The area was well covered this week and migrants are arriving in good numbers
and variety. On Amherst Island on Wednesday there were several Spotted
Sandpipers, half a dozen Greater Yellowlegs and 5 Wilson's Phalarope on the KFN
property. In the Owl Woods, a good selection of warblers;
Despite the less than favourable weather many migrants have arrived in the
Kingston area this week. The number and variety of waterfowl is excellent
although there were no rarities. A Red-necked Grebe was at PEPt on Sunday and
1500 Bonaparte's Gulls on Amherst Island yesterday was the largest
Lots and lots of waterfowl. There were almost thirty species this week
including 8 Trumpeter Swans at the Narrows Lock last Friday, 2 N. Shoveler at
the lagoons on Monday, 11 Snow Geese, 8 on Wolfe Island and 3 at Crosby, and
Green-winged Teal at Charleston Lake P.P., Wolfe Island and the
It's been a good week for raptors locally with all three accipiters seen; a N.
Goshawk at Camden East and a Sharp-shinned Hawk at Bedford Mills on Friday and
a Cooper's Hawk near Inverary on Monday. Red-shouldered Hawks are back in
numbers with reports from Verona, Bedford Mills and the
It's been a good week for raptors locally with all three accipiters seen; a N.
Goshawk at Camden East and a Sharp-shinned Hawk at Bedford Mills on Friday and
a Cooper's Hawk near Inverary on Monday. Red-shouldered Hawks are back in
numbers with reports from Verona, Bedford Mills and the
The ice certainly isn't all gone but the impatient waterfowl are moving in to
fill all the open spots. Last Saturday, in Prince Edward County, there were 800
Greater Scaup at PEPt and an equal number of Snow Geese at the Kaiser X-Road.
The latter included 12 blue phase and were in a flooded
It's that time of year when those of us doing regional reports are a bit
overwhelmed with all the new arrivals. Nevertheless I'll attempt to give a
sense of the local scene. The first Killdeer reported was at Perth Road Village
back on March 9th and an Am. Woodcock was on Amherst Island on the
Red-winged Blackbirds have moved into the Kingston area this week. Several
arrived last Sunday with 24 at a Barriefield feeder being the largest group. By
yesterday they were widespread and abundant. Am Robins are also much easier to
find but a major influx has yet to occur. There were also 2
When asked what was coming to his feeder a neighbour sighed, about 300
redpolls, I've gone through 170 pounds of niger seed. Feeder birds are
certainly increasing with more Mourning Doves (they have become quite vocal
this week), Eur. Starlings, Dark-eyed Juncos , Bluejays (74 at Bedford Mills
A field trip to the Queen's Biological Station (QUBS) last Sunday found Common
Ravens, an adult Bald Eagle, both Red and White-breasted Nuthatches, a N.
Shrike and both Common and Hoary Redpolls. The open water at Chaffey's Lock had
Black Ducks, Canada Geese and several Trumpeter Swans as well
The N. Goshawk found on the Queen's campus with an injured wing in mid January
was released last Saturday in City Park after a full recovery at the Sandy
Pines Wildlife Centre in Napanee. Two Peregrine Falcons continue to be seen in
the Queen's and downtown areas and almost all the
There are lots of Common Redpolls about; the largest flocks reported were 60 at
the Queen's Biological Station with a Hornemann's Hoary as well, and 135 at
Bedford Mills also containing one or two Hoaries. Pine Siskins have almost gone
with only one mentioned this week. Bohemian Waxwings are
The trek into the Owl Woods on Amherst will have become a lot more difficult
this week and if we don't get a thaw I suspect that the bird situation locally
will be somewhat static for the next few weeks. There were four species of owl
on Amherst last weekend, 2 Barred at Lemoine Point and
The winter listers locally are finding some good birds despite the deep snow
and some very frigid temperatures. There was a Great Blue Heron at the Kingston
ferry dock on Wednesday, 10 Rusty Blackbirds near the Glenora ferry on Monday,
15 Red-winged Blackbirds on Amherst Island and 10 Am.
We are in the depths of winter here with almost everthing frozen. The ferry
channels, the south shore of Amherst Island and the Dupont lagoon do offer some
waterfowl viewing as does the open water below the locks in the Rideau Canal
north of Kingston. The variety at Dupont is particularly good
At -21C this morning it will be a better day to feederwatch than scan the fog
for waterfowl. However, last weekend the KFN participated in the annual
Mid-winter Waterfowl Count and tallied 113,000 birds between Ivy Lea and Prince
Edward Point. Almost half of these were the 48,000 Greater Scaup
The Amherst Island Christmas count was held last Thursday and while not
producing the numbers of the adjacent Kingston count there were some notable
sightings: 6 Bald Eagles, 2 Common Loons, a Belted Kingfisher, Carolina Wren,
Red-winged Blackbird, 2 White-throated Sparrows, 6 species of owl
The final results for the Kingston CBC, held Dec. 19th, are in. We tallied 102
species with record numbers of Mute Swan, Gadwall, Mallard, Redhead,
Long-tailed Duck, Rough-legged Hawk, Wild Turkey, Red-bellied and Pileated
Woodpecker, Bohemian and Cedar Waxwing, Snow Bunting and Am. Goldfinch.
Bald Eagles have become abundant this week; they were seen at Adolphoustown,
Bedford Mills, Moscow, Bath, Waupoos, Prince Edward Point and on both Wolfe and
Amherst Islands. There was a Merlin in Amherstview and a Rough-legged Hawk at
PEPt to add to the good numbers already on the islands.
Freeze up is coming slowly to the Kingston area so waterfowl numbers remain
quite good. There were Tundra Swans in Hay Bay, Elevator Bay, at Bath and on
Amherst Island. Wood Ducks were seen at Dupont and in the Napanee River.
Feeders are attracting large numbers of Am. Goldfinches and many are
Between Project FeederWatch and the winter listers there was an abundance of
reports this week. Red-bellied Woodpeckers were seen in four different
locations and several local feeders noted Pine Siskins, Red-breasted Nuthatches
and Sharp-shinned Hawks. A White-crowned Sparrow continues to
Waterfowl seem to be the most abundant and widely reported birds this time of
year. There are significant numbers of Tundra Swans on Wolfe and Amherst
Islands as well as in Hay and Elevator Bays. About 30 Canvasbacks were among
the large number of Redheads on Wolfe and a dozen Ruddy Ducks were
The KFN did their annual fall round-up last weekend and as with any 24 hour
birding endeavour there were some highlights. Best sighting was a Pacific Loon
at Prince Edward Point. There were also 5 Golden Eagles and 3 Black Scoters. On
Wolfe Island a flock of 8000 Redheads contained about 20
With fewer and fewer fall migrants and more and more winter birds this has
been a week of transition. Waterfowl numbers are considerable in Elevator Bay,
Hay Bay, the Cataraqui River, at the lagoons and off both Wolfe and Amherst
islands. Flocks of Tundra Swans were in Hay Bay on Saturday and
There have been no Cave Swallows reported locally as yet, but we were part of
the Cattle Egret influx with one reported from Amherst Island last weekend.
There were 3 Black-crowned Night-Herons at the Hillview Marsh as well as an
Eastern Phoebe last Thursday.
N. Harriers and Short-eared Owls
Locally the interest and numbers of birds seems to have shifted from warblers
and shorebirds to raptors and waterfowl. Today off Amherst Island there were 25
Common Loons and 24 Horned Grebes. There was also a Red-necked Grebe and a
Red-throated Loon. A Common Loon remained on Devil Lake at
A KFN field trip to Prince Edward Point last Sunday gave a good snapshot of
late September migration. On the water there were several Common Loons, 3
Red-necked and 3 Horned Grebes. Two small flocks of White-winged Scoters also
flew by near Little Bluffs. In the woods there were significant
There were excellent night flights over Kingston late last week. In the wee
hours of Friday morning thousands of Swainson's Thrushes and hundreds of Hermit
and Gray-cheeked could be heard flying over the city. Warbler and vireo
movement continues apace. Last weekend there were 18 species of
Warblers and vireos continue to move through in good numbers both on the
islands and north of the city. As well as the warblers there was a good variety
of flycatchers on Amherst Island last Sunday. That same day 2 Yellow Warblers
and 1500 Tree Swallows on Wolfe Island were noteworthy. Palm
There has been a lot of activity this week at widespread locations. North of
the city at the Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) there were many
warblers moving. Both Barred and Eastern Screech Owls were calling and a Merlin
was seen on Tuesday. A Carolina Wren was heard for a few
There has been some good warbler movement this week with 11 species tallied at
Bedford Mills last Sunday, along with three vireo species, and a good variety
on Garden Island on Tuesday. Unusual species included a Wilson's in
Barriefield, a Golden-winged on Garden Island and a Connecticut near
Things have not picked up locally but there is some evidence that fall
migration is well underway. There have been no unusual shorebirds reported this
week but there are still good numbers of peeps and both yellowlegs in the
Wilton Creek at Morven. There are also large mats of algae in the
It has been a most interesting summer in the Kingston area. We have had some
unusual nesting successes including Merlins in the city and on Wolfe Island,
both Common and Red-breasted Mergansers on Amherst as well as Lesser Scaup at
the lagoons. The Peregrines in downtown Kingston fledged two
The last of the migrating shorebirds reported locally were seen last Friday.
There were five species on Amherst Island including 3 Sanderling and a
White-rumped Sandpiper; at the lagoons, three more White-rumped and a
Black-bellied Plover.
Cuckoos have been quite vocal of late; a pair of
Almost all the records this week are from the KFN property on Amherst Island.
Shorebirds continue to more through, not in particularly large numbers, but
certainly in good variety. The rarest was a breeding plumaged Purple Sandpiper
last Friday. The Tricolored Heron put in a return appearance
The KFN did their annual spring round up last weekend and with less than
fallout conditions tallied 167 species. We had all the expected vireos, 22
species of warbler (more heard than seen), 9 flycatchers and 16 different
shorebirds. There were 100's of Cedar Waxwings at Prince Edward Point as
We had 18 species of warbler this week including 2 Canada Warblers on the
Rideau Trail last Saturday, Golden-winged and Cerulean on the Opinicon Road,
Orange-crowned and Prairie at PEPt all seen last Sunday, and a Blackpoll near
the Wilton Creek yesterday. Other new arrivals included
The second local Red-shouldered Hawk survey was completed last Saturday along
the Canoe Lake Road. There were 29 hawks and an almost equally impressive 21
Barred Owls.(A pair of Barred Owls sang a duet that same day near Bedford
Mills.) There have not been many migrants at the usual spots but
It's that time of year when one can concentrate on the good birds because
there are so many more than just a few weeks ago. The highlight of the week was
a Black Vulture west of Waupoos in Prince Edward County last Sunday. Turkey
Vultures were plentiful; one out Montreal Street on Monday and
Almost all the early migrants have returned. There was a Pied-billed Grebe at
Little Cat on the 19th and a Double-crested Cormorant in the Cataraqui River on
the 21st. N. Shovelers were at the Kaiser X-Rd in Prince Edward County last
Friday and there was another at the sewage lagoons on
What a week! The weather and the number of returning birds is almost
overwhelming. One observer tallied 27000 Canada Geese over Kingston on Tuesday
morning (they were equally numerous north of the city) and that tapered off to
only a few thousand on Wednesday and a couple of hundred on
All the early harbingers of spring arrived this week. Am. Robins arrived in
greater numbers and were singing in Barriefield, at RMC and in the city. A
Red-winged Blackbird and a Killdeer were at Elginburg on Wednesday and by
yesterday Common Grackles and Red-wings were all over the place.
There were 3 Snowy Owls on Amherst this week; 2 on the KFN property and
another near the firehall. The raptor survey is still finding Short-eared Owls
to the east of Stella at dusk; 4 this week with one of them harassing a
Red-tailed Hawk that chose to roost on a too-conspicuous fence post.
It has been a great week for owls away from the traditional hotspot of Amherst
Island. The Lemoine Point Conservation Area had a N. Saw-whet, a Barred and a
Great Horned; at the Queen's Biological Station (QUBS), two more Barred and
another Great Horned and E. Screech Owls have stared to call;
We seem to be in the midwinter doldrums as winter birds have settled into a
routine and very little is happening. There are still good numbers of Bald
Eagles; 1 on Devil Lake, 3 more at Chaffey's Lock and 7 in the Thousand
Islands. At least one Barred Owl remains in Lemoine Pt. and the Tufted
Other than common feeder birds, waterfowl are the most noteworthy sightings
this week. There are more than half a dozen species at the Dupont lagoon and
despite the cold weather there is still considerable open water outside the
lagoon to the southeast. There was nothing out of the ordinary
I haven't had any news from Amherst Island this week nor the Dupont lagoon but
suspect that things probably haven't changed all that much. There were a few
interesting birds north of the city including a Belted Kingfisher at Chaffey's
Lock and a Red-bellied Woodpecker visiting a feeder near
There has been little change in the birds in the Owl Woods; a Barred, a
Long-eared, up to 3 N. Saw-whets and the Boreal. However there is growing
concern about the huge numbers of birders and photographers and their impact on
the owls. These are nocturnal creatures and need the daytime to rest
Amherst Island continues to be the local hotspot. The Owl Woods still has a
Boreal, up to 3 N. Saw-whets and a Barred Owl. The number of Long-eared has
dropped considerably (only one this week) as the Barred Owl has taken to eating
them. Also in the Owl Woods: a Ring-necked Pheasant, a
To summarize the first two weeks of the new year is somewhat daunting as
everyone is out starting their year's list and two of the local Christmas
counts were done in January; Amherst Island on the 2nd and Napanee on the 3rd.
Amherst had 3 Common Loons, 7 Mute and 40 Tundra Swans and Napanee a
It was a pretty good week to end the year what with a Barrow's Goldeneye out
the Bath Road and a Boreal Owl in the Owl Woods on Amherst Island. Other owls
noted were 3 N. Saw-whet and 5 Long-eared in the woods, a Snowy at the east end
of the island, a pair of Great Horned Owls calling to the
Last week all three accipiters visited the Bedford Mills yard that regularly
reports the goings-on in the Devil Lake area. Still north of the city, the
original 10 Trumpeter Swams at Chaffey's Lock have increased to 21. There were
also 5 Bald Eagles and 4 Wood Ducks there on the 19th.
The
The most exciting bird locally is a probable Slaty-backed Gull at the Lansdowne
dump. (Take 401 exit 659 north on Reynolds Road to Lansdowne. Turn left on
Cty. Road 34 and go 2 km. The dump is on the south side of the road.) Dump
activity seems to be greater at midday and the bird, which
At -10C this morning all the bays and inlets will freeze up and our waterfowl
numbers will crash. Earlier in the week there were some good sightings; 1000
Tundra Swans in Hay Bay last Saturday, another 100 or so in Elevator Bay
yesterday, and on a KFN field trip last Sunday a few Green-winged
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