Report from the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory for the week of April
15-21, courtesy of manager David Okines.
COMMON LOONS are going over in small numbers and single GREAT BLUE HERONS
were seen on the 20th and 21st. A flock of 7 MUTE SWANS on the 19th is the
largest group ever seen here. A female WOOD DUCK was a nice find in a net on
the 21st, meanwhile off shore, up to a 1000 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and 1500
LONG-TAILED DUCKS are being seen. BUFFLEHEADS numbered 105 on the 21st.
A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was banded on the 21st and a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
circled the point on the 17th. CASPIAN TERNS are more obvious now and up to
2 can be seen daily. BELTED KINGFISHERS can often be seen flying over the
area and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was seen on the 17th. With the cold and
rainy weather, the bushes have been fairly quiet lately. One or 2
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS can usually be found and up to 25 NORTHERN
FLICKERS can be seen feeding on the grass around the Observatory. COMMON
RAVENS were seen on the 18th and 19th.
Hirundines are slowly coming back and up to 10 TREE SWALLOWS can be seen, as
can up to 6 CLIFF SWALLOWS and 3 BARN SWALLOWS. BROWN CREEPER numbers have
dropped but should pick up again if and when the weather gets better.
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS peaked at just 20 on the 15th and 5 RUBY-CROWNED
KINGLETS on the 21st was the peak count this week for that species. A pair
of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS spent a short time checking out the boxes on the 17th
but soon left the area. Up to 4 HERMIT THRUSHES have been seen and BROWN
THRASHERS were seen twice this week.
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS have been very scarce so far and the second bird of
the spring appeared in a net on the 21st. No other warblers have been seen
yet. AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS can still be heard singing in the woods but will
probably move on north soon. CHIPPING SPARROWS are slowly increasing and 8
were seen on the 17th. Up to 15 FOX SPARROWS have been seen and
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS are now being seen in small numbers daily.
DARK-EYED JUNCOS numbered 100 on the 17th, with lots of banded birds hanging
around; fortunately, they all moved off on the 20th/21st, but there should
still be more to come. Ten RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were seen on the 19th as was the
first EASTERN MEADOWLARK of the spring. Two PINE SISKINS were at the feeders
on the 18th. Finally the HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen again on the 18th when 6
were present, the flock comprised 2 adult males, 2 adult females and a young
male and a young female.
Elsewhere in the Quinte area, the Kaiser Crossroad flooded cornfields are
still producing upwards of nine species of waterfowl per day, due to the
heavy rains. NORTHERN PINTAILS have all but departed, but up to a dozen
NORTHERN SHOVELERS, 4 REDHEADS and over 30 RING-NECKED DUCKS are among those
that can still be found. From 100-300 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS are still present in
Prince Edward County, mainly in the Bloomfield and Wellington areas. An
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was seen in the Milhaven Creek/Bay of Quinte area on
April 20th, but has not been reported since. A pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS
are nesting in a utility pole along McIntyre Road north of Bath, and in
Wellington a BROWN CREEPER has been coming to a niger seed feeder. On a bit
sadder note, an OSPREY along South Big Island Road near Demorestville was
electrocuted when it landed atop a hydro pole, and dangled ignominiously by
one foot for two days, the other foot still clutching a partially eaten
brown bullhead, until high winds allowed the dead bird to fall to the
ground.
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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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/
