For the first time in weeks, there has been a noticeable movement of birds in and around Presqu'ile Provincial Park, with some birds wandering further afield from their usual haunts and others re-appearing after an absence of over a month. The most significant change has been in the abundance of waterfowl, whose numbers are already approaching the levels customarily seen in late February or March.
The numbers of Mute Swans and Tundra Swans remain stable at close to 200 of the former and a handful of the latter. On any given day, with a good spotting scope, one can pick out at least one or two Tundras in Presqu'ile Bay, most recently off the government dock, where the ice margin is now located. The influx of ducks began on February 1, when about 400 Greater Scaup could be seen flying in from the east in small groups and landing in Presqu'ile Bay. By the next day, when they continued to arrive throughout the day, the rafts numbered about 2000 individuals and included some 50 Redheads and two Canvasbacks. Except for Redheads, of which there are now several hundred, the totals have stabilized for several days. Most of them are within a few hundred metres of the ice edge, but reasonably large rafts can be found anywhere between there and the lighthouse. One or two White-winged Scoters can usually be found in the bay as well, sometimes consorting with Common Goldeneyes. A female Hooded Merganser at Salt Point on February 2 was the first of that species reported at Presqu'ile this year. In fact, all three species of mergansers were present on that day. Up to ten Red-breasted Mergansers have been seen off the lighthouse earlier in the week. The males were aggressively chasing the females. At least two Bald Eagles, an adult and an immature, continue to be seen from time to time within a kilometre of the lighthouse. Less than a kilometre outside the Park, a light-phased Rough-legged Hawk was seen on February 6. The gull flock that spends the days on the ice of Presqu'ile Bay and commutes to the open lake late in the afternoons has begun to include a sprinkling of Ring-billed Gulls for the first time in several weeks. By the end of the month, they will greatly outnumber the Herring Gulls. An adult Iceland Gull was among them on February 6. On February 3, a Pileated Woodpecker was drumming in Newcastle Woods, and another responded with loud calls to an attempted Barred Owl imitation. The first Northern Shrike seen in the Park since early January was at the calf pasture on February 2. A mixed flock of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins that has been wandering around the Park from berry patch to berry patch was accompanied on one day by European Starlings and more recently by the three Common Grackles that had spent the winter up till now in a more restricted area of the peninsula. The feeders along Bayshore Road (at least eight different properties have them) continue to offer the best opportunities on the peninsula for finding land birds at this time of year, including White-throated Sparrows and a Song Sparrow as well as several more common species. 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]>
