WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, December 07, 2006
Some rather upsetting news in this week's Quinte Area Bird Report, so we'll
get that out of the way first. The YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER that first showed
up at a feeder west of Carrying Place on November 26th, has died. Local
birders made the pilgrimage almost daily to Shoal Point Road, just south of
the Murray Canal, to watch this vagrant who normally would be more at home
at this time of the year in the cypress swamps of Louisiana. One birder from
Trenton even went so far as to deliver a mixture of chopped food to the
hosts of the rare bird to be placed in the feeder that it visited every day.
However, at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, the bird died after it flew against a
window of the house.
On a happier note, the arrival of 15 centimetres of snow in Prince Edward
County during the night of December 4th, resulted in at least a few
sightings of birds, more typical of winter, and some increased visitation to
local bird feeders. SNOW BUNTINGS don't seem to have responded to the
snowfall, and why should they, as by yesterday, much of it had melted away.
However 15 were seen yesterday along Marisett Road, and numbers will likely
not increase beyond a handful until winter returns with a little more
enthusiasm. NORTHERN SHRIKES during the week were seen at the east end of
South Shore Big Island Road, 3 were present in the Prince Edward Point area,
and another was found south of Carrying Place. A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
turned up at a feeder on Crookston Road in the Tweed area yesterday, another
is at a feeder northwest of Bloomfield, and yet another showed up at Prince
Edward Point on December 3rd.
A correction to last week's report of a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, found on
November 29th, at Sandbanks Provincial Park. The bird was, in fact, an
AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. This report apologizes for the typo. The
bird was located in the West Lake Sector of the park, just off the main
paved road leading toward the parking lot, about 300 metres in off the road
along the "green" cross country ski trail. There has been no update on the
sighting this week.
It seems to have been a mixed bag of sightings with a few typical of the
season trying to be noticed, but offset by a late CHIPPING SPARROW at Prince
Edward Point on the 3rd, as well as a late FIELD SPARROW in the Carrying
Place area at noon today. Also, taking advantage of the somewhat mild
temperatures were a lingering DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, a GOLDEN-CROWNED
KINGLET, 3 NORTHERN FLICKERS, 4 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 15 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS
and a SWAMP SPARROW, all present in the Prince Edward Point area on the 3rd.
Four species of blackbirds were seen on the 5th south of Carrying Place,
including BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, 4 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS
and a COMMON GRACKLE, where 15 HORNED LARKS were also observed. Numerous
feeders in the county still have small numbers of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS
among the clientel. A pair of BELTED KINGFISHERS continue to frequent the
mill pond in Stirling.
AMERICAN ROBINS are still in good supply throughout the area, and will
likely hang around all winter now in sheltered tangles and coniferous
groves, exploiting this year's bountiful harvest of wild grapes, and both
red cedar and buckthorn berries. CEDAR WAXWINGS (30) were present along
Glenora Road during the week, and others were noted at Prince Edward Point.
Two BALD EAGLES and an immature GOLDEN EAGLE were seen on Sunday at Prince
Edward Point. A surprise visit by a NORTHERN GOSHAWK near Tweed took place
at a feeder there.
Although the well known feeder along Glenora Road never really lost much
momentum during the summer season, things are really starting to pick up
now, according to the owners. This past week there were 30 BLUE JAYS, 10
HOUSE FINCHES, 6 PURPLE FINCHES, 20 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, 3 HAIRY
WOODPECKERS, 4 DOWNY WOODPECKERS, 2 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS, 20 BLACK-CAPPED
CHICKADEES, 15 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and 3 WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES among the
clientel making daily visits. Another feeder at 2800 County Road 1 is not
far behind in its visitation of local birds. This week there were 30
MOURNING DOVES, a half dozen or so HAIRY WOODPECKERS, similar numbers of
DOWNY WOODPECKERS and two RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS among the regulars there.
As for water birds this week, 3 BLACK SCOTERS and 20 HORNED GREBES were
among the waterfowl species noted at Prince Edward Point on December 3rd.
Another 80 HORNED GREBES were counted in Prince Edward Bay the same day off
Little Bluff Conservation Area. A pair of COMMON MERGANSERS were seen
fishing together in a sheltered area of the Bay of Quinte for most of the
week at Geroge's Road, and 3 HOODED MERGANSERS were seen earlier in the week
at the mill pond in Stirling.
This is a condensed version of the Quinte Area Bird Report, containing only
the significant sightings for Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. The
full version can be found on the NatureStuff website, under BIRDING from
the Main Menu.
Terry Sprague
Prince Edward County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.naturestuff.net
