This has not been an auspicious week for birding at Presqu'ile
Provincial Park. (For those interested in word origins, the Latin word
"auspex" refers to the bird watcher in ancient Rome.) Nevertheless, at
least one surprise was found by birders who braved the elements to visit
the Park. For the past several days, there has been continuous ice
cover over all of Presqu'ile Bay, a phenomenon that occurs rarely and
seldom lasts for more than a few hours. This afternoon, however, a
southerly wind has rapidly blown much of the ice away from the outer bay
and has begun to expose open water off Salt Point.
TRUMPETER SWANS were reported on January 29 and TUNDRA SWANS reached a
high of about 20 birds on that date, before Presqu'ile Bay froze over.
Other waterfowl have been scarce for this time of year. A WHITE-WINGED
SCOTER was at Salt Point before the freeze-up, and the long-staying
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE and the hybrid duck reported last week have not been
seen since January 31. While the ice was moving out this afternoon,
diving ducks, mostly GREATER SCAUP, were streaming back into the bay.
It is likely that REDHEADS and CANVASBACKS will be arriving within
hours. A HORNED GREBE, one of very few January records, swam towards
the lighthouse on January 29 but has not been seen since.
Both adult and immature BALD EAGLES appeared several times in the past
week near the lighthouse. BARRED OWLS continue to be seen irregularly.
A NORTHERN SHRIKE was present on January 30. COMMON RAVENS were seen on
two consecutive days.
All of the remaining sightings in this report were at feeders along
Bayshore Road: a CAROLINA WREN appearing regularly at # 186, a SONG
SPARROW at # 30, two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at # 83, about ten
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS between # 83 and # 102, and a PINE SISKIN at # 186.
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. The narrow channel between Owen
Point and Gull Island is now ice-covered most of the time, but the ice,
while appearing to be thick, might not support the weight of a human.
However, the water beneath the crust, if there is any, is only
ankle-deep. The surrounding shoreline can be very slippery. Birders are
encouraged to record their observations on the bird sightings board
provided near the campground office by The Friends of Presqu'ile Park
and to fill out a rare bird report for species not listed 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 [email protected]
For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
