WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, April 06, 2003
I guess the weather last week is a subject about which the less said,
the better. However, it did make for some very interesting sightings. We are
aware, of course, that many early arriving insectivorous birds such as tree
swallows and phoebes can resort to a vegetable diet when cold temperatures
deprives them of insect food. Indigestion is likely a better option than
interment. But one has to wonder if even those birds with flexible diets
could have survived the onslaught of sleet, snow and cold temperatures.
There was evidence that some birds were trying to survive as best they
could. TREE SWALLOWS in Trenton were seen swooping in an exhausted state at
the mouth of the Trent River in search of flying insects, with a MERLIN in
hot pursuit. A WILSON'S SNIPE was also seen foraging for food with some
KILLDEER in a backyard area fed by a sump pump. At Sandbanks, there were 2
AMERICAN WOODCOCK probing for food along the roadside in the West Lake
Sector and a NORTHERN FLICKER at Point Petre was seen feeding on sumac
fruit. Another was seen doing the same thing in Thomasburg. Bird feeders
were perhaps busier during the peak of the storm than they had been all
winter. A feeder on Maitland Drive in Belleville was invaded by more than
200 EUROPEAN STARLINGS and one feeder on Crookston Road near Tweed had over
100 TREE SPARROWS.
Throughout the area, the situation was the same. A feeder at 2800 County
Road 1, northwest of Bloomfield had a peak of 20 SONG SPARROWS, while
numerous feeders had FOX SPARROWS, with a high of 5 at one feeder east of
Lake-on-the-Mountain, the same feeder also seeing an EASTERN MEADOWLARK drop
by along with a NORTHERN FLICKER. There was PURPLE FINCH at a Belleville
feeder, a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at a Smith's Bay feeder, and EASTERN
TOWHEES turned up in backyards at Shannonville and Point Petre, and another
NORTHERN FLICKER at Mountain View. One feeder on Scoharie Road has five
species of woodpeckers - RED-BELLIED (2), HAIRY (2), DOWNY (6), RED-BELLIED
SAPSUCKER (2) and NORTHERN FLICKER (1). There was also a RED-BELLIED
WOODPECKER at Sandbanks.
Meanwhile, a somewhat shaky spring migration continues. TURKEY VULTURES
during the week were seen at Black River on Saturday(2), and at Sandbanks
(4) also on Saturday, and 2 over the 401 at Trenton today. There were two
SANDHILL CRANES in a field about 10 km north of Napanee west of C.R. #41 on
April 1st, and 45 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flying over the Trent River
today. An OSPREY was spotted on Monday sitting on a nest located at the top
of a high hydro transmission tower north of Belleville. A YELLOW-BELLIED
SAPSUCKER was seen the same day at the Bayside water treatment plant near
Trenton, and at Mountain View 2 BROWN CREEPERS, 2 WINTER WRENS and 30
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS turned up during the week.
An unlucky LESSER SCAUP with a severed foot ended up frozen in slush ice
in a creek at Mountain View during the height of the snow storm. Although
rescued, the bird died that night. Luckier waterfowl were 6 WOOD DUCKS, 6
HOODED MERGANSERS and 2 BUFFLEHEADS in a flooded swamp on Farnham Drive
north of Belleville, and an estimated 5,000 scaups at Smith's Bay before the
storm. The Bay of Quinte continues to open up painfully slow with open water
occurring at both the Quinte Skyway Bridge and the Norris Whitney Bridge,
and a few areas in between. At Bayside on Monday there were 2 AMERICAN
WIGEON, COMMON and HOODED MERGANSERS, BUFFLEHEADS and COMMON GOLDENEYES.
Open water at Point Petre during the week contained BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON
GOLDENEYE and about 50 MALLARDS.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area.
Our thanks to Nancy Fox, Shirley Preston, Tracey Hoyle, Russ and Trudy
Kitchen, Sue Vanwart, Mary Hart, Yvette Bree, John and Janet Foster, Peter &
Molly Mulloy, Don Craighead, Susan Shipman, Paul Thompson, Lloyd Paul, Wynne
Thomas, Joe Victor, Judy Bell, Shirley Howard, June Hazell, Thomas Rymes,
and Don Chisholm for their contributions to this week's report. This report
will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 13th. Bird sightings must be
in by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good
"spring" birding everyone!
Terry Sprague
Picton, Ontario
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.naturestuff.net
"Terry Sprague" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
