Despite the less than favourable weather many migrants have arrived in the Kingston area this week. The number and variety of waterfowl is excellent although there were no rarities. A Red-necked Grebe was at PEPt on Sunday and 1500 Bonaparte's Gulls on Amherst Island yesterday was the largest group seen. A Caspian Tern was in the Kingston Harbour last Saturday. Two more Great Egrets were seen this week; one over Elevator Bay on Saturday and the other in Collins Creek near Westbrook on Wednesday. A couple of Am. Bitterns have been reported. The shorebird migration has started, notwithstanding the already numerous Killdeer, Am. Woodcock and Wilson's Snipe. Ten Greater Yellowlegs were in the Newburgh area a week ago Wednesday and another 4 were on Amherst on Tuesday, There was an Upland Sandpiper at PEPt on Sunday. There has been a good influx of sparrows with reports of several E. Towhees, Vesper, Field, Fox , Savannah and Swamp Sparrows. A single White-throated was noted as were large numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos. A few Am. Tree Sparrows still linger. All the swallows were tallied this week with the exception of Bank. Other new arrivals include lots of N. Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers, E. Phoebes, both kinglets, Winter Wrens and Rusty Blackbirds. In smaller numbers we had Brown Thrashers, Hermit Thrush and a House Wren. The last of the Common Redpolls seem to have gone but a few Pine Siskins persist. Two N. Shrikes were seen near Newburgh last Friday and another was at PEPt on Sunday. There were still 4 Rough-legged Hawks on Amherst yesterday. Less-than-common birds noted this week were a singing Carolina Wren near Collingwood Street, a noisy Sandhill Crane flying over Camden East on Tuesday and 3 Red Crossbills in Bath yesterday. The Loggerhead Shrike surveying has started and so far 5 birds have returned to the Newburgh area. 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 [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
