In the month of May I added 72 new species to my 2023 HSA Big Year list! Of these 72, one was a lifer, four were new additions to my Halton County list, and 8 were new for my Hamilton list.
To kickoff May, a male Golden-winged Warbler was found in Grimsby at 40 Mile Creek and stayed for the majority of the day offering quite nice looks. At that same location I also saw my FOY Bank Swallow and Baltimore Oriole.
Golden-winged Warbler
On the 4th, I discovered a female Harlequin Duck swimming off Coronation Park in Oakville after school. When I had the opportunity to see the one in Burlington at the beginning of the year, I forgot to take a photo. Now that I had the chance, I took some pictures of it swimming right along the shore in very calm water.
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Harlequin Duck
On the 5th, Mark Jennings found a Black-legged Kittiwake floating around and eating midges on the lake. What made this experience super special was that it was so close to shore and it was in adult plumage! Most Black-legged Kittiwakes that show up in Ontario are younger birds with the dark "M" pattern seen mostly in flight. Your best chances of seeing these are during the lakewatches in October and November. They tend to be flying way out on the lake and usually require a scope to get somewhat decent views so seeing one in May and super close was just awesome.
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Black-legged Kittiwake
The next few days consisted of the expected new migrants, mainly warblers, thrushes and sparrows. Waking up early to bird Shell Park and other nearby parks most mornings with my mom just about became a routine. It was fascinating to study and observe the bird migration forecast for each night, usually determining how early we'd go out the following morning.
Scarlet Tanager (#200)
Blackpoll Warbler
Orchard Oriole
Bobolink
I also spent some of my weekends at Beamer CA in Niagara hoping to catch a glimpse at a rare raptor like a Black Vulture, Swainson's Hawk, or Mississippi Kite. On May 6, I had the honor to be an official counter at Beamer and had a really nice day enjoying the raptors and passerines migrating in the sky over the tower. There's always something to learn from the kind and experienced birders that visit there. Even on the slow days of hawk migration there was something to talk about to pass the time.
The evening of May 12, my mom and I spent a few hours around the Halton Regional Forests listening for things like Eastern Whip-poor-will, Barred Owl, Hooded Warbler, and Wood Thrush. Didn't get any of the owls or nightjars but did hear a singing Hooded Warbler right at dusk and a Wood Thrush.
On May 14 (Mothers Day), after birding in Burlington and driving to Hamilton we received news of a Worm-eating Warbler at City View Park! We turned around immediately as we had literally just passed by City View Park not even 10 minutes before the message got sent out. My mom and I were first on scene and were soon joined by Rob Dobos and Ben Oldfield then began our search to try and see this rare southern warbler species. As a group, we searched for something like 30 minutes before we were all able to hear it then get some good looks at it. This was a lifer for my mom and I, as well as for Ben! Exactly one year ago (May 14, 2022), Ben and I found what was quite possibly the bird of our lifetimes, a Hepatic Tanager. One year later, here we are again, looking at a very rare bird for the region together. Quite the coincidence and a great Mother's Day gift from the bird gods.
Worm-eating Warbler
On May 17, George and I went to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Peel that had been visiting a peanut feeder for a while. Just as we arrived, we saw it fly up from the feeder and into a tree. Stayed put for a minute, then departed north over the house never to be seen again by us that day despite looking for another 20 minutes.
Red-headed Woodpecker
On the morning of the 19th, a Prothonotary Warbler was found at Bayfront Park just as my Mom dropped me off at school after we finished birding that morning. I felt terrible that I couldn't make it there immediately but sometimes birds stay the whole day at one location and then leave that night. That seemed to be the trend with most warblers and other birds so far; dropping everything and chasing the bird right away and then they turn out to stay the whole day or even many days.
The last report we got of it still being there was around 1:30pm and we could only get there around 5pm. When we got there it was incredibly windy and I felt very disappointed. It was a "needle in a haystack" situation. Leaves on the trees blowing everywhere, not being able to hear anything, and the bird likely seeking shelter somewhere. We still searched for 2 hours and even with the help of Mourad, the Prothonotary Warbler was nowhere to be found. Such a rare species for the HSA, and could've been an easy chase just if I could have gotten here a few hours earlier. But that's just how it is. You can't be everywhere all the time and there are some birds you will miss. "If you never try, you won't see anything" something I try to keep in mind.
On the morning of the 20th, I headed out to Burloak Park to do a lakewatch hoping to find some shorebirds, specifically Whimbrel. In Southern Ontario, we only have a short window to see these northbound migrants flying out on Lake Ontario.
Chart representing when Whimbrels are usually sighted in Halton
When I got there it was super foggy but after waiting a while it soon cleared up. I noticed a flock of Dunlin on the rocks a little further down the park so I walked over to take some pictures of them. Just as I arrived they flushed off the rocks but soon returned. When that happened, I heard a familiar call, lots of them, somewhere up in the sky! Eventually the sound got closer to me and I could see a cloud of shorebirds circling way up in the sky over the lake. The large size, long drooping bill only pointed to one species.... the Whimbrel, a large flock of 98! Over the 4 and a half hours I was there, I was able to count a total of 229 Whimbrels. Truly a great day!
Whimbrel
On the 21st, my Mom and I ventured out into the Curry Tract in the Halton Regional Forest hoping to finally track down a Ruffed Grouse. This has been a bird that has eluded us for several years in the HSA. We spent a few hours there walking a total of about 5km. Surprisingly we managed to find not one, but two Ruffed Grouse! One was right on a path just standing there and one we heard drumming. Other highlights from there included a Brewster's Warbler (Blue-winged Warbler x Golden-winged Warbler), Yellow-throated Vireo, and Hooded Warbler.
Ruffed Grouse
Brewster's Warbler (GWWAxBWWA)
That evening, while birding some fields in Oakville with Gavin Edmondstone, we stumbled upon a singing Sedge Wren! I went back the next morning with some other birders and we found a second one; likely a pair on territory. We monitored these birds carefully for several days and ensured they would stay safe at their location and could have a chance at breeding as the habitat is ideal.
Sedge Wren
On the 22nd, a Black Tern was found at Windermere Basin so in the afternoon Mourad and I went to look for it. It didn't take long before some birders that arrived before us pointed it out flying with the many other Common Terns present. This bird only stayed for a day so I'm glad we went for it when we did.
Black Tern
That morning a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was photographed at Binbrook CA in Hamilton but only posted that afternoon, so after seeing the Black Tern we headed straight for Binbrook CA because chances are it was likely still there. Rob Dobos was also looking for the night-heron but he said at the place it was seen, there was a fisherman so it likely got flushed away. It was my first time visiting Binbrook CA so I didn't realize how huge of an area it was. The majority of it is a lake with all sorts of curves and bends so lots of stuff could be hiding there. You would need a kayak and almost a whole day to thoroughly check the perimeter of the lake. After waiting a while at the lookout tower we decided that it was time to leave and that the night-heron had likely gone to roost somewhere on this huge lake. On our way back to the Mourad's car, Mourad spotted an extremely late American Tree Sparrow foraging just off the path; apparently this was the latest ever recorded date for this species in the HSA!
American Tree Sparrow
On the 23rd, after my mom finished work, we drove to Grimsby. Once again to 40 Mile Creek. This time to look for a White-eyed Vireo reported that morning. It had been seen throughout the day until about 3'ish but we knew if we didn't try, we for sure would not see it. Another fellow birder had been looking just an hour before us but the vireo seemed to elude him. After sitting in rush hour traffic we finally arrived at 40 Mile Creek and began our search. Thirty minutes in and still no WEVI, my hope was fading. Just as it seemed that it might have truly dissapeared, my mom called me over saying she had it! I ran over as fast as I could and there it was, foraging quite high in the forest canopy.
White-eyed Vireo
The next day on the 24th, my mom and I drove over to Spencer Smith Park in Burlington before school hoping to see a Brant that had been reported there the previous evening. We got there just after 6am and found the Brant feeding with a couple other Canada Geese on the grassy lawn by the lake. For some weird reason this location attracts at least one Brant almost annually. Usually its in the fall when one shows up but this year it was in spring, a nice surprise :)
Brant
In the evening of the 26th, I went to Safari Road Marsh with my mom hoping to track down the last expected marsh bird for the HSA, the Least Bittern. A very secretive species that is rarely seen as they can hide very well in the tall reeds. We got there around 7:30pm and stayed till 8:30pm. We eventually heard the low "coo coo coo" of the Least Bittern. As we were leaving, a trio of Common Nighthawks made a few passes over the marsh and then flew off from the direction they came from.
Just around the corner from Safari Rd Marsh is a great spot to hear Grasshopper Sparrows. We went there in the evening and were able to hear at least 2. The first Grasshopper Sparrow that I saw this year was in Halton at Zachary Pond. Dominik Halas found that one and we were able to get a very brief look at it before it scurried into the tall grass.
Since it was only a 15 minute drive to the Halton Regional Forests, that's where he headed next. The goal in mind was to find a bird that we have spent countless hours trying to find the HSA this year; the Eastern Whip-poor-will. Like the Whimbrels, you also have a small window with these hoping to find one roosting in a tree on migration. Last year I was able to find 2 Eastern Whip-poor-wills at Edgelake Park in Hamilton. Trying to repeat our luck, we checked Edgelake several times in late April and throughout May but could not find one. Hearing them is a little easier as they are fairly loud but you must be in the right spot at the right time.
The "prime time" for Whip-poor-wills had just passed a few days ago but we still thought to give it a shot. We drove around most of the regional forests, stopping along the quiet roads and listening for a few minutes at each stop. We did the same thing about 2 weeks ago listening for these but came up empty. We remembered a field that had a whole bunch of American Woodcocks "peenting" last time so we went back there to listen. Around 10pm, right when we arrived, we were delighted by the sound of a distant Eastern Whip-poor-will, calling "whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will" so many times somewhere in the forest. What a relief it was to finally hear one of these after so many times at other locations. We spent another 10 minutes admiring the beautiful song of it; something very rarely heard in the HSA.
Click here to listen for yourself (might have to turn the volume up)
To wrap up the last days of May, we attempted to locate some last target birds like Alder & Willow Flycatcher, and both Cuckoo species. At City View Park we located a couple singing Willow Flycatchers as well as a few Clay-colored Sparrow which is always good.
So yeah, overall quite a nice month it's been. Lots of rare birds, some more chaseable than others. Still lots of good birds to be found in June! #breedingbirdatlas
End of May HSA Year List: 238
Rare birds in the HSA throughout May:
Long-billed Dowitcher - Two birds this time on 5th Rd East (Rob Dobos & Dave Don; May 1)
Black Vulture - Over the hawkwatching tower Beamer CA a few times (Simon Carter; May 4)
Harlequin Duck - Female swimming off Coronation Park in Oakville (Markus Legzdins; May 4)
Black-legged Kittiwake - Adult in breeding plumage swimming ~10 feet offshore of Sheldon Creek Park just west of Bronte Harbour (Mark Jennings; May 5)
Yellow-breasted Chat - Photographed at Rattray Marsh, NW part of the park (Unknown; May ~10)
White-eyed Vireo - One photographed at Rattray Marsh in Peel (Unknown; May ~10)
Single bird found at 40 Mile Creek in Grimsby (Don Deegan & Troy Johnson; May 23)
Summer Tanager - First year male (red and yellow plumage) photographed in Burloak Woods (Lauren B; May 11)
Prothonotary Warbler - Adult male on the Chegwin Trail in RBG (TJ Umb; May 13)
Adult male at Bayfront Park in Hamilton (Alvan Buckley & Jessica Common; May 19)
Worm-eating Warbler - Singing adult male on territory for a while at City View Park in Burlington (David Flook; May 14)
Blue Grosbeak - Stunning adult male visiting a feeder in St. George, Brant County (Unknown; May 15)
Kirtland's Warbler - Singing male at Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek (Rob Dobos; May 16)
Snowy Egret - Adult found at Confederation Park in a pond and on the shoreline the next day (Jason Miller; May 20)
Mississippi Kite - Adult over Paletta Park in Burlington (Cheryl Edgecombe; May 20)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Immature photographed on a trail at Binbrook CA in Hamilton (Steve MacIntyre; May 22)
Black Tern - One flying around Windermere Basin with Common Terns (Glenn Barrett; May 22)
Brant - One foraging on the grassy lawn with Canada Geese at Spencer Smith Park in Burlington (Frances Maas; May 23)
30 observed flying over Dundas Valley at Sulphur Springs Rd (Garth Riley, Barbara Charlton, Nancy McPherson; May 24)
Red Knot - Group of eight flying West past Jack Darling Memorial Park in Peel (George Preiksaitis; May 24)
Neotropic Cormorant - One flying off Burloak Park with several other Double-crested Cormorants (George Preiksaitis; May 24)
Acadian Flycatcher - Somewhere in Waterloo on private property (Will Van Hemessen; May 27)
Connecticut Warbler - One along the Hilltop Trail in Dundas Valley CA (Sterling Sztricsko; May 30)
Audio recording of one in a residential neighborhood in downtown Oakville (Sam Lewis; May 31)
