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. Please note that some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated otherwise.
Highlights: The cold has continued unabated into the week and the only remaining open water is at Invista, some of the inland waterways and the odd stream here and there. Lake Ontario is now frozen. Highlights of the week include; SNOW GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, NORTHERN PINTAIL, COMMON LOON, RED-NECKED GREBE, GREAT BLUE HERON, SNOWY OWL, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, CAROLINA WREN, HERMIT THRUSH, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SAVANNAH SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and HOARY REDPOLL. City of Kingston SNOWY OWLS continue to be seen in the city with 2 birds seen near/at Invista on several dates and the other at Kingston Airport. Also at Invista this week, 2 NORTHERN PINTAIL were seen in the 'warm water' pond on 10th in the company of 1200 MALLARD. The WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour was last seen on 12th, not surprising since the lake is now completely frozen. On the same date a COMMON LOON was observed in Collin's Bay. At Little Cataraqui Creek CA, the female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was seen today (15th) where a WINTER WREN was also noted. At Lemoine Point CA, 2 NORTHERN FLICKERS were seen on 12th. At Cartwright's Point, a CAROLINA WREN was seen on 15th. The resident PEREGRINE FALCON has been noted this week on several occasions, both at its usual downtown location and near the Tett Centre. Also not far from the Tett, a HERMIT THRUSH was seen on 14th. Amherst Island Again, not too much from the island this week but SNOWY OWLS continue to be seen regularly, as do the numerous ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was reported on 15th as were good numbers of SNOW BUNTINGS and a HORNED LARK. 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. Wolfe Island A few more birders visited the island this week. Highlights include the 22 SNOWY OWLS seen there on 14th, the SAVANNAH SPARROWS found at two locations on 14th (3 birds) and 15th (4 birds), the 3-5 LAPLAND LONGSPURS seen over the last three days, and the increasing numbers of SNOW BUNTINGS and HORNED LARKS. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS are present but in relatively low numbers though the number of BALD EAGLES seems to be increasing. An immature GREAT BLUE HERON hangs on near 8th Line and was seen on 13th and 14th. Other Sightings At Prince Edward Point a RED-NECKED GREBE was seen on 11th, as was a single SURF SCOTER. West of Kingston, at Bath, the adult white SNOW GOOSE was again seen on 11th, as were 3 CACKLING GEESE, both species duly logged during the waterfowl survey. A HORNED GREBE was also seen that day. At Violet Dump, near Morven, up to 3 GLAUCOUS GULLS and 2 ICELAND GULLS were reported on 13th, almost certainly these birds move between here and Bath. At Camden East, the long-staying OREGON JUNCO continues at a private feeder and a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW graced another feeder for a couple of days last weekend. North of the city, near Sunbury, a HOARY REDPOLL has been seen again on a couple of occasions this week but has proved somewhat elusive. At the nearby Lower Brewer's Locks, TRUMPETER SWAN numbers have fallen to just 10 today (15th), down from an impressive 50 on 10th. 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> . Also note that, 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
