[Ontbirds]Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending November 22, 2007

[Terry Sprague]

WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE 
WEEK ENDING  Thursday, November 22, 2007

A trace of snow, freezing rain and ice pellets in Prince Edward County today 
were not enough to discourage an EASTERN PHOEBE which showed itself  at one 
home near Cape Vesey. A few other species may have second thoughts about 
hanging around much longer. Among those are three SANDHILL CRANES that 
turned up on Sunday in an open field at East Lake, likely the same three 
that had been seen previously in the Cressy and Milford areas. A BELTED 
KINGFISHER was still at Lake-on-the-Mountain as of last Thursday, and 20 
EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and 40 COMMON GRACKLES were in the Prince Edward Point 
area the following day. Also in no particular hurry to wander south was a 
lone TURKEY VULTURE circling above east Main Street in Picton on the 19th. 
Six lingering YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, perhaps intending to stick it out this 
winter, were found at Prince Edward Point on the 17th as were 2 EASTERN 
MEADOWLARKS and a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. A late FIELD SPARROW and a lone 
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET were both seen on the west side of Trenton yesterday. 
And a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT at Prince Edward Point continues to delay 
migrating and was still present on the 17th.

More in tune with the weather we had today was the continued appearance of 
COMMON REPOLLS and PINE GROSBEAKS. Three of the latter species were found, 
as one might expect, munching down the apples of a flowering crab at 23 
Sprague Road on the 20th, and were still there today. Others showed up in 
ones and twos, and a few more, at feeders and backyards at 2800 County Road 
1, and in the Barry Heights area of Trenton, and several were heard calling 
off the Cataraqui Trail at Newburgh last Friday. COMMON REPOLLS were 
reported at feeders along Glenora Road where a respectable 20 appeared this 
week, 25 were at Prince Edward Point on the 17th, a flock of 12 flew over 
the Menzel Nature Reserve north of Deseronto on the 16th, and another dozen 
or so were seen in flight over the Trans Canada Trail at Tweed the following 
day. EVENING GROSBEAKS during the week were represented by 6 at a Glenora 
Road feeder, and handful was heard calling at Tweed on Friday. A single ice 
covered PINE SISKIN showed up at a feeder at 23 Sprague Road on Big Island 
this morning, and a nice flock of 20 are coming to a feeder at - you guessed 
it - Highway 33 (Glenora Road) where other guests this week have included a 
half dozen or so DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKERS, 50 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and 15 
to 20 AMERICAN ROBINS. We certainly hope this person participates in Project 
FeederWatch!  We will hear more about the incredible success at this feeder 
as the winter progresses. Single SONG SPARROWS are coming to feeders at 23 
Sprague Road and along Harmony Road in Thurlow Township north of Belleville. 
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES continue to make their presence known at many 
feeders in the region and 3 PURPLE FINCHES were found at Prince Edward Point 
on Friday, along with a flock of 30 CEDAR WAXWINGS that seem to have made 
the Point their home this month. The usual number of reports of both 
COOPER'S HAWKS and SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS at or near feeders came in this week, 
and there was a NORTHERN SHRIKE perched atop a feeder just south of Stirling 
today and another present at 2800 County Road 1 last weekend. Thought to be 
a shrike at first as it sped past near the harbour at Prince Edward Point on 
the 16th, was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, the first one to be reported in the 
county since September.

An immature BALD EAGLE was at Prince Edward Point on the 17th, an adult was 
seen at daybreak this morning at Cape Vesey and another was seen again along 
the Bay of Quinte in the Belleville area. A well marked GOLDEN EAGLE 
delighted observers at Prince Edward Point on the 16th, and other raptors 
seen that day included a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, over 110 RED-TAILED HAWKS 
(one kettle contained 22 birds), 4 SHARP-SHINNED, 2 COOPER'S, 2 ROUGH-LEGGED 
and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK. A SHORT-EARED OWL flew high over South Bay on 
Friday.

For as long as the lakes and bays remain open, waterfowl will be the key 
birds to look for until the weather turns much colder. The flock of TUNDRA 
SWANS at South Bay has increased to 60 from an earlier 20, and will continue 
to rise to 150 or more until ice conditions force them outward and onward. 
Two HORNED GREBES at Prince Edward Point contrasted sharply with over 25,000 
GREAT SCAUP at Prince Edward Point on the 17th, a number probably very low 
as a BALD EAGLE flew along the tip and along the backside of Timber Island 
thereby flushing up many thousands of scaups that resettled again but out of 
sight.  Other ducks present that day were 3,000 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, 250 
BUFFLEHEAD, 10 COMMON GOLDENEYE and 275 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. At East 
Lake, an estimated 1,000 CANADA GEESE were present on Sunday and a lone SNOW 
GOOSE, formerly at Bath last week has moved to within 500 metres of the 
Glenora ferry dock at Adolphustown.  There were 12 HOODED MERGANSERS at the 
Menzel Nature Reserve's Mud Lake on the 16th, and another dozen are present 
in Muscote Bay at Big Island where they are joined by 100 other ducks, 
mostly AMERICAN WIGEON. Ten COMMON MERGANSER showed up there at noon today, 
and a lone GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL has also been present this week. Fifty 
BONAPARTE'S GULLS were present at Prince Edward Point on Saturday. There 
have been no LITTLE GULLS reported although the species is traditionally 
present at East Lake in November with a few sometimes present at the mouth 
of the Outlet River at Sandbanks Provincial Park.

And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. 
Our thanks to Joanne Dewey, Silvia Botnick, Paul Mackenzie, Nancy Fox, Ken 
Marisett, Ron Weir, Kathleen Rankine, Wayne McNulty, John Charlton, Fred 
Chandler, Henri Garand, George Kratz, and Fiona King for their contributions 
to this week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, November 
29th, but sightings can be e-mailed any time before the 6:00 p.m. Thursday 
deadline. Featured photos this week in the online edition of the Quinte Area 
Bird Report include a TURKEY VULTURE by Michael Butler and PINE GROSBEAKS by 
Peter Sporring. The photo of a BALD-FACED HORNET'S NEST on the Main Birding 
Page of the NatureStuff website is by Shirley Laundry.

Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
tsprague at kos.net
www.naturestuff.net