WEEKLY REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA FOR THE WEEK ENDING Thursday, December 25, 2008 Merry Christmas !
A true birder is one who either does not let the Christmas season get in the way of birding, or somehow manages to work in both! There was no dearth of sightings this past week as birders continued to get afield and keep an eye on the customers at their feeding stations. A feisty BLUE JAY at our feeder was a little more than irritated when it got caught by a passing SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. The screams coming from the lilac bushes drew my attention as I stepped outside to do some work. When I approached the struggling pair, the hawk released its grasp but remained on the branch less than a metre in front of me, and the blue jay, instead of flying for its life, flew out briefly, and then returned to the bushes and actually made some very aggressive moves toward its tormentor. The blue jay was all ruffed up and really looked upset and was screaming at the hawk. Then, I guess it realized there was still some danger to itself, and flew off to join the jays at the feeder, and the hawk flew off into the other direction. All of this took place within three or four metres of where I was standing. The hawk got the last laugh though; it successfully made a capture the next morning and spent 30 minutes consuming the unlucky bird while everything else at the feeders carried on as though nothing had taken place. One SHARP-SHINNED HAWK in the Trenton area that is less particular about what Nature serves up was seen consuming two EUROPEAN STARLINGS in as many days, and consuming them with great enthusiasm. Among the usual SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, COPPER'S HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS reported across the County this week, there was a dark morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK seen on County Road 24 between Brummel Road and County Road 10. A SNOWY OWL was at Sandbanks, perched on a "No Wake" sign along the Outlet River, likely the same one that has been in the general area for some weeks. A BARRED OWL appeared at 2800 County Road 1, but the absolute best sighting was a BOREAL OWL at Sandbanks Provincial Park on December 20th, seen in the area of Sites 190 to 200 of the campground, accessible from County Road 18 across from the Group Campground. At least 3 BALD EAGLES, two of them adults, are being seen quite regularly in the Adolphus Reach area, and others, or the same individuals, have been noted along Prince Edward Bay and Smith's Bay. Open water is where you find it these days after the frigid weather of earlier in the week. The usually dependable Weller's Bay Channel at Barcovan was full of ice on the 22nd, due to brisk west winds, but a small opening that day did contain a few surprises, including several AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS and COMMON GOLDENEYE, as well as nice male WOOD DUCK. Wellington Harbour remains frozen and until conditions improve there, this normally dependable body of water is not apt to produce anything anytime soon. Some impressive guests, both in terms of species and numbers, at many area feeders. It's not often one is lucky enough to have a BALD EAGLE, never mind two, at a feeding station, even if it is some distance from the house. For a Tweed area couple, the sighting of these majestic birds having their fill of suet, and being harassed by up to 10 COMMON RAVENS, was quite a treat. "Tweed Abattoir fat attracts nothing but the finest," commented the Crookston Road residents who said the eagles were new additions to their "yard list". WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS and COMMON REDPOLLS still have not made up their mind whether they will show up at feeders this winter. A flock of 20 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS was seen in the Film Street area of Trenton last Thursday, and COMMON REDPOLL appearances have been spotty with 10 at a feeder along George's Road, and several being seen in the village of Ameliasburgh. AMERICAN GOLDFINCH numbers remain high at many feeders in the area, with an estimated 30 showing up in Allisonville and the Northport area. In metro Allisonville, high numbers are also represented this season by DARK-EYED JUNCOS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, along with 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS. The latter species was also noted this week on Sprague Road (2), one at South Bay, and one at a feeder on the south side of Tower Line Road, southwest of Trenton. A big surprise for one resident of Lake-on-the-Mountain was the appearance of a single PINE GROSBEAK on the 22nd. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS this week were reported from feeders at Waupoos and Ameliasburgh. CEDAR WAXWINGS cross paths with birders on a regular basis this winter it seems, and a flock of 65 in a backyard east of Lake-on-the-Mountain represents the largest flock this week. Also roaming around in large numbers have been COMMON CROWS, with a flock (a murder, if you want the proper term of assemblage) of 100 north of Shannonville, and not to be outdone was a flock (murmuration) of EUROPEAN STARLINGS numbering 300 at Allisonville, but also tying for first place was a gaggle of CANADA GEESE (300) in a field near Wellington. For the first time this winter in respectable numbers, was a flock of SNOW BUNTINGS, numbering some 300, seen today along County Road 1 near McFaul Road, and another 10 later on May Road. CACKLING GEESE (5) showed up with a gaggle of 550 CANADA GEESE at Sandbanks Provincial Park on the 20th along with a single HORNED GREBE. Proving that birds are where you find them, at a freshly manured field along County Road 24 (Point Petre Road) on the 20th, one birder counted 59 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and a single RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD feasting on the bonanza. Two more RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were seen near the Cherryvale Organic Farm along County Road 10, and 15 COMMON GRACKLES and 2 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were tallied by the same observer in downtown Cherry Valley. A GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET and a PILEATED WOODPECKER at Sandbanks on the 20th, 2 COMMON RAVENS at Big Island, and an AMERICAN KESTREL at Wellington, were also noteworthy sightings this past week. All three species of swans were present on the 20th off Wellington Beach, involving 3 TUNDRA SWANS, 59 MUTE SWANS and two TRUMPETER SWANS #861 and #052. Area residents are hoping that #052 will one day cease her roaming and settle down. Since being released at Big Island in June of 2006, she has travelled to New York, Connecticut, back to New York, then returned to Prince Edward County, alternating between Log Cabin Point at Sandbanks and Wellington. And that's it for this Christmas morning, December 25th. Our thanks to Fred Chandler, Pamela Stagg, Chris Ireland, Adam Penson, Janet Foster, Jess Chambers, Tyler Hoar, Frank Artes & Carolyn Barnes, Laura Pierce, Brian & Gloria Durell, Nick Quickert, Ted Cullin, Fred Helleiner, Nancy Fox, Michael Lintern-Mole, Doris Lane, Mark Leeming, Marilyn Holland-Foster, Bill Hogg, and David Bree for their contributions to this week's report. This report will be updated on New Year's Day, but sightings can be e-mailed any time before the Wednesday night deadline. The feature photo on the Main Birding Page of the NatureStuff website this week is a SHORT-EARED OWL taken at Amherst Island by Paul O'Toole. Photos in the online edition of the Quinte Area Bird Report are of a WOOD DUCK by Adam Penson, and TRUMPETER SWAN #052 by Paul Kenney. 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
