To quote from this week's Maclean's magazine, "it was a week of mixed signals" at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. On the one hand, Presqu'ile Bay froze over almost completely for at least a day, driving away most of the water birds reported a week ago, and flocks of lingering land birds appear to have vanished from the Park. On the other hand, there are some unmistakable signs that the lengthening photoperiod or some other stimulus is causing spring-like behaviour among certain species of birds.
At least some of the Mute Swans that were driven out of the bay could be seen during the cold weather in the open water of Lake Ontario. The subsequent re-opening of the bay as far inland as Salt Point has allowed them to return en masse to that area, along with one or two Tundra Swans. Although the hundreds of Redheads and Greater Scaup that were in the bay up to a week ago are represented now by only a few dozen, the number of Canvasbacks, present only in ones and twos until January 8, were represented by eight individuals on January 9. On the day after the bay re-opened, four White-winged Scoters moved in as well. Long-tailed Ducks have become much more vocal during the past week, and male Common Goldeneyes all along the shores of the peninsula are demonstrating to females how well their vernally activated hormones enable them to toss their heads acrobatically onto their backs. Three different Bald Eagles have made their presence known to the flocks of ducks and gulls. Two of them, nearly adult in plumage but presumably different birds, were spotted on January 3, one making repeated passes over Presqu'ile Bay while the other was perched less than an hour later on High Bluff Island. An immature bird also disturbed the peace as it flew over Presqu'ile Bay on January 7. Two Red-tailed Hawks sitting side by side on High Bluff Island on January 3 behaved like a mated pair. An attempt on January 3 to re-locate the Dunlins that had been frequenting Gull Island was met with completely ice-covered shorelines and consequently no success. Among the gulls that rest every day on the ice of Presqu'ile Bay, there have been an Iceland Gull and two different Glaucous Gulls. It was re-assuring this week to re-discover a Barred Owl in Jobe's Woods after a hiatus of several months during which no sightings were reported. The bird was present on two consecutive days, unconfirmed on the first day because of an unsatisfactory view but highly co-operative on the following morning. There and elsewhere in the Park, the silence that has characterized the woods for weeks if not months is being broken these mornings by the spring-like drumming of woodpeckers. A Winter Wren seen in Jobe's Woods on January 6 was almost certainly a different bird from the four that were found in other parts of Presqu'ile on the Christmas Bird Count. For a week now there appears to be no sign of the flocks of American Robins in any of the berry-laden haunts where they were so plentiful up until January 2. Cedar Waxwings, too, have become much more scarce than a week ago. The two White-throated Sparrows at 83 Bayshore Road and the one at 186 Bayshore Road continue to put in daily appearances, and the White-crowned Sparrow previously reported from 83 Bayshore Road has been seen several times this week, either there or at the feeders next door. Up to five Common Grackles patrol the area between there and Salt Point. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL JANUARY 13, AND ACCESS TO BAYSHORE ROAD IS RESTRICTED TO PROPERTY OWNERS DURING THAT PERIOD. To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton. Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid that is available at the Park gate. The channel separating Gull Island from the mainland has almost disappeared, making the island almost a peninsula. The channel is only a few metres wide and about 10-15 centimetres deep. However, when the channel between the island and Owen Point is frozen, as it has been recently, the ice may be unsafe to walk on without breaking through. Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be directed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, R.R. #4, Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0 VOICE: (613) 475 5309 If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park. Fred Helleiner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
