In what might have been a slow week because of all the seasonal activity there have been a lot of local reports and some very good birds. Bald Eagles are now regular wherever there is open water, the Peregrine was seen again on the Queen's campus and a Red-shouldered Hawk was at Bedford Mills on the 26th and 27th. Short-eared and Great Horned Owls were found on Amherst along with at least 6 Snowy Owls. The first Snowy on the mainland this winter was one near Millhaven on Dec. 26th. There were large numbers of gulls and Common Mergansers on the Cataraqui River on Wednesday but I suspect that activity will have diminished with the cold weather yesterday. A Horned Grebe was seen off Amherst on Tuesday and Thursday and Chaffey's Lock had 27 Trumpeter Swans on Wednesday. Large Wild Turkey flocks were widely reported and there seems to be a larger than normal number of Brown Creepers overwintering. There was a Belted Kingfisher at Lake Opinicon last Saturday and a N. Flicker on Amherst on Dec. 26th. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker continues to visit the feeder near Elginburg. Many feeders are entertaining large numbers of Am. Goldfinches and Pine Siskins are widespread but only in ones and twos across the area. Two Purple Finches were seen this week; one at Camden East on Wednesday and another at QUBS today. Odd sparrows include a White-crowned near Ivy Lea on Christmas Eve, a Swamp Sparrow on Amherst on Boxing Day and a Field Sparrow at Bedford Mills on the 27th. There was a Rusty Blackbird at Bedford Mills and 3 more along the Switzerville Road yesterday. The Baltimore Oriole continues to visit the Halstead Bay Road feeder between Gananoque and Ivy Lea. The last of the local Christmas counts is on Amherst Island this Monday Jan. 2, 2012. Also this will be my last report to Ontbirds. Mark Conboy (mcon...@lakeheadu.ca) has agreed to take over the bird records for the Kingston area in the new year.. On that note I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and Good Birding in 2012. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
