WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, August 02, 2007
Not many birds singing today! It was just too hot to sing for happy. And
even too hot for many birders to be out and about trying to track down what
few there were. Still, a few interesting sightings over the past seven days,
or so, including a GREAT EGRET perched on an old snag in a swampy area on
Friday, about 8 km northwest of Tremur Lake and Trenton.
Two days ago, a casual walk along a hydro line property off Baptist Church
Road in the Stirling area, produced NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, WOOD PEWEE, WOOD
THRUSH and RED-EYED VIREO. There was a MOURNING WARBLER at Little Bluff
Conservation Area, on the 30th, adding to our growing list of summer
sightings of this species. Except for a persistent RED-EYED VIREO, there was
nary a sound Monday evening at the H.R. Frink Centre near Plainfield,
further evidence that birding is tough these days.
A MARBLED GODWIT at Presqu'ile Park added some excitement to the shorebird
watching there during the week, although that migration has sort of stalled
for the time being. Shorebirds in Prince Edward County, can be hit and miss,
requiring birders to check out numerous locations, such as Sandbanks where
shorebirds often drop in. Mostly, it's a matter of where you happen to be. A
calling UPLAND SANDPIPER passed over 23 Sprague Road on Friday. Prince
Edward Point often has small bands of shorebirds drop in along the limestone
shorelines and around the harbour, and we hope to hear more about those
sightings in two week's time when the fall bird banding season gets under
way down there. We look forward to David Okine's lively reports from the
Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory later this month.
Birders hoping to see shorebirds and perhaps other wetland species, can
visit the Constructed Wetland, near Brighton. Water levels have been
lowered, and birders are invited to visit the wetland this Sunday, from 9:00
a.m. to 11:00 a.m., when the wetland will be open to the public. Birders are
asked to not enter the wetland at other times when access to the area has
been closed. There is a viewing station for the public along County Road 64
as you approach Brighton from the east.
Reports of CEDAR WAXWINGS this past week have been rampant, with many
sightings involving backyard birds feeding on berries. Often nesting late,
there is a pair nesting now at Wellington. At South Bay, the owners of a
raspberry patch were surveying their bushes when a CEDAR WAXWING landed less
than a half metre away and started eating the berries. It was soon joined by
another just a short distance away. The owner was able to watch both at
close range until the birds felt a presence and flew off.
A BELTED KINGFISHER was present in Wellington this week, along the
lakeshore. Everywhere, it is BALTIMORE ORIOLES as they join RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRDS at nectar feeders across the region. On Fry Road, a juvenile
EASTERN TOWHEE is visiting a feeder there, along with ROSE-BREASTED
GROSBEAKS. Elsewhere, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES are still at feeders, although
numbers are dropping as this species joins the waxwings in finally
commencing household chores. Meanwhile, TREE SWALLOWS are lining up on
utility wires preparatory to their southward journey. Very confusing
timetable out there, with some birds migrating, and others still nesting.
During an interpretive 18-km kayak tour along the Rideau Canal from Jones
Falls to Newboro last Sunday, lots of OSPREYS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, COMMON
LOONS and BELTED KINGFISHERS. As we neared shorelines, other sounds
foliage-filtered including WOOD PEWEES, WOOD THRUSH, RED-EYED VIREOS,
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS and at least one OVENBIRD.
A request from a Carrying Place resident involves RED KNOTS. Every year,
according to the e-mail message, knots come into Delaware Bay in the spring
to feast on horseshoe crab eggs, where they are subsequently banded.
Apparently this year, numbers have been low in the Arctic breeding grounds,
and there is some concern about this decline which is believed to be
attributed to food supply. RED KNOTS do pass through the Quinte region on an
incredible migration that takes them from the high Arctic, south to Tierra
del Fuego, a round trip of over 32,000 km. These robin-sized birds can be
expected to pass through our area from August through October. Thousands
have been banded over the past decade, and reports of any banded birds would
be appreciated.
This is a condensed version of the Quinte Area Bird Report, containing only
the significant sightings for Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. The
full version can be found on the NatureStuff website, under BIRDING from
the Main Menu.
- Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.naturestuff.net
