WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, November 16, 2003
The really big news this past week was the appearance of Prince Edward County's first ever CAVE SWALLOW. The bird was seen by Wynne Thomas, a regular contributor to this report, at his home on Soup Harbour Road, at Point Petre. The bird was discovered dead in his garage on November 10th, but had been seen two days earlier fluttering about in the building, although he was unsure at the time what it was. The carcass was frozen and I collected it on Saturday. This brings the Prince Edward County list of birds to 339 species. Feeders in the county continue to buzz with activity, despite the lack of snow. The heated bird bath at our feeder hosted a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD this morning. The bird had been seen a day earlier by my wife who was startled when it landed in a snowball bush and commenced pecking at the window of our house, where it resumed its behaviour again today. At Morrison's Point, a CAROLINA WREN appeared at a feeder there on November 13th, 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS are coming to feeder on Hilltop Road, and an EVENING GROSBEAK turned up at a feeder on Monday at Smith's Bay. Other interesting feeder birds this past week included a nice flock of 12 PINE SISKINS near Bongard Road where there was also a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH visiting a feeder on Sheba's Island on the 14th. Less welcome backyard visitors were an AMERICAN KESTREL on Green Point Road near the Quinte Skyway Bridge, and a COOPER'S HAWK on Low Street in Picton. There was a PURPLE SANDPIPER at the tip of the west point of Swetman Island (False Ducks) on November 5th, a late CHIPPING SPARROW at Point Petre on the 14th, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER today at the same location. Point Petre this past week also produced a total of 10 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 2 NORTHERN HARRIERS, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 4 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, a NORTHERN FLICKER and an AMERICAN KESTREL. Numbers of BUFFLEHEAD on Soup Harbour have averaged 60 to 100, and there was a BLACK SCOTER there on November 15th. Members of the Kingston Field Naturalists birding Prince Edward Point on Friday came up with 4 TURKEY VULTURES and a flight of hawks comprising 30 RED-TAILED, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED, 4 RED-SHOULDERED, 1 NORTHERN GOSHAWK, 1 COOPER'S HAWK and a NORTHERN SHRIKE. Other notable sightings were a RED-THROATED LOON in the harbour and one GREATER YELLOWLEGS. Giving promise to a good feeder year was the appearance of several COMMON REDPOLLS. About a dozen SNOW BUNTINGS were tallied, and a HERMIT THRUSH and 2 FOX SPARROWS were also seen. Rafts of GREATER SCAUP were close to shore (one Belleville observer found at least 3,000 along Long Point Road Nov. 11th). Two HORNED GREBES, 100 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and many LONG-TAILED DUCKS were also chalked up by the group. On Saturday, another observer found some lingering SANDERLINGS, a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and DUNLIN. At nearby South Bay, the annual assemblage of TUNDRA SWANS continues to occur and build, where numbers have fluctuated between 20 and slightly over 100. Other interesting birds over the past few days included 20 WILD TURKEYS in a field near South Bay, 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at east Consecon Lake, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK along Glenora Road, 10 SNOW BUNTINGS near Bongard Road, and across the County Line, a COMMON RAVEN was seen flying over Highway 62, 4 km north of Highway 401, on Monday. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Wynne Thomas (birder of the week), Chip Weseloh, Fred Helleiner, Cheryl Anderson, Mary Welbanks, Dick Bird, Keith Edgett, Evelyn Sloane, Nola Sprague, George Underhill, Bob Sachs, John & Margaret Moore, Don Chisholm and Joe Victor for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 23rd. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good birding. Terry Sprague Picton, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.naturestuff.net "Terry Sprague" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
