The Eurasian Wigeon remains in Elevator Bay, the only rarity in this week's report. Hay Bay near Sillsville is full of all sorts of waterfowl and there are significant concentrations at the bar on Amherst Island and in Elevator Bay. Each of these areas reported a Canvasback on the 21st. There was a feeding frenzy in Bath last Sunday where hundreds of gulls (mostly Herring) and Red-breasted Mergansers churned up the surface of Lake Ontario in pursuit of what must have been a very large school of small fish.
Other fish eaters included 3 Cormorants on Amherst on the 21st as well as a Great Blue Heron seen on the 19th and the 21st. There was another Great Blue along with 2 Pied-billed Grebes in Elevator bay, also on the 21st. Shorebirds have all but disappeared; 2 Greater Yellowlegs on the 17th and a single Dunlin on the 21st, both on Amherst; a Purple Sandpiper on Wolfe Island yesterday and a Black-bellied Plover north of Millhaven today. Hawks are abundant but not "thick". This could change as winter approaches because the vole population on Amherst is significant. There are lots of N. Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks and we had a high count of 6 Rough-legged Hawks as well as a Peregrine on the 17th. A Red-shouldered hawk (unusual for the island) was seen on Sunday and an adult Bald Eagle on Tuesday. Two more adult eagles were seen near Jones Falls today. Owls have arrived on Amherst in large numbers; about two dozen Long-eared and 1 Saw-whet were in the Owl Woods today, 8 more Long-eareds elsewhere on the island and 21 Short-eareds in three locations yesterday. (see Bruce Dilabio's report) There were 2 Short-eareds flopping about the KFN property at noon today in bright sunshine. The first local Snowy Owl arrived on Simcoe Island last Sunday and a second was on Amherst yesterday. Passerines have been few in number this week; Tree Sparrows, Juncos and Snow Buntings are here but not in abundance. Three N. Shrikes were noted, 2 on Amherst and 1 north of the city.There was a Winter Wren on Amherst on the 17th and a Swamp Sparrow on the 21st. On Wednesday two Red-winged Blackbirds, one male, one female, visited a feeder near Camden East. That same day 5 Yellow-rumped and a Pine Warbler were found near Bath.Today 4 Cowbirds and 7 Brown Creepers were north of Millhaven. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605
