WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, December 28, 2003
Members of the Quinte Field Naturalists were greeted with jacket free birding, sunny skies and zero wind conditions on Saturday for the Belleville Christmas Bird Count. Although the weather did not translate into high numbers of birds, the participants did manage to round up 50 species, the same as last year. Results are still being tallied, but some of the species of interest seen within the Prince Edward County portion of the count circle included 3 EASTERN SCREECH OWLS on Pulver Road, 7 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 4 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, a MERLIN, and a BALD EAGLE in the Ameliasburgh area, a WINTER WREN, 1 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on Big Island at Muscote Bay, and a NORTHERN FLICKER in Fenwood Gardens. Some surprising low counts in the entire census area - only 2 AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, no Wild Turkeys, and only one SNOW BUNTING, and it flew over as we were watching the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD. There were two MUTE SWANS in among the hundreds of waterfowl at the mouth of the Moira River. Two dark phased ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS flew over as were surveying Sawguin Island at the mouth of the Sawguin Creek. Birds at feeders this past week included a surprise return today of the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD at 23 Sprague Road which resumed its obsession with one of the windows in the house. The bird had been absent for more than two weeks. What has been described as a BOREAL CHICKADEE appeared at a feeder on Rednersville Road on December 24th. The identity has not been confirmed yet, but anyone wishing to check it out can e-mail me and I will provide the Civic Address number. Both WHITE and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES are coming to a feeder on Picton's Low Street, and both PINE SISKINS and COMMON REDPOLLS are now appearing sporadically at 23 Sprague Road where a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK is also doing a little birdwatching of its own. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was also at a feeder on Ridge Road yesterday, and a MERLIN appeared at a feeder on Black Road, just south of Demorestville early in the week. A feeder in the Barry Heights area of Trenton has extended its dining hours to accommodate 2 flying squirrels which come nightly to a platform feeder. While the pickings on the Belleville count were slim for SNOW BUNTINGS yesterday, success was a bit better elsewhere in the county where one flock was seen in the Point Petre area, and another 25 were seen making a questionable landing on the glare ice at West Lake today. A few summery types seen during the week around the Quinte area included a BROWN CREEPER on the East Bayshore Trail extension, and 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, a SONG SPARROW and a GREAT BLUE HERON at Point Petre. Other birds of interest at Point Petre over the last several days were 40 BUFFLEHEAD and 24 MALLARDS on Soup Harbour, along with ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and 4 RED-TAILED HAWKS. AMERICAN COOTS were present during the week in the open water at Waupoos Harbour. Despite the weather, it is still a dog eat dog world out there when it comes to competition for food. At the mouth of Black River, a BALD EAGLE was seen in a struggle with a GREAT BLUE HERON for a freshly caught fish (the eagle won). Another BALD EAGLE that had a somewhat more positive outlook on life spent close to an hour on the ice near Prinyer's Cove, before deciding to move on. NORTHERN GOSHAWKS last week were seen at Scoharie Road east of Highway 33 on Tuesday and another was at Big Island on Friday. An EASTERN SCREECH OWL is calling nightly from some pine trees behind a house on Barker Street in Picton. Birders at Sandbanks yesterday found 30 BUFFLEHEADS in Lake Ontario off Lakeshore Lodge Road, and about 500 CANADA GEESE at the mouth of the Outlet River. Warm weather has resulted in open conditions in the Bay of Quinte in the Telegraph Narrows area extending west to George's Road where today there were 2 MUTE SWANS, 2 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS and about 40 COMMON GOLDENEYE reported by residents from that area. Other birds of interest over the last several days included 3 PURPLE FINCHES in the MNR property below Mountain View Airport, 30 CEDAR WAXWINGS near Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area, and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in the same area. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Morris Yarrow, Lucille Fragomeni, Doug McRae, Mary Hart, John Blaney, Maureen Riggs, Don Craighead, Marc Johnson, Katharine Mills, Wynne Thomas, Lloyd Paul, Barb and Paul Wallace, Michael Schummer, Henry & Joan Pasila, Donn & John Legate, John Charlton, Cheryl Anderson and Marilyn Holland-Foster for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 4th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. to be included in the next report. Good winter birding! Terry Sprague Picton, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.naturestuff.net "Terry Sprague" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
