The most exciting bird this week was a GOLDEN EAGLE along Blacks Rapid Road. Perhaps due to the very cold weather very few bird observations were submitted this past week. No great grey owls had been reported in the Kingston Region despite a strong presence of this species elsewhere in eastern Ontario. Winter finches seemed limited to COMMON REDPOLL, the odd HOARY REDPOLL and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES.
Amherst Island Waterbirds included all three SWAN sp., AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, 3 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, LONG-TAILED DUCK, COMMON GOLDENEYE and COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. Raptors included NORTHERN HARRIER, BALD EAGLE, 1 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, RED-TAILED HAWK, 5 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 4 SNOWY OWLS, 2 BARRED OWLS, 1 MERLIN, and 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS. Also of note were 1 ICELAND GULL, 1 BELTED KINGFISHER, 1 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, 2 COMMON RAVENS and 1 EASTERN MEADOWLARK. Opinicon Road Two TRUMPETER SWANS were at Chaffey's Lock. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was frequenting the roadside all week between Chaffey's Lock and Perth Road. A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and a BROWN CREEPER were at the Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS). Among the dozens of flammea COMMON REDPOLLS visiting the QUBS bird feeders there was 1 rostrata COMMON REDPOLL and 1 exilipes HOARY REDPOLL for several days. QUBS also had a WINTER WREN in its boathouse for one night. Wolfe Island A few waterfowl were reported off the island including 50 REDHEAD, 1 WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON MERGANSER. Other Sightings A GOLDEN EAGLE was near the Sandy Bay Cemetery on Black Rapids Road. Also there, were a BALD EAGLE and an AMERICAN KESTREL. A BARRED OWL was seen at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area and another was along Davis Lock Road. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK and a NORTHERN SHRIKE were along Leland Road. Thanks to all those who contributed sightings this past week. Mark -- Mark Andrew Conboy Operations & Research Assistant and Outreach Coordinator Queen’s University Biological Station 280 Queen's University Road Elgin, Ontario, Canada K0G 1E0 phone: 613-359-5629 fax: 613-359-6558 email: mark.con...@queensu.ca or mcon...@lakeheadu.ca QUBS website: http://www.queensu.ca/qubs/index.html QUBS blog: http://opinicon.wordpress.com/ QUBS flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qubsoutreach/ _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
