WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA for Sunday, March 14, 2004
As might be expected at this time of the year, waterfowl was the focus of everybody's attention this past week. And highlighting the week's observations were 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at the East Lake boat launch off County Road 18 at Sandbanks Provincial Park yesterday. With them were 2 possible first year TRUMPETER SWANS. In total, there were 25 swans present, and rounding out the species were TUNDRA SWANS and MUTE SWANS. This location which form the headwaters of the Outlet River, is one birders should seek out at this time of the year when birding in the county. Others seen there yesterday were 1,000 CANADA GEESE, 50 to 100 each of GREATER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCKS, COMMON GOLDENEYE and BUFFLEHEAD, with smaller numbers of NORTHERN PINTAIL, AMERICAN WIGEON, COMMON MERGANSERS, REDHEADS, HOODED MERGANSERS, MALLARDS, AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS and at least one LESSER SCAUP. The same make up of species and similar numbers were also there on Thursday. The entrance to the boat launch is unmarked but is exactly 1.2 km east of the Sandbanks entrance along County Road 18, or exactly .9 km west of the Outlet River Bridge. Swinging our attention to Wellington Harbour, things are picking up there too as the ice surrenders to winds and warmer temperatures. Yesterday, there were 5 SNOW GEESE comprising 2 adult white phase, 2 white juveniles and one adult blue phase. At Huyck's Point, another 3 white phase SNOW GEESE were seen the same day. A day earlier at Wellington Harbour, there were 15 species of waterfowl present, including most of the species already mentioned in this report that were seen elsewhere, to which 2 CANVASBACKS can be added. Water is also opening up at the Norris Whitney Bridge linking Prince Edward County to Belleville where among the species present early in the week was a HOODED MERGANSER. Despite the warming temperatures, neither the Bucknell's Slough on Wesley Acres Road at Bloomfield nor the flooded fields on Kaiser Crossroad at Cressy, are yielding much yet, but those areas require watching over the next little while. At the moment, there are a few AMERICAN WIGEON, at least 20 paired NORTHERN PINTAILS, 2 TUNDRA SWANS and at least 4,000 CANADA GEESE. And that's nothing compared to the scene when things really get moving. At Prince Edward Bay, high winds during the week continued to work at the ice and open water can now be seen as far as the west end of Waupoos Island. A few small areas that have opened up west of there near Morrison's Point have offered shelter to a number of common waterfowl species, nine of which were TUNDRA SWANS. WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS continue to be regulars between Prince Edward Point and Timber Island. GADWALL and RING-NECKED DUCKS were present throughout the week on the rock bar in Prince Edward Bay, just out from Kaiser Crossroad. Petticoat Bay at the end of Brewer's Lane produced at least 4,000 scaup with a 150 LONG-TAILED DUCKS and COMMON GOLDENEYE. And MUTE SWANS are turning up everywhere now in the county. The best duck of the week was a female RUDDY DUCK along Cressy Lakeside Road on Wednesday. Bird feeders have slowed down somewhat, although the drop in normal clients has been more than replaced by large numbers of COMMON GRACKLES, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, indicating that the spring migration, despite occasional snow squalls off the lake, is underway. A KILLDEER was found on the Lake Ontario shoreline some distance west of the Prince Edward Point Harbour on Tuesday. The area also produced 4 WILD TURKEYS, and an EASTERN SCREECH OWL. At Sandbanks, a GREAT HORNED OWL in the Cedars Campground is being constantly mobbed by COMMON CROWS, and two more GREAT HORNED OWLS are calling back and forth in the Barry Heights area at Trenton. On Big Island, two NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS have been heard calling every morning at 4:30 a.m. Other interesting sightings during the week included 30 WILD TURKEYS and a TURKEY VULTURE at Sandbanks Provincial Park, a NORTHERN SHRIKE on Gore Road south of Rednersville yesterday, a PILEATED WOODPECKER at West Point on Tuesday, a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and AMERICAN WOODCOCK on Maitland Drive north of Belleville during the week. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Yvette Bree, Cheryl Anderson, Doris Lane, Sharron Blaney, John Blaney, John Charlton, Shirley Preston, Don Craighead, Lloyd Paul, Judy Bell and Michael Schummer for their contributions to this week's report. This report also appears on the Birding page at www.naturestuff.net . This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 21st. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good winter 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.
