 to 4 p.m. RBG Geo-Quest, Family program at RBG Nature Centre. Learn to use a GPS unit, then head outdoors
on a high-tech treasure hunt. Suitable for over 5 year olds. Fee: Single rate $12, Family rate $30
17 Mar. (Monday) 7:30 p.m. HNC - Bird Study Group meeting. This month, speaker Brian Wylie will tell us about his nature
experiences in the Dry Tortugas. Come at 7:00 for coffee and conversation. Burlington Seniors Centre (beside Burlington Public
Library) 2285 New St., Burlington.
18 Mar. (Tuesday) 7:00 p.m. Environment Hamilton AGM. Speaker is Dr. Laurence Packer from York University and his talk is
titled Bee Biodiversity. In this talk, Dr. Packer will give an overview of the morphological, ecological and behavioural diversity
of bees and stress their potential for helping us understand the state of the environment. This is a very timely lecture. He is the
author of the book ‘Keeping the Bees’ published in 2010. Location is the Hamilton Room at the Central Library.
22 Mar. (Saturday) 9:30 a.m. to noon. Junior Naturalists Club, ages 7 to 12, 4th Saturday of the month, to May 2014 at RBG
Nature Centre. Learning experiences to generate a life-long respect and love of the natural world. Parents must be either HNC
or RBG Members. Annual Fee: $80/child, $70/siblings. RBG Nature Centre, Arboretum Old Guelph Road.
22 Mar. (Saturday) 9:00 a.m. - noon. RBG Outdoors Club, ages 12 to 15, every other Saturday February 8 to June 7. At the Nature
Centre. Winter/Spring fee: $235 (RBG Members 10% off). Explore the ecosystems that make the RBG a biodiversity hot spot.
22 Mar. (Saturday). HNC - Long Point Waterfowl Bus Trip. The HNC will lead another bus trip to see Long Point waterfowl if
numbers warrant. See back cover of February Wood Duck for details or call Bill Lamond at 519-756-9546 or [email protected]
Page 156
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
23 Mar. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hike: Free RBG Nature hike (donations welcome). Cootes South Shore. Meet at
Aviary parking lot on Oak Knoll Road.
25 Mar. (Tuesday) 1 to 3:00 p.m. RBG Homeschoolers Afternoons: Maple Syrup at the Nature Centre. Homeschooler
Afternoons are 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Session fee: $65 (February to June). Single class: $15 / student.
29 Mar. (Saturday) 2 to 4:00 p.m. RBG - Capture a Ninja: Exhibit Photography for Kids at RBG Centre. Photography techniques
to capture a ninja or savage beauty. Fee: $30
30 Mar. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Walk. Free RBG Nature hike (donations welcome). Rock Chapel, meet at the
parking lot. If the weather is inclement, call RBG Program Update Line.
D AT E S T O R E M E M B E R - A p r i l 2 0 1 4
5 Apr. (Saturday) 9:00 a.m. - noon. RBG Outdoors Club, ages 12 to 15, every other Saturday February 8 to June 7. At the Nature
Centre. Winter/Spring fee: $235 (RBG Members 10% off). Explore the ecosystems that make the RBG a biodiversity hot spot.
6 Apr. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hikes. Free RBG Nature Hike (donations welcome). This week: Hendrie Valley.
Meet at Cherry Hill Gate parking lot on Plains Road.
8 Apr. (Tuesday) 1 to 3:00 p.m. RBG Homeschoolers Afternoons: Sings of Spring at the Nature Centre. Homeschooler
Afternoons are 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Session fee: $65 (February to June). Single class: $15/student.
9 Apr. (Wednesday) 7:15 p.m. HNC - American Woodcock Outing. Join Sheldon McGregor on an American Woodcock outing in
the early spring to hear woodcock calls and see them in flight. Bring a flashlight and wear waterproof boots and warm clothing.
We will be viewing the birds at dusk and returning to our cars in the dark. Contact Sheldon McGregor at 905-304-8282 or
sheldonbirder@h​otmail.com. Meet in Dundurn Castle parking lot to carpool.
13 Apr. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hike: Free RBG Nature hike. Meet at Princess Point parking area.
14 Apr. (Monday) 8:00 p.m. HNC - Monthly Meeting. This month speaker Sandy Smith’s talk is entitled “Invasive Species in Our
Forests: In Defence of Nature?” After some background on what has been arriving in our forests (insects, plants, diseases) and their
impacts, we will discuss the measures that have been taken to emulate nature to disrupt these invasives, and bring our invaded
systems back into better ecological equilibrium so they are more resilient to future disturbance. Dr. Sandy M Smith is a Professor
in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto, former Dean (2010-2012), and cross-appointed to the university’s School
of the Environment and Dept. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Her research addresses the ecology and biological management of
invasive species to better understand invasion processes in forest systems. She actively participates in a number of professional
organizations and invasive species control panels at international, national, and provincial levels.
19 Apr. (Saturday) 9:00 a.m. - noon. RBG Outdoors Club, ages 12 to 15, every other Saturday February 8 to June 7. At the Nature
Centre. Winter/Spring fee: $235 (RBG Members 10% off). Explore the ecosystems that make the RBG a biodiversity hot spot.
20 Apr. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hike: Free RBG Nature hike. Cootes North Shore. Meet at Nature Centre.
22 Apr. (Tuesday) 1 to 3:00 p.m. RBG Homeschoolers Afternoons: Planet Earth at the Nature Centre. Homeschooler Afternoons
are 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Session fee: $65 (February to June). Single class: $15/student.
26 Apr. (Saturday) 9:30 a.m. to noon. Junior Naturalists Club, ages 7 to 12, 4th Saturday of the month, to May 2014 at RBG
Nature Centre. Learning experiences to generate a life-long respect and love of the natural world. Parents must be either HNC
or RBG Members. Fee: $80/child, $70/siblings. RBG Nature Centre, Arboretum Old Guelph Road.
26 Apr. (Saturday) 9:30 a.m. RBG -Spring Wildflower Walk at Rock Chapel. Geared to intermediate hiking level. Fee: $10 per walk.
27 Apr. (Sunday) 7:00 a.m. RBG - Spring Bird Walk at Hendrie Valley (meet at Cherry Hill Gate). Geared to intermediate hiking
level. Fee: $10 per walk.
27 Apr. (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. Get Back to Nature Hike: Free RBG Nature hike (donations welcome). Cootes South Shore. Meet at
Aviary parking lot on Oak Knoll Road.
28 Apr. (Monday) 7:30 p.m. HNC - Bird Study Group - Members Night. This is our final meeting of the season and annual
members night. We will have interesting presentations by some of our members. Come early at 7:00 for coffee and conversation.
Burlington Seniors Centre (beside the Burlington Public Library) 2285 New St., Burlington.
30 Apr. (Wednesday) 6:30 p.m. HNC - Crerar Urban Forest Outing: Join Sheldon McGregor to explore this small but significant patch
of urban forest within Hamilton. We will explore the public portion for various tree species, spring wildflowers, and a few migrating
birds. This woodlot gained local notoriety in November 2012 as the privately held portion was dramatically and unexpectedly
cleared of many large trees. We will be joined by Dr. Giuliana Casimirri, Ph.D., an urban forest enthusiast, who will share her insights
on the benefits of urban patches. Meet in the parking lot of Bethel Gospel Tabernacle, 1355 Upper Wellington St, Hamilton.
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Page 157
NOTEWORTHY BIRD RECORDS – SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2013
by Rob Dobos
Total number of species recorded in the HSA during 2013 to November 30: 286. Underlined species or dates require documentation
by the Hamilton Bird Records Committee. Capitalized species require documentation by the Ontario Bird Records Committee. For
species marked with “#”, all reported records are listed. For all other species, only highlights are listed. Note that the species order
follows the most recent American Ornithologists’ Union checklist and supplements.
Observers: Bruce Aikens (BAk), Glenn Barrett (GBa), Hazel Broker (HB), Duane Brown (DBn), Ken Burrell (KBu), Ron Campeau
(RCa), Barb Charlton (BC), Barry Cherriere (BCh), Shena Chisholm (SCh), Helen Colvin (HCo), Barry Coombs (BCo), William Crins
(WCr), Robert Curry (RC), Janet Dance (JDa), Ken Dance (KDa), Sandy Darling (SD), Karl Dix (KD), Rob Dobos (RD), Andrew Don
(AD), Dave R. Don (DD), Chris Dunn (CDu), Cheryl Edgecombe (CE), Gavin Edmondstone (GE), Sue Edwards (SE), Luc Fazio (LF),
Joanne Fleet (JFt), Brett Fried (BF), Nancy Furber (NF), Denys Gardiner (DG), Alex Gray (AG), Athena Gubbe (AGu), Bill Harris (BHa),
Jim Heslop (JH), Fran Hicks (FHi), Clive Hodder (CHo), Brandon Holden (BH), George Holland (GH), Ellen Horak (EHo), Sandra
Horvath (SHo), Jackson Hudecki (JHu), Matthew Iles (MI), Jean Iron (JI), Mourad Jabra (MJa), Jarmo Jalava (JJa), Beth Jefferson
(BJe), Mark Jennings (MJ), Barry Jones (BJ), Colin Jones (CJo), Aaron Keating (AKe), Andrew Keaveney (AK), Tim King (TK), Ethan
Kistler (EK), Ursula Kolster (UK), Karl Konze (KK), William Konze (WK), Billi Krochuk (BKr), Bill Lamond (BL), Denis Lepage (DLp),
Dennis Lewington (DL), Gwen Lewington (GL), Joyce Litster (JLi), Rick Ludkin (RL), Garret Luft (GLf), Ron Luft (RLf), Bruce Mackenzie
(BM), Laurie Mackenzie (LM), Len Manning (LMa), Arlene McCaw (AMC), Sheldon McGregor (SMG), Spencer McGregor (SpMG),
Kevin McLaughlin (KM), Matt Mills (MM), Frank Morley (FM), Ken Newcombe (KN), Ben Oldfield (BO), Gavin Platt (GPt), Richard Poort
(RPo), Rob Porter (RPr), John Prescott (JPr), David Pryor (DPr), Bill Read (BR), Joanne Redwood (JRe), Kory Renaud (KRn), Garth
Riley (GRi), Greg Salter (GSa), Caleb Scholtens (CSc), Peter Scholtens (PSc), Alf Senior (AS), Elaine Serena (ES), George Sims
(GSi), Glenda Slessor (GS), Bill Smith (BS), Nancy Smith (NS), Paul Smith (PS), David Smzyr (DSm), Chris Street (CS), Mike Street
(MS), Lisa Teskey (LTe), Peter Thoem (PT), Tom Thomas (TT), Matt Timpf (MT), John Tomins (JTo), Michelle Tomins (MTo), Dave
Trumbell (DT), Josh Vandermeulen (JV), Mike Veltri (MV), Rob Waldhuber (RW), Phil Walker (PWa), Jim Watt (JWa), Angie Williams
(AWi), Ken Williams (KWi), Stu Williams (SWi), David Wood (DWo), Ross Wood (RWo), Brian Wylie (BW), many observers (m.obs.).
Legend:
* -first occurrence for the year
F -first occurrence for the
migration
L -last occurrence for the
migration
HSA -Hamilton Study Area
SM –singing male
terr. –territorial bird
Plumages, etc.:
m. -male
f. -female
ad. -adult
ba. -basic
alt. -alternate
imm. -immature
juv. -juvenile
1st yr. –first year
Snow Goose#: 14 white morph + four blue morph past the Lake at
Fruitland Rd [HM] Oct 27 F (RD,CE,DD); 13 past Van Wagners Beach
[HM] (WCr,BC,BF) and one W of Copetown [HM] (FM,BHa) Nov 3.
Brant#: One off Fifty Point C.A. [HM/NG] Oct 28 F (CE); one at
Windermere Basin [HM] Oct 31 (RPo; LMa,LTe); one off Burloak
Waterfront Park [HL] Nov 2 (DD); two past Van Wagners Beach Nov 3
(WCr,BC,BF); 21 past Sam Lawrence Park [HM] Nov 7 (LMa).
Trumpeter Swan: Four past Woodland Cemetery [HM] Oct 20 F (RD et al.).
Tundra Swan: Two at the Lake at Green Rd [HM] Oct 28 F (BH); three
at Dundas Marsh [HM] Nov 11 (JHu).
Tundra Swan at LaSalle Park, 1 November 2013 - photo Joanne Redwood.
Wood Duck: 42 at 11th Conc E of Centre Rd [HM] Sep 29 (HCo).
Gadwall: 52 at Windermere Basin Oct 13 (RD); 15 at Valens C.A. [HM]
Oct 19 (RD); 294 at Cootes Paradise [HM] Nov 3 (RD,CE).
Page 158
County/Region/City:
Brant [BR]
Haldimand [HD]
Halton [HL]
Hamilton [HM]
Niagara [NG]
Peel [PL]
Waterloo [WT]
Wellington [WL]
American Wigeon: 12 off Green Rd Sep 16 and 18 there Oct 28 (BH);
33 past Van Wagners Beach Oct 4 (RD,CE), and 22 there Oct 5 (RD et
al.); four at Windermere Basin Oct 13 (RD).
Blue-winged Teal: 21 off Shoreacres [HL] Sep 12 (RWo).
Northern Shoveler: 25 at Tollgate Pond [HM] Sep 14 (RD et al.); 12 at
Princess Point [HM] and 25 at Windermere Basin Oct 13 (RD).
Northern Pintail: Birds past Van Wagners Beach: 10 –Sep 5
(RD,CE,BCh), 11 –Sep 13 (RD,CE), 20 –Sep 17 (RD et al.), 20 –Oct 4
(RD,CE); 93 off Green Rd Sep 16 and 175 there Oct 28 (BH).
Green-winged Teal: Birds past Van Wagners Beach: 50 –Sep 8 (RD et
al.), 20 –Oct 4 (RD,CE), 23 –Oct 11 (RD); eight at Red Hill Parkway &
QEW Stormwater Pond [HM] Sep 15 (RD,CE,BC); 18 at Windermere
Basin Oct 13 (RD); 195 off Green Rd Oct 28 (BH).
Canvasback: One on Harbour off at LaSalle Marina [HM] Sep 12 (TT),
and 50 there Nov 11 (LMa); 49 at Tollgate Pond Nov 16 (RD,CE,DD).
Redhead: Three m. at Tollgate Pond Sep 14 (RD et al.); six past Van
Wagners Beach Oct 4 (RD,CE).
Greater Scaup: 11 past Van Wagners Beach Sep 17 F (RD et al.).
Lesser Scaup: 20 past Van Wagners Beach Oct 4 (RD,CE).
King Eider#: One 1st yr. m. off Van Wagners Beach Nov 3 F (WCr et
al.); one f. off Millen Rd [HM] Nov 28-30 (BH; m.obs.).
Harlequin Duck#: One m. off Fifty Rd [HM] Nov 30 F (SHo).
Surf Scoter: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 1 –Sep 1 F (RD et al.) tied the
record early fall date for the HSA, 1 –Sep 8 (RD et al.), 7 –Sep 28 (RD,CE);
3500 off Green Rd Oct 28 (BH) provided a new record high count for the HSA.
White-winged Scoter: Five off Van Wagners Beach Sep 1 F (RD et al.),
and 40 there Sep 28 (RD,CE); 5500 off Green Rd Oct 28 (BH).
(continued on page 161)
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
A n d
N o w
F o r
S o m e
G o o d
N e w s
!
Rainbows Instead of A Dam
by Bruce Mackenzie
W
e all know something about fish but what always strikes
me as funny is that we never ever see most fish that live
around us. This is unfortunate because there are so many neat
fish in our neighbourhood.
One of prettiest fish in our area is the Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma
caeruleum). You just have to look at them to see where they got
their name. Interesting thing about Rainbow Darters, the males
are brighter in colour then females just like most birds are. Males
just like to show off I guess.
So what are darters? Darters are a group of small fish species
comprising about ten different species in Ontario. They are in
the perch family so related to Yellow Perch and Walleye. They
are almost always found on or near the bottom. All darters dart
around. They swim for short distances in a hurry. Some live in
the Great Lakes in shallow waters and some choose deeper water.
Some prefer smaller bodies of water while some live in streams.
Streams are the choice of the Rainbow Darter.
Darters are small fish and most of us would simply call them
minnows if we did not look closely at them. They might get to
about 7 cm in length but most are well under 5 cm. A child’s little
finger in size. The darters that live in rivers and fast flowing water
can hold their position in the current. They have large and strong
pectoral fins for their size. Think about where arms would be on
a fish if fish had arms. Well that is where their pectoral fins are.
They use their pectoral fins for strong short bursts of speed or to
just hold onto the creek bottom in the current.
Rainbow Darters feed on very small aquatic insects and
invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without backbones.
Think of worms, crayfish and creepy crawlies. If they are really
small, and like to live around small rocks in the water, then they
just might be the food of Rainbow Darters.
news. What better
judge of how we
are helping the
Spencer than to
be told by a small
Rainbow Darter. From Ohio Department of Natural
but interesting fish Resources
webpage. www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species
species that says
that the water is of good quality and the flow is just right for their
healthy stream.
The Rainbow Darter is just one species of many wildlife species
that has been advantaged in this new section of the Spencer.
Spotted Sandpipers, Belted Kingfishers and water snakes have all
taken up residence here. If you have not visited the new section
of the Spencer Adventure Trail and bridge by this restored section
of the Spencer you might like to make a trip to see how the creek
here has been given a new chance at life.
Now you are not likely to see Rainbow Darters, they are small
and like to hide but you will see the different sections of the
Spencer Creek with its currents flowing over and around rocks.
You will see where the water bubbles over structures and gets
re-oxygenated. The new vegetation communities are moving
in towards the creek providing shade and habitat for fish and
other wildlife. The Rainbow Darter is just one species of many
wildlife species that has taken advantage of this new section of
the Spencer Creek. And all this in a year or two.
Rainbow Darters are generally found throughout the Spencer
Creek watershed. If you find Rainbow Darters then you know the
water quality is pretty good otherwise Rainbow Darters would
not be living there. They don’t do well with pollution or heavy
sediments in the water.
Today, the Rainbow Darter has a new home in the Spencer
Creek where the old Crooks Hollow Dam was along the Spencer
Adventure Trail. In 2012 the dam was removed for safety reasons
and an innovative design project was undertaken to rehabilitate
this section of the Spencer Creek that used to be affected by
the old dam and millpond. This rehabilitation project has had
wonderful results within its first year.
From land it is easy to see the change in the habitat. In the river are
riffles, shallow spots and deep spots for the different fish to enjoy.
Recently, ecologists of the Hamilton Conservation Authority,
in their monitoring project of Spencer Creek, found Rainbow
Darters in this new section of the creek. This is wonderful
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
That’s one confused tom Wild Turkey! 14 May 2012. Pleasant View area,
Dundas - photo Peter Hurrell.
Page 159
Bumblebee Watch has Launched! Please Visit
BumbleBeeWatch.org
The Xerces Society, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, Wildlife Preservation Canada, the Montreal Insectarium, the Natural History Museum of London, and BeeSpotter, will be launching a citizen science initiative to track
all species of North American bumblebees. This project will help us to follow the status of these essential pollinators
and inform effective conservation actions. With our new website, you will be able to upload photos, use an interactive
identification tool, and submit geo-referenced records of all North American bumblebees.
In the last issue of the Wood Duck (Vol. 67, No. 6, page 139), two articles highlighted some encouraging news for this group
of bees. Nonetheless, bumblebees still need our help. There is still so much to learn about their distribution before meaningful programs can be put in place to protect them. We have to know where they are before we can protect them. This is where
volunteers come in: to gather the baseline data regarding distribution. Bumblebees are easy to photograph, and with the
interactive website, you can make a solid contribution in the preservation of these very important insects.
TRIVIA FOR NATURE
Join the HNC’s land trust program for its popular annual
Trivia Night! We will be raising funds to enable us to continue
to provide our popular outdoor education program.
There are questions for everyone during this evening of
general knowledge trivia, so gather a group of friends to form
a team of 8, or join a team at the event. Please feel free to bring
your own snacks. Snacks and drinks will also be available for
purchase (see poster below).
When: Saturday, April 26, 2014, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Where: St. Paul’s United Church, 29 Park Street West, Dundas
Tickets: $10 each or $70 for a table of 8
For reservations or more information please contact Jen
Baker at 905-524-3339 or [email protected].
photo Jen Baker
Studying forest ecology and listening for birds at the members’ outing to
Spooky Hollow Sanctuary on 1 June 2013. This year, to Short Hills (see below).
Members’ Outing to the Short Hills
Nature Sanctuary
The HNC acquired the Short Hills Nature Sanctuary in 1967.
It is located on the Niagara Peninsula and contains a rare
example of old growth Carolinian forest known as the “Valley
of the Big Trees” which includes huge Tulip Trees, oaks and
American Beech. It provides habitat for several species “at
risk” including the Cucumber-Tree, Broad Beech Fern, Hooded
Warbler, Cerulean Warbler and Southern Flying Squirrel.
We invite HNC members to join us on
Saturday, June 7 for a special guided
field day to visit the sanctuary when the
forest is alive with birds and wildflowers
among enormous Tulip Trees!
There will be a $25 fee to help cover bus costs and a
minimum number of 20 registrants are needed for the trip to
go ahead. To register, please contact Jen Baker at 905-5243339 or [email protected]. Specific transportation
details will be sent to you closer to the event.
Page 160
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
(Noteworthy Bird records - continued from page 158)
Black Scoter: Two f. off Grays Rd [HM] Oct 14 F (RD); 225 off Green
Rd Oct 27 (RD,CE,DD); 15 off Millen Rd Nov 28 (RD).
Long-tailed Duck: Seven off Van Wagners Beach Sep 28 F (RD,CE);
10000 off Green Rd Oct 28 (BH).
Bufflehead: One at Tollgate Pond Sep 14-Oct 13 (RD et al.); birds on Oct 27
F: 4 –Van Wagners Beach, 10 –Green Rd, 3 –Fifty Point C.A. (RD,CE,DD).
Common Goldeneye: One past Van Wagners Beach and three off
Green Rd Oct 27 F (RD,CE,DD).
Hooded Merganser: Nine at Valley Inn [HL] Oct 25 (RD).
Common Merganser: 23 juv. off Fifty Rd Sep 1 (KM); one at NE Shore
of Harbour [HM] Sep 4 (RD), and 10 there Oct 13 (RD); nine off
Shoreacres Sep 12 (RWo).
Red-breasted Merganser: One m. at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 8 (LMa
et al.); one off Shoreacres Sep 12 (RWo); 10 past Van Wagners Beach Oct
4 F (RD,CE); 17 off Grays Rd Oct 14 (RD).
Red-breasted Merganser at LaSalle Park, 23 November 2013 - photo Joanne Redwood.
Ruddy Duck: One m. + two f. at Windermere Basin Sep 1-15 (RD; m.obs.);
60 at Tollgate Pond Oct 13 (RD); 23 off Woodland Cemetery Oct 14 (RD);
12 at Valens C.A. Oct 19 (RD); 235 at Cootes Paradise Nov 3 (RD,CE).
Ring-necked Pheasant#: One at 10th Rd E & Dofasco Trail [HM] Oct
5 (BM,LM).
Ruffed Grouse#: One at Ruthven Park, Cayuga [HD] Sep 23 (RL); one
f. at Westover Rd N of Conc 8 [HM] Nov 26-29 (PS).
Wild Turkey: 22 at Hwy 20 & Westbrook Rd [HM] Nov 26 (DL,GL).
Red-throated Loon#: One past Van Wagners Beach Sep 16 (RD,CE),
and one there Oct 27 (RD,CE,DD); three past Fifty Rd Oct 20 (KM); one
past Woodland Cemetery Oct 20 (RD et al.); two off Green Rd Oct 23
(GH), and four there Oct 28 (BH); three off Fifty Point C.A. [HM/NG]
Oct 27 (RD et al.); three over Cootes Paradise Nov 3 (RD,CE).
Common Loon: Four past Van Wagners Beach Sep 1 (RD et al.), and 10
there Oct 27 (RD,CE,DD); nine off Fifty Point C.A. Oct 27 (RD et al.);
45 off Green Rd Oct 28 (BH).
Pied-billed Grebe: Two at Windermere Basin Oct 5 F (TT et al.); two
at Grimsby Sewage Ponds [NG] Oct 6 (AWi,KWi); three off LaSalle
Marina Oct 21 (RD,CE).
Horned Grebe: One at Cootes Paradise Oct 13 F (RD); five off Green
Rd Oct 14 (RD); nine off Fifty Point C.A. Oct 27 (RD et al.); five off
LaSalle Marina Nov 1 (JRe).
Red-necked Grebe: 40 off Rattray Marsh [PL] Sep 14 (GRi et al.); one
on Harbour off Bayshore Park [HM] Oct 13 (RD); one off Fifty Point
C.A. Nov 16 (JH et al.).
NORTHERN GANNET#: One ad. past Green Rd Sep 1 * (BH), and
again past Van Wagners Beach Oct 5-6 (JI; m.obs.) provided the first
record of an adult for the HSA and the earliest fall record. It was likely
the same individual that had been present on Lake Ontario off New
York and eastern Ontario since May.
American White Pelican#: One at Cootes Paradise /W End of Harbour
[HM] Sep 29-Oct 19L (TT; m.obs.).
Great Blue Heron: 30 at Dundas Marsh [HM] Sep 23 (LMa), and 35
there Oct 13 (RD).
Great Egret#: One at Dundas Hydro Pond [HM] Sep 1-Oct 17 (RD); up to
four at Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond Sep 5-19 (LMa,CSc,JRe;
m.obs.); birds at Grand River above Parkhill Dam [WT]: 8 –Sep 10, 29 –
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Sep 24, 24 –Sep 27, 6 –Oct 15, 1 –Oct 25 L (fide BR); two at Stormwater
Pond at Hwy 407 S of Britannia Rd [PL] Sep 12 (RD); one at Rattray Marsh
Sep 14 (GRi et al.); birds at Dundas Marsh: 10 –Sep 18 (UK), 18 –Sep 27
(CE), 14 –Oct 13 (RD); up to five at Confederation Park [HM] Sep 11-Oct
22 (JRe; m.obs.); 25 roosting at Carroll’s Point [HM] Oct 10 and four there
Oct 22 (PS); up to three at Valley Inn Sep 18-Oct 25L (KN; m.obs.).
Green Heron: One at Windermere Basin Sep 9-15 (RD); three at Valley
Inn Sep 18 (KN), and one there Oct 14 L (RD); one at Confederation
Park Sep 23 (CE); two at Dundas Marsh Sep 23 (LMa), and one there
Sep 29 (RD,CE,DD).
Black-crowned Night-Heron: One juv. at Gairloch Gardens, Oakville
[HL] Sep 11 (CE); six at Dundas Marsh Sep 23 (LMa); five ad. + one juv.
at Red Hill Creek at Eastport Dr [HM] Nov 24 (RD).
PLEGADIS IBIS Species#: One over Millgrove Loam Pits [HM] Oct 8 * (CDu).
Turkey Vulture: 52 past Gates of Heaven Cemetery, Aldershot [HL] Oct
20 (RD et al.); 50 over N Shore of Cootes Paradise [HM] Oct 21 (RD);
one over Sedgewick Forest Park [HL] Nov 20 (LMa,JRe); four over Hwy
403 at Garden Ave, Brantford [BR] Nov 27 (MS).
Osprey: Six at Woodland Cemetery Sep 2 (RD,CE); four over Aurora
Cres, Burlington [HL] Sep 3 (CE); one at Clappisons Corners Wetland
[HM] Oct 30 L (TT).
Bald Eagle: Five at Woodland Cemetery (RD,CE) and one 2nd ba. over
Aurora Cres, Burlington (CE) Sep 2 F; two ad. past Gates of Heaven
Cemetery, Aldershot Oct 20 (RD et al.).
Northern Harrier: One f. at Globe Park, Hamilton [HM] Sep 10 (GBa);
one at York Rd, Dundas [HM] Nov 26 (RD).
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 22 past Woodland Cemetery Sep 2 F (RD,CE);
11 over Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 2 F and 15 there Sep 3 (CE); 15 past
Gates of Heaven Cemetery, Aldershot Oct 20 (RD et al.).
Northern Goshawk#: One at Dundas Marsh Sep 29 F (TT); one over
Blyth Cres, Oakville [HL] Oct 25 (JWa); one at Bronte Creek Prov. Park
[HL] Nov 3 (AD).
Red-shouldered Hawk: One at Dundas Marsh Oct 14 F (AWi,KWi);
one over Aurora Cres, Burlington Oct 27 (CE).
Broad-winged Hawk: One past Woodland Cemetery Sep 2 F (RD,CE),
and one there Sep 22 L (RD et al.); two over Aurora Cres, Burlington
Sep 2 F and 15 there Sep 13 (CE).
Red-tailed Hawk: 26 over Aurora Cres, Burlington Oct 27 (CE); one
dark morph at Hwy 6 S of Oneida Line 4 [HD] Nov 2 (CJo).
Rough-legged Hawk: One over Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater
Pond Oct 1 F (BS,RCa).
Golden Eagle#: One juv. at Escarpment at Kenilworth Access [HM] Oct
30 F (LMa,LTe); birds on Nov 3: 1 –North Burlington [HL] (RLf,GLf),
1 –Bronte [HL] (GE,SE), 1 –Beverly Swamp [HM] (DG), 1 –Dundas
[HM] (BW), 1subad. –Galt [WT] (JTo,MTo); one imm. at Morriston
[WL] Nov 13 (MV).
Sora#: Two at Dundas Marsh Sep 23 L (LMa).
Common Gallinule#: One at Dundas Marsh Sep 23-29L (LMa; RD,CE,DD).
American Coot: 48 off Bayshore Park Oct 13 F (RD); 21 off LaSalle
Marina Oct 22 (JRe).
Sandhill Crane#: Three at East River Rd S of Glen Morris [BR] Sep 29Oct 1 (GSi); 50 over Dundas Valley C.A. [HM] (RPr) and 154 over Brant
C.A. [BR] (DBn) Nov 24.
WHOOPING CRANE#: Two reported over Brant C.A. Nov 24 * (DBn)
were likely strays from the introduced flock summering in Wisconsin
and wintering in Florida.
Black-bellied Plover: One juv. at Tollgate Pond (RD,CE) and one juv. at
Windermere Basin (RD,BC) Sep 6; one juv. at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 14
(RD et al.); one at Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond Sep 19 L (CE).
American Golden-Plover: 40 at Glancaster & Haldibrook Rds [HM] Sep
4 (MJa), and 19 there Sep 6 (CE); 25 at Mines & Haldibrook Rds [HD]
Sep 6 (CE), and 30 there Sep 9 (JH); five juv. at Windermere Basin Sep 6
(RD,BC), and one ad. + seven juv. there Sep 15 (RD,CE,BC); one juv. at
Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond Nov 13-16L (KM; m.obs.).
Semipalmated Plover: Seven at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 4 (RD); seven
at Windermere Basin Sep 6 (RD,BC); eight at Red Hill Parkway & QEW
Stormwater Pond Sep 11 (CE), and five there Sep 19 L (CE).
(continued next page)
Page 161
Killdeer: 120 at Mines & Haldibrook Rds Sep 29 (RD,CE,DD).
Spotted Sandpiper: Two at Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond
Sep 15 L (RD,CE,BC).
Solitary Sandpiper: One at Ruthven Park Sep 3 (MT); two at Bronte
Marsh [HL] Sep 25 L (CE).
Greater Yellowlegs: 34 counted throughout the HSA on Nov 3 L
(m.obs.).
Lesser Yellowlegs: 21 at Confederation Park Sep 11 (JRe); 10 at Red
Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond Sep 19 (CE); seven counted
throughout the HSA on Nov 3 L (m.obs.).
Whimbrel#: One at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 4 (RD); one at Windermere
Basin Sep 6 L (BC; m.obs.).
Hudsonian Godwit#: One at N Shore of Cootes Paradise Sep 28 * (AGu).
Red Knot#: One juv. at Tollgate Pond Sep 1-2 (CE; m.obs.); one juv. at
Windermere Basin Sep 6 L (RD,BC).
Sanderling: Birds at Van Wagners Beach: 6juv. –Sep 1 (RD et al.), 11
–Sep 8 (RD et al.), 2 –Oct 5 (RD et al.), 2 –Nov 3 L (WCr et al.); five at
Burlington Beachstrip [HL] Sep 9 (BO).
Semipalmated Sandpiper: 11 at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 4 (RD); one
at Confederation Park Sep 23 L (CE).
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Van Wagners Beach, 12 October 2013 - photo Brandon Holden.
Least Sandpiper: Six at Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond Glaucous Gull: One 2nd ba. off Green Rd Nov 28F-30 (BH; m.obs.).
Sep 19 L (CE).
Great Black-backed Gull: One juv. off Van Wagners Beach Sep 23
White-rumped Sandpiper: One at Tollgate Pond Sep 1 F (AWi,KWi).
(RD,CE); eight off Green Rd Oct 28 (BH); 12 at CCIW [HL] Nov 26
Baird’s Sandpiper: One at Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond (RD).
Sep 1 (AWi,KWi); one juv. at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 5 (CE); one at Caspian Tern: Five at NE Shore of Harbour Sep 14 L (RD et al.).
McPherson Rd Stormwater Pond, Oakville [HL] Sep 6 (MJ); one juv. at Black Tern#: One found dead at Ruthven Park Sep 8 L (PT et al.).
Windermere Basin Sep 8-9L (LMa et al.).
Common Tern: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 35 –Sep 1 (RD et al.), 10
Pectoral Sandpiper: Three at Windermere Basin Sep 8 (LMa et al.); –Oct 4 (RD,CE), 1 –Oct 5 (RD et al.); two ad. + three juv. at Windermere
three at Tollgate Pond Sep 14 (RD et al.); three at Confederation Park Basin Sep 6 (RD,BC) were a very late brood; 14 past CCIW Oct 3 (RD);
Sep 23 (CE); three at N Shore of Cootes Paradise Nov 3 L (MM).
one at N Shore of Harbour Nov 3 L (BH).
Dunlin: One past Van Wagners Beach (RD,CE) and two at Dundas Marsh Forster’s Tern#: One at Burlington Ship Canal Oct 1 (BS,RCa); one off
(JHu) Oct 4 F; two at Windermere Basin Oct 5 (TT et al.); two past Green Van Wagners Beach Oct 5 L (RD et al.).
Rd Oct 28 (BH); 180 at Cootes Paradise Nov 3 L (MM,AKe; RD,CE).
Pomarine Jaeger#: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 1juv. –Sep 8 * (CE et
Stilt Sandpiper: One juv. at Tollgate Pond Sep 1 L (RD et al.).
al.), 1juv. –Sep 13 (LMa), 2juv. –Sep 16 (RD et al.), 6ad. –Oct 4 (RD,CE),
Buff-breasted Sandpiper#: One at Mines & Haldibrook Rds Sep 6-10L 1ad. –Oct 5 (RD et al.), 1 –Nov 3 (GPt,MJa); one off Burlington
(CE; m.obs.) and two there Sep 9 (DL,GL).
Beachstrip Sep 9 (BO); three juv. off Green Rd Sep 9 and one juv. there
Short-billed Dowitcher: One juv. at Tollgate Pond Sep 1 (RD,CE,BC); Oct 28 (BH); one off Arkendo Park, Oakville [HL] Oct 4 (JWa).
one at Confederation Park Sep 15 L (RD,CE,BC).
Parasitic Jaeger#: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 4juv. –Sep 1 (RD et
Wilson’s Snipe: One at Millgrove Loam Pits [HM] Oct 1 L (DD).
al.), 9 –Sep 5 (CE,BCh,RD), 7 –Sep 8 (RD et al.), 2 –Sep 9 (SWi,BAk),
American Woodcock: One at Ruthven Park Oct 15 (RL); one at 14 Mile Creek Trail, 1ad. + 1juv. –Sep 13 (LMa et al.), 5 –Sep 14 (BCh), 2ad. + 2juv. –Sep 16
Oakville [HL] Oct 23 (SCh); one at Dundas Valley C.A. Nov 3 L (SMG,SpMG,JFt). (RD et al.), 1ad. + 2juv. –Sep 17 (RD et al.), 1 –Sep 23 (CE,MJa), 4 –Sep
Wilson’s Phalarope#: One juv. at Windermere Basin Sep 1-3L 27 (CE), 1 –Oct 4 (RD,CE), 1juv. –Oct 5 (RD et al.), 1ad. + 1juv. –Oct
(AWi,KWi; m.obs.); one at Hespeler Mill Pond [WT] Sep 3 L (MI).
15 (CE,DD,BCh), 1 –Oct 29 L (LMa); one juv. off Spencer Smith Park
Red-necked Phalarope#: Three juv. at Tollgate Pond Sep 1-2 (CE; m.obs.), [HL] Sep 5 (DD); birds off Green Rd: 1 –Sep 5 (BH), 2juv. –Sep 9 (BH),
and one there Sep 5 (LMa,CSc,JRe); three off Green Rd Sep 9 L (BH).
2 –Sep 13 (GH), 1juv. –Sep 16 (BH); one off Burlington Beachstrip Sep
Phalarope species#: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 1 –Sep 5 9 (BO); one juv. off Rattray Marsh Sep 17 (JV,KRn,DSm), and one juv.
(RD,CE,BCh), 2 –Sep 8 (RD et al.), 2 –Sep 16 (RD et al.).
there Oct 25 (fide AK).
Red Phalarope#: One juv. off Van Wagners Beach Sep 5 * (BCh,CE,RD). Long-tailed Jaeger#: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 1juv. –Sep 1 (RD
Black-legged Kittiwake#: One ad. off Green Rd Sep 8 (GH), and one juv. et al.), 6 –Sep 13 (LMa et al.), 1juv. –Oct 5 L (RD et al.); one ad. + one
there Oct 6 (GH); birds off Van Wagner Beach: 1juv. –Sep 14 (KM), 1juv. juv. off Green Rd Sep 9 (BH); one subad. off Rattray Marsh Sep 17
–Oct 5 (LMa), 2juv. –Oct 12 (DLp et al.), 1juv. –Oct 15 (BCh,CE,DD), (JV,KRn,DSm).
1 –Oct 29 L (LMa); two juv. off Fifty Point C.A. Oct 27 (RPo,MJa).
Jaeger species#: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 7 –Sep 1 (RD et al.), 9
Sabine’s Gull#: Two ad. off Green Rd Sep 5 * (BH); birds off Van –Sep 5 (CE,BCh), 5 –Sep 8 (RD et al.), 3 –Sep 16 (RD et al.), 1 –Oct 4
Wagners Beach: 7juv. –Sep 5 * (CE,BCh,RD), 4juv. –Sep 8 (RD et al.), (RD,CE), 2 –Oct 5 (RD et al.), 1 –Oct 6 (AWi,KWi), 1 –Oct 22 (RD,CE),
2juv. –Sep 14 (BCh), 3juv. –Sep 16 (RD et al.), 1juv. –Sep 18 (NS et al.), 1 –Oct 29 (JJa); two off Rattray Marsh Sep 17 (JV,KRn,DSm); one off
3juv. –Sep 23 (MJa,CE), 1ad. –Oct 15 (CE,DD,BCh).
Green Rd Oct 14 (RD).
Bonaparte’s Gull: Nine at Burlington Ship Canal [HM/HL] Oct 1 WHITE-WINGED DOVE#: One at Upper Wentworth Ave & Lincoln
(BS,RCa); 12 off Van Wagners Beach Oct 5 (RD et al.); nine past Fifty Alexander Parkway [HM] Oct 3 (LMa,LTe) provided the fifth record for
Rd Oct 20 (KM); 16 off Fifty Point C.A. Oct 27 (RD et al.); 36 off Green the HSA and second this year.
Rd Oct 28 (BH); 28 at Dundas Marsh Nov 3 (RD,CE); two at Dundas Yellow-billed Cuckoo#: Birds at Ruthven Park: 1 –Sep 7 (MT), 2 –Sep
Hydro Pond Nov 16 (RD).
10 (NF), 1 –Oct 4 L (RL); one at Shoreacres Sep 12-14 (BKr; EHo).
Iceland Gull#: One juv. at N Shore of Cootes Paradise Nov 3 F (MM,AKe). Snowy Owl#: One at Fifty Point C.A. Nov 23 F (MV); one at Tollgate
Lesser Black-backed Gull#: Birds off Green Rd: 1ad. + 1juv. –Sep 16 Pond Nov 24-30 (MV; m.obs.); one at 1st Rd E & Highland Rd [HM]
(BH), 1 1st ba. –Oct 11 (BH), 1ad. –Nov 29 (GH); birds off Van Wagners Nov 29 (fide GSa); one at Windermere Basin and one at 10th Rd E &
Beach: 1juv. –Sep 16 (RD et al.), 1ad. –Sep 23 (MJa,CE), 1 1st ba. –Sep Dofasco Trail Nov 30 (MJa).
28-Oct 27 (RD,CE; m.obs.), 1ad. –Oct 5 (RD et al.); one juv. past Fifty Short-eared Owl#: Birds off Van Wagners Beach: 1 –Oct 11 F (RD), 1
Rd Oct 20 (KM), and one ad. there Nov 30 (RD); one at Hagersville –Oct 15 (GPt), 2 –Oct 29 (JJa); two off Green Rd Oct 14 (RD); one past
[HD] (JH,BJ) and one at Van Wagners Beach (WCr et al.) Nov 3.
Woodland Cemetery Oct 18 (DD,CE).
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The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Northern Saw-whet Owl#: Birds at Ruthven Park: 3 –Oct 15 F, 1 –Oct
19, 3 –Oct 24, 7 –Oct 29, 5 –Nov 3, 4 - Nov 4, 2 –Nov 8 (NF et al.).
Common Nighthawk: One at Ruthven Park Sep 1 (MT); two over
Hidden Valley Park, Aldershot [HL] Sep 29 L (CS).
Eastern Whip-poor-will#: One at Dundas Marsh Sep 22 L (KK,WK).
Chimney Swift: 45 past Woodland Cemetery Sep 2 (RD,CE); 12 over
Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 4 (CE); five at Dundas Marsh Sep 29 L (TT).
Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Six past Woodland Cemetery Sep 2
(RD,CE); seven at Shoreacres Sep 11 (CE); four at Shoreacres and six
at Shell Park [HL] Sep 12 (AMC); two at LaSalle Park [HL] Oct 3 (TT);
two at Ruthven Park Oct 6 (RL); one m. at Riverwood Park, Mississauga
[PL] Oct 30-Nov 2L (fide LF).
Red-headed Woodpecker#: One imm. at Dundas Marsh Nov 3 (RD,CE).
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 F (RD
et al.); five at Confederation Park Oct 3 (EK,BKr); one near St. George
[BR] Nov 3 (DWo et al.); one at N Shore of Cootes Paradise Nov 18 (ES
et al.); one at Sedgewick Forest Park Nov 27-28 (LMa,JRe).
Northern Flicker: 20 at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 (RD et al.).
American Kestrel: 21 over Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 12 (CE); 17
past Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.).
Merlin: Birds at Woodland Cemetery: 1 –Sep 2 (RD,CE), 1 –Sep 22
(RD et al.), 1 –Oct 20 (RD et al.); one at Fiddlers Green Rd S of Book
Rd [HM] Sep 6 (RD); one at Rock Chapel [HM] Sep 6 (SD); one at
Ruthven Park Sep 7 (MT) and one there Sep 22 (RL); one at McPherson
Rd Stormwater Pond, Oakville Sep 6 (MJ); one at Windermere Basin
Sep 8 (LMa et al.); one at Plains Rd W, Aldershot [HL] Sep 30-Oct 18
(RD); one at Montgomery Park, Hamilton [HM] Oct 11 (LMa); one at
SE Oakville Sewage Treatment Plant [HL] Nov 19 (CE).
Peregrine Falcon#: Birds at Woodland Cemetery: 1 –Sep 2 (RD,CE),
1juv. –Sep 22 (RD et al.), 1 –Oct 20 (RD et al.); two over Aurora Cres,
Burlington Sep 2 F (CE); the resident pair remained at Burlington Lift
Bridge [HL/HM] Sep 1-Nov 30 (RD; m.obs.); one at Van Wagners Beach
Oct 4 (RD,CE), and one ad. + one juv. there Oct 5 (RD et al.); two at
Vinemount Quarry, 10th Rd E [HM] Nov 24 (AWi,KWi).
Olive-sided Flycatcher#: One at Ruthven Park Aug 29 (MT); one at
White church & Miles Rds [HM] Sep 9 (CE); one at Blyth Cres, Oakville
Sep 9 (JWa); one at Shell Park Sep 12 (AMC); one at Edgelake Park
[HM] Sep 17 L (AD).
Eastern Wood-Pewee: Four at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 (RD et al.);
one at Princess Point Oct 1 L (RPr).
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: One at Ruthven Park Oct 2 L (RL).
“Traill’s” Flycatcher: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 L (RD et al.).
Least Flycatcher: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 L (RD et al.).
Eastern Phoebe: Two at Clappisons Corners Wetland Sep 22 F (RD
et al.); four at Confederation Park Oct 3 (EK,BKr); one at SE Oakville
Sewage Treatment Plant Nov 3 L (LF).
Great Crested Flycatcher: Two at Woodland Cemetery (RD et al.) and
one at Shoreacres (EHo) Sep 14 L.
Western Kingbird#: One at White Church Rd & Miles Rd [HM] Sep
6-9L (DD; m.obs.) provided the ninth record for the HSA.
Western Kingbird, 8 Sep. 2013, White Church & Miles Roads - photo Joanne Redwood.
Eastern Kingbird: One at White Church & Miles Rds Sep 8-9 (EHo;
CE); one at Frances Ave Woods [HM] Sep 14 (BH); one at Eramosa Karst
C.A. [HM] Sep 19 (LMa); one at Confederation Park Oct 5 L (TT et al.).
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Northern Shrike#: One at 10th Rd E & Dofasco Trail Nov 2F-30 (RPo;
m.obs.); six counted throughout the HSA on Nov 3 (m.obs.); one at Van
Wagners Ponds Nov 30 (DD).
Immature Northern Shrike at 10th Rd East at railway tracks, Stoney Creek,
13 November 2013 - photo Mike Veltri.
White-eyed Vireo#: One at Shoreacres Nov 3 L (RC,GS).
Yellow-throated Vireo#: One at Ruthven Park Sep 1-7 (MT), and one
there Sep 9 L (NF).
Blue-headed Vireo: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 F (RD et al.);
one at Burlington Beachstrip [HL] Nov 3 L (RC,GS).
Warbling Vireo: One at Shoreacres and one at Shell Park Sep 12 L (RWo).
Philadelphia Vireo: Seven at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.);
one at Ruthven Park Oct 5 L (RL).
Red-eyed Vireo: 11 at Shoreacres Sep 12 (RWo); 12 at Woodland
Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.); one at Dundas Valley Nov 3 L (HB,JLi,FHi).
Common Raven#: One at 5th Conc E of Brock Rd [HM] Sep 6 (BC);
birds at Westover Rd N of Conc 8: 2 –Sep 25-26, 1 –Oct 3, 1 –Oct 11, 1 –
Nov 12, 1 –Nov 19 (PS); one at Ruthven Park Oct 22 (RL); nine counted
throughout the HSA Nov 3 (m.obs.); one at Hwy 403 & Johnson Rd,
Brantford [BR] Nov 7 (DD); two at Vinemount Quarry, 10th Rd E Nov
24 (AWi,KWi); one at Hwy 97 W of Freelton [HM] Nov 30 (PSc).
Horned Lark: 50 at Mines & Haldibrook Rds Sep 29 (RD,CE,DD).
Purple Martin: Two at Burlington Beachstrip Sep 1 L (RD).
BROWN-CHESTED MARTIN#: One reported off Green Rd Sep 9 * (BH)
would be a first record for the HSA and Ontario if accepted by the OBRC.
Tree Swallow: 29 past Woodland Cemetery Sep 2 (RD,CE).
Northern Rough-winged Swallow: Two past Green Rd Oct 5 (GH);
one at Fifty Point C.A. Nov 11 L (TK).
Cliff Swallow: Six past Woodland Cemetery Sep 2 L (RD,CE).
Barn Swallow: Six at Confederation Park Sep 15 L (RD,CE,BC).
Swallow species: Two at Windermere Basin Oct 31 (LMa,LTe); one at
QEW E of Guelph Line [HL] Nov 14 (DD).
Tufted Titmouse#: Birds at Ruthven Park: 1 –Sep 3 (MT), 1 –Sep 24
(RL), 1 –Oct 13 (RL), 3 –Nov 3 (RL); birds on Nov 3: 2 –Haldimand
(JH,BJ), 1 –Brantford (BL), 1 –Glen Morris [BR] (KDa,JDa).
Red-breasted Nuthatch: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 F (RD et al.).
Brown Creeper: Five at Confederation Park Oct 3 F (EK,BKr).
Carolina Wren: 101 counted throughout the HSA Nov 3 (m.obs.).
House Wren: One at North Waterdown Wetlands Trails [HM] Oct 3 L (TT).
Winter Wren: One at Blyth Cres, Oakville Aug 27 F (JWa); 12 at Shell
Park Oct 6 (EK); two at Sedgewick Forest Park Nov 15 (CE).
Marsh Wren#: One at Valley Inn Sep 18 (KN), and one there Nov 3-4 (KM,RW;
DD); two at Dundas Marsh Sep 22 (KK,WK), and three there Sep 27 (CE).
Golden-crowned Kinglet: Two at CCIW Sep 23 F (RD); 62 at
Confederation Park Oct 3 (EK,BKr); 100 at Shell Park (EK) and 100 at
Blyth Cres, Oakville (JWa) Oct 6.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: Two at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 F (RD
et al.), and 23 there Sep 28 (RD,CE); 20 at Confederation Park Oct 3
(EK,BKr); 200 at Shell Park (EK) and 100 at Blyth Cres, Oakville (JWa)
Oct 6; two at Sedgewick Forest Park Nov 15 (CE) and one there Nov
20-28 (LMa,JRe).
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 L (RD et al.).
Eastern Bluebird: Ten past Woodland Cemetery Oct 14 F (RD), and 32
there Oct 20 (RD et al.); 21 at Gates of Heaven Cemetery, Aldershot Oct
20 (RD et al.); 12 at Olympic Park, Dundas Oct 23 (LMa).
Page 163
Veery: Six at Shoreacres and four at Shell Park Sep 12 L (RWo).
Gray-cheeked Thrush: Six at Shoreacres Sep 12 (RWo); one at Lewis Rd
at Lake [HM] Nov 3 L (BS,AS,PWa).
Swainson’s Thrush: One at Shoreacres
Sep 4 F (CE); 10 at Edgelake Park Sep
12 (GH); one at Shell Park Oct 6 L (EK).
Hermit Thrush: 12 at Shell Park Oct 6
F (EK); 10 at Confederation Park Oct
14 (RD); seven at Sam Lawrence Park
Oct 28 and one there Nov 13 (LMa).
Wood Thrush: One at Sedgewick
Forest Park Sep 26 L (ES).
Brown Thrasher: Two at Confederation
Park Sep 17 (RD,CE); one at Aurora
Cres, Burlington Sep 19 (CE).
American Pipit: One at 5th Conc
W of Brock Rd [HM] Sep 1 F (BC);
eight at Mines & Haldibrook Rds Sep
15 (JRe); 60 E of Burloak Dr/Great
Lakes Blvd [HL] Oct 14-15 (MJ), Marsh Wren at Valley Inn, 18 September
and 100 there Oct 17 (BJe,JLi); one
2013 - photo Ken Newcombe.
at West Harbour Waterfront Trail
[HM] Nov 27 (DT); one at NE Shore of Harbour Nov 30 (KBu et al.).
Bohemian Waxwing#: 75 at University of Guelph [WL] Nov 26 F (JPr).
Lapland Longspur#: One over Dundas Marsh Nov 3 F (RD,CE).
Snow Bunting: One at Van Wagners Beach (CE,DD) and 80 at Green
Rd at the Lake (RD,CE,DD) Oct 27 F.
Ovenbird: One at Confederation Park Sep 15 (RD,CE,BC).
Northern Waterthrush: One at Shell Park Sep 12 L (RWo).
Blue-winged Warbler: One at Ruthven Park Sep 1 L (MT).
Black-and-white Warbler: Eight at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et
al.); one at Sedgewick Forest Park Sep 25 L (CE).
Tennessee Warbler: One at Ruthven Park Oct 6 (RL); one at Rattray
Marsh Oct 7 L (JWa).
Orange-crowned Warbler: One at Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 12 F
(CE); one at Sam Lawrence Park Oct 24-27 (LMa); one at Ruthven Park
Nov 1 (RL); two at SE Oakville Sewage Treatment Plant (LF) and one
at Shoreacres (RC,GS) Nov 3; two at Sedgewick Forest Park Nov 15-20
(CE; LMa,JRe) and one there till Nov 30 at least (m.obs.).
Nashville Warbler: Ten at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.); one
at Sedgewick Forest Park Nov 20-30 (LMa,JRe; m.obs.).
Connecticut Warbler#: One imm. at Woodland Cemetery Sep 5 F
(MM); one at Ruthven Park Sep 11 and two there Sep 13 L (NF).
Mourning Warbler#: One at Edgelake Park Sep 12 (GH); one at Frances
Ave Woods Sep 17 L (BH).
Common Yellowthroat: Six at Confederation Park Sep 15 (RD,CE,BC).
American Redstart: 11 at Forty Mile Creek, Grimsby [NG] Sep 15
(RD,CE,BC); 14 at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.).
Cape May Warbler: Eight at Confederation Park Sep 5 (LMa,CSc,JRe);
one at Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 12 and one there Sep 17 (CE); four
at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 L (RD et al.).
Northern Parula: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 1 F (AWi,KWi); one
at Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 19 (CE); seven at Woodland Cemetery
Sep 22 (RD et al.); one f. at LaSalle Park Nov 11 L (LMa,JRe).
Magnolia Warbler: 14 at Shell Park Sep 12 (RWo); 15 at Woodland
Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.); three at Ruthven Park Oct 7 (RL).
Bay-breasted Warbler: One at SE Oakville Sewage Treatment Plant
Nov 3 L (LF).
Blackburnian Warbler: One at Queensway Dr, Burlington [HL] Nov 5
L (RPo) was record late for the HSA.
Yellow Warbler: Three at Aurora Cres, Burlington Sep 4 (CE); one at
Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 (RD et al.), and one there Sep 22 L (RD et al.).
Chestnut-sided Warbler: Ten at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et
al.); one at Rattray Marsh Nov 3 L (AG).
Blackpoll Warbler: 45 at Shoreacres and 40 at Shell Park Sep 12 (RWo);
one at Ruthven Park Nov 10 L (RL).
Black-throated Blue Warbler: One at Ruthven Park Oct 13 L (RL).
Palm Warbler: One at Shoreacres and one at Shell Park Sep 12 F (RWo);
Page 164
two at Dundas Marsh Sep 29 L (RD,CE,DD).
Pine Warbler: One at Edgelake Park Sep 22 F (AMC); one m. at
Sedgewick Forest Park Nov 20-30 (LMa,JRe; m.obs.).
Yellow-rumped Warbler: 20 at Sedgewick Forest Park Sep 25 (CE), and
12 there Nov 27-30 (LMa et al.); 24 at Dundas Marsh Sep 27 (CE); 35 at
Woodland Cemetery Sep 28 (RD,CE), and 26 there Oct 20 (RD et al.); 25 at
Olympic Park, Dundas Oct 12 (RD); four at Port Credit [PL] Nov 27 (DPr).
Black-throated Green Warbler: 20 at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 (RD et al.).
Canada Warbler: One at Grand River Trail S of Glen Morris [BR] Sep 27 L (GSi).
Wilson’s Warbler: One at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22 L (RD et al.).
Yellow-breasted Chat#: One at Confederation Park Sep 17* (AD; CE,RD).
Eastern Towhee: One at North Waterdown Wetland Trails Sep 29 F
(TT); one at Van Wagners Ponds Nov 16 L (CS).
American Tree Sparrow: Two at Dundas Marsh Oct 5 F (TT et al.); 20
at Woodland Cemetery Oct 25 (JRe).
Chipping Sparrow: 80 at Confederation Park/Van Wagners Ponds Oct
27 (RD,CE,DD); three at Lynden Ave, Dundas [HM] Nov 8 (JLi); one at
Sumach Dr, Aldershot [HL] Nov 13 L (CS).
Clay-colored Sparrow#: One E of Wyecroft & Burloak Rds, Oakville
Oct 15 L (MJ).
Field Sparrow: One at Gates of Heaven Cemetery Sep 22 F (RD et al.);
12 at Confederation Park Oct 14 (RD).
Vesper Sparrow: One at Sam Lawrence Park Oct 24-25L (LMa; EHo).
Lark Sparrow#: One at Fifty Point C.A. Oct 28 * (KD; DD,RD).
Nelson’s Sparrow#: Birds at Dundas Marsh: 1 –Sep 23 * (LMa), 2 –Sep
27 (CE), 2 –Sep 29 (RD,CE,DD).
Fox Sparrow: One at Sam Lawrence Park Oct 23 F (LMa); two at SE
Oakville Sewage Treatment Plant Nov 29 (CE).
Song Sparrow: 25 at Princess Point Oct 13 (RD).
Lincoln’s Sparrow: One at Gates of Heaven Cemetery, Aldershot Sep 22
F (RD et al.), and one there Oct 14 L (RD).
White-throated Sparrow: Five at Confederation Park Sep 17 F
(RD,CE), and 76 there Oct 3 (EK,BKr); 30 at Shoreacres Sep 23 (AMC);
30 at Spencer Creek Woods [HM] Oct 6 (RD,CE); 30 at Van Wagners
Ponds Oct 7 (RD); 30 at Valley Inn Oct 25 (RD).
Harris’s Sparrow#: One imm. at Hopkins Tract [HM] Oct 28 (UK).
White-crowned Sparrow: One imm. at Woodland Cemetery Sep 22
F (RD); 20 at Gates of Heaven Cemetery, Aldershot Oct 14 (RD); one
imm. at Red Hill Parkway & QEW Stormwater Pond Nov 14 (LMa,LTe).
Dark-eyed Junco: One at Van Wagners Ponds Oct 5 F (TT et al.); 60 at
Confederation Park/Van Wagners Ponds Oct 27 (RD,CE,DD).
Scarlet Tanager: One f. at Woodland Cemetery Sep 14 (RD et al.); two
at Ruthven Park Sep 22 (PT); one at North Waterdown Wetlands Trails
Sep 29 L (TT).
Rose-breasted Grosbeak: One f. at Ruthven Park Oct 16 L (RL).
Indigo Bunting: One at Ruthven Park Oct 2 L (RL).
Bobolink: One at Shoreacres and two at Shell Park Sep 12 L (RWo).
Red-winged Blackbird: 1750 past Woodland Cemetery Oct 20 (RD et
al.); two at SE Oakville Sewage Treatment Plant Nov 29 (CE).
Eastern Meadowlark: One past Woodland Cemetery Oct 14 (RD), and
one there Oct 20 (RD et al.); one at Great Lakes Blvd & Rebecca St Nov
3 (AD); one at 10th Rd E & Dofasco Trail Nov 13-30 (MV; CHo).
Rusty Blackbird: One m. at Dundas Marsh Sep 23 F (LMa); 132 past Woodland
Cemetery Oct 14 (RD); 700 at Ruthven Park Nov 1 and 200 there Nov 6 (RL)
Common Grackle: 3000 at Ruthven Park Oct 25 (RL); 5000 over
Sunrise Cres, Dundas Nov 2 (RD).
Brown-headed Cowbird: Eight at Burlington Beachstrip Nov 30
(DD).
Baltimore Oriole: One at Sherwood Forest Park [HL] Sep 13 L (CE).
Purple Finch: One at Confederation Park Oct 5 F (TT et al.).
Pine Siskin: One at Windermere Basin Nov 3 F (BH).
Please send your bird records for December 2013
– February 2014 by March 5 to: Rob Dobos, 21
Sunrise Cres., Dundas, Ont., L9H 3S1; ph: 905-6280297; e-mail: [email protected]
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
A s t r o n o m y
C o r n e r
We Could See Northern Lights this Spring
by Mario Carr
Y
ou can always depend on the coming of Spring to breathe life
into our forests. But this year’s vernal equinox has an added
bonus and may breathe life into the skies. This year’s conditions
are perfect for us to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.
For starters, the chances of seeing the Northern Lights during the
Spring or Fall are almost doubled compared to any other time of
the year according to a study of 75 years of Aurora watching. One
explanation is that the Earth’s tilt during the equinox aligns the
magnetic fields of our planet with the Sun.
Also, historically a decline in solar activity, which is currently
happening on the Sun and for the rest of 2014 can trigger solar
storms and Northern Lights. Last summer we saw a maximum
in solar activity or the number of spots on the Sun. It’s hard
to predict when solar storms occur but there are websites like
SpaceWeather.com that can tell you when one is about to happen.
Here are March stargazer events. Most are listed in the Hamilton
Amateur Astronomers calendar.
Planet watching
Mercury and Venus can be seen in the south eastern dawn sky.
Mars rises in the mid evening. Jupiter can be seen in the mid
evening sky and Saturn rises near midnight.
March 7 – The waxing crescent Moon is two degrees above
Aldebaran in the evening sky.
March 8 – First quarter Moon.
March 9 – Daylight savings time begins so set your clocks ahead
by an hour. Also, the waxing gibbous Moon is five degrees below
Jupiter in the evening sky.
March 14 – Mercury is furthest from the Sun or at its great
elongation and can be seen low in the morning sky.
March 16 – Full Moon.
March 18 – The Moon, Mars and Spica form a five degree triangle
in the late night sky.
March 20 – The long anticipated vernal equinox officially occurs
at 12:57 p.m. bringing the first day of spring. The Moon is also
three degrees from Saturn in the midnight sky.
March 21 – Hamilton Amateur Astronomers meeting 7:30-9:30
p.m., Spectator building, 44 Frid St., Hamilton. Free admission
with door prizes and everyone is welcome. An optional food
bank donation of non-perishable goods will be collected.
March 22 – Venus is at its greatest elongation or furthest from
the Sun and can be seen in the dawn sky.
March 23 – Last quarter Moon.
March 25 – Mars is five degrees from Spica in the late evening sky.
March 28 – The waxing crescent Moon is three degrees from
Venus in the morning sky.
March 29 – Mercury is near the crescent Moon in the morning
sky.
For more information, please see the Hamilton Amateur
Astronomers web site at www.amateurastronomy.org or call
(905) 627-4323. If you would like to learn more about the night
sky, the club offers a basic astronomy course for new members.
Mario Carr is the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers director of
public education and can be reached at [email protected].
April Monthly Meeting - 14 April 2014
Speaker: Sandy Smith. Topic: Invasive Species in Our Forests: In Defence of Nature?
Royal Botanical Gardens, Plains Road, Burlington. 7:30 p.m.
After some background on what has been arriving in our forests (insects, plants, diseases) and their impacts, we will discuss
the measures that have been taken to emulate nature to disrupt these invasives, and bring our invaded systems back into better
ecological equilibrium so they are more resilient to future disturbance.
Dr. Sandy M Smith is a Professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto, former Dean (2010-2012), and crossappointed to the university’s School of the Environment and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Her research
addresses the ecology and biological management of invasive species to better understand invasion processes in forest systems. Sandy has supervised numerous graduate theses, and is a well-published author and editor. She also actively participates
in a number of professional organizations and invasive species control panels at international, national, and provincial levels.
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Page 165
B o o k
R e v i e w
Review: Rejecting Science in Canada
by Don McLean
C
hris Turner is no stranger to Hamilton. Since early November he
has given four public talks here – at McMaster and Mohawk, for
city staff and the annual Spirit of Red Hill Valley lecture. All but the
last have focused on the subject he is best known for – the rapid shift
to sustainable energy underway especially in Germany and other parts
of Europe. His first two books – The Geography of Hope and The Leap
– optimistically explore those changes and the prospect they provide
that humanity can avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
That hopefulness, however, is sorely tested in his most recent book as
he turns his attention to Canada, where efforts to talk about or even
investigate solutions to our energy challenges are being throttled by a
national government determined to increase fossil fuel extraction as fast
as possible. The result is what Turner dubs a war on science so extensive
and intense that he characterizes it as a rejection of the enlightenment
and rationality itself as well as of the accomplishments of earlier
Canadian governments headed by conservatives, like Robert Borden,
Joe Clark, and Brian Mulroney.
He calls Prime Minister Borden the first true government champion of
science who worked to “eliminate the crony capitalism, corruption and
crass patronage that defined Canada’s nineteenth century civil service
and replace it with rational, efficient modern agencies, established
at arm’s length from the partisan Parliament and deploying ‘neutral
competence’ on matters of public policy.”
Turner details how that tradition of speaking truth to power began to
be chipped away during the minority governments headed by Stephen
Harper and concludes that “once he had the ‘strong stable majority’ he’d
sought for so long, Harper pounced on the opportunity to hack that
legacy to shreds.”
The natural environment has been the main casualty, along with the
scientists who study it, and the civil servants charged with protecting
it. Virtually every environmental law has been weakened or completely
gutted. Environmental assessments, for example, have gone from 5000
a year to less than 30. Waterways protected under Navigable Waters
legislation have shrunk from three million lakes and rivers to less than
two hundred. The changes to the Fisheries Act, long considered the
country’s premier environmental law, were so drastic that they drew
public opposition from four former Fisheries ministers including two
that were members of the Mulroney PC government.
Whereas, before the act explicitly applied to all “fish habitat” – i.e.
wherever there were fish – it now only covers fish deemed to be of
economic, cultural or ecological value – a definition so flexible that
it’s doubtful it can be legally enforced. Similarly, the previous ban on
harmful alteration of fish habitat is now limited to “serious harm” –
another term obviously open to definition and endless legal debate.
“The revised Fisheries Act,” writes Turner, “is a categorical departure from
some of Canada’s deepest traditions: the recognition of the inherent and
immutable value of nature; the vital role of government in representing
and defending the public good against the excesses of industry; the idea
Page 166
that the public good itself possesses a
value beyond the near-term profit any
given commercial enterprise, and the
baseline assumption that economy
is an instrument in the service of the
public interest rather than a higher goal
to be protected against the needless
intrusions of the public at large.”
Turner’s examination of the anti-science activity of the federal
Conservatives however, is far from limited to its changes to legislation
or the impact on the natural environment. While he compiles numerous
occasions where scientists were muzzled and prevented from speaking
to the media about their findings and describes the elimination of
hundreds of research projects and jobs, he also points to examples
of a profound anti-intellectual bent that includes the cancellation of
the long-form census and the rejection of decades of research on the
prevention of crime and the rehabilitation of criminals.
The campaign has included $8 million given to Revenue Canada to
investigate the political activities and funding of charitable organizations
like the HNC characterized as “radical” environmentalists – a witchhunt that after nearly 900 audits in the first year found only one violating
government rules – a physicians’ group calling for nuclear disarmament.
On some examples, such as Industry Minister Gary Goodyear’s
direction that the National Research Council’s central mandate should
be as a “concierge” for industry, Turner suspects the plain ignorance
of country-bumpkins. That could be the author’s optimism peaking
through and assuming that the wreckage is all a mistake that will
ultimately be rejected, but he is blunt in his overall conclusions.
“Stephen Harper’s Canada is a country where policy determines the
facts and evidence is shaped to fit political goals, where everything from
the casual commentary of scientists to the substance of the Fisheries Act
has been massaged to forward a political agenda whose only real vision
is the expansion of the government’s own power and exploitation of the
country’s natural wealth.”
It’s a book that carefully compiles how this is being accomplished and
it should be required reading for Canadians. However, it may well be
wrong to lay the blame at the personal feet of the Prime Minister and a
few of his cabinet colleagues rather than an ideological extremism that
is showing up repeatedly across the continent – in ‘Ford Nation’, in the
Tea Party and in diatribes on the internet and in letters to the editor
that bluntly reject rationality, education and serious investigation as
conspiracies against ‘common sense’.
Chris Turner. The War on Science: Muzzled Scientists
and Wilful Blindness in Stephen Harper’s Canada, 2013.
Greystone Books, Vancouver, 170 pp. $19.95
The Wood Duck - March, 2014
Land’s Inlet Nature Project:
Growing the Nature Corridor
by Jen Baker
F
or the last few years, the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club
has been working to create a naturalized corridor in
Hamilton’s “North End”, a heavily urbanized area with great
potential. The HNC and neighbourhood partners see this
potential and have been creating meadow-type habitats along
the corridor. As a result, the local community, including
students, have been noticing more birds and butterflies
where previously there was essentially no wildlife. This is
increasing their awareness of the natural world.
Thanks to the generous support from the ArcelorMittal
Dofasco Corporate Community Investment Fund, the
Hamilton Future Fund, and the Hamilton Industrial
Environmental Association, we will be growing the corridor
with the help of the local community. This will include
planting 4,120 native wildflowers, shrubs and trees this June.
We will also be installing interpretive signs to provide
educational opportunities for the numerous people who
walk by the site. This will provide a guide for people to create
a naturalized area in their yard. It will also add to the field
trips that we offer to nearby schools.
Stay tuned for more details about the volunteer planting
days! If you would like to be involved in the planning for
this exciting project, or in the development of the education
program, please contact Jen Baker at land@hamiltonnature.
org or 905-524-3339 (also see article below).
This festival takes its name from the migration corridor along the Bruce Peninsula. This “Huron Fringe” along the Lake Huron coastline offers birders, naturalists and photographers unique opportunities to discover nature in the early
spring. At the end of the migration period, birds are on nest, migrants are everywhere, insects abound and wildflowers are beginning to bloom. From our base at
MacGregor Point Provincial Park we are uniquely placed to explore Lake Huron’s
shoreline and the Bruce Peninsula to discover all that spring has to offer.
© photos by Alan Ernest
Land’s Inlet – Before and After
Imagine neighbours coming together to help turn former industrial land into a place for nature. Imagine a place where birds and butterflies can thrive and children can
experience nature right in their own neighbourhood. Through the HNC Head-of-the Lake Land Trust Program’s “Land’s Inlet Nature Project”, this vision has become reality!
Before the development of this part of the city, Hamilton’s inlets from the harbour were rich wildlife areas with vegetation lining their banks. By 1874 rail lines ran adjacent
to, and crossed over Land’s Inlet. The inlet was filled in but a valley representing the route of the inlet remained with active rail lines present. The presence of the railway kept
part of the Land’s Inlet corridor free from intensive development, creating an opportunity to restore natural vegetation in the corridor and share the history and geography of
this part of the city. The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club identified nature restoration work in the urban core of Hamilton as one of the priorities for our Head-of-the-Lake Land Trust
Program in 2001. When the Hamilton Community Foundation announced funding for environmental projects that involved local neighbourhoods, we developed a proposal to
identify potential nature restoration sites in the urban core of Hamilton and work with local residents and landowners to naturalize the most suitable site. Our main objective
is to contribute to the establishment of healthy open spaces that will provide local residents with opportunities to access and appreciate nature. (photos by Alan Ernest).
Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch Begins March 1st
This is certainly good news for all of you winter-weary naturalists. The hawkwatch at Beamer Memorial C.A.
is a wonderful spot to welcome spring. It is more than just hawks; there are great views from the Escarpment
too! HNC member Gord McNulty has summarized last year’s season below. Perhaps this year will be better!
A litany of low numbers was recorded by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch for the 2013 spring migration at Beamer.
The final tally, reported by NPH Past President John Stevens, showed 12,209 birds of 15 species. That’s the lowest
total since the 11,665 birds in 2000, and is 16 per cent below the long-term (32-year) average. For the first time, and
as John put it in the NPH Newsletter of August 2013, “hopefully the last,” Turkey Vultures constituted more than a
half of the birds counted. Their numbers were consistent with the results of the last several years. With the low total
count, the number of non-vulture migrants at 5,511 was just 48.5 per cent of the long-term average. This was by
far the lowest count of non-vulture raptors in the history of the Beamer site, down from the previous record low in
2007 of 7,561 birds. Weather is thought to be an unlikely reason for the low numbers, as Turkey Vultures showed up
in the third highest total for that species and an 11 per cent increase over 2012. Low coverage wasn’t an issue either
as counters missed only four days. Perhaps the one bright spot mentioned by John was the American Kestrel count,
where the total of 92 birds was the greatest since 2008 which is above the recent five-year average of 69. That’s an
encouraging sign for this species. The 2014 Open House will be held on Friday, April 18, and as Newsletter editor
Sandy Darling put it: “if all goes well we shall have light clouds and lots of Broad-winged Hawks.”
Birders look to the sky for raptors from the tower at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area during the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch Open
House on 29 March 2013 - photo Gord McNulty.
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