WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, October 25, 2007
Signs of autumn. Signs of winter. DARK-EYED JUNCOS continue to pour through
the county in many areas, with large numbers at most feeding stations right
now. Large flocks of blackbirds also continue to pass through, mainly
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and COMMON GRACKLES. PINE SISKINS are trying hard to
prove the dismal predictions incorrect as yet another feeder in the Quinte
area has been bombarded with large numbers of these little finches. A feeder
in the Carrying Place area had 33 this morning feeding under and on the
niger seed feeders, and 20 are coming to a feeder on Fry Road. They may move
on yet, leaving local feeders with few, if any this winter. Meanwhile, signs
of winter have appeared on several occasions this past week, with isolated
reports of EVENING GROSBEAKS turning up both at feeders and out in the
field. The first SNOW BUNTINGS of the season, four of them, were seen along
the break wall at Wellington Park yesterday. An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW showed
up near the corner of Caughey Road and South Big Island Road at the west end
of Big Island this week. The second NORTHERN SHRIKE of the "winter" arrived
at one bird feeder along Ridge Road, southwest of Picton yesterday. And in
amongst all this activity, a few birds who seem not to know what to do,
among them, a lingering BARN SWALLOW still swooping for insects on Tuesday
over the Brighton Sewage Lagoons, where it was also seen last week.
Lingering PALM WARBLER and a PINE WARBLER were found at Prince Edward Point
yesterday by one observer, and there were two reports of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS
during the week - two in the Milford area and 10 near Prince Edward Point
and another on King Road yesterday.
At Prince Edward Point, activity on the lake is starting to increase with 2
RED-THROATED LOONS seen on the 24th along with 7 COMMON LOONS. Forty HORNED
GREBES and at least 2 RED-NECKED GREBES were seen on the 24th but there were
reports of hundreds of grebes further to the west towards South Bay.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS had decreased to about 2-500 offshore but
increased again on the 24th to 1500. Five AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL flew
past on the 22nd and up to 50 have been frequenting the pond near the east
end of Babylon Road, and GREATER SCAUP have increased offshore to about 500
off of Point Traverse. The WHITE-WINGED SCOTER flock offshore has
dramatically increased to around 2000 individuals with small numbers of
BLACK and SURF SCOTERS mixed in with them. The first LONG-TAILED DUCKS of
the fall were noted on the 22nd when 5 were seen, there were 20 noted on the
24th and should become more regular from now on. On the 20th, the first 16
BUFFLEHEAD of the fall flew past and 11 went past on the 25th. Seven HOODED
MERGANSERS were seen at the entrance to the harbour on the 24th and 130
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS flew past that day as well.
Best raptors of the week were a GOLDEN EAGLE on the 20th and a dark phase
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK on the 24th with a light phase bird on the 25th. The only
shorebird of the week was a LESSER YELLOWLEGS that flew over on the 21st. At
least 1000 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were flushed off the lake by a passing boat on
the 24th. Owling is still good and over 200 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS were
trapped this week along with 7 BARRED OWLS and our second LONG-EARED OWL of
the fall. Two BELTED KINGFISHERS are still frequenting the harbour. The
first NORTHERN SHRIKES of the fall were two birds that flew over on the 21st
and others have been seen in the area, and another NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen
along Babylon Road on the 22nd. Up to 130 BLUE JAYS a day are still moving
through and 5 HORNED LARKS were near Point Traverse on the 23rd. Fifty to
100 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES are still being seen in the bushes every day and
RED and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES are still present in good numbers. On the
24th a small arrival consisted of 130 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and 55
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS. Eleven EASTERN BLUEBIRDS flew over the area calling
on the 21st and up to four in a day have been seen since.
Ten AMERICAN PIPITS were seen on the south shore on the 24th. The only
warblers seen during the week were YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS which peaked at 20
on the 22nd. Six CHIPPING SPARROWS, 15 SONG SPARROWS, 20 DARK-EYED JUNCOS
and 8 FOX SPARROWS were found on the 24th. A few blackbirds were moving on
the 22nd and included 130 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, 60 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and 65
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS. PINE SISKINS continue to arrive and 5-6 can be found
most days on the feeders. An EVENING GROSBEAK seen on the 19th was followed
by 8 on the 20th and 1-2 a day since. Last but not least, an adult LESSER
BLACK-BACKED GULL flew past on the 19th. Also of note has been a FISHER that
has been seen in the area on at least four days.
Other birders at Prince Edward Point during the week reported good success
on the days they chose to visit. Among the highlights last Sunday from one
observer were 5 RED-THROATED LOONS, 50 COMMON LOONS, 59 HORNED GREBES, 5
RED-NECKED GREBES, 5 BLACK SCOTERS, 1 SURF SCOTER and BARRED OWL, the
majority of these west of the Point proper. On the 24th, another observer
managed to double the number of COMMON LOONS seen, and also tallied an
incredible 300 HORNED GREBES, 50 RED-NECKED GREBES, 500 WHITE-WINGED
SCOTERS, 1,500 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, and also added the first two
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS of the season, along with a MERLIN, 20 YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLERS, and a couple FOX SPARROWS.
A FOX SPARROW was seen too, near the junction of Gagne Road and Elmbrook
Road today, and 2 AMERICAN PIPITS showed up on Gorsline Road near
Demorestville. Four GREATER YELLOWLEGS were the only shorebirds reported
outside of Prince Edward Point, these seen along the shoreline at
Massassauga Point Conservation Area on Sunday. Small numbers of WILD TURKEYS
are being seen across the county, and there have been scattered reports of
BELTED KINGFISHERS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, BROWN CREEPERS, EASTERN PHOEBES, and
EASTERN MEADOWLARKS as they continue to flirt with colder and more blustery
weather that is surely in the offing. A pair of TRUMPETER SWANS flashing
yellow wing tags, but unreadable numbers, tantalized one observer at
Bloomfield Creek during the week, and a flock of 80 BRANT was noted in the
Bay of Quinte off Northport yesterday. GREAT HORNED OWLS were heard at Cape
Vesey, and an EASTERN SCREECH OWL was calling along Northport Road one day
last week. On Tremur Lake, just north of Carrying Place, 58 HOODED
MERGANSERS were present along with 22 LESSER SCAUP today. Muscote Bay,
despite the presence of duck hunters, still boasts good numbers of
RING-NECKED DUCKS, MALLARDS and AMERICAN WIGEONS. GREAT-BLACK BACKED GULLS
(2) were seen in the Bay of Quinte west of Caughey Road during the week.
In bird feeder news, DARK-EYED JUNCOS outnumber many species at some
feeders, but AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES have become fewer in number by comparison
at most locations. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS were reported at feeders on
Glenora Road and Milford, and at least two bird feeder operators reported
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES "everywhere," indicating some sort of movement
with this normally sedentary species. It has been a mixed bag of birds out
there this past week, as the fall season winds down and a few winter birds
make their debut in the Quinte area, with the promise of more changes to
take place in the weeks ahead.
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), Joanne
Dewey, Owen Weir, Carolyn Barnes, Fred Helleiner, Donn Legate, Cathie
Stewart, Wayne McNulty, Bruce Ripley, Marilyn Holland-Foster, Rosemary
Smith, Henri Garand, Kathy Felkar & Mike Burge, Frank Artes & Carolyn
Barnes, Silvia Botnick, John Charlton, Angela Mantle, Fred Chandler, Robert
Simmons, and David Bree for their contributions to this week's report. This
report will be updated on Thursday, November 1st, 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 a
BALD EAGLE by Susan Shipman of Wellington and an EVENING GROSBEAK by Don
Craighead of Belleville. A photo on the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff
website of two of the SANDHILL CRANES that were seen last week in the Cressy
area is by Ann Sand. The Bald Eagle photo is a reminder of a special
presentation that I will be giving along with biologist Kate Maddigan, in
the Picton Town Hall on November 7th at 7:00 p.m. as we enlighten local
residents on the current status of this species in the area, along with some
other exciting news.
Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.naturestuff.net
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