Some of these birds that I'm still missing should be easy birds to get in spring but not during the winter. Birds like finches have been very sparse this year. To see certain species like owls, hawks and ducks are just things you need to get lucky for.
Some of the best/rare things that I've seen in the HSA have been Short-eared Owl, Pacific Loon, Snow Goose, American Woodcock, Red-shouldered Hawk, King Eider, Greater White-fronted Goose, Great Cormorant, Evening Grosbeak, and Black-legged Kittiwake!
Below I've attached the species I have yet to see in the HSA, but have already been observed by others in the HSA this year.
Year Needs (no specific order)
- Barrow's Goldeneye
- Fish Crow
- Sandhill Crane
- Ruffed Grouse
- American Pipit
- Northern Flicker
- Common Redpoll
- Ross's Goose
- Black Vulture
- Bohemian Waxwing
- Long-eared Owl
- Purple Finch
- Swamp Sparrow
- Fox Sparrow
- Hermit Thursh
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Pine Siskin
- Golden Eagle
- Eastern Towhee
- Rusty Blackbird
- Gray Catbird
- Lapland Longspur
- Chipping Sparrow
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Wilson's Snipe
- Tree Swallow
Also, a total of $1,130 has been raised for the Hamilton Naturalist Club! When I first had the idea of doing this, I thought maybe if I was lucky we could raise $200, so thank you to everyone who has sponsored me and supported me during my HSA Big Year and I will continue to do my best. Chasing these rare birds and just getting out to farther places would not have been possible without the support and dedication of my family, thanks! I'd also like to thank all of the birders throughout the HSA reporting the birds they see because without people birding and getting out daily, there would be no rare birds to chase.
On Monday I added my first species of plover to the year list, a Killdeer! This was at Valens CA in Flamborough while searching for Ruffed Grouse. We started Monday driving around the Wellington area looking for Bohemian Waxwings that had been reported two days earlier. We could not find them at the location so we drove around the surrounding area to see if they had found another spot to feed. Bohemian Waxwings are known for being very tough to chase unless there is a substantial amount of berries or something for them to eat at that location.
We then found ourselves at Valens CA where not far away a larger flock of Bohemian Waxwings were reported some weeks ago, and could have stayed in the area. This conservation area has also been good for Ruffed Grouse in the past so we decided to give it a shot and walk some of the trails to see what we could see. 5km of walking did not turn up a Ruffed Grouse, but we very likely found somewhat fresh tracks of one but seemingly they ended going each way :/
The next day I took it fairly easy just birding at some of the parks along the lake. Saw two nice Iceland Gulls that day and a pair of Black Scoters in Bronte.
One of the Iceland Gulls in flight
Common Goldeneye
From Wednesday to Friday my mom and I drove up to Algonquin Provincial Park to visit my sister doing Canada Jay research. I got to see a few of the jays and a nest of one! This year has been an exceptional year for Boreal Chickadees in the park as at least 12 are around the Highway 60 corridor, compared to the previous years where 1 or 2 are seen, just need one to wonder down this way. I met some great people on this trip and saw some great birds!
This Sunday I am at Beamer CA helping count migrating raptors! Hoping for a Black Vulture or a Northern Goshawk🤞
HSA Year List: 111
Recent Rare Bird Sightings:
Greater White-fronted Goose - 2 individuals observed in a pond in Wellington (Tim K; March 16)
A group of approximately 30 in Haldimand on Dry Lake Rd (Dean Hughes; March 18)
Snow Goose - One high over Beamer CA (Phil Waggett, Karen Ross, Paul Nelson; March 18)
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