The best birds of the week were the EURASIAN WIGEON that has managed to persist at the ponds along Hughes Road since mid-April, a MARBLED GODWIT at the Amherstview Sewage Lagoons and a LITTLE GULL off of Garden Island. The most commonly reported migrants this week were SPOTTED SANDPIPER, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN KINGBIRD, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, RUSTY BLACKBIRD
City of Kingston CHIMNEY SWIFTS and a YELLOW WARBLER were on Queen's University campus. The following were among the birds reported from the St. Lawrence Woods area: LONG-TAILED DUCK, GRAY CATBIRD, NASHVILLE, YELLOW, PINE and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, NORTHERN PARULA and BALTIMORE ORIOLE. Amherst Island There was still a good variety of waterfowl offshore of the island including WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, both SCAUP species, LONG-TAILED DUCK, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, and COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. CLIFF SWALLOWS were back at their traditional nesting location near the ferry dock. Other species of note were AMERICAN BITTERN, GREAT EGRET, GREEN HERON, SORA, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 1 UPLAND SANDPIPER, 2 WILSON'S PHALAROPES, 2 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS, 5 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, 2 GRAY CATBIRDS, OVENBIRD, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, 1 LINCOLN'S SPARROW, 1 SCARLET TANAGER, 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and 5 BALTIMORE ORIOLES. Amherstview Sewage Lagoons Highlights from the lagoons included GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON MERGANSER, 1 MARBLED GODWIT (reported on Wed and Fri), 2 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 5 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 1 male WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 6 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, CASPIAN TERN and four swallow species including 4 BANK SWALLOWS. Opinicon Road Things started to really pick up along Opinicon Road and at Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) during the later part of the reporting period, including the first few CERULEAN WARBLERS near the Skycroft Campground. At least 4 TRUMPETER SWANS were still on Lake Opinincon. There has been no evidence of nesting yet. Both PIED-BILLED and RED-NECKED GREBES had been recorded this past week. Fifteen of the latter species were on Lake Opinicon mid week, while 4 were there last night. BROAD-WINGED HAWKS began nesting. AMERICAN WOODCOCK and WILSON'S SNIPE were still displaying in earnest. At least 6 EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILLS had returned to the Cataraqui Trail north of Opinicon Road. Warblers in the area included OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACKBURNIAN, YELLOW-RUMPED, PALM, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, YELLOW, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACK-THROATED BLUE and PINE WARBLERS. There was a FOX SPARROW at Crystal Springs Farm Road. A RED-EYED VIREO and a BLUE-GREY GNATCATCHER were on the Old Bedford Trail. Other returnies included SCARLET TANAGER, INDIGO BUNTING and YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. A pair of PINE SISKINS, 1 PURPLE FINCH and 1 female EVENING GROSBEAK were present in addition to the AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES at QUBS. Other Sightings A NORTHERN HARRIER and an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL were near Battersea. A LITTLE GULL was among several hundred BONAPARTE'S GULLS off Garden Island. A BALTIOMRE ORIOLE was at Murvale. Thank you to those who contributed observations this week. All bird sightings reported to me are included in the Kingston Field Naturalists’s long term records database which has over 60 years of observations on file and is an invaluable conservation resource. Mark -- Mark Andrew Conboy Operations & Research Assistant and Outreach Coordinator Queen’s University Biological Station 280 Queen's University Road Elgin, Ontario, Canada K0G 1E0 phone: 613-359-5629 fax: 613-359-6558 email: [email protected] or [email protected] QUBS website: http://www.queensu.ca/qubs/index.html QUBS blog: http://opinicon.wordpress.com/ QUBS flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qubsoutreach/ _______________________________________________ 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/
