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. Please note that
some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated
otherwise.
Highlights:
It's been slim pickings for most, but every now and then being in the right
place at the right time has paid off, with a number of local rarities
continuing to be seen, and some bonus birds to boot. Highlights of the week
include: BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, RED-THROATED LOON, RED-NECKED GREBE,
CANVASBACK, GOLDEN EAGLE, SNOWY OWL, GYRFALCON, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, VESPER
SPARROW, SAVANNAH SPARROW, EASTERN MEADOWLARK, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.
Kingston
Cataraqui Bay/Invista continues to support a good diversity of diving ducks
including CANVASBACK, RING-NECKED DUCK and REDHEAD. A COMMON LOON continues
to be seen off Portsmouth Olympic Harbour and the city's resident PEREGRINE
FALCON continues downtown.
Wolfe Island IBA
The SAVANNAH SPARROWS continue to be seen on 4th Line, but EASTERN
MEADOWLARK has only been seen once this week, on 3rd Line. There have been
no reports of Lapland Longspur. SNOWY OWL numbers are good; over 30 birds
were seen on 28th. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen at the east end of the
island on 24th where a GOLDEN EAGLE was seen on 22nd. Also seen on 22nd, but
too late for last week's report were a RED-THROATED LOON on the ferry
crossing and a RED-NECKED GREBE at the ferry dock. The highlight of the week
however, is a grey GYRFALCON that has been seen twice this week, on 24th
(near 5th Line) and 28th (at 12th Line).
Amherst Island IBA
Last week's VESPER SPARROW was seen until 24th but not since. Many observers
have been seeing RING-NECKED PHEASANT, and SNOWY OWLS are likely to be
encountered across the island. Amherst is also good for ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS,
particularly on 3rd Concession. Another GOLDEN EAGLE (or possibly the same
bird as on Wolfe Island) was seen on the island on 23rd. PINE SISKIN (very
rare this winter) were seen on 23rd (1) and 25th (2). Unfortunately, we've
had several reports from landowners this week about trespassers on their
property. The ONLY property with granted access on Amherst Island is the Owl
Woods, all other birding must be conducted from the road. Members of
Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) or their accompanied guests may access the
Martin Edwards Reserve.
Other sightings
BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS (22) were seen near Verona on 26th. A single COMMON
REDPOLL was at Sydenham on 24th and a HOARY REDPOLL was reported from Prince
Edward Point on 22nd. Other than those on Amherst Island, the only other
sighting of PINE SISKIN was of 2 at Waupoos, Prince Edward County on 29th.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS have been hanging out near Lansdowne all week, where
63 were seen on 28th in the company of 32 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS. RUSTY
BLACKBIRD was seen on Howe Island on 23rd. Just across the St Lawrence in
Jefferson County, NY, a female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was seen on 24th at
Orleans. At the Robert Wehle State Park, a RED-NECKED GREBE and 4 HORNED
GREBES were seen on 25th.
In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property, Kingston Field
Naturalists has adopted the KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy
<http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/birding/KFN_sensitive_sightings_policy.
pdf> . Also note that, 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.
Mark.
Mark D. Read
337 Button Bay Road,
Wolfe Island,
Kingston, Ontario
K0H 2Y0
Canada
Mobile: +1 (613) 217-1246
Home: +1 (613) 385-1651
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>
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