WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FOR PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING Thursday, April 09, 2009
Despite driving rain, blowing snow, wind and below freezing temperatures this past week, new spring migrants continued to trickle in with the first AMERICAN BITTERN at Big Island Marsh leading the procession on April 2nd, only moments after last week's report was circulated. Other newcomers on the scene included a WINTER WREN at Gardenville on the 4th, CHIPPING SPARROW at Prince Edward Point on the 5th, and 2 SANDHILL CRANES on Welbanks Road the same day. Perhaps not the brightest PURPLE MARTIN in the world arrived at a Consecon Lake martin house in driving snow on the 7th. The outcome is not certain, but the owners of the martin house routinely place a 100-watt light bulb in the centre compartment at this time of the year, leaving curious passersby wondering why this martin house glows like a tent on a summer's night! The frequent snow squalls resulted in obvious stress to many early migrants, including TREE SWALLOWS. Hundreds were seen skimming over the surface of the water during the height of the storm at Trenton, Frankford, Belleville and Massassuga Point, scooping up what few remaining insects could be found. For others, it apparently mattered little what the weather presented. On River Valley Road south of Stirling, one observer noted two WILD TURKEYS in full display at his front door in a blinding snow storm. Repeatedly, the wind would bowl them over, but they persevered with their performance, the females less than a few metres away, seemingly unimpressed. During the rough weather, another WILD TURKEY in the centre of Trenton was observed on a sundeck cleaning out a feeder. Migrants that arrived earlier in the season have continued to increase in numbers, and among them have been flocks of BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, and increasing numbers of GREAT BLUE HERONS, NORTHERN HARRIERS, OSPREYS, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and NORTHERN FLICKERS. Four WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS are still to be seen along Sunrise Drive and others were present this week along Sprague Road, and Harbard Road at Gardenville. Up to four FOX SPARROWS are at a feeder along Crookston Road in the Tweed area, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was at a feeder east of Milford. One COMMON REDPOLL persisted until about Monday at 2800 County Road 1 in Prince Edward County, but PINE SISKINS, mostly just singles, are still coming to many feeders across the region. PURPLE FINCHES are at feeders at Horse Point near Massassauga and at at Crookston Road. The Kaiser Crossroad flooded cornfields have been treated to some extra water this past week, and a few new species put in their appearance including 2 AMERICAN COOTS and 8 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and 2 LESSER SCAUP. Highs this week were NORTHERN PINTAIL (550), GREEN-WINGED TEAL (55), AMERICAN WIGEON (55), AMERICAN BLACK DUCK (44), RING-NECKED DUCK (24), NORTHERN SHOVELER (10), MALLARD (25) GADWALL(2), as well as 2 MALLARD/AMERICAN BLACK hybrids. CANADA GOOSE numbers fluctuate daily, and on the 6th only 75 were present, with the usual thousands scattered in the cornfields across the road. At Prince Edward Point, REDHEADS (200), RING-NECKED DUCKS (160), GREATER SCAUP (5500) were all present along with LESSER SCAUP and both COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Present too were a couple WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS and two more turned up at Prinyer's Cove. Up to 400 RING-NECKED DUCKS can be found most days scattered across the breadth of Muscote Bay where COMMON MERGANSERS and BUFFLEHEADS are also present. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were seen at two locations during the week - one at Prince Edward Point on the 5th and another in the Massassauga Point area the same day. A MERLIN also at Prince Edward Point, and a resident pair in Trenton where they have nested for the past two years. OSPREY nests at Mount Tabor Theater in Milford at at the Athol Central School in Cherry Valley have both been reclaimed for another season and several pairs have been seen putting the rising number of communication towers in the County to good use, as the breeding population continues to increase in the area. As the weather brightens and continues to warm up, we can only hope for even better things in the weeks to come. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Brock Burr, Fred Chandler, Rosemary Kent, John & Margaret Moore, Doris Lane, Ron Weir, Cathy Felkar, John Charlton, Jackie Soorsma, George Kratz, Steve Bolton, Kathleen Rankine, Henri Garand, Rosemary Smith, Frank Artes & Carolyn Barnes, John & Janet Foster, Bill Leet, Fiona King, Pamela Stagg, Nancy Fox and Borys Holowacz for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, April 16th but sightings can be e-mailed any time before the Wednesday night deadline. Featured photo on the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff website is of a WILD TURKEY at a sun deck feeder by Kathleen Rankine of Trenton. Photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report are by Dave Bell of Belleville and include a SONG SPARROW and a CHIPPING SPARROW. Terry Sprague Prince Edward County tspra...@kos.net www.naturestuff.net _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
