We may have a few days of spring migration left as the last of the warblers and shorebirds make their way north. The latter were on Amherst in good numbers on Tuesday: a Black-bellied Plover, a White-rumped Sandpiper, about 30 Ruddy Turnstones, several Semipalmated Plover and Dunlin as well as an abundance of Semipalmated Sandpipers. There were also two small flocks of Brant totaling about 45 birds. There was a Wilson's Warbler in a Camden East backyard last Saturday but all the other warblers reported were the less common residents; Chestnut-sided, Cerulean and Golden-winged.
Other notable breeders mentioned this week included both cuckoos (several locations), Black Terns south of Loughborough Lake, Upland Sandpipers at Glenburnie and on Amherst, Common Moorhen in a marsh near Yarker, a Sora on the K&P Trail, and a colony of Bank Swallows at Star Corners south of Harrowsmith. Common Nighthawks are no doubt breeding on the roofs of the "Big Box" stores as they are heard most evenings along Gardiner's Road. Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks put in a couple of appearances this week along with the trail of kingbirds and blackbirds that typically harass these predators during nesting season. One pleasant change locally is that Great Egrets are not the rare bird they used to be. There were two on Amherst on last Sunday, another on Tuesday. There's no evidence of breeding as yet but a welcome sight nevertheless. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
