Happy New Year to all! Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) maintain records in a 50km radius of MacDonald Park, Kingston. Birders using eBird are encouraged to share their sightings with ‘Kingston FN’. Alternatively, please email records directly to me – contact details below. Please note that some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated otherwise. Species in bold type require completion of a rare bird report available on the KFN website or directly from me. If indicated, an OBRC report may be required instead ( http://www.ofo.ca/site/Obrcreport). Some iPhone users report that bold type may be replaced by asterisks.
*Overview*: Aside from the Napanee Christmas Bird Count it was a relatively slow week, as birders were distracted from their true calling by familial and social entanglements. The bird of the week was a Black-legged Kittiwake spotted by Bruce di Labio on Christmas Day. *Highlights: * CANVASBACK – two were seen on Cataraqui Bay on 30 December. HORNED GREBE – one was off Long Point, Prince Edward County (PEC) on the 25th, 7-13 were seen from Long Point Road and Gravelly Bay Road, PEC, on 27, 28, 29, and 30 December; one was at Island View Park, Amherstview, on the 28th; and another (or perhaps the same bird) was at the Escape of the Royal George, Bath, on the 30th. RED-NECKED GREBE – one was 200 m out from 6659 Bath Road on 26 and 27 December; and on the 27th singles were spotted from Amherst Island, the Lafarge Cement Plant, and the 27 Amherst Island Ferry. *BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE* – one first winter bird was seen on the Thousand Islands Parkway--Grays Beach Lookout, on 25 December. BONAPARTE'S GULL – Observers at Bateau Lane, Kingston, saw 2-3 birds on 25, 26, 27, and 29 December. One or two were present at Prince Edward Point NWA on the 27th and 28th. LITTLE GULL – one bird lingered off Bateau Lane, Kingston, from 24-25 December, and one was at Prince Edward Point NWA on the 26th. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – one was seen at the Lansdowne Dump on the 28th. RED-THROATED LOON – two birds were spotted from the Upper Gap Trail, Lennox and Addington, on the 30th. COMMON LOON – a single loon was seen from Prince Edward Point NWA on 27 and 30 December. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER – one bird continued near Marble Rock Road, seen on the 25th and 27th; one was at a feeder at 194 Pauline Tom Ave, Kingston, on 26 December. Spottings on the 27th included one at 1400 Benns Point Road, Napanee; two along the Cataraqui Trail near Stone Mills; and one along the North Shore of Hay Bay. TUFTED TITMOUSE – regular visits to feeders continued at 5 Edgewood Rd, Bath, and Chelsea Road, Kingston. CAROLINA WREN – one was at 241 Westbury Ave, Bath, on 27 December. BROWN THRASHER – participants in the Napanee CBC found one thrasher in the Morven area on the 27th. NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD – despite the inclement weather, a single bird persisted in the area of the Coast Guard office, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, seen on 27 December. BOHEMIAN WAXWING – a good year for sightings of this scarce northern nomad, with 114 on Newburgh Road on 27 December, and 65 at the Millburn Creek NCC property on the 30th. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW – one continued all week at a home west of Gananoque. SAVANNAH SPARROW – two very late migrants were seen on Ridge Road, Napanee, from 26-29 December. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD – sightings included five at 5545 Perth Rd. Crescent, Frontenac, on 24 and 26 December; up to 11 at Long Point Road and Gravelly Bay Road (PEC) from 26-29 December; up to eleven at 337 Button Bay Road, Wolfe Island, from 25-27 December; 15 along the roadside, CR-8, PEC, on the 28th; and three at Thompson Crescent, Kingston, on the 28th. RUSTY BLACKBIRD - feeders at Long Point Road and Gravelly Bay Road hosted up to seven birds from 25 to at least 29 December. COMMON GRACKLE – the same feeders were emptied by up to 14 grackles from 24 to at least 29 December. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK – one was seen at a feeder at 968 Alpine Court, Kingston, on the 24th. In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property in the recording area, Kingston Field Naturalists has adopted the KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy <https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/wildlife/kfn-sensitive-sightings-policy/>. Please note that you must be a card-carrying member of Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN), or be accompanied by a member, to access both the Martin Edwards Reserve and Amherstview Sewage Lagoons. Permits are being checked on a regular basis at Amherstview and those without are being evicted. KFN members wishing to enter the Invista property must enter through the west gate and show their membership card to security. As always, a big thank you goes to all those who have submitted sightings directly or via eBird. Anthony N. Anthony Kaduck Kingston, Ontario Email: kaduckintransit « at » googlemail.com -- "The simple step of a simple courageous man is not to partake in falsehood, not to support false actions" -- Alexandr Solzhenitsyn -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
