Hi Ontbirders Spent the day birding Amherst Island and Elevator Bay/Dupont Plant in Kingston. On Amherst Island we spent an hour or so in the 'Owl Woods" and observed 6 Long-eared Owls and 2 Short-eared Owls roosting in Jack Pine. No other owls were observed in the woods but a Northern Saw-Whet Owl was found yesterday. At the East Point (KFN property) there were 2 Snowy Owls, one close to the road and the second owl on the gravel bar. Other birds of note on the island included 110+ Tundra Swan, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet and 1 Song Sparrow. Overall, hawk numbers were low with 7 Northern Harrier, 2 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Rough-legged Hawk and 2 American Kestrel. Lake Ontario was wide open and there was very little snow on the the island. At Elevator Bay/DuPont Plant there was a excellent selection of waterfowl including 1 Green-winged Teal, 28 Gadwall, 39 American Wigeon, 16 Redhead, 130+ Ring-necked Duck, 1 female Ruddy Duck and 44 American Coot. Good Birding, Bruce
Directions:Amherst Island: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $8.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road. Please note that the smaller ferry is still in use. Because of liability issues, visitors to the Kingston Field Naturalists'property at the east end of Amherst Island MUST be accompanied by a KFN member. For KFN contactinformation or how to become a member, please visit http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/ ." Di Labio Birding Website Courses and Field Trips http://www.dilabiobirding.ca http://www.brucedilabio.blogspot.com Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp, Ontario K0A 1L0 Office 613-839-4395 Mobile 613-715-2571 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
