[Ontbirds]Quinte Area Bird Report for week ending April 17th

[Terry Sprague]

WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING
Thursday, April 17, 2008


New arrivals this past week included BROWN CREEPERS, CASPIAN TERNS,  CLIFF SWALLOW, LITTLE GULL, RED-NECKED GREBES, HERMIT THRUSH, and say it isn't so - the first  YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS of the season! The latter species, along with the first RED-NECKED GREBES (13) and the first HERMIT THRUSH of the spring season, were all recorded at Prince Edward Point yesterday, marking a nice jump start in the spring migration. And more new arrivals below. 

The Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory opened for the spring 2008 season on the 15th April. Although it has only been running for three days the numbers banded have been good with 355 birds banded so far. A few COMMON LOONS are going over, as are CANADA GEESE with 200 seen on the 15th and 76 on the 17th. Apart from up to 75 BUFFLEHEADS,  there have been few ducks offshore at the moment but they should pick up soon. The WILSON'S SNIPE and AMERICAN WOODCOCKS are calling in the field and a KILLDEER is noisily calling most days. MOURNING DOVES are moving with up to fifteen being seen daily. A BELTED KINGFISHER flew over on the 16th and YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS are drilling holes in the trees for the sap. NORTHERN FLICKERS numbered 30 on the 16th and EASTERN PHOEBES numbered four on the 15th. A COMMON RAVEN was calling near Point Traverse on the 16th while at the Observatory the TREE SWALLOWS are starting to guard the swallow boxes. A NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW was seen in the harbour on the 15th and a CLIFF SWALLOW appeared on the 16th, and around the building two BARN SWALLOWS are present. A TUFTED TITMOUSE visited the feeder for about one minute on the 17th and BROWN CREEPERS are moving in good numbers with 45 seen on the 16th with similar numbers seen on the 17th. It looks as though the male GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS have already gone through and most of the ones being seen are females; RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS are just starting to move with 20 seen on the 16th and 50+ seen on the 17th. An EASTERN BLUEBIRD  appeared on the 16th and the first HERMIT THRUSHES have arrived with 3-4 being seen daily. A BOHEMIAN WAXWING was seen on the 15th and the first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was banded on the 17th. Sparrow numbers have been good with AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS on the 16th and 17th, and 20 CHIPPING SPARROWS arrived mid-morning on the 16th. FIELD SPARROWS  are singing, and a VESPER SPARROW was seen at Point Traverse on the 16th. One or two FOX SPARROWS are being seen or heard singing daily, up to 40 SONG SPARROWS are singing and the first SWAMP SPARROW  arrived on the 16th, the first EASTERN TOWHEE was singing on the 17th and at least three WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were seen that day as well. Up to 80 DARK-EYED JUNCOS are being seen as they feed around the Observatory. The first RUSTY BLACKBIRD arrived on the 17th and a COMMON REDPOLL was at the feeder on the 16th.

Any vestiges of the winter are slowly disappearing, as the spring migration begins to take control. A few RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES are still visiting feeders across the region and a handful of COMMON REDPOLLS are still hanging on at a feeder in Stirling. Two AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS are still coming to a feeder east of Lake on the Mountain, but at some feeders they have been replaced by CHIPPING SPARROW arrivals. A lingering PINE SISKIN continues to visit daily to a feeder near Lake on the Mountain. PURPLE FINCHES (6) showed up at a feeder mid-week at Glenora, likely spring migrants, and three were also at a feeder in Thurlow, and one at a feeder on George's Road, east of Northport. At Cape Vesey, in Prince Edward County, one bird feeder operator had a TUFTED TITMOUSE at his feeder both Saturday and Sunday which has since disappeared. FOX SPARROWS continue to turn up across the region. One was seen in a patio area of one home at the west end of Big Island, and in Kingston on the weekend, one was scratching about under the ornamental shrubs at the entrance to the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority's Education Centre. 

Other migrants seen during the week included 5 GREATER YELLOWLEGS at Cherry Valley on April 16th, and two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS on Barker Street in Picton. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS have been turning up everywhere, in some cases involving several individuals in local backyards. West of Consecon, two knocked themselves out when they flew against a living room window. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS are reported to be nesting near Tweed. As TURKEY VULTURES continue to increase in numbers and establish territories, a few amusing stories have come in. One west Big Island resident was concerned when two individuals perched on the property as his wife was still in bed asleep. Other stories have come in involving small kettles circling over the hospital in Picton, as well as over at least two nursing homes, the Whattam Funeral Home, and the local municipal government offices at Shire Hall.  CASPIAN TERNS (2) were seen in Muscote Bay on the 14th, and four were at the mouth of the Outlet River at Sandbanks last Sunday. A LITTLE GULL joined a flock of 50 BONAPARTE'S GULLS in an agricultural field near Sandbanks on the 13th.

The Kaiser Crossroad flooded cornfields continue to offer some good opportunities and on the 12th there were AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, CANADA GEESE and a pair of SHOVELERS. Over 250 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were present there on the 16th. The flooded field along Wesley Acres Road, known locally as Bucknell's slough, and the adjacent marsh across the road, offered about a dozen species of waterfowl this week, among them both species of teal, NORTHERN PINTAILS, RING-NECKED DUCKS and AMERICAN WIGEON. Waterfowl come and go on Muscote Bay, dictated apparently by the whims of the day.

Other interesting sightings include a persistent singing early morning flock of 30 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS along South Big Island Road, 45 WILD TURKEYS in a field near Sandbanks, an AMERICAN KESTREL in Picton and on Big Island, a BALD EAGLE over Trenton, and a pair of WOOD DUCKS in Cherry Valley.

And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to David Okines, Heather Heron, Pamela Stagg, Chesia Livingston, David Bree, Henry Pasila, Bill Hogg, Doris Lane, Cheryl Anderson, Cathie Stewart, Frank Artes & Carolyn Barnes, John & Janet Foster, Silvia Botnick, Kathleen Rankine, Marilyn Holland-Foster, Fiona King, Henri Garand, Owen Weir, and Fred Chandler for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, April 24th, but sightings can be e-mailed any time before the 9:00 p.m. Wednesday  night deadline (please note the new deadline). Featured photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report are of a MUTE SWAN doing a ballet, by Susan Shipman of Wellington, and a BROWN CREEPER by Elena Petrcich of Ottawa. Photo of "fishing cormorants" in China on the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff website is courtesy of Ingrid Harrington of Bloomfield.

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