WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR Sunday, April 04, 2004
As snow continues to fall this evening, and possibly accumulate somewhat overnight, it is still early enough in the season for spring to arrive in these little unsure spurts as though not quite certain about its welcome. Memories of last April are still fresh in our mind and we hope warmer weather prevails as we forge ahead through this week and the migration of early spring migrants continues. The first WILSON'S SNIPES showed up on March 28th at Huyck's Point, and the following day northwest of Bloomfield, with another checked off near Prince Edward Point. The early spring migrants continue to trickle in as we wait for that surge of balmy weather that will drive the awaited for arrivals into the Quinte area. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW seen at Albury is believed to have been an individual that had wintered nearby, although a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER that appeared in the same yard showed a bit more promise. NORTHERN FLICKERS can be encountered almost daily now, and the increase in EASTERN BLUEBIRD reports likely represent migrants. RING-NECKED PHEASANTS were seen near Wellington and along Fish Lake Road during the week, and a BELTED KINGFISHER turned up at Barcovan. Other migrants included 6 FOX SPARROWS, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and two RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, all at Prince Edward Point. The first CHIPPING SPARROW of the season was seen near Tweed on March 31st. And patiently waiting for the banding season to get under way last week were 8 NORTHERN FLICKERS on the lawn, just outside the still closed banding station. Still delighting in the skiffs of snow and below freezing temperatures are COMMON REDPOLLS, still visiting feeders west of Rednersville and near the Quinte Skyway Bridge. There was a PINE SISKIN at a feeder in Bloomfield on April 1st, and an occasional PURPLE FINCH at a feeder on Green Point Road at the Quinte Skyway Bridge. With the ice gone from most of the lakes and bays now, waterfowl have become more widely scattered. A birder walking along the Millennium Trail across Consecon Lake on Tuesday found 43 MUTE SWANS along with about 200 RING-NECKED DUCKS. In Adolphus Reach, mergansers, BUFFLEHEADS, COMMON GOLDENEYE, MALLARDS, BLACK DUCKS, GREATER SCAUP and four TUNDRA SWANS were present this weekend. Two WOOD DUCKS were also found perched in an oak tree near the same location. The best waterfowl watching however, continues to be in the shallows where NORTHERN SHOVELERS, WOOD DUCKS, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and BLUE-WINGED TEAL were easily tallied in the cattail marshes along Wesley Acres Road, south of Bloomfield on Thursday. On Monday, other observers found good success at the Kaiser Crossroad flooded fields where there were lots of NORTHERN PINTAILS, a REDHEAD, numerous RING-NECKED DUCKS, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEONS, one WOOD DUCK and BLACK DUCKS counted. The previous day over 200 NORTHERN PINTAILS were tallied along with CANADA GEESE, 4 GREEN-WINGED TEALS , and 4 GREATER SCAUPS. Approximately 200 NORTHERN PINTAILS were still there today. Wrapping up the week's sightings was a BALD EAGLE in the Bay of Quinte just west of the Quinte Skyway Bridge, a pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS at a backyard suet feeder in the Barry Heights area of Trenton, a COMMON RAVEN at Carrying Place, a dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK near Prince Edward Point on March 29th, a MERLIN on Point Petre Road, 10 WILD TURKEYS at West Point, and another pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS at Adolphustown, and 10 WOOD DUCKS at Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area south of Picton. Our congratulations to contributor Don Craighead for being one of three recipients of the Golden Eagle Award, presented for his efforts in the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. Don has logged 828 hours atlassing in the first three years of the five-year project, contributing breeding evidence from 29 squares. He completed 91 Rare/Colonial report forms (including 5 for King Rail and 19 for Least Bittern, and has completed 256 point counts in the region. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to Don Craighead, Sacha and John Squair, David & Yvette Bree, Rae O'Brien, Nick Quickert, Lloyd Paul, Janet Foster, Nancy Fox, Bill Hogg, John Charlton, Doug & Evelyn Sloane, and Doris Lane 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, April 11th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good spring birding. Terry Sprague Picton, Ontario [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.naturestuff.net
