WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, September 15, 2005
As the fall progresses the variety of warblers decreases, and although 20
species were recorded this week around the Prince Edward Point Bird
Observatory, many of them have decreased in numbers. Today (Thursday)
there was a late OVENBIRD, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER and MOURNING WARBLER and
three BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS. Other warblers seen included good numbers of
BLACKPOLLS, YELLOW-RUMPED and a few WESTERN PALMS. In fact this fall has
seen record numbers of BLACKPOLL WARBLERS trapped, and the early movement
of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS is continuing with 28 trapped today. Today a late
YELLOW WARBLER was seen near the beach and an AMERICAN PIPIT flew over.
BLACKPOLL WARBLERS could be seen in all the bushes and 18 were trapped. In
the Cedar Woods there were large numbers of thrushes hiding and an
estimated 35 GRAY-CHEEKED, 75 SWAINSON'S a HERMIT THRUSH and 6 VEERYS were
seen. On the census near the harbour an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen
feeding on the path but was not seen later. During the week there was a WOOD
DUCK in the harbour on the 11th, and a good movement of OSPREYS with 12
seen, including 6 on the 10th, a few SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS have flown over and
peaked at 10 on the 10th along with four COOPER'S HAWKS. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK
was trapped in a mist net on the 11th and is the second ever one banded
here.
Shorebirds are scarce and only singles of SPOTTED and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS
have been seen in or around the harbour. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are
hardly being seen at all now with only one being seen every couple of days.
The feeders will remain out to lure any late passing birds to linger and be
counted. Flycatchers have almost disappeared as well with 1 EASTERN WOOD
PEWEE on the 13th, 3 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS on the 10th, a TRAILL'S
FLYCATCHER on the 11th and 5 LEAST FLYCATCHERS being seen all week. A late
EASTERN KINGBIRD was seen on the 9th. As is usual at this time of year,
BLUE JAYS have started to move and there was a peak of 1500 on the 12th.
AMERICAN CROWS have been absent all fall but 3 were seen on the 10th/11th.
The only swallow all week was a BARN SWALLOW which flew over on the 12th,
WINTER WRENS have returned and are being seen daily now, and a few HOUSE
WRENS are still to be found. A late SCARLET TANAGER was trapped on the
14th, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS are starting to build in numbers and
occasional juncos are being found, including a pink-sided junco found in
the nets today and banded.
In addition to the late SCARLET TANAGER at Prince Edward Point yesterday,
there was also one at a bird bath near Glenora today. The Millennium Trail,
from Carrying Place to Picton, has been an excellent location this fall to
find fall birds. The dense hedgerows of buckthorn, gray and red osier
dogwood, choke cherry and the occasional wild apple and hawthorn have
harboured numerous species of birds along the way. Most noticeable in the
last week have been repeated sightings of ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, along
with the usual sparrow species seen at this time of the year foraging in the
tall grasses along the trail. In addition to a small colony of SEDGE WRENS
found near Smoke's Point Road in early August, another individual turned up
near Hubb's Creek, just north of Greer Road on September 9th.
A few species of warblers have also turned up along the trail, but it has
once again been the community of Albury that continued to produce a setting
not unlike that of an aviary. Present one day this week were approximately 2
dozen YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, an OVENBIRD perched a scant two feet to the
right of the observer, PALM WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED
WARBLER, RED-EYED VIREO and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. And with the busy air
traffic in local backyards, there are bound to be casualties. One of the
luckier ones, a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, collided with a window just
east of Picton, but recovered and continued on its way. A not so lucky GREAT
BLUE HERON, a regular at the fish pond in Picton's Glenwood Cemetery,
collided with some overhead utility wires and ended up with a broken wing.
The bird reappeared on nearby Prospect Avenue where it was scooped up and
taken to a facility.
Feeders in the area continue to bustle, if not with typical winter species,
certainly with summer birds and young of the year. A PILEATED WOODPECKER on
a suet log at Trenton was seen feeding its offspring early this week. A
white-headed BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE has been visiting a feeder on Melville
Road, and a young HORNED LARK continues to visit a feeding area near Green
Point where it has been seen off and on all summer. There is a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at Sunrise Court at Massassauga Point, DARK-EYED
JUNCOS at a Waupoos feeder, and one feeder east of Picton has no fewer than
8 DOWNY WOODPECKERS (2 at a hummingbird feeder), 4 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS
and 25 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. And a feeder at Albury has had a small number
of PURPLE FINCHES. And it ain't even winter yet!
WILD TURKEYS this past week showed up near the corner of Greer Road and
Benway Road at Hiller (4), and 40 put in an appearance at Water Street near
Demorestville. OSPREYS were seen at the Quinte Skyway Bridge, east end of
Consecon Lake, and at Belleville. An impressive kettle of 6 BALD EAGLES (2
adults and 4 immatures) was seen by one lucky observer at Point Petre on
September 9th. Equally lucky was a kayaking group who stopped at a small
island at Fourth Depot Lake northwest of Verona for lunch and flushed 2
adult BALD EAGLES from a perch near shore. The eagles continued to circle
around in an attempt to reclaim their island while the group had their
lunch. The lake, actually a reservoir at the headwaters of the Napanee
River, was several feet below normal, and mudflats all over the lake were
hosting flocks of CANADA GEESE and shorebirds, along with no fewer than 6
GREAT BLUE HERONS and an injured COMMON LOON. Dining with us that day
(Tuesday) were several KILLDEER, SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, at least 6 yellowlegs -
all GREATERS - and a single BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. Back in Prince Edward
County, a chance visit to Gull Bar along the south shore of Prince Edward
County produced a WILLET for one lucky birder.
Other noteworthy birds during the past week were 3 PIED-BILLED GREBES in the
Moira River opposite the McNabb Towers in Belleville, the same building
where a PEREGRINE FALCON spent the entire month of August. A GREAT EGRET was
seen at the Fox Pond, north of Trenton, on September 13th.
And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte Area.
Our thanks to David Okines (Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory), Ove and
Mary-ann Ojaste, John Charlton, Bill Vloeberghs, Laura Pierce, John Brisley,
Glenn Helm, Evelyn Sloane, Peter Marshall, John and Margaret Moore, Silvia
Botnick, Thomas Rymes, Keith Edget, Rae O'Brien, and John Blaney for their
contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on
Thursday, September 22nd. Bird sightings may be forwarded to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] any time before the Thursday 6:00 p.m. deadline. This
report also appears for a period of seven days on the NatureStuff website
under BIRDING where this week's featured photo is a DARK-EYED JUNCO, taken
by Elena Petrcich.
Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.naturestuff.net
