Compared to other recent years at Presqu'ile Provincial Park, this could
legitimately be called the year of the shorebirds, and the past week has
certainly been the week of the shorebirds, their numbers overshadowing
all other bird sightings.
Bolstered by an influx of moult migrants, the concentration of Canada
Geese along the beach has become spectacular. One has to hope that the
rain will wash away their droppings before the masses of sun-lovers
arrive. The first brood of six Mute Swan cygnets was observed today in
the marsh. Among the ducks that have been seen in the past week are a
male Wood Duck in the marsh, Gadwalls, Redheads, Lesser Scaup (each of
those three on a regular basis), a female Surf Scoter at the lighthouse
on the first three days of this month, four White-winged Scoters flying
past the lighthouse, a male Common Merganser at the beach on May 30, and
several pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers. It remains to be seen whether
the single Common Loons seen on three occasions this week in Presqu'ile
Bay are mated and will repeat last year's successful breeding.
Both Northern Harrier and Merlins have been observed causing a
disturbance among the shorebirds on the beach. The thousands of
shorebirds that have landed on the beach and on Gull Island appear to
have suddenly all but moved on within the past day or so. While it
lasted (and sometimes it lasted for only a few hours at a time before
being replaced by a slightly different mix), the display came close to
rivalling the autumn migration of Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Bay of
Fundy. Here are a few of the highlights: 67 Black-bellied Plovers on
June 1; at least another couple of dozen of that species accompanied by
a single Willet on June 2 (both of those flocks were observed flying off
and not returning); single Whimbrels on May 30 and June 1; scores of
Ruddy Turnstones; over 30 Red Knots on June 4; hundreds of
Semipalmated Sandpipers and Dunlins; a female Wilson's Phalarope (the
second in just over a week). It is of particular interest that a few of
the Red Knots seen in the past couple of weeks were wearing coloured
tags on their legs. At least two of them were banded in Argentina and
one in Surinam.
Although most of the Red-bellied Woodpeckers are less vocal than a month
ago, they are still being detected regularly in at least three different
parts of the Park. At least eight species of flycatchers have been seen
at Presqu'ile in the past week, including Olive-sided Flycatcher,
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, and Willow Flycatcher. A
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher was near the lighthouse on June 2. A trickle of
migrant warblers (ten species) was still evident on June 1, and even
fewer on subsequent days. Singles of Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark
were at the calf pasture. That is also one of several locations where
Orchard Orioles are regularly being seen. A female Purple Finch visited
a feeder at 83 Bayshore Road on June 4. Regrettably, a pair of House
Sparrows near the lighthouse, until recently a rare species at
Presqu'ile, has fledged four young. It is of some concern that no one
has found either a Whip-poor-will or a Common Nighthawk at Presqu'ile
this spring, though the possibility of a late migrant still exists.
To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton.
Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid
that is available at the Park gate. Access to the offshore islands is
restricted at this time of year to prevent disturbance to the colonial
nesting birds there.
Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be
directed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
--
Fred Helleiner
186 Bayshore Road,
Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0
VOICE: (613) 475 5309
If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park.
_______________________________________________
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
