[Ontbirds]Quinte Area Bird Report for weekending November 29, 2007

[Terry Sprague]

WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE 
WEEK ENDING  Thursday, November 29, 2007

December 1st marks the first of the "winter season" in the minds of those 
who pursue the winter list, and from that date until the end of February, 
listers in an active mood will endeavour to check off as many different 
species as they can during that three month period. The determining factor 
though in whether birders manage to accumulate a respectable total, are 
those first few days in the month when late migrants that might not 
otherwise be present during the rest of the winter, are still around. If the 
winds stay as high as they are this evening, birders may face a challenge; 
however, if the weather settles and becomes sunny and relatively mild as 
predicted for Saturday, local birders stand a good chance of some half 
decent birding on opening day.

Birders could high tail it to Wellington Harbour where three DOUBLE-CRESTED 
CORMORANTS were still present earlier this week. SONG SPARROWS are still 
around judging from the numbers reported at many area feeding stations, 
along with EASTERN BLUEBIRDS - there were three at the Smithfield 
Experimental Farm yesterday. The occasional GREAT BLUE HERON is still being 
seen, and as long as East Lake remains free of ice (no problem in this wind) 
there is a good chance that LITTLE GULLS  could be added to the list, before 
they move on. While PINE SISKINS may not stay around this winter, there are 
several feeders in the county that have anywhere from singles to two dozen, 
and they too could disappear at any time. One is a regular at a 23 Sprague 
Road feeder and another showed up mid-week at a Consecon Lake feeder. And if 
you are out and about in the South Bay/Smith's Bay area, the traditional 
flock of TUNDRA SWANS is slowly increasing as it does every year at this 
time and are currently hovering at the 50 to 60 range. They will continue to 
hang around until colder weather and ice forces them out of the bay.

At other feeders, the predicted COMMON REDPOLLS are arriving, albeit in 
small numbers still. Singles and doubles showed up during the week at 
feeders at Big Island, Milford area, Sheba's Island and Ridge Road. 
Meanwhile, the prospects of PINE GROSBEAKS in the Quinte area is looking 
more and more favourable with each passing week. A flock of a dozen was 
reported from the Old Marmara Road, 20 were at Presqu'ile Park yesterday 
afternoon, and four small groups were seen between Brighton and Trenton. In 
Prince Edward County, three are regulars to a flowering crab tree at 23 
Sprague Road, and an undetermined number was heard calling today in the 
vicinity of Zwick's Park beside the Ramada Inn, just over the Norris Whitney 
Bridge, and others were seen along Glenora Road during the week.  A PILEATED 
WOODPECKER arrived at a peanut feeder last Friday along Harmony Road in 
Thurlow, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER is a regular at a feeder at Jackson's 
Falls Road and County Road 17. Another PILEATED WOODPECKER has been seen on 
several occasions in the Stinson Block area, west of Consecon. Another 
species that is expected to be in the Quinte area this winter due to a 
scarcity of native mountain ash berries is the BOHEMIAN WAXWING and 9 were 
found at the Murray Canal yesterday. A leucistic MOURNING DOVE is a regular 
at a feeder along Harmony Road in Thurlow, north of Belleville.

No reports of  WILD TURKEYS yet at feeding stations, although the species is 
becoming more obvious as they feed in fields of corn stubble and other open 
fields across the region. At least 40 were seen during the week along County 
Road 17 in the Black River area, a stretch of road where large numbers are 
frequently encountered most winters. Another 20 were observed in a soybean 
field at Highway 33 and Victoria Road on the west side of the county on the 
22nd.

With the increase in patronage at bird feeders these days, comes an 
increased presence of Accipiter Hawks. Singles of COOPER'S HAWKS were 
observed during the week near the Experimental Farm, one was seen in a 
Trenton backyard, and another was identified today cruising in behind some 
houses at Fenwood Gardens. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen at South Bay, likely 
the same individual that was reported there in one of the earlier reports. 
An immature BALD EAGLE  showed up this morning near the west end of Big 
Island in the Muscote Bay area.

Muscote Bay, when it isn't iced over, continues to provide interesting 
birds. On Tuesday, strong winds caused 200 CANADA GEESE, 100 MALLARDS, a few 
AMERICAN WIGEONS, 8 HOODED MERGANSERS and two TUNDRA SWANS to shelter along 
the Big Island shore. They all swam and fed amicably in the shallows as if 
relaxing at a spa. This morning the geese had departed, but the HOODED 
MERGANSERS have increased to 60. Twelve MUTE SWANS were counted in the Morch 
Marine/Zwick's Park area near Belleville, and others were seen on Wellers 
Bay during the week.

And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. 
Our thanks to Don Chisholm, Frank Artes & Carolyne Barnes, Chesea 
Livingston, Rosemary Smith, Bob & Wanda Russell, Barbara Wyatt, Fiona King, 
Donn Legate, Fred Helleiner, Judith Gray, Janet Mooney, John Charlton, John 
& Margaret Moore and Henri Garand for their contributions to this week's 
report. This report will be updated on Thursday, December 6th, but sightings 
can be e-mailed anytime before the 6:00 p.m. Thursday deadline. A BALTIMORE 
ORIOLE'S nest, a victim of recent winds, and still firmly attached to a 
series of broken limbs when it fell from a tree in the Cherry Valley area, 
is one of our photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report, 
taken by Barbara Wyatt, together with a photo of a PINE GROSBEAK along 
Glenora Road, courtesy of Bob & Wanda Russell. The early morning photo on 
the Main Birding Page of the website of swans swimming along Adolphus Reach 
is by Bill Hogg of Adolphustown.

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