WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, March 02, 2003 For birders who keep winter lists, the winter season which began December 1st, officially came to a close Friday night. In Prince Edward County, 105 species were seen during this period. The highlight, of course, was the VARIED THRUSH at 383 Prinyer's Cove Crescent, 17 km east of Lake-on-the-Mountain. Both a male and female are present, so birders who still have not added this bird to their 2003 lists, still have a good chance to check it off. Also at the same feeder is a female RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a male NORTHERN FLICKER. Another NORTHERN FLICKER is present near the Quinte Skyway Bridge.
As the late winter season favours us with a few mild days, some areas of open water are beginning to produce waterfowl. The Outlet River at Sandbanks is open from the bridge along County Road 17 to Log Cabin Point and numbers of ducks may be seen here. West Lake at Wellington is beginning to open a bit, and today there were about a dozen MUTE SWANS in with the growing numbers of waterfowl. Outside the county, there were good numbers of waterfowl today in the open water at the Lennox Generating Plant. One observer in Frankford on Thursday found a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and an AMERICAN COOT in the Trent River in the downtown area. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS continue to turn up here and there. On Monday, there were two seen on Apple Road, just off Highway 14 south of Oak Hill (Stirling area). An EASTERN TOWHEE turned up at a feeder at 540 Downs Road, east of Wooler Road during the week, near where a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK has appeared sporadically over the last several days. On Highway 30, at the Warkworth turnoff, another observer flushed 100 SNOW BUNTINGS from the side of the road, certainly one of the larger flocks reported this winter within the reporting area. Back in Prince Edward County, the BARRED OWL which was seen at Lakeshore Lodge Road in Sandbanks Provincial Park on January 21st, reappeared on Friday within the Park boundaries, but this time at the Maple Rest Heritage House. Other noteworthy sightings during the week included 16 WILD TURKEYS on County Road 11 at East Lake (others present near the Park entrance), two RUSTY BLACKBIRDS coming to a feeder on Fry Road, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK near Lake-on-the-Mountain, BROWN CREEPER at Prinyer's Cove, and 11 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS on County Road 8, north of the Lennox Generating Station. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Owen Weir, Sue and Ken Panko, Bruce DiLabio, Walter Frey, Lloyd Paul, Evelyn Sloane, Jess Chambers, Serge de Sousa, Don McClure and Ken Ashton for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 9th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good birding ! Terry Sprague Picton, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.naturestuff.net "Terry Sprague" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
