Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) maintains records in a 50km radius of MacDonald Park, Kingston. Birders already using eBird are encouraged to share their sightings with 'Kingston FN'. Alternatively, please email, phone or post records directly to me - contact details below. Note: some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated otherwise.
Highlights: This week's report covers just 6 days; the 'missing' day (today, 26th) will be included next week. Unfortunately, the weather has not been ideal for finding birds but the increased temperatures have at least encouraged folks to get out and about. During this rather quiet week, highlights include; SNOW GOOSE, SNOWY OWL, BELTED KINGFISHER, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, PEREGRINE FALCON, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, EASTERN TOWHEE, SAVANNAH SPARROW, SWAMP SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. City of Kingston Though more easily encountered on the islands, a SNOWY OWL has been seen on-and-off at Kingston Airport/Landings Golf Course during the week. Elsewhere in the city, things remain much the same - the downtown PEREGRINE FALCON is still being seen in the vicinity of Princess Towers and the waterfowl at Cataraqui Bay are basically unchanged, though good numbers of RING-NECKED DUCK continue to be seen. BELTED KINGSFISHERS were seen at both Invista and Marshlands CA on 24th. COMMON REDPOLLS were seen on a feeder near the Tett Centre on 20th and also near the airport on the same date. The highlight of last week's CBC, the female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER found at LITTLE CATARAQUI CREEK CA on 14th, was seen again this week on 22nd and 23rd. Wolfe Island Not too many sightings from the island this week but one observer did record 20 SNOWY OWLS and 3 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS there on 23rd. On 25th, 8 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS were seen not too far from the ferry along Hwy 96, and 30 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on 3rd Line. Howe Island A juvenile SNOW GOOSE was seen on the mainland side of the ferry crossing on 23rd and a SNOWY OWL, first was seen on 14th, was also still present. Prince Edward County On 20th, the Prince Edward Point CBC was held. Highlights from the point itself include a BLACK SCOTER, 2 NORTHERN SHRIKE, 1 EASTERN BLUEBIRD, 4 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, 2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 21 PURPLE FINCHES and 58 COMMON REDPOLLS. Other Sightings West of Kingston, in the Hay Bay area, singles of SAVANNAH SPARROW and NORTHERN SHRIKE were seen on 21st. Nearby an EASTERN TOWHEE was an unexpected find for the Christmas Count held that day. Also recorded were GLAUCOUS GULL, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and a very respectable 70 TRUMPETER SWANS. To the east of Kingston, near Gananoque, a couple of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS continue at a riverside feeder where a GREAT BLUE HERON was also seen on 21st. In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property, the KFN 'owl policy' has been updated to a more generalised KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy <http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/birding/KFN_sensitive_sightings_policy. pdf> . As requested by the landowners, sightings of owls at the privately-owned Owl Woods must not be distributed on the Internet (this includes posting as 'Amherst Island' on eBird) by KFN or anyone who visits. To ensure continued access to this location, please respect their wishes and follow the guidelines posted on-site. To maintain records for conservation purposes, sightings from that location are welcomed through all the traditional channels. As always, thanks to all those who have submitted sightings over the last week - and here's to the new year! Mark. Mark D. Read 47 Ellerbeck Street, Unit 1, Kingston, Ontario K7L 4H5 Canada Mobile: +1 (613) 217-1246 Email: markdr...@gmail.com Blog: "Confessions of a Global Birder" http://markdread.blogspot.com <http://markdread.blogspot.com/> Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markdread/ eBird Guidelines for Reporting Sensitive Species <http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/1006789-guidelines-for-repor ting-sensitive-species> _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
