The rate of migration is picking up a little in the Kingston area but we are not yet overwhelmed with new arrivals. It seems the weather has been such that migrants just seem to show up on breeding territory with very little sign of those birds going farther north actually passing through. Here is a short synopsis of the week's sightings.
Four Black-crowned Night Herons were at Lemoine Pt. on April 11. Caspian Terns were reported from both Collin's Bay and Amherst Island on the 14th and there were "lots" of Rough-legged Hawks and N. Harriers on Amherst Island on the 19th. A Rough-winged Swallow was seen off the south shore of Amherst (a typical nesting area) April 19 and a Barn Swallow checked out a barn near Gananoque on the 20th. A Winter Wren and a Pine Warbler were at Lemoine Pt. on the 14th, a Palm Warbler at Little Cat on the 18th, another Pine at Upper Brewers Lock on the 18th, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Elginburg and both Hermit and Wood Thrush on Amherst April 19. Swamp, Chipping, Field and Vesper Sparrows all seem to be on territory. Two aspects of migration proved interesting this week: Shorebird numbers are picking up with 11 Pectoral Sandpipers and 6 Dunlin seen on Amherst last Friday and another 6 Pectorals on Wednesday. Also several feeder watchers reported Purple Finches, which were very scarce all winter, and one observer had 4 Evening Grosbeaks last Sunday and singletons on Tuesday and Wednesday. The annual monitoring of Loggerhead Shrikes has begun with some fringe benefits thrown in. A concentration of about 10 Vesper Sparrows and a N. Mockingbird were found in the area northeast of Napanee. It is still too early to tell what the status of the shrikes is this year. In conclusion, the best birds of the week: 2 Sandhill Cranes flying over Amherstview and a Forster's Tern on Amherst, both on the 14th. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605
