With this e-mail, we welcome back David Okines and his weekly report from
the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory. The Observatory opens for the
spring season on Sunday, April 10th.
One or two COMMON LOONS a day are being seen and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS
are starting to return with up to 20 a day being seen on the shoal. A few
TURKEY VULTURES are being seen daily and CANADA GEESE are moving - most days
have up to 250 going over, but on the 2nd, just over 11,000 went north east,
mixed in with the flocks were one SNOW GOOSE and one CACKLING GOOSE, a few
scattered ducks were also mixed in with them. Offshore, up to 1500
WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and 1000 LONG-TAILED DUCKS can be seen.
A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen on the 2nd, as was an AMERICAN KESTREL. The
first KILLDEER was seen on the 7th and WILSON'S SNIPE and AMERICAN WOODCOCKS
are calling daily. The first CASPIAN TERNS (2) were seen today (7th). A
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was seen today and PILEATED WOODPECKERS have been
seen twice this week. An EASTERN PHOEBE was seen sitting on the lighthouse
this evening. A TREE SWALLOW was seen just up the road on the 3rd.
It's been very quiet in the bushes so far and the first BROWN CREEPER was
seen on the 7th, and there have been no sightings of kinglets yet! Up to 50
AMERICAN ROBINS are present and a single CEDAR WAXWING was found on the 5th.
The first CHIPPING SPARROW was seen on the front lawn on the 6th and a few
AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS are still present. SONG SPARROWS are slowly
increasing and will no doubt soon be breeding. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS (150)
and 400 COMMON GRACKLES flew over on the 2nd. Two PURPLE FINCHES graced the
feeders on the 7th and two COMMON REDPOLLS were seen on the 5th with a
single PINE SISKIN on the 3rd.
A rarity at the point, a HOUSE SPARROW, was banded on the 3rd. Although it
has been quiet, there are still good birds to be found like the pair of
HARLEQUIN DUCKS found just offshore at 6 pm on the 7th.
Elsewhere in Prince Edward County, TREE SWALLOWS have returned in small
numbers, and a scattering of PURPLE MARTINS has also been seen. A
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was seen near Picton yesterday. The big news was
the sighting of two well described GLOSSY IBISES in flight on April 1st near
Picton, but which were not seen again, and the 600-800 SNOW GEESE March
12-22 at the famous Kaiser Crossroad flooded cornfields. Waterfowl numbers
at the fields are good these days averaging a dozen species per day.
For more more sightings, be sure to check out the Quinte Area Bird Report on
the Main Birding page, updated daily at www.naturestuff.net . And for more
news from the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, be sure to visit their
website at www.peptbo.ca .
Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[email protected]
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NatureStuff - Tours & Things
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www.naturestuff.net
Terry Sprague
23 Sprague Road
R.R. 1, Demorestville, ON K0K 1W0
613-476-5072 (home), 613-848-4549 (cell)
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ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial
birding organization.
Send bird reports to [email protected]
For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
