WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FOR PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING Thursday, June 04, 2009
Prince Edward County's 3rd ever LARK BUNTING leads off this week's edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report. The male bird was seen along County Road 7 in the vicinity of Rock Crossroad on June 3rd. Just east of there, at Kaiser Crossroad, thirteen species of shorebirds have been the highlights at the flooded cornfields there, among them, a WHIMBREL on June 1st and 60 RED KNOTS on May 31st. Highs there this week of other shorebirds included BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (200), SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (10), KILLDEER (2), GREATER YELLOWLEGS (2), RUDDY TURNSTONE (18), SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (40), LEAST SANDPIPER (40), WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (2), DUNLIN (80), SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (6), WILSON'S SNIPE (1). For Prince Edward County, a good year for shorebirds. In a ploughed field on Jackson's Falls Road, east of Milford, 23 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER were seen on the 1st. The composition of shorebirds and waterfowl changes daily it seems, and adding to the make-up of species there during the week were one each of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, along with several MALLARDS. BARN SWALLOWS and TREE SWALLOWS swoop nonstop over the water for insects, and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BELTED KINGFISHER, BONAPARTE'S GULLS (55), HERRING GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS, CANADA GEESE, BLACK TERN, NORTHERN HARRIER, GREAT BLUE HERONS, HORNED LARK, AMERICAN BITTERN, and various other species have also been checked off at this oasis at the east end of North Marysburgh. Last week, there was an OSPREY taking a bath in the warm water, while a CASPIAN TERN screamed at it. Across Prince Edward Bay at the South Marysburgh peninsula, the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area is still producing and there were signs this week that the spring migration is still not over. A few WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS are still moving on most days, 3 WOOD DUCKS were present on the 30th and 5 were seen on the 3rd. Two LONG-TAILED DUCKS are still being seen off the Point and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS are also still moving with up to 45 a day going past. A GREEN HERON was seen in the harbour on the 3rd. A second year BALD EAGLE was flushed from a path at Point Traverse on the 31st. SPOTTED SANDPIPERS are still being seen around the harbour and AMERICAN WOODCOCKS are still calling in the evenings. Two second year male SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS have been trapped this week. MOURNING DOVES continue to move with 14 trapped during the last week. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS are calling most mornings and the occasional YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO can be heard as well. A mixed bag of flycatchers are being seen daily and consist mostly of EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, and YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS. WILLOW FLYCATCHERS and ALDER FLYCATCHERS were singing on the 30th. RED-EYED VIREOS have been moving and peaked at 30 on the 29th but are still being seen in good numbers. The number of pairs of CLIFF SWALLOWS around the Observatory building has increased to 10 pairs. A late RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET was caught on the 1st and a TUFTED TITMOUSE was seen and banded on the 1st and it reappeared on the 2nd. GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSHES and SWAINSON'S THRUSHES are still moving and up to 8 of each has been seen daily. The CEDAR WAXWING flock fluctuates between 50 and 200 daily. Eighteen species of warbler were seen during the week and included a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and 15 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS on the 29th, and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS on the 29th and 3rd. One or 2 MOURNING WARBLERS are being seen daily and 13 CANADA WARBLERS were present on the 29th of which 10 were trapped. A SCARLET TANAGER was found on the 29th as was a LINCOLN'S SPARROW . A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was present on the 1st and 2nd and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was seen on the 3rd. Lastly, a PINE SISKIN dropped in on the 29th. The Observatory has now closed for the season and will re-open on August 15th for the fall banding and monitoring. A WILSON'S WARBLER was spotted along the road to Prince Edward Point lighthouse by another observer on the 29th. At Deroche Lake east of Thomasburg today, VEERY and WOOD THRUSH were found along with dozens of singing RED-EYED VIREOS and OVENBIRDS. BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and YELLOW WARBLER were also present along with RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, LEAST FLYCATCHER, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, EASTERN TOWHEE, FIELD SPARROWS, SWAMP SPARROW and BALTIMORE ORIOLES. At Big Island's South Big Island Road, a SANDHILL CRANE continues to appear periodically in a field west of 23 Sprague Road, and a MOURNING WARBLER was singing enthusiastically, hidden of course, near Baycrest Marina along North Big Island Road this week. A motorist approaching Milford one day this week paused while a confused UPLAND SANDPIPER stood in the middle of the road. A SORA was at the Glendon Green boat launch at East Lake on the 31st, while at Big Island's Robinson Cove, a possible YELLOW RAIL was heard briefly in the tall grass, but not confirmed. Maybe next week! A few PINE SISKINS are still around at bird feeders, probably far too heavy now to migrate anywhere, and sightings this week came from Lake on the Mountain, and at Victoria Road in Ameliasburgh. Among the BALTIMORE ORIOLES, INDIGO BUNTINGS and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS still visiting nectar feeders, there was a SCARLET TANAGER at a hummingbird feeder on Palmer Road. A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER flew over Victoria Road near Badgley Road on Monday, near where a PILEATED WOODPECKER was also seen. A WHIP-POOR-WILL called relentlessly on June 1st at a Madoc area home, seemingly from the roof near the owners' bedroom window! CASPIAN TERNS are seen regularly in the area of Belleville's Norris Whitney Bridge and Meyer's Pier. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD appeared at a house this week at 2800 County Road 1. And, at Picton's Glenwood Cemetery, a pair of MERLINS were found nesting last week in a tall white pine across from the Cooke Memorial Fountain and columbarium. Wagers are coming in this week as to whether the offspring of a pair of BARN SWALLOWS will be Prince Edward County citizens or Lennox and Addington residents. The pair has an active nest on a beam that supports the wheelhouse on Glenora Ferry and travel the Adolphus Reach back and forth between counties every half hour. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to David Okines, John Vernon, Jeff Haffner, Rosemary Smith, Pamela Stagg, Owen Weir, George Bryant, Gordon Timperon, Mike and Joyce Jaques, Nancy Fox, Fiona King, Pamela Stagg, Judith Gray, Wendy Gray, Borys Holowacz, John & Margaret Moore, and Charles Crowe for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, June 11th, but sightings can be e-mailed anytime before the Wednesday night deadline. Photo on the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff website of a COMMON LOON is by Derek Dafoe of Belleville. Photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Report of an INDIGO BUNTING and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at a feeder are both submitted by Bob and Kathy Willis of Picton Terry Sprague Prince Edward County [email protected] www.naturestuff.net _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. 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