[Ontbirds]Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending December 27, 2007

[Terry Sprague]

WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE 
WEEK ENDING  Thursday, December 27, 2007

Despite Christmas Day falling right in the middle of this week's reporting 
period, eyes still "feasted" on birds other than the Christmas turkey. 
Obviously not worrying a whole lot about the season were numerous groups of 
WILD TURKEYS that were seen in numbers ranging from one lonely individual at 
Prince Edward Point, to over 50 at their traditional stompin' grounds off 
Sidney Street, north of Belleville. Also in good numbers over the past week, 
taking advantage of some mild temperatures and open conditions on Consecon 
Lake, were 50 MUTE SWANS, likely local individuals working their way a bit 
further west to the Presqu'ile area where as many as 300 have been counted 
in recent weeks. COMMON GOLDENEYE were also present in Consecon during the 
week, and in Adolphus Reach, a few CANADA GEESE (most are likely in the 
Kaiser Crossroad cornfields), MALLARDS, and a couple MUTE SWANS were noted 
there. There is open water these days here and there in the Waupoos and 
Smith's Bay area, where about 40 TUNDRA SWANS were hanging out near 
Christmas.

Closer to backyards, COMMON REDPOLLS, as predicted, continue to build in 
numbers. Big Island has two nice flocks of 20 and 30 visiting feeders at the 
west end and the east end of the island, respectively. A Stirling area 
feeder has 60 (another 60 east of Lake-on-the-Mountain), while a Glenora 
Road feeder reports boring business with 100, also reporting 2 RED-BELLIED 
WOODPECKERS and 10 PINE SISKINS and a few WILD TURKEYS among the clientel 
there. Not to be outdone was a Stirling feeder that enjoyed no fewer than 
200 COMMON REDPOLLS this past week. The 100 or more SNOW BUNTINGS that were 
visiting a feeding area just west of Caughey Road, have been replaced by 40 
EUROPEAN STARLINGS. A leucistic MOURNING DOVE is still visiting a feeder 
along Harmony Road in Thurlow, 7 PINE SISKINS are at a Green Point Road 
feeder, and a GRAY JAY that dropped into backyard, south of Madoc, surprised 
a feeder operator there. Two YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS are in the Quinte 
area - one at a feeder on Wallbridge Road west of Belleville, and another, 
appropriately enough, at a feeder at The Birdhouse store in Wooler. In 
Napanee, a HOARY REDPOLL was identified at one feeder and a number of PINE 
GROSBEAKS was also seen.

A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD turned up on December 22nd on Hiscock Shores Road on 
the west side of the county, cavorting about with a flock of AMERICAN 
ROBINS, perhaps the same individual that was present there December 5th. A 
PILEATED WOODPECKER dropped by one backyard at Stirling during the week, and 
another showed up just east of Lake-on-the-Mountain. An EASTERN MEADOWLARK 
was found on the 22nd south of Black River, and EASTERN BLUEBIRDS (5) were 
seen the same day north of Black River, and another two were near Cherry 
Valley, and yet another two seen along Royal Road.  Nomadic BOHEMIAN 
WAXWINGS continue to come and go as is their custom. Fifty were seen in a 
tree in Stirling on the 21st and on the same day, a flock of 50 waxwings, 
half of them CEDARS and half of them BOHEMIANS showed up at Prince Edward 
Point. While Prince Edward Point can often be a forbidding place to be on a 
cold, blustery day, two observers from Kingston managed to round up 3 BARRED 
OWLS, 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES, 2 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, 100 AMERICAN ROBINS and 
2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS on the 21st. Six GADWALL were there the following 
day. The open waters yielded 13 HORNED GREBES, 100 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, and 
a single REDHEAD. AMERICAN ROBINS (30) showed up along Royal Road on 
Saturday as well as a single RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. There were two HORNED 
LARKS near Bloomfield the same day, and another 30 were found behind the 
high school in Picton a day earlier.

BALD EAGLES, both adult and immatures, were seen in their usual haunts along 
Adolphus Reach, and another was observed in Eldorado during the week. At 
least four were seen on the ice in South Bay on the 22nd. Also present the 
same day in South Bay were 4 REDHEADS along with COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON 
and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, MUTE and TUNDRA SWANS, MALLARDS and AMERICAN 
BLACK DUCKS. Thirteen TUNDRA SWANS were present in Adolphus Reach on the 
21st, along with a single BONAPARTE'S GULL. MERLINS were seen at two 
locations during the week - one on Charles Street in Belleville, and another 
near Elmbrook on the 23rd. Also on Elmbrook Road, a BARRED OWL, likely the 
same one that turned up at a feeder there last week, was seen not far from 
the feeder location. Two COMMON RAVENS continue to be seen in this same area 
where they have been observed for at least two years.

And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. 
Our thanks to Bruce Ripley, Jack Strachan, Nick Quickert, Fiona King, Doug 
McRae, Cathie Stewart, Beth McPherson, Marilyn Holland-Foster, Peter 
Sporring, Sylvia Botnick, Pamela Stagg, Evelyn Sloane, Ted Cullin, Don 
Chisholm, Carol Perlberg, Joanne Dewey, Henri Garand, Frank Artes & Caroline 
Barnes, Bill Hogg, and Stephanie Collins for their contributions to this 
week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, January 3rd, but 
sightings can be e-mailed any time before the 6:00 p.m, Thursday deadline. 
Featured photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report include 
a close-up of a COMMON REDPOLL by Dave Bell and a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 
at a suet feeder by Carol Perlberg. Marc Vermander's photo of last week's 
BARRED OWL with a rabbit in his backyard appears on the Main Birding Page of 
the NatureStuff website.


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