WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, June 08, 2003
This is advance notice that, due to July and August being traditionally slow months for birding, and with fewer people sending in reports during this period, the Quinte Area Bird Report will issue its final weekly summary for the season on June 29th, and will resume in September. Meanwhile, I will still appreciate any reports that people would care to e-mail me during the summer as these will continue to be entered in the Prince Edward County data base. The big news this past week was the appearance of a male DICKCISSEL at a feeder on Highway 62, at the junction of Jericho Road. The bird, which was photographed, was present only for the day, and did not return. This is the first sighting since an individual was banded at Prince Edward Point in 2001. Bird feeder operators across the Quinte area continue to enjoy periodic visits from INDIGO BUNTINGS and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, accented by the arrivals of other backyard species nesting in the immediate area. There has been an interesting number of people reporting BROWN THRASHERS nesting in their backyards this year, a somewhat uncommon habit with this species. This is the season for relaxing in our lawn chairs when we can and just watching the parade of birds that do make their debut on the famed yard list. Today, a pair of MUTE SWANS passed noisily over 23 Sprague Road at Big Island, and a resident north of Belleville along the Moira River had a pair of CANADA GEESE with an amazing 17 goslings trail across her backyard. ORCHARD ORIOLES were seen this past week at both Sandbanks Provincial Park at the entrance to the Woodlands Campground, and another ORCHARD ORIOLE interested in camping, at the entrance to Adolphustown U.E. Loyalist Park. Two late BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS turned up at Huff's Island on June 6th, and a somewhat tardy OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was present at the Glenora Ferry landing at Adolphustown. A Quinte Conservation staff hike at Sheffield Conservation Area, south of Kaladar on Friday, netted a few birds including a singing AMERICAN REDSTART and a PINE WARBLER in the parking lot, with CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, LEAST FLYCATCHER, WOOD PEWEE, WARBLING and RED-EYED VIREOS, FIELD SPARROW, EASTERN TOWHEE, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, and a VEERY also encountered during the 2-hour hike. A VIRGINIA RAIL responded to a taped call at the H.R. Frink Centre, 9 km north of Belleville, on Monday night. Also seen during a 2-km guided hike there in the evening, attended by 28 people, were WOOD THRUSH, VEERY, WARBLING and RED-EYED VIREOS, SWAMP SPARROW, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK and GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. Other species reported during the week worthy of mention included OSPREYS at the Quinte Skyway Bridge along with a nesting pair atop a light standard in a ball park east of Waupoos, PILEATED WOODPECKER at Warkworth, RING-NECKED PHEASANT north of Napanee, and COMMON LOONS near Telegraph Narrows and in the Big Island Marsh. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Sergio de Sousa, Colleen McLeod, Lloyd Paul, Carolyn Barnes and Frank Artes, Joanne Dewey, Evelyn & Doug Sloane, and Linda Ray for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. 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] www.naturestuff.net "Terry Sprague" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.
