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: The weather has gone from mild to cold over the week, causing some of the inner waterways to once again freeze over, though the lake remains entirely open. The start of a new year always brings out the birders, keen to get their year lists off to good start and this, combined with the Amherst Island CBC held on 2nd, has brought some good sightings. Highlights of the week include; SNOW GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, NORTHERN PINTAIL, BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, RED-NECKED GREBE, SNOWY OWL, BELTED KINGFISHER, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, MARSH WREN, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, EASTERN TOWHEE, SWAMP SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, COMMON GRACKLE, and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. City of Kingston One, possibly two SNOWY OWLS continue at Kingston Airport/Landings Golf Course though can be tricky to pin down. A RED-NECKED GREBE was seen in Collin's Bay on 28th, as were 3 lingering COMMON LOONS. In the downtown lakefront area, a HORNED GREBE was seen on 2nd. PINE SISKINS continue to be seen in Reddendale and a thin scattering of COMMON REDPOLLS are coming to feeders in the west end. At Little Cataraqui Creek CA, the female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen again this morning (3rd). BELTED KINGFISHERS seen to be enjoying the open water and have been seen at Invista, Kingston, on 29th and near No Frills on Bath Road, Kingston, on 2nd. Amherst Island The annual CBC was held yesterday (2nd) and a report will be published by the compiler before too long but some of the highlights include an adult male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE that was seen along the south shore and a CACKLING GOOSE in the same vicinity. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen on Marshall 40 Ft, and nearby a flock of 24, or more, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS was located. Seen on the 1st were 5 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and a COMMON GRACKLE. Back on count day, an immature GLAUCOUS GULL was a good find along the north shore and both EASTERN BLUEBIRDS (4) and a SHORT-EARED OWL were seen on 2nd Concession. At Amherst Island Marsh, one party logged YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, MARSH WREN, HERMIT THRUSH, EASTERN TOWHEE, 8 SONG SPARROWS, and 2 SWAMP SPARROWS. Another HERMIT THRUSH was seen on Emerald 40 Ft. SNOWY OWLS can be found across the island but numbers would appear to have dropped a little; ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS are numerous. Please 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, at Heritage Point, Bath, a SNOW GOOSE was found on 31st and remained to 2nd, at least. Also seen there over 1st and 2nd were 4 different GLAUCOUS GULLS; present on 1st only was an adult ICELAND GULL. A male NORTHERN PINTAL was seen at Amherstview Sewage Lagoons on 28th. In the Gananoque area, both RUSTY and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS have been visiting a garden since 29th. TRUMPETER SWANS (3) were seen at Chaffey's Locks on 28th and as many as 15 were recorded in the lower Rideau Canal area on 31st. On Washburn Road, 20-30 COMMON REDPOLLS continue to visit a feeder there. An error in last week's report was the reporting of 70 Trumpeter Swans in the Hay Bay area - this of course should have been Tundra Swans. In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property, Kingston Field Naturalists has adopted the 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 distributed on the Internet (this includes posting as 'Amherst Island' on eBird) 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
