Shorebirds dominated this week's sightings with all three local hotspots reporting good numbers and variety. Most of the peeps seem to have moved on, but the number of plovers, both Semipalmated and Black-bellied, is increasing. Wilton Creek at Morven had both yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe, Pectoral Sandpipers and a White-rumped Sandpiper. Amherst Island is becoming more productive as falling water levels have exposed more of the bar on the KFN property. Best birds there this week were 2 Red Knots, 2 Am. Golden Plover and 25 Sanderling. The northwest cell at the Amherstview sewage lagoons is still drained; a Baird's Sandpiper and another Am. Golden Plover were mixed in with more common species.
Waterfowl are not yet in numbers but there was a Redhead on Amherst on the 22nd and a male Ruddy Duck in the lagoons last weekend. Herons of note included 3 immature Black-crowned Night-Herons and a Great Egret on the KFN property Other migrants, some coming, some going, were a Black-billed Cuckoo at Camden East last Friday, 3 White-throated Sparrows at Bedford Mills on Saturday, an Eastern Kingbird and 2 Lincoln's Sparrows on Amherst on Monday, and on Tuesday a Gray-cheeked Thrush at Bedford Mills and 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in the city. Best birds of the week; a Summer Tanager on Amherst last Saturday and 2 Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows in the north end of the pond behind the dike on the KFN property on Monday and Tuesday. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
