Last weekend both the Prince Edward and the Kingston Christmas counts were completed in relatively good conditions. Prince Edward tallied 68 species; there were singletons of Surf Scoter, N. Flicker and Evening Grosbeak as well as a Ross's Goose in a flock of Canadas on Hay Bay. Kingston had 102 species. Waterfowl were particularly abundant with record high numbers of Canada Geese, Gadwall, Hooded and Red-breasted Merganser. We also counted 6 Cackling Geese. Record numbers of Wild Turkey, Am. Coot, Common Raven and Bonaparte's Gull were also noted. Rarest birds for the day (we only found one of each) were King Eider, Sandhill Crane (a first for the Kingston count), Am. Woodcock, Turkey Vulture and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Horned Lark and Snow Bunting numbers were conspicuously low. Winter listers continue to find good birds; no doubt abetted by the unwinter-like winter we have had so far. A Black Scoter was in the Kingston harbour last Saturday, a Snow Goose in Hay Bay on Sunday and a Harlequin Duck along the Bath Road on Tuesday. Up to 20 Trumpeter Swans can be found at Chaffey's Lock. A second hand report had a Baltimore Oriole visiting a feeder near Ivy Lea, a Common Grackle was on Amherst Island last Saturday and Red-winged Blackbirds were reported from both Amherst and Abbey Dawn. A Savannah Sparrow was on Amherst on Tuesday and a White-crowned was near Ivy Lea yesterday. Two wren species were found this week; a Marsh on Amherst on Tuesday and a Carolina at Cartwright's Point today. A Killdeer and a Purple Sandpiper on Amherst on Tuesday were the total shorebird list and a Glaucous Gull was at the Violet dump. The first Bohemian Waxwings locally were a flock of 18 seen on Amherst last Friday. Merry Christmas, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605 _______________________________________________ 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/
