Whereas in a normal year early spring migrants would be arriving at
Presqu'ile Provincial Park in good numbers by this late in March, this
has not happened since late February. Instead there has been a trickle
of new arrivals. The good news is that there are still thousands of
ducks in Presqu'ile Bay that will likely provide visitors to this
weekend's Waterfowl Viewing Festival with an opportunity to see what
they came for and perhaps something unexpected, like the Harlequin Duck
that appeared during the festival two years ago.
Two WOOD DUCKS were seen along Bayshore Road this morning. Other
dabbling ducks seen this week (all from Bayshore Road) were GADWALLS,
AMERICAN WIGEONS, AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, MALLARDS, and NORTHERN
PINTAILS. Among diving ducks, the most interesting ones were two SURF
SCOTERS seen several times, several WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, and a female
BLACK SCOTER seen again on March 17 and 21. Ten WILD TURKEYS were still
present, and a RUFFED GROUSE by the roadside, a species which has been
scarce this winter, perhaps at the low point in its cycle. The first
PIED-BILLED GREBE of the year appeared on March 19. An AMERICAN
WOODCOCK posed for a number of birders on Sunday, and another was
flushed at the lighthouse on Tuesday.
Single BALD EAGLES were seen on three different days. Other raptors
seen this week were SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (soaring over
the "fingers"), and SNOWY OWL (on beach 3 from Monday to Wednesday).
PILEATED WOODPECKERS were seen on three different days. One has been
attacking a tree at 126 Bayshore Road. There were again sightings of
COMMON RAVEN. Yesterday three SNOW BUNTINGS were off Owen Point and a
RUSTY BLACKBIRD visited 83 Bayshore Road.
To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton.
Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid
that is available at the Park gate. Access to the offshore islands is
restricted
at this time of year to prevent disturbance to the colonial nesting
birds there.
Birders are encouraged to record their observations on the bird sightings
board provided near the campground office by The Friends of Presqu'ile Park
and to fill out a rare bird report for species not listed there.
Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be
directed to: fhellei...@trentu.ca.
--
Fred Helleiner
186 Bayshore Road
Brighton, Ontario
K0K 1H0
613-475-5309
If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park
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