WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, December 27, 2007
Despite Christmas Day falling right in the middle of this week's reporting
period, eyes still "feasted" on birds other than the Christmas turkey.
Obviously not worrying a whole lot about the season were numerous groups of
WILD TURKEYS that were seen in numbers ranging from one lonely individual at
Prince Edward Point, to over 50 at their traditional stompin' grounds off
Sidney Street, north of Belleville. Also in good numbers over the past week,
taking advantage of some mild temperatures and open conditions on Consecon
Lake, were 50 MUTE SWANS, likely local individuals working their way a bit
further west to the Presqu'ile area where as many as 300 have been counted
in recent weeks. COMMON GOLDENEYE were also present in Consecon during the
week, and in Adolphus Reach, a few CANADA GEESE (most are likely in the
Kaiser Crossroad cornfields), MALLARDS, and a couple MUTE SWANS were noted
there. There is open water these days here and there in the Waupoos and
Smith's Bay area, where about 40 TUNDRA SWANS were hanging out near
Christmas.
Closer to backyards, COMMON REDPOLLS, as predicted, continue to build in
numbers. Big Island has two nice flocks of 20 and 30 visiting feeders at the
west end and the east end of the island, respectively. A Stirling area
feeder has 60 (another 60 east of Lake-on-the-Mountain), while a Glenora
Road feeder reports boring business with 100, also reporting 2 RED-BELLIED
WOODPECKERS and 10 PINE SISKINS and a few WILD TURKEYS among the clientel
there. Not to be outdone was a Stirling feeder that enjoyed no fewer than
200 COMMON REDPOLLS this past week. The 100 or more SNOW BUNTINGS that were
visiting a feeding area just west of Caughey Road, have been replaced by 40
EUROPEAN STARLINGS. A leucistic MOURNING DOVE is still visiting a feeder
along Harmony Road in Thurlow, 7 PINE SISKINS are at a Green Point Road
feeder, and a GRAY JAY that dropped into backyard, south of Madoc, surprised
a feeder operator there. Two YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS are in the Quinte
area - one at a feeder on Wallbridge Road west of Belleville, and another,
appropriately enough, at a feeder at The Birdhouse store in Wooler. In
Napanee, a HOARY REDPOLL was identified at one feeder and a number of PINE
GROSBEAKS was also seen.
A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD turned up on December 22nd on Hiscock Shores Road on
the west side of the county, cavorting about with a flock of AMERICAN
ROBINS, perhaps the same individual that was present there December 5th. A
PILEATED WOODPECKER dropped by one backyard at Stirling during the week, and
another showed up just east of Lake-on-the-Mountain. An EASTERN MEADOWLARK
was found on the 22nd south of Black River, and EASTERN BLUEBIRDS (5) were
seen the same day north of Black River, and another two were near Cherry
Valley, and yet another two seen along Royal Road. Nomadic BOHEMIAN
WAXWINGS continue to come and go as is their custom. Fifty were seen in a
tree in Stirling on the 21st and on the same day, a flock of 50 waxwings,
half of them CEDARS and half of them BOHEMIANS showed up at Prince Edward
Point. While Prince Edward Point can often be a forbidding place to be on a
cold, blustery day, two observers from Kingston managed to round up 3 BARRED
OWLS, 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES, 2 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, 100 AMERICAN ROBINS and
2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS on the 21st. Six GADWALL were there the following
day. The open waters yielded 13 HORNED GREBES, 100 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, and
a single REDHEAD. AMERICAN ROBINS (30) showed up along Royal Road on
Saturday as well as a single RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. There were two HORNED
LARKS near Bloomfield the same day, and another 30 were found behind the
high school in Picton a day earlier.
BALD EAGLES, both adult and immatures, were seen in their usual haunts along
Adolphus Reach, and another was observed in Eldorado during the week. At
least four were seen on the ice in South Bay on the 22nd. Also present the
same day in South Bay were 4 REDHEADS along with COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON
and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, MUTE and TUNDRA SWANS, MALLARDS and AMERICAN
BLACK DUCKS. Thirteen TUNDRA SWANS were present in Adolphus Reach on the
21st, along with a single BONAPARTE'S GULL. MERLINS were seen at two
locations during the week - one on Charles Street in Belleville, and another
near Elmbrook on the 23rd. Also on Elmbrook Road, a BARRED OWL, likely the
same one that turned up at a feeder there last week, was seen not far from
the feeder location. Two COMMON RAVENS continue to be seen in this same area
where they have been observed for at least two years.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area.
Our thanks to Bruce Ripley, Jack Strachan, Nick Quickert, Fiona King, Doug
McRae, Cathie Stewart, Beth McPherson, Marilyn Holland-Foster, Peter
Sporring, Sylvia Botnick, Pamela Stagg, Evelyn Sloane, Ted Cullin, Don
Chisholm, Carol Perlberg, Joanne Dewey, Henri Garand, Frank Artes & Caroline
Barnes, Bill Hogg, and Stephanie Collins for their contributions to this
week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, January 3rd, but
sightings can be e-mailed any time before the 6:00 p.m, Thursday deadline.
Featured photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report include
a close-up of a COMMON REDPOLL by Dave Bell and a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER
at a suet feeder by Carol Perlberg. Marc Vermander's photo of last week's
BARRED OWL with a rabbit in his backyard appears on the Main Birding Page of
the NatureStuff website.
Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.naturestuff.net
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