Nice birding day on the island today, a little windy/cool this am but productive. Located one snowy owl on the KFN property which was viewed outside the fence from the main road sitting on the ground. Several raptors in various fields: red tailed; rough-legged; & harriers. Several long eared owls in the jack pine plantation of owl woods. Highlight of the day was a single Northern Saw-Whet owl in owl woods. This one was very hard to find, it was located about 30-40 feet off the main trail on the North side of the Jack Pine plantation. The chickadees helped locate the owl as they starting complaining very loudly & continuously when they noticed it in some tangled shrub only a few feet off the ground. See links for saw-whet pics.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/KingstonBirder/nswo22.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/KingstonBirder/nswo.jpg Directions: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $6.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road. Directions to Owl Woods: To reach the Owl Woods, turn left (east) at the four-way stop sign by the general store and drive 3.4 kilometres along Front Road to the (seasonal) Marshall Forty-Foot Road. Marshall Forty-Foot Road is across the road from house #2320. Drive along Marshall Road to the mid-way point, where there is an "S" in the road (1.2 kilometres , look for the K.F.N. kiosk). Park in the gravel lane or off the road edge. If the north way in is blocked by snow, proceed straight through the stop sign, and down to the end of the Stella forty-foot road. Turn left onto South Shore road, and proceed to the south entrance, just east of 2090 South Shore Rd. Paul O'Toole Kingston
