Hi Everyone Spent the morning birding the "Owl Woods" on Amherst Island starting at 8:00am. Our first run through yielded only 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl, 7 Long-eared Owls and 3 Short-eared owls hunting over the open fields. On the second run we found an additional 3 Northern Saw-whet Owls and few more Long-eared Owls. As we were leaving I decided to check one more tree, a spruce which I had observed Boreal in previous years and to my surprise there it was sitting quietly. It was a "lifer" for a number of the birders who were still searching the woods. At the east end of the island we observed 1 Snowy Owl on the KFN property. The "Owl Woods" also had a number of finches including 16 White-winged Crossbill, 3 Pine Siskin and 20+ Common Redpoll. There was 1 Northern Shrike at the north side entrance road to the woods. We did have a Great Horned Owl along CR4 near Taylor Kidd Road driving down and on our return we observed 3 Eastern Bluebirds along CR 4 at Millhaven Road. We ended the day in Ottawa with our 7th species of owl, Northern Hawk-Owl on Grandview Road. Good birding, Bruce
Directions:Amherst Island: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $8.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road. To reach the Owl Woods, turn left (east) at the four-way stop sign by the general store and drive 3.4 km along Front Rd. to the (seasonal) Marshall Forty-Foot Rd. Marshall Forty-Foot Rd. is across the road from house #2320. Drive along Marshall Rd. to the mid-way point, where there is an "S" in the road (1.2 km, look for the K.F.N. kiosk which had owl observing ethics). Park in the gravel lane or off the road edge. Because of liability issues, visitors to the Kingston Field Naturalists' property at the east end of Amherst Island MUST be accompanied by a KFN member. For KFN contact information or how to become a member, please visit http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/ ." Directions: Northern Hawk-Owl(Ottawa): From Ottawa take Hwy. 417 west to Moodie Drive exit #134. Go north to Carling Ave. and turn left. Watch for Grandview Road on your right. Follow to the end and turn left on Hastings Str. and park. If you require additional information, please email me privately. Di Labio Birding Website Courses and Field Trips http://www3.sympatico.ca/bruce.dilabio/ Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp, Ontario, K0A1L0 Home (613) 839-4395 Cell (613) 715-2571 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org 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
