WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Quinte Area Bird Report this week, begins with a synopsis of what's been
taking place at the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, courtesy of
our on location star reporter, David Okines. David is the bander in charge
at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory who compiles this summary weekly
for the Quinte Area Bird Report.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS are starting to decrease and are now numbering
1-2000 offshore. A few small flocks of CANADA GEESE are starting to move and
236 flew over on the 4th. Thirty GREATER SCAUP were seen flying past on the
28th and a few can be seen offshore most days. Also offshore, more
WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS are appearing and 27 flew past on the 30th and had a
BLACK SCOTER in with them. COMMON MERGANSERS (24) were seen on the 30th and
10 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were counted on the 3rd.
Very few raptors have been seen this week but those seen included 3 COOPER'S
HAWKS on the 3rd and an adult female MERLIN that day as well. Single
KILLDEERS are the only shorebirds seen despite large quantities of weed
along the shore. A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was trapped on the 29th. The annual
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL banding has started and has been exceptional for this
time of the year, with 277 being banded during the week including two very
good nights of 158 and 102 on the 29th/30th and the 3rd/4th. The September
total is normally around 35 and this year we have done 314. All the previous
Septembers together only add up to 214. Hopefully this will be a bumper year
for these cute owls. Two EASTERN SCREECH OWLS were banded and one of them
was a red phased bird. A BARRED OWL was seen in the woods on the 2nd and had
a NORTHERN SAW-WHET in its talons.
A WHIP-POOR-WILL was seen on the path a few times while owling on the 29th.
A BELTED KINGFISHER was trapped on the 1st and YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS
continue to move in good numbers and peaked this week at 20 on the 28th.
Late EASTERN WOOD-PEWEES were seen on the 29th and 1st, while there were 10
EASTERN PHOEBES present on the 29th. BLUE JAY numbers have decreased and
peaked at 700 on the 1st and a COMMON RAVEN circled the area again on the
28th. BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE'S appear to be moving in small numbers with 40
present on the 29th and up to 25 being seen on other days. HOUSE WRENS
continue to be seen with 1 or 2 every few days including 2 on the 4th. Forty
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were seen on the 28th and 4th while on the 30th
there were 70 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS around. The occasional VEERY is still to
be found and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSHES peaked at 65 on the 28th, along with 20
SWAINSON'S THRUSHES. HERMIT THRUSHES are starting to increase and 18 were
banded on the 4th.
The 28th had a late NORTHERN PARULA, and a late NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, two
late OVENBIRDS, and a late BLACK- AND-WHITE WARBLER was banded. SCARLET
TANAGERS have reappeared after a three week gap and singles were seen on the
28th, 3rd and 4th. Up to 60 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS have been seen and 65
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were present on the 30th with similar numbers being
recorded most days. DARK-EYED JUNCOS are arriving and 60 were seen on the
29th. PURPLE FINCH numbers are starting to increase a bit again and up to 15
are now present at the feeders. PINE SISKINS were seen or trapped on the
28th, 1st (3) and 3rd. The GIANT SWALLOWTAIL caterpillars have now all
disappeared and have presumably all pupated.
Away from Prince Edward Point, signs of the fall movement of birds can be
found elsewhere as well. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS were reported at a number
of locations this past week, with even a few investigating the fare at bird
feeding stations. Despite brisk south winds at Point Petre on Monday, there
were still some 70 BLUE JAYS moving along the south shore, mainly in one
concentrated flock. Further west the same day, close to 100 were observed
flying along the shoreline of Wellington and Huyck's Point, possibly the
same group.
While sometimes finding birds is an exercise in travelling to well know
migration points, at other times it is simply a case of pulling up a lawn
chair and letting the mountain come to Mohamed. While sitting at our
campsite at Sandbanks Provincial Park this past week, both a RED-BELLIED
WOODPECKER and a PILEATED WOODPECKER made repeated visits to the deciduous
woods beside our site. At 4:00 a.m. this morning, through the heavy fog and
dim light of early morning, a very loud and persistent EASTERN SCREECH OWL
penetrated the silence. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were present and EASTERN
MEADOWLARKS called from the nearby meadow. Similarly, a passing OSPREY
interrupted a naturalist club Board meeting at Big Island on Monday, while
at Pleasant Bay a couple there watched as 35 AMERICAN ROBINS and 12 BLUE
JAYS dropped into a backyard. Meanwhile, in our own backyard, a NORTHERN
MOCKINGBIRD was still appearing early in the morning as of Monday morning,
and the COMMON RAVEN still circles over the Sprague Road area on an
irregular basis. COMMON RAVENS were also noted during the week at Cape Vesey
where three were counted.
We can only assume that the unusually warm weather is the reason for the
number of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS that were reported across the region.
Up to four were grouped around a feeder at Huyck's Point last weekend, and
singles are still coming to feeders at Pleasant Bay and Picton, and at two
different locations in the Trenton area, with the latest date so far being
October 3rd. PURPLE FINCHES are at feeders along Glenora Road, Wellington
and near Bloomfield, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES have appeared at 2800
County Road 1, Wellington and Bloomfield. A woodpecker convention continues
to take place at a Glenora Road feeder, east of Picton, where totals include
4 HAIRYS, 6 DOWNYS and 4 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS.
Other than the waterfowl reported from Prince Edward Point, the only other
waterfowl activity this past week, leftovers from the start of the hunting
season, have been 500 CANADA GEESE among the 2000 ducks on Muscote Bay.
Identified have been MALLARDS and AMERICAN WIGEON, along with 2 TUNDRA
SWANS. What is believed to be a TUNDRA SWAN has been occupying a stretch of
the Salmon River, north of Napanee, between Roblin and Croydon. The swan,
however, never allows a close approach before it takes off and disappears
beyond yet another bend in the winding water course. The WHITE PELICAN that
spent so much time in Prince Edward County waters for almost two months
couldn't seem to get far enough away from the binocular brigade, if the one
that keeps being reported on the OntarioBirds listserv is the same
individual. After the disappearance of the local bird, a pelican suddenly
turned up in the Oshawa area, and seems to be working its way west along the
shoreline and is now in the Hamilton area. If this is indeed the same bird,
County birders who failed to see it will now have to travel further afield
to get it on their year's list!
Other notable sightings over the past seven days have included three BALD
EAGLES over Prince Edward Bay in the Cape Vesey area, and another two flying
over Tripp Road, a COOPER'S HAWK on King's Road and an EASTERN PHOEBE and
PILEATED WOODPECKER at Cape Vesey. A not so fortunate BLACK-THROATED BLUE
WARBLER collided with a window last Friday at Bloomfield.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area.
Our thanks to David Okines (Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory), Nancy
Fox, Judy Bell, Barry Pinsky, Rosemary Kent, Ted Cullin, David Bree, Wayne
McNulty, Doris Lane, Silvia Botnick, Nancy Smitts, Sharon & Gary Channell,
Lyle Anderson, Henri Garand, John Charlton, Donald McClure, and Fred
Chandler for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be
updated on Thursday, October 11th, but sightings can be e-mailed any time
before the 6:00 p.m. Thursday deadline. Featured photos this week in the
online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report include an OSPREY and a
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER by Laura Pierce of Waupoos. Photo of the NORTHERN
SAW-WHET OWL at Prince Edward Point on the Main Birding page of the
NatureStuff website is by John Charlton of Trenton.
Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.naturestuff.net
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