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> _______________________________________________ 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