The ice certainly isn't all gone but the impatient waterfowl are moving in to fill all the open spots. Last Saturday, in Prince Edward County, there were 800 Greater Scaup at PEPt and an equal number of Snow Geese at the Kaiser X-Road. The latter included 12 blue phase and were in a flooded cornfield with 46 Tundra Swans, 225 N. Pintails, 185 Ring-necked Ducks among other more common species. Hay Bay had 22 Tundra Swans and 200 Greater Scaup. A KFN field trip to Wolfe Island on Sunday tallied 16 species of waterfowl; nothing unexpected but good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers and Redheads. Displaying Common Goldeneye are all along the Bath Road, the south shore of Amherst Island and the west end of Wolfe Island. Mute Swans were seen at PEPt, Hay Bay and along the Bath Road. In the city there were 6 Pied-billed Grebes and 350 Lesser Scaup in the Cataraqui River and a few Double-crested Cormorants are in Kingston harbour. Hooded Mergansers are in many of the creeks and ponds north of the 401. Raptor numbers are down somewhat but there is still a good variety. Turkey Vultures are widespread. Wolfe Island had Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks as well as N. Harriers and Am. Kestrels. There was a Merlin at Wilstead on the 22nd and a N. Goshawk at Bedford Mills on the 24th. The only owls reported were a Barred at Bellrock and a Great Horned at Bedford Mills. Lots of other migrants arrived this week. There were many sightings of Great Blue Herons, Am. Woodcock, and Song Sparrows and smaller numbers of E. Bluebirds, E. Meadowlarks, Wilson's Snipe, Belted Kingfisher, Brown-headed Cowbirds and female Red-winged Blackbirds. Winter birds remain, with most feeders still supporting Dark-eyed Juncos, Tree Sparrows, Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins. Hoary Redpolls were at Camden East and Elginburg this week. The Townsend's Solitaire at Bedford Mills on Saturday makes a wonderful addition to a yard list. One wonders if it was the same bird that overwintered at Point Peninsula in New York State just across the river from Wolfe Island. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
