All the early harbingers of spring arrived this week. Am. Robins arrived in
greater numbers and were singing in Barriefield, at RMC and in the city. A
Red-winged Blackbird and a Killdeer were at Elginburg on Wednesday and by
yesterday Common Grackles and Red-wings were all over the place. There was a
Brown-headed Cowbird at Bedford Mills with the Red-wings yesterday.
Bald Eagles were reported from Bedford Mills and Amherst Island and downtown
Kingston had a Peregrine Falcon and 3 Merlins. Cooper's Hawks were seen at
Bedford Mills on Monday and at Camden East on Thursday. A N. Goshawk was at
Jones Falls yesterday. Six Short-eared and a Snowy Owl were on Amherst on
Monday. The first local Turkey Vulture was at Watertown N.Y. (just southeast of
Kingston) last Saturday.
Waterfowl numbers continue to increase. Common Goldeneye predominate,
especially along the Bath Road and off the south shore of Amherst Island but
there are good numbers of Greater Scaup and Bufflehead as well. Last Saturday
near the Lennox Generating Station a flock of about 200 Redheads contained a
male Black Scoter and there was a raft of scaup at Waupoos numbering about 5000
birds. The Cataraqui River still has a few Mute and Tundra Swans, lots of
puddle ducks and good numbers of Common Mergansers.
Other sightings this past week include a N. Shrike at Westport on Friday, a
Brown Creeper at Bedford Mills on Wednesday and a pair of Pine Siskins that
have been frequenting an Elginburg feeder for the last couple of weeks.
Cheers,
Peter Good
Kingston Field Naturalists
613 378-6605
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