Despite the cold weather there have been some interesting sightings this week. There is still a good variety of waterfowl in Elevator Bay and the Dupont pond but the number of species and individuals is declining. Elsewhere there were 2 Lesser Scaup on Amherst Island last Sunday, a Hooded Merganser in the Napanee River near Yarker for the last two days, and a pair of Trumpeter Swans at Chaffey's Lock since Tuesday.
There continues to a good selection of gulls at the Napanee dump with high counts of 8 Glaucous on the 22nd and 2 Iceland on the 24th. Raptors put on a very good show; 2 Cooper's Hawks, one up Hwy 15 north of the 401 and another that made at least three visits to a Camden East feeder over the course of the week, an adult Bald Eagle patrolled the west Kingston waterfront with sightings on the 20th, 22nd and 24th, a N. Goshawk on the Opinicon Rd. yesterday, a Rough-legged Hawk near Wilton on the 20th, and a white phase Gyrfalcon on Wolfe Island on Wednesday. It was an excellent day on Amherst last Sunday with 7 Snowy Owls, 8 Short-eared, 26 Long-eared, and 3 Saw-whets. Two Great Horned Owls were seen at Lemoine Pt. on Wednesday. Seven Wild Turkeys were near Glenburnie yesterday and a Ring-necked Pheasant visited a feeder near Hwy 38 and the Yarker Rd. on Tuesday. Passerines provided more variety than usual for midwinter. There were several flocks of Snow Buntings on Amherst last Sunday, some with Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks mixed in. There were 30 Horned Larks on Wolfe that same day. The two dozen Red-winged Blackbirds at the feeder near Elginburg has been surpassed by a flock of 50 at a feeder off Montreal St. just north of the 401. There were about 150 Cedar Waxwings (with a few Robins) feeding on Red Cedar berries on the Camden East Rd. about two km. north of the 401 last Sunday. Despite a concerted effort no Bohemians were found. Three E. Bluebirds were on Hwy 15 at the Washburn Rd. on Tuesday and a White-crowned Sparrow is visiting a feeder at the south end of the Owl Woods Rd. on Amherst Island. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605
