No rarities aside from the previously reported SABINE'S and LITTLE GULLS at Prince Edward Point. Now that Terry Sprague is posting weekly reports from Prince Edward County, I'll omit that area from my Kingston report so as not be redundant - unless something not previously reported comes to light then I will post it. Migrants continue to return. Species most widely reported this past week included CASPIAN TERN, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, PURPLE MARTIN, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, PALM WARBLER, PINE WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, EASTERN TOWHEE, FIELD SPARROW and manyWHITE-THROATED SPARROWS.
City of Kingston The 2 BLUE-HEADED VIREOS at Lemoine Point Conservation Area were among the first of that speceis reported this season. Also present were 2 FOX SPARROWS and 6 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. Along the Cataraqui River there was AMERICAN WIGEON, GREATER SCAUP, 400+ LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, 1 PIED-BILLED GREBE, 80 CASPIAN TERNS and 56 TREE SWALLOWS. Also reported in the city's east end was a flock of 32 CEDAR WAXWINGS. Amherst Island The island had been hosting many of the above mentioned migrants. A single light phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK remained on the Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) property on the island's east end. Please note that you must be a member (or be accompanied by a member) of the KFN to access this property. Wetlands on the island's west end hosted GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN HARRIER, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and TREE SWALLOWS and 12 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS among other species. A few of the other species reported this past week included NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, LONG-TAILED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, CLIFF SWALLOW and BROWN THRASHER. Amherstview Sewage Lagoons An early SPOTTED SANDPIPER, KILLDEER and 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS were the only shorebirds reported from the lagoons, where habitat remained minimal. Waterfowl included WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, both SCAUP species, BUFFLEHEAD and 2 male RUDDY DUCKS. Also of note were 3 CASPIAN TERNS and a PALM WARBLER. Bath Waterbirds along the shoreline near Bath included GADWALL, LONG-TAILED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and the now ubiquitous DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. Four species of swallow were also present: 12, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED, 5 TREE, 55 BARN and 2 CLIFF. Canoe Lake Road A survey for red-shouldered hawks along Canoe Lake Road turned up the following species: 1 PIED-BILLED GREBE, 25 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, 2 BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, 1 SANDHILL CRANE, 1 VIRGINIA RAIL, WILSON'S SNIPES, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, 2 BARRED OWLS, 11 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, 3 WINTER WRENS, 5 HERMIT THRUSHES, 7 PINE WARBLERS and 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. Charleston Lake There were 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS, a BLUE-HEADED VIREO, 28 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, 3 PINE SISKINS and 1 PURPLE FINCH near Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Four GREATER YELLOWLEGS and 15 LESSER YELLOWLEGS were on Warburton Road. Opinicon Road At least 1 TRUMPETER SWAN remained on Lake Opinicon. GREEN-WINGED TEAL had been scarce along Opinicon Road so far this spring but 4 were at Telephone Bay this past week. RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS and BARRED OWLS continued to be observed regularly. There had been a handful of early arrivals including a WARBLING VIREO along the Old Bedford Trail. A few FIELD SPARROWS had taken up territories and there was at least 1 AMERICAN TREE SPARROW still lingering along the Old Bedford Trail. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS numbered 23 along the the Cataraqui Trail on Apr 21. A VIRGINIA RAIL, 6 WILSON'S SNIPE, 5 AMERICAN WOODCOCK and an EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL were detected along a 7 km stretch of the Cataraqui Trail west of Indian Lake Road. Also of note in the same section of the Cataraqui Trail was a LINCOLN'S SPARROW. Two BARN SWALLOWS, and a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER were at Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) yesterday, and a PURPLE FINCH was there this morning. There had been a great movement of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS past QUBS last week, with dozens seen daily. SWAMP SPARROWS seem to have settled in every piece of wetland once again. Other Sightings GREAT EGRETS were at Collin's Creek near Westbrook and on Wolfe Island (11th Line Road). Another early SPOTTED SANDPIPER was at the Millhaven ferry dock. A COOPER'S HAWK and up to 14 PINE SISKINS were at Bedford Mills. Four PINS SISKINS and a GREY CATBIRD were near Battersea. Another GREY CATBIRD and a HOUSE WREN were at Keelerville. A pair of CANADA GEESE had 9 goslings with them along Perth Road. A HOUSE WREN was in Verona. A NORTHERN HARRIER and an early COMMON YELLOWTHROAT were near Newboro. A property near Camden East had an AMERICAN BITTERN, a fly-over SANDHILL CRANE and several PINE SISKINS. Just outside of the Kingston Birding Region, and reported too late to make it into last week's report, were the first 6 COMMON TERNS. They were off Grenadier Island in the St. Lawrence River. Also reported too late to make last week's report were 2 juvenile GOLDEN EAGLES seen flying over Queen's University's West Campus. Thank you to those who contributed observations this week. All bird sightings reported to me are included in the Kingston Field Naturalists’s long term records database which has over 60 years of observations on file and is an invaluable conservation resource. Mark -- Mark Andrew Conboy Operations & Research Assistant and Outreach Coordinator Queen’s University Biological Station 280 Queen's University Road Elgin, Ontario, Canada K0G 1E0 phone: 613-359-5629 fax: 613-359-6558 email: [email protected] or [email protected] QUBS website: http://www.queensu.ca/qubs/index.html QUBS blog: http://opinicon.wordpress.com/ QUBS flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qubsoutreach/ _______________________________________________ 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/
