By the end of last week, the spring bird migration at Presqu'ile Provincial Park had assumed its normal proportions for late March. Since then, however, weather conditions have deteriorated to the point where no new species have been sighted on the peninsula for the past four days. The northeasterly winds that have prevailed are not conducive to good spring birding, but a shift in their direction could change all that as a backlog of delayed migrants can be expected to arrive with a rush.
A few Red-throated Loons and a good number of Horned Grebes were visible on March 30 and 31 along the west side of the Park from Beach 1 to Owen Point. There were still a few Northern Shovelers around as recently as March 28, but the re-freezing of the marsh has made it difficult to find dabbling ducks there, and only the Gadwalls and American Wigeons regularly frequent the open water of Presqu'ile Bay. The concentration of diving ducks there appears to have passed its peak, but there are still hundreds of Canvasbacks, Redheads, and Ring-necked Ducks, often quite close to shore, and Lesser Scaup are being identified in increasing numbers. A Surf Scoter and Ruddy Ducks can sometimes be found among them. Although outside the Park, the sighting of a bedraggled Osprey perched on the north side of Presqu'ile Bay on April 2 was the first of that species in this area this year. On March 29 and 30, a large accipiter made several passes at a bird feeder near the lighthouse, but it was not clear whether the bird was a large Cooper's Hawk or a Northern Goshawk. On the morning of March 29, a Glaucous Gull was seen on a gravel bar north of Gull Island, and that afternoon another one (or perhaps the same bird) was sitting on the ice in Presqu'ile Bay. The first Caspian Tern of the year was seen at Owen Point on that day. A Belted Kingfisher was at the calf pasture on March 30. Other spring migrants seen this week have included several Northern Flickers, Eastern Phoebes, Tree Swallows, Brown Creepers, and Winter Wrens, but most of those have gone into hiding recently. An early Field Sparrow accompanied a large flock of Dark-eyed Juncoes on the roadside near the Park Store on March. The first of several Fox Sparrows visiting feeders was sighted on March 28 at 94 Bayshore Road, and from one to three have been seen each day this month at 83 Bayshore Road. Other species of sparrows, perhaps Savannah and Vesper, are likely to show up in the next wave of migrants. To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton. Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid that is available at the Park gate. Access to the offshore islands is restricted at this time of year to prevent disturbance to the colonial nesting birds there. Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be directed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, R.R. #4, Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0 VOICE: (613) 475 5309 If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park. Fred Helleiner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
