Ontbirders,
(Apologies for the delay in posting - in tiredness I sent it to the wrong
address the first time!)
On Thursday and Friday, Leslie Hunt and I birded Wolfe Island, Amherst
Island, and the eastern half of Prince Edward County while conducting
Short-eared Owl surveys. 63 species were observed, with remarkably few new
arrivals compared to two weeks ago. Among the interesting sightings:
Upland Sandpiper
- 1 calling at dusk on Amherst Island, SW of Stella Rd & Conc 3
- 1 in short grass along Kelly Rd between Rankin & Kings
- 1 flying across Long Point Rd east of Gravelly Bay Rd
American Woodcock
- 1 walking VERY slowly across Salmon Point Rd (though
not suffering from any apparent injuries); several others heard
peenting throughout the three areas
Ruffed Grouse
- 1 pair displaying along Rock Crossroad east of Waupoos
- drumming heard/felt along Ostrander Point Rd & Long Point Rd
Caspian Tern
- 9 in a flooded field along Kaiser Crossroad west of Cressy
- 1 at the east end of Barrett Bay east of Marysville (Wolfe Island)
Northern Harrier
- 15+ individuals seen, mostly males - by far the most abundant
raptor observed
Eastern Kingbird
- single individuals at Salmon Point, Long Point Road, Babylon Road
Palm Warbler
- 5 sharing a tree with an Eastern Towhee along Long Point Rd
west of Point Traverse (Yellow-rumped the only other warbler
species seen, 30+ along south edge of Prince Edward County)
Bobolink
- small flocks on both Wolfe and Amherst Islands; a few scattered
individuals along the south edges of Prince Edward County
Offshore, most abundant waterfowl (throughout the region) remain Bufflehead
and Long-tailed Duck, with smaller numbers of Common Loon, Common Merganser,
and Scaup sp (too distant to tell).
DIRECTIONS: The Amherst Island ferry ($5 return) departs from Millhaven at
6:20 am and hourly from 7:30 am onward; the Wolfe Island ferry departs from
downtown Kingston (free; schedule at http://www.wolfeisland.com/ferry.php).
Road names are all shown in the MapArt Ontario Road Atlas; please e-mail me
privately for more detailed directions to any of the birds mentioned.
Good birding,
Marcel Gahbauer
Montreal QC
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
