[Ontbirds]Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending February 07, 2008

[Terry Sprague]

WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE 
WEEK ENDING  Thursday, February 07, 2008


All it takes is a little bit of snow - well, actually, quite a bit, if we 
are referencing yesterday's and last night's snowfall, to increase activity 
at bird feeders. Absolute mayhem is the best term to describe the activity 
at one feeding station on Sprague Road, increased somewhat by the fact that 
a large ground area is kept free of snow. Close to 60 MOURNING DOVES, 30 
COMMON REDPOLLS, 20 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS and over 30 BLUE JAYS were all 
feeding happily together on the ground just after daybreak this morning 
while some 25 hanging feeders were merrily swinging with activity. At 
Allisonville, an estimated 100 COMMON REDPOLLS are coming to a feeder there. 
One feeder along County Road 1 in the Bloomfield area had an estimated 150 
finches comprising 90 percent COMMON REDPOLLS and 10 percent AMERICAN 
GOLDFINCHES. Another feeder on the western outskirts of Picton was grey with 
some 30 DARK-EYED JUNCOS. Marked increases in AMERICAN GOLDFINCH numbers 
were also noted at many locations in the area. If you like snow, which I do 
for a number of reasons, it has been a good winter thus far.

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES continue to appear at many feeders across the 
region, a species we normally don't see in such numbers, usually appearing 
in singles, but doubles showing up at some feeders in Picton and Thurlow. 
The NORTHERN FLICKER on the east side of Picton is still coming to a feeder 
there, and a FOX SPARROW has been noted visiting at least two separate 
feeders on the west side of Belleville in the Avonlough Road area. Sixty 
COMMON REDPOLLS are regulars on Tripp Road, and among the clientel at one 
County Road #1 feeder are 5 NORTHERN CARDINALS, 7 HAIRY WOODPECKERS and 4 
DOWNIES along with 2 female PURPLE FINCHES. And if any Wellington area 
residents have lost their RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS, they may very well find 
them all at a feeder at the west end of Wilson Road where a resident there 
counted no fewer than five! But wild foods are attracting a few other 
species as noted by  the presence of 60 CEDAR WAXWINGS for the past two 
weeks seen feeding on red cedar berries near Consecon, a crop that is not 
particularly abundant elsewhere this year in Prince Edward County. At Barry 
Heights north of Trenton, a large maple tree that died two years ago and 
left to decay naturally has proved to be very popular to woodpeckers. Two 
days ago, there were two DOWNY WOODPECKERS, three HAIRY WOODPECKERS and a 
PILEATED WOODPECKER, all on the tree at the same time, underscoring the 
importance of unmanaged woodlots. PILEATED WOODPECKERS were also reported 
from Ridge Road near Bloomfield, and near Stirling as well as two in the 
Trenton area.

Paul Taylor, Outdoor Education Coordinator at the H.R. Frink Centre says, by 
comparison, things have been a bit quiet at the feeders there, and the 
BARRED OWL that spent two weeks perched atop a platform feeder at Christmas, 
has left to find food away from the heavy activity at this education centre 
north of Belleville. BLUE JAYS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and DARK-EYED 
JUNCOES are among the regular guests there. The Frink Centre will be holding 
its annual Activity Day this Sunday and I have the pleasure of leading a 
guided hike as we search for the BARRED OWL and any other predators that may 
come our way. The focus is on Winged Hunters of the Winter. As part of the 
festivities, there will be a live hawk presentation, and I will be 
discussing birds of prey using the Frink's collection of mounted specimens.

Another species not in short supply this winter is the NORTHERN SHRIKE. One 
was spotted during the week at the Harmony Road and Blessington Road area 
north of Belleville, one was seen near the window of a home at Perch Cove in 
the Hay Bay area, and also in the Adolphustown area, an EASTERN SCREECH OWL 
made one resident uneasy as it appeared to be watching part of the Super 
Bowl pre-game show with the resident as it perched in an oak tree not far 
from the living room window. A MERLIN turned up during the week just west of 
Picton's Canadian Tire store, and a BARRED OWL was in a back yard on Old 
Hungerford Road in the Roslin area, north of Belleville. One motorist 
travelling through Shannonville was surprised to see a NORTHERN GOSHAWK pass 
over the windshield of her car, but no more surprised than a Big Island 
resident when a COOPER'S HAWK pursuing a MOURNING DOVE passed within inches 
of the binoculars as it followed its prey determinedly across the yard and 
out of sight. A BALD EAGLE was seen Monday along Highway 33 near Bath, and 
60 BALD EAGLES were seen a few days ago at Sheffield Mills in the Annapolis 
Valley by nature film makers John and Janet Foster who just returned from 
Nova Scotia last night.

With the arrival of snow, comes an increase in SNOW BUNTINGS. Near 
Campbellford yesterday, there was a flock of well over 100 individuals, and 
a large flock was also seen along County Road 2, north of Wellington, one of 
the more dependable areas to see this species in the county. As if defying 
the wintry conditions and depth of snow across the region, HORNED LARKS have 
increased in numbers along roadsides since last week's report.  AMERICAN 
ROBINS, albeit in small numbers, were reported at several locations, and a 3 
km snowshoe hike across one farm by a Big Island resident to an open spring 
beside a butternut tree and flanked on three sides by a hedgerow of red 
cedars,  resulted in the sighting of about 25 AMERICAN ROBINS as they 
splashed and cavorted in the open water as though having just discovered an 
oasis. A large flock was also seen this week at Ox Point along the Bay of 
Quinte east of Belleville. And WILD TURKEYS everywhere including the rafter 
of 50 north of Belleville off Sidney Street.

Few ducks were reported this week, but what did come in were noteworthy. Two 
AMERICAN WIGEONS were seen at Barcovan (Wellers Bay) yesterday afternoon, 
and at Belleville, a NORTHERN PINTAIL has joined a flock of MALLARDS in the 
west Belleville area.

And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. 
Our thanks to Dave Bell, Brenda & Tony Deans, Linda Yorke, Cheryl Anderson, 
Doris Lane, Brian Durell, Paul Taylor, Chesia Livingston, Nancy Fox, Suzanne 
Pierson & Tom Higginbottom, Anne Potter, Janet Mooney, Bob & Mary Kay 
Morris, Judy Kent, Monica Mills, Bill Hogg, Russ Williams, Fred Helleiner, 
Angela Mantle, Ove & Mary-Anne Ojaste, John Charlton, Donald McClure, Fiona 
King, Shirley Laundry, John & Janet Foster, Cathie Stewart, and Brock Burr 
for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated 
on Thursday, February 14th, but sightings can be e-mailed any time before 
the 6:00 p.m. Thursday deadline. Feature photos in the online edition of the 
Quinte Area Bird Report this week include a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER by Carol 
Perlberg and the Belleville NORTHERN PINTAIL by Shirley Laundry. Photo on 
the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff website of a NORTHERN SHRIKE is by 
Lloyd Hanna of Oshawa.

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