Hello Birders, Myself and Kyle Holloway went birding at Presqu'ile and Amherst Island today -
At Presqu'ile we had two BARRED OWLS on the road to Jobe's Woods trail. There may have been more. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but - these guys are very close to the road - please be professional when observing and photographing these guys and consider their health before your photographs - They're very co-operative and me and Kyle got excellent pics without harassing/baiting these owls closer to the road, where they potentially could be hit by cars. Also at Presqu'ile was a juvenile BALD EAGLE near the blind near the lighthouse, and an adult perched on the other side of Presqu'ile Bay, which had a flock of thirteen TUNDRA SWANS with a bunch of MUTE SWANS mixed in. The usual winter waterfowl were present. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was close to the road near the entrance to the park. At 5012 Bath Rd near the Amherst island ferry, there was a MERLIN perched on top of some trees beside the road. On the island itself, we found the BOREAL OWL in the Jack Pines. It was presumably a female - very large! There were also three SAW-WHETS that we found in various locales. These guys are at eye-level and close to the trail - a Saw-whet will elongate itself and flare it's facial disk when stressed (I.e you're too close) so please be professional (a lot of the time you have to move BACK anyhow to get a photo!) LONG-EARED OWLS, maybe 5 or 6 were present, but incredibly skittish. On the way back to the ferry a SHORT-EARED OWL flew by. Other birds of note included two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, a male NORTHERN HARRIER, two juvenile BALD EAGLES on the ice, three TUNDRA SWANS, a flock of perhaps 40 SNOW BUNTINGS near the KFN Property, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at the entrance to Owl Woods. Here's a pic of the Boreal - http://www.flickr.com/photos/levfrid/4229394397/. There are also pics of the other birds at that link. Directions: Presqu'ile Provincial Park is located in the town of Brighton and is well-signed off of the 401. Amherst Island is located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $8.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road. Good Birding! Lev Frid Maple, ON _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
