Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) maintains records in a 50km radius of MacDonald Park, Kingston. Birders already using eBird are encouraged to share their sightings with 'Kingston FN'. Alternatively, please email, phone or post records directly to me - contact details below. Note: some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated otherwise.
Highlights: Fluctuating temperatures and shifting winds/ice have stirred up the waterfowl somewhat this week, pushing most of the late dabblers on to warmer climes. Birders got cracking with their winter lists on 1st December and turned up some good sightings. Highlights of the week include; SNOW GOOSE, TRUMPETER SWAN, EURASIAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, RUDDY DUCK, BLACK SCOTER, RED-NECKED GREBE, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, SANDHILL CRANE, ICELAND GULL, GLAUCOUS GULL, SNOWY OWL, SWAMP SPARROW, and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. City of Kingston The male EURASIAN WIGEON found off Doug Fluhrer Park in Kingston's Inner Harbour was last seen on 1st Dec, where 3 RUDDY DUCKS and a couple of NORTHERN SHOVELER remained until the same date. With dwindling numbers of other waterfowl due to the increasing amount of ice, birding has turned to gull-watching with an ICELAND GULL seen yesterday (4th). Cataraqui Bay has likewise seen falling numbers of waterfowl but TUNDRA SWANS, COMMON GOLDENEYE, GREATER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, and AMERICAN COOT are all still present. At nearby Beechgrove Complex a BELTED KINGFISHER was still hanging around on 4th and 2 SANDHILL CRANES were seen flying over on 1st. At Collin's Bay a RED-NECKED GREBE was a good find on 1st. The city's first SNOWY OWL of the season was seen yesterday, inside the perimeter of the airport. Wolfe Island A suspected Ross's Goose, seen on 28th near Marysville has not been relocated though a female BLACK SCOTER seen at the winter ferry dock on 29th was a good find, as was a SNOWY OWL seen in the same general area, also on 29th. Amherst Island COMMON REDPOLLS (15) were again seen on the island, this time at Martin Edwards Reserve on 1st. At the same location, 6 SNOWY OWLS were noted on the same date; two were seen elsewhere on the island on 3rd. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS are now widespread - over a dozen were seen across the island on 1st. Also seen the same day was a SWAMP SPARROW at the 'fishing village' and 3 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Visitors to the island should be aware that the privately-owned Owl Woods remain closed until Mon 8th Dec for hunting. Please also note that you must be a member of Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) or be accompanied by a member to access the Martin Edwards Reserve. Other Sightings West of Kingston, 2 WOOD DUCKS were seen today (5th) at Napanee, a location where they can often be found in the winter. At Finkle's Shore Park, Amherstview, a SNOW GOOSE was seen yesterday (4th). A GLAUCOUS GULL was found further north, near Verona on 3rd, and on Washburn Road, nearer to Sunbury, a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD was seen on both 4th and 5th. Also seen there on 5th were 2 fly-by TRUMPETER SWANS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE and approximately 30 COMMON REDPOLLS. Another NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen at Collin's Creek on Perth Road on 2nd and 22 TRUMPETER SWANS were reported from Chaffey's Locks on 3rd. Moving a little further east, both EVENING GROSBEAK and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD were seen near Gananoque on 2nd and 2 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were still present at Gray's Creek on the Thousand Island Parkway on 3rd. Across the border at Westcott Beach State Park, 3 BLACK SCOTERS were seen on 2nd. In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property, the KFN 'owl policy' has been updated to a more generalised KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy <http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/birding/KFN_sensitive_sightings_policy. pdf> . As requested by the landowners, sightings of owls at the privately-owned Owl Woods must not be posted by KFN or anyone who visits. To ensure continued access to this location, please respect their wishes and follow the guidelines posted on-site. To maintain records for conservation purposes, sightings from that location are welcomed through all the traditional channels. As always, thanks to all those who have submitted sightings over the last week. Mark. Mark D. Read 47 Ellerbeck Street, Unit 1, Kingston, Ontario K7L 4H5 Canada Mobile: +1 (613) 217-1246 Email: [email protected] Blog: "Confessions of a Global Birder" http://markdread.blogspot.com <http://markdread.blogspot.com/> Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markdread/ eBird Guidelines for Reporting Sensitive Species <http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/1006789-guidelines-for-repor ting-sensitive-species> _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
