[Ontbirds]Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending February 14, 2008

[Terry Sprague]

WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE 
WEEK ENDING Thursday, February 14, 2008

Vera Lynn and Kate Smith both made a hit of the war time song, "There Will 
be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover, Just You Wait and See." Birders 
over there are still waiting, as this species never occurred during the war 
and likely will not anytime soon. However, in Prince Edward County, EASTERN 
BLUEBIRDS are showing up on the white cliffs of snow around the area. Among 
the sightings of this species to come in this winter, were another three 
observed this past week along Kleinsteuber/Parks Road in the East Lake area. 
Although advised that the three visitors are likely finding wild berries to 
feed on in as much as they have survived okay to date, the observers still 
drove into Picton and purchased a bag of freeze dried meal worms. Birders in 
Prince Edward County are very dedicated to their hobby.

With the added quantity of snow on the ground this month, and the promise of 
still more to come this week, feeders across the region are reporting a 
booming business, particularly involving sparrows and finches. Most 
observers still have 50 or more COMMON REDPOLLS as regulars, and a feeder 
along County Road 1 has more than 100 at niger feeders there. At that 
feeder, the observer noted that the redpolls were landing on her head and 
camera as she watched her feeders from a distance of less than a metre. A 
Barry Heights host in Trenton has 28 HOUSE FINCHES, a species either in very 
low numbers or entirely absent at many feeders in the area this winter. Two 
PILEATED WOODPECKERS and 2 COMMON CROWS are also regulars there. Near 
Jericho Road in Prince Edward County, a flock of 30 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES are 
regulars at a feeder there, and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW is coming to a 
feeder at Allisonville. Yet another RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER has turned up at 
a feeder in the county, this one at a residence on Mosquito Lane east of 
Lake on the Mountain. An overall decline in the HOUSE SPARROW population is 
reflected in the few to none at many feeders in the county, a trend often 
viewed as a mixed blessing. However 30 are coming to a feeder near 
Bloomfield.

Hawks, mainly Accipiters, continue to appear at feeders, and today a 
RED-TAILED HAWK showed up not more than three metres from a window, snagging 
a MOURNING DOVE. An hour later, a COOPER'S HAWK looked over what was left of 
the doves from atop a flag pole. If Accipiters enjoy the taste of EUROPEAN 
STARLINGS, they should do well at a feeder east of Picton where a flock of 
200 have been known to turn up. BALD EAGLES continue to be seen here and 
there in the county, especially between Glenora and Prinyer's Cove, and are 
a regular sight along the Prince Edward Bay shoreline near Cape Vesey where 
as many as five have been observed at once. BARRED OWLS are still in the 
news. On Harmony Road in Thurlow, north of Belleville, one resident there 
watched a BARRED OWL with a rabbit that it had caught, later drifting off on 
a branch beside a house as it digested its meal. NORTHERN SHRIKES are 
commonly seen this winter in Prince Edward County, and five were seen one 
day at various points from the South Bay Mariner's Museum to Prince Edward 
Point, a distance of 17 kilometres.

Prince Edward Point this week also produced a mixed flock of 50 BOHEMIAN and 
CEDAR WAXWINGS on the 12th, and 9 PINE GROSBEAKS on Babylon Road. A flock of 
30 PINE GROSBEAKS was seen earlier in the month on Edgewood Drive in 
Napanee. Also reminding us that winter is still here were 120 SNOW BUNTINGS 
seen a week ago along Highway 62 and Victoria Road, 30 on Wesley Acres Road, 
and another flock in the Prince Edward Point area. Begging to disagree are 
GREAT HORNED OWLS calling at night as they prepare to nest, and the 
increasing numbers of HORNED LARKS, one of our earliest "spring" migrants, 
many seen along roadsides in areas scraped bare by the snowplow. AMERICAN 
ROBINS are few in number this winter due to a poor food crop for them, but 
15 were seen in Allisonville this week.

At East Lake, open water off the Glendon Green Boat Launch across from Log 
Cabin Point produced three species of swans among them a few wing tagged 
TRUMPETER SWANS. Unfortunately, only #052 (formerly of Wellington) and #295 
could be read clearly. MUTE SWANS were also among them, and the numbers 
commonly seen at Wellington tend to fluctuate with 20 being present on the 
10th, along with a number of MALLARDS.

While today saw Valentine cards and flowers being purchased for loved ones, 
on the Bay of Quinte ice at the Glenora Ferry crossing, two coyotes were 
giving passerbys an eyeful as they showed how Valentine's Day is celebrated 
in the real world. One ferry attendant said motorists on the ferry got more 
than they bargained for as they leaned over the railing to take in the 
sights on the regular crossing from Adolphustown to Prince Edward County. 
"This was definitely an X-rated crossing today" he quipped.

And on that note, that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the 
Quinte area. Our thanks to Beth McPherson, Gloria Durell, Marion Duff, John 
Vieira, Doris Lane, Silvia Botnick, Fred Chandler, Sergio de Sousa, Bill 
Leet, Shirley Laundry, Judy Bell, Angela Mantle, Fiona King, Brock Burr, 
Paul Kenny, John Charlton, Donald McClure, Marilyn Holland-Foster, and Gavin 
Christie for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be 
updated on Thursday, February 21st, 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 NORTHERN CARDINAL by Dave 
Bell and TRUMPETER SWAN #052 by Paul Kenny. Photo on the Main Birding Page 
of the NatureStuff website of a group of ROYAL TERNS on a beach in Florida 
is by Bill Leet.

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