WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE
WEEK ENDING Thursday, February 15, 2007
A snow storm during the week coupled with frigid temperatures and high
winds, all may have contributed to some unusual behaviour in backyard guests
at some feeders across the region. One Belleville resident who started out
feeding a handful of MALLARDS in his backyard, had a local farmer this week
deliver a half ton of corn to his property at the northeast part of the city
to satisfy the hunger of well over 100 of the ducks that appear early every
morning. Feeding them twice a day, he first serves them breakfast early in
the morning, and is barely in the house before his backyard guests begin
arriving. A resident west of Trenton observes that a farmer there finally
harvested his corn field last week, and the corn stubble in this field has
since drawn 200 ducks, said to be a mixture of MALLARDS and AMERICAN BLACK
DUCKS. On Northport Road, one resident was surprised to wake up one morning
to find a lone CANADA GOOSE joining the regular clientel at his feeder. In
the Thomasburg area, visitors there among the chickadees and woodpeckers
have been a high of 8 WHITE-TAILED DEER, and four are also coming to a
feeder west of Tweed.
With the extreme temperatures, of course, has come an expected increased
in visitation at feeders from most of the regulars. Well over 40 AMERICAN
TREE SPARROWS are early morning regulars at 23 Sprague Road, 20 or more are
coming to a feeder on Crookston Road, and 55 were reported from a feeder at
2800 County Road 1 near Bloomfield. This feeder also has 35 AMERICAN
GOLDFINCHES, and not far away on Wilson Road, 20 or more are at a feeder
there, a species that seems to have dwindled in numbers at most feeders
elsewhere this winter. The snowstorm on Valentine's Day brought AMERICAN
GOLDFINCHES to a feeder at Consecon Lake, and with them, appeared 4 PINE
SISKINS, a species all but absent from the County scene this winter, but
present this winter in the Algonquin Park area. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS
appeared at feeders at Cherry Valley, County Road 10 about 5 km south of
Picton, George's Road, and there are two that are regulars at 2800 County
Road 1. A bit more on the unusual side are 2 BROWN CREEPERS that check in
daily at one feeder west of Northport. Highs of other species include 9
DOWNY WOODPECKERS at the County Road 1 feeder, 40 BLUE JAYS at Crookston
Road, 30 DARK-EYED JUNCOS north of Belleville, 50 HOUSE FINCHES at a Trenton
feeder (and 22 at a South Bay feeder) and 20 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES at a
feeder just west of Picton. Other interesting bird feeder guests reported
through the week were 4 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and SONG
SPARROW at an Elmbrook feeder, another SONG SPARROW at 23 Sprague Road, a
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH at a feeder west of Picton and a PURPLE FINCH,
PILEATED WOODPECKER, and 2 AMERICAN CROWS at a feeder on the north side of
Trenton. A FOX SPARROW continues to visit a feeder near Croydon, north of
Napanee.
Numerous reports of hawks this past week with 20 or more seen along 401
between Belleville and Oakville, comprising RED-TAILED and ROUGH-LEGGED. A
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was also seen at Point Petre on Friday and a
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was found along nearby Royal Road. NORTHERN HARRIERS, a
species that is becoming increasingly common in winter anymore, were seen at
Sandbanks Provincial Park, Cape Vesey, Bloomfield area, Wesley Acres Road,
and outside Prince Edward County in the Stirling area, where a NORTHERN
SHRIKE also turned up. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was spotted beside a house and
feeders in Bloomfield, and another was perched in a tree beside a house at
Croydon. A RED-TAILED HAWK along Crookston Road, west of Tweed, is a regular
visitor to hunks of fat put out by one resident. There were COOPER'S HAWKS
seen at Trenton, Harmony Road north of Belleville, and west of Picton at
feeders at those locations, and one sat in a tree seemingly uninterested,
perhaps overwhelmed with choices, by the hoards of birds feeding nervously
at 23 Sprague Road. BALD EAGLES put on a bit better display this week than
in the past, with sightings of an immature at Lakeside Road, 2 adults and an
immature at Cape Vesey, and one at Barcovan. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was seen
doing some birdwatching of its own at a feeder west of Trenton.
Waterfowl, understandably, have been a bit more difficult to find, unless
you lean over the Belleville backyard fence where the 100 MALLARDS come
daily to feed. However, a female NORTHERN PINTAIL and 4 CANVASBACKS were
seen Friday at Barcovan. Lakeside Road (Cressy) produced 5 TUNDRA SWANS,
CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS and AMERICAN BLACKS.
Other interesting sightings over the week included 15 WILD TURKEYS on the
north side of the Murray Canal just east of the Barcovan turn, and another 5
crossing County Road 8 at the Girl Guide Camp. There were 30 AMERICAN ROBINS
seen in a field of red cedars at Crofton on the 11th, 15 CEDAR WAXWINGS near
Bloomfield, and about 50 AMERICAN CROWS circling and perching along Highway
33 west of Picton.
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
