The KFN did their annual 24 hour spring round-up last weekend and tallied close to 180 species despite the fact that the shorebird migration has yet to begin in earnest. Highlights included: a Red-throated Loon, 2 Red-necked Grebes, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3 Loggerhead Shrikes, all 5 expected vireo species, a N. Mockingbird, 24 species of warbler as well as Lincoln's and Clay-colored Sparrows.
North of the city at the Queen's Biological Station; they reported their first E. Wood-Pewee last Saturday and first Blackpoll Warbler on Sunday. Also on Sunday was another Brewster's Warbler, the third reported locally this spring. Within the city there were two noteworthy falcon sightings; nesting Merlins in the Portsmouth Ave./ King St. area and a Peregrine Falcon on one of the condos in Block D. There were 2 Marbled Godwits seen on Saturday near Cape Vincent N.Y. just across from Wolfe Island, a Great Egret out Hwy. 2 near the Middle Road on Wednesday and about a dozen Short-billed Dowitchers mixed in with several Dunlin on Amherst Island yesterday. A couple of late reports from last week had the area's first Common Nighthawk on the 13th in Henderson Place and what has become a very rare bird in the Kingston area, a Red-headed Woodpecker near Gananoque on the 15th. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
