To summarize the first two weeks of the new year is somewhat daunting as
everyone is out starting their year's list and two of the local Christmas
counts were done in January; Amherst Island on the 2nd and Napanee on the 3rd.
Amherst had 3 Common Loons, 7 Mute and 40 Tundra Swans and Napanee a Trumpeter
Swan. Other recent waterfowl sightings included 2 Ruddy Ducks and 20 Am. Coots
at Dupont, 50 White-winged Scoters at Prince Edward Point and Wood Ducks at
both Chaffey's Lock and in the Napanee River.
Bald Eagles are widespread but 13 at once yesterday, standing on the ice on
Bayfield Bay on Wolfe Island is pretty impressive. Other raptors of note were a
Red-shouldered Hawk and a Golden Eagle on the Amherst CBC and another Golden
Eagle at Westport on the 9th. The N. Goshawk made a return visit to Bedford
Mills on the 2nd and a Peregrine Falcon has again taken up residence on
Botterel Hall at Queen's.
Large flocks of Wild Turkeys were reported from Gananoque, Wolfe Island and
south of Camden East.
The owl picture remains bright; up to 3 Snowy Owls on Amherst (all at the east
end), a Boreal, 2 N. Saw-whet and up to 9 Long-eared in the Owl Woods. and
about 30 Short-eared; visible at dusk along the road east of Stella.
Other notable sightings: 25 Cedar Waxwings, 6 White-throated Sparrows and an E.
Towhee on the Napanee CBC, all four common blackbirds on the Amherst CBC: 3
Red-winged, 2 Rusty, 1 Common Grackle, and 17 Brown-headed Cowbirds. Am. Robins
were seen in small numbers at three locations; the Brown Thrasher was at
Elginburg until at least the 10th; a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Red-bellied
Woodpecker were in the Owl Woods and a Brown Creeper and a Tufted Titmouse
continue to visit feeders in Bedford Mills and Bath respectively. There were 40
Bohemian Waxwings at Morton on the 6th and a Yellow-rumped Warbler at Prince
Edward Pt. on the 11th.
The finch picture remains bleak; there are good numbers of Am. Goldfinches at
feeders but the only others noted were a Pine Siskin at Bedford Mills and a
couple of Purple Finches at Camden East.
Cheers,
Peter Good
Kingston Field Naturalists
613 378-6605
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