No major surprises have enlivened the birding scene at Presqu'ile
Provincial Park in the past week, largely because of continuing wintry
weather and the accompanying freezing of most of Presqu'ile and Popham Bays.
Even the ducks have been fewer than in recent weeks. The hundreds of
REDHEADS that arrived a week ago were present up till Friday had
dwindled to a few dozen by Saturday. Only one has been sighted since
then. Six WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were in Presqu'ile Bay on Friday but not
one has been reported since then. Two COMMON MERGANSERS off the
government dock today were the first in several weeks. Two RUFFED
GROUSE were flushed on the Owen Point trail. Surprisingly, no GLAUCOUS
GULLS have been sighted this year, but that may change as gulls often
gather on the ice in good numbers in late winter.
For the past fortnight, BALD EAGLES have been a daily sighting, with
five individuals contesting a prey item on the ice on Monday. Other
raptors seen in the past week include NORTHERN HARRIER, SHARP-SHINNED
HAWK, COOPER'S HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, SNOWY OWL, BARRED OWL, and
MERLIN. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS have appeared irregularly. A NORTHERN
SHRIKE was seen twice this week. COMMON RAVENS continue to appear. On
Saturday a lone HORNED LARK was photographed on Gull Island, perhaps an
extra early migrant having been fooled by the thaw of the preceding two
days. Flocks of AMERICAN ROBINS have been in the Park all winter and a
group of eight was seen yesterday. On cold nights a few EUROPEAN
STARLINGS have taken to roosting in one of the Purple Martin houses at
190 Bayshore Road. As many as four WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS are being
fed at 83 Bayshore Road. In the same area, a COMMON GRACKLE appeared on
January 12 and a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD on January 17.
To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton.
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 not using a
boat should be aware that the ice between Owen Point and the islandmay
or may not support the weight of a human. They may also encounter
aslippery coating of ice on the rocks. Ice cleats are recommended.
Birders are encouraged to record their observations on the bird
sightingsboard provided near the campground office by The Friends of
Presqu'ilePark 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
