It has been a good week in the Kingston area. Birds that were too numerous to report specific sightings included Yellow- bellied Sapsucker, both kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, E. Towhee, Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler and many of the sparrows including Field, Chipping, Fox, White-throated and Swamp.
The waterfowl migration has ebbed somewhat but highlights were a flock 80 Snow Geese (half blue, half white) over St. Lawrence College, 4 Canvasbacks in Hay Bay, both reported last Friday, a Eurasian Wigeon on Amherst Island on Monday (maybe the same bird that over-wintered at Dupont) and 2 Blue-winged Teal near Yarker (these are still not abundant yet). American Bitterns have put in an appearance; 2 on the Canoe Lake Road last Sunday and another at Moscow on Wednesday. There were also 3 Virginia Rails at Moscow and a Common Moorhen near Yarker that same day. In searching for Loggerhead Shrikes in the Newburgh area over 10 Upland Sandpipers were found on the 24th and another 2 were on Unity Road on the 26th. There were 2 Greater Yellowlegs on Amherst on the 20th and a Spotted Sandpiper was south of Napanee on the 26th. Five Caspian Terns were at the Amherstview sewage lagoons last Friday. The swallows are slowly reappearing; 5 Barn at Dupont last Friday and another on Amherst on Monday; Purple Martins on Amherst on the 23rd and in the city on the 25th. Raptors this time of year provide an interesting mix. There were 2 Snowy Owls and 9 Rough-legged Hawks on Amherst last Friday, and up the Canoe Lake Road a Barred Owl and 18 Red-shouldered Hawks on Sunday. The first local Broad-winged Hawk was found ,also on the Canoe Lake Road, on Wednesday. The warbler migration is underway; Pine Warblers were reported from Cartwright Pt. and from at least three locations on the Canoe Lake Road. Palm Warblers were seen on the Rideau Trail in Kingston on Monday and on Wolfe Island on Tuesday. Louisiana Waterthrush were found at two locations up the Canoe Lake Road this week. Miscellaneous observations included 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches on Amherst last Friday, a N. Mockingbird near Newburgh on Tuesday, and a female Black-backed Woodpecker at Charleston Lake P.P. on Wednesday. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605
