WEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING Thursday, April 10, 2008
New spring arrivals this past week in the Quinte area included a whole whack of stuff including 2 SANDHILL CRANES in flight over Picton on April 2nd, NORTHERN FLICKER and BARN SWALLOW at Prince Edward Point on the 5th, AMERICAN BITTERN (2) in the Big Island Marsh on the 6th, and VESPER SPARROW near Prince Edward Point on the 7th, just to name a few of the highlights. PURPLE MARTINS returned to West Lake on April 8th, and the same day along Massassauga Road, and to Big Island this evening. The first OSPREY of the season was seen at the Massasauga Road and County Road 28 nesting platform, south of Belleville, on April 4th, and resident birds are now at their nest sites along Highway 33 at the Lennox Generating Plant, and Cherry Valley, with individual birds hunting being noted in North Marysburgh, Wesley Acres and Green Point. A PIED-BILLED GREBE has been calling noisily from the Big Island Marsh for the past two mornings. With warmer temperatures, waterfowl are taking advantage of lakes and bays and flooded fields where they occur. Kaiser Crossroad continues to baffle many observers as even a space of an hour can make a big difference in what may show up. TUNDRA SWANS in the high 20s have been counted, along with varying numbers of NORTHERN PINTAILS, AMERICAN WIGEONS, GREEN-WINGED TEALS, SNOW GEESE (5), AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, BUFFLEHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCKS, just to name a few of those species one can expect to see on a visit there while water levels remain constant. Predicted rains on Friday and Saturday should hold the water for a few more days. At Prince Edward Point, GADWALL, 1000 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 5 COMMON LOONS, 2300 CANADA GEESE, 67 SNOW GEESE, 500 LONG-TAILED DUCKS and 200 BUFFLEHEAD were some of the interesting species and numbers to be reported from there. Elsewhere, it's where and when you happen to stop. A flooded field along County Road 64 just east of Brighton, on April 4th, contained no fewer than 30 WOOD DUCKS. HOODED MERGANSERS turn up regularly in many local creeks at this time of the year, and the flooded field along Wesley Acres had 36 GREEN-WINGED TEALS on April 7th. Conditions continue to improve as the ice gives way at the headwaters of the Outlet River in East Lake with 30 MUTE SWANS, BUFFLEHEADS, CANVASBACKS, COMMON GOLDENEYE and scaup being a few of the waterfowl species present on the 6th. The ice at Muscote Bay finally surrendered to spring on Monday, with 6 HOODED MERGANSERS being the first to take advantage of the softer conditions. A GREAT BLUE HERON and an OSPREY actively fishing officially declared this section of the Bay of Quinte open for business. A GREAT EGRET flew east along the Napanee River in that town on Wednesday, and another was seen the same day at Barcovan near Brighton. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS were seen at Walmsley Road, and at Prince Edward Point. Also at the latter location, 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS were seen on April 6th, along with 1 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and a WINTER WREN. A tiny marsh of less than an acre along upper Victoria Road in Ameliasburgh on Tuesday was alive with WILSON'S SNIPE as 3 winnowed at low level above my head while another 2 called from within the marsh itself. The swarms of COMMON REDPOLLS that once descended on local bird feeders are but a fraction of their earlier numbers. Two were still at a Bloomfield feeder on Sunday, 4 at a Big Island feeder on the 7th and 3 the same day at a Tripp Road feeder. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES are still visiting a few local feeders, and is the subject of our photos in the online edition of this report. FOX SPARROWS have been noted at several location, and three were in one backyard in the Tweed area. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS are nesting now, as are TREE SWALLOWS. A MERLIN is back at a nesting site in the Trenton area where it had nested last year. EASTERN PHOEBES were seen at Hay Bay, Prince Edward Point, Big Island and Harbard Road at Gardenville. Two COMMON RAVENS continue to be seen at Cape Vesey where they might be nesting. An early WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was present at Kaiser Crossroad on April 5th. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks Bill Burns, Joanne Dewey, Bill Leet, Donna Fano, Heather Heron, John & Janet Foster, Doris Lane, Donn Legate, David Bree, Norma Broadbear, Michael Jaques, Jess Chambers, Kathleen Rankine, Pamela Stagg, Frank Artes & Carolyn Barnes, Bill Hogg, Nick Quickert, Henri Garand, Ted Cullin, Beth McPherson, Myrna Wood, Bruce Ripley, Fred Helleiner, Ron Weir, Kathy Felkar, Anne Potter, Fred Chandler, and Eric Caley for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on Thursday, April 17th, but sightings can be e-mailed any time before the 6:00 p.m. Thursday deadline. Featured photos on the Main Birding Page and in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report are all by John & Janet Foster of the Tweed area. Terry Sprague Prince Edward County [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.naturestuff.net _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
