Continuing mild weather at Presqu'ile Provincial Park has made for
pleasant birding conditions and has opened up much of Presqu'ile Bay and
even a patch of open water in the marsh. Waterfowl, including a couple
of surprises, have descended en masse in the bay, much earlier than
usual, and even a chipmunk appeared over a week ago. Even in the "dead
of winter" one can expect the unexpected, such as the group of Ross's
Geese that arrived just across the bay from Presqu'ile on February 1
last year.
To my knowledge, the only swan seen this week other than the
ever-present MUTE SWANS was one this afternoon that could have been
either a TRUMPETER SWAN or a TUNDRA SWAN, two species that are
superficially very similar. CANVASBACKS continue to trickle in, with
eight seen on Sunday and over a dozen this morning. Estimates of
REDHEAD numbers vary widely but are all in the thousands, creating a
spectacular sight both in the water and when flushed into flight by a
predator. Two male RING-NECKED DUCKS were present on Sunday. A female
KING EIDER off 186 Bayshore Road on Tuesday could not be relocated, but
a female BLACK SCOTER found with REDHEADS on Saturday at the calf
pasture lookout was off the government dock this afternoon. Up to five
WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS can usually be seen between Salt Point and the
lighthouse.
The WILD TURKEYS in the calf pasture were seen at least twice this
week. Gulls have begun to congregate off the shore of the islands,
including 17 RING-BILLED GULLS apparently scouting the area for their
forthcoming nesting season. At least two ICELAND GULLS and four
GLAUCOUS GULLS have been among the hundreds of HERRING GULLS that spend
each day on the ice of Presqu'ile Bay, and one of the former was at Gull
Island.
Several hawk sightings were of interest: BALD EAGLES almost daily (six
this afternoon); a NORTHERN HARRIER noisily dive-bombing a NORTHERN
GOSHAWK yesterday; a COOPER'S HAWK in the vicinity of the feeders at 83
Bayshore Road; a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK on High Bluff Island. Both SNOWY OWL
and BARRED OWL were seen at their traditional locations.
A group of 170 AMERICAN ROBINS yesterday was larger than any other seen
in the Park this winter. Two PINE SISKINS paid a brief visit to the
feeders at 186 Bayshore Road on Tuesday. SNOW BUNTINGS continue to be
seen on Gull Island. A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was photographed at the
feeder near the campground office and another was seen far from any
feeder at the calf pasture.
Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid
that is available at the Park gate. Visitors to Gull Island (a few metres
of ankle-deep water separate it from Owen Point) may
encounter drifts of snow obscuring water below.
Birders are encouraged to record their observations on the bird sightings
board provided near the campground office by The Friends of Presqu'ile
Park and to fill out a rare bird report for species not listed there.
Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be
directed to: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.
--
Fred Helleiner
186 Bayshore Road
Brighton, Ontario
K0K 1H0
613-475-5309
If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park
_______________________________________________
ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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
Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
