Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) maintain records in a 50km radius of MacDonald Park, Kingston. Birders using eBird are encouraged to share their sightings with ‘Kingston FN’. Alternatively, please email records directly to me – contact details below. Please note that some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated otherwise. Species in bold type require completion of a rare bird report available on the KFN website or directly from me. If indicated, an OBRC report may be required instead ( http://www.ofo.ca/site/Obrcreport).
The arrival of cold and rainy weather and north winds kicked the fall migration into high gear. The usual warblers, vireos, thrushes and sparrows have been seen in good numbers. A small passage of shorebirds continues with Baird’s, Least, Pectoral and Semipalmated Sandpipers; American Golden and Black-bellied Plovers; Sanderling and Dunlin being seen on the offshore shoals. Highlights: SNOW GOOSE - a lone flyover goose was seen in Kingston on 23 September. PECTORAL SANDPIPER – the high count for the week was seven birds, seen at Amherstview Sewage Lagoons on 21 September. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK – this is a late-migrating species and also a bit of a skulker but there were singles reported this week in Roblin, near Sydenham, and at the Milburn Creek NCC Property near Battersea. BROAD-WINGED HAWK – the main movement of these hawks seemed to be a bit early this year, but singles were seen in the area up to 23 September. YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER - a late migrant was seen by two observers in Kingston on 17 September, with another even later sighting along the Lake Ontario shore on 23 September. LEAST FLYCATCHER – singles were seen on Amherst Island on 17 and along the K&P Trail on 18 September. EVENING GROSBEAK – three very early visitors were seen near Prince Edward Point on 23 September. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW – the first of these late-migrating birds was seen west of Gananoque on 17 September, about a week ahead of their normal arrival date. They are now popping up everywhere. PRAIRIE WARBLER – this species is not often seen in the Kingston Circle on fall migration, and the average date for the last sighting is 28 August. So a lone bird seen in Bath on 23 September was a nice find. In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property in the recording area, Kingston Field Naturalists has adopted the KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy <https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/wildlife/kfn-sensitive-sightings-policy/>. Please note that you must be a card-carrying member of Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN), or be accompanied by a member, to access both the Martin Edwards Reserve and Amherstview Sewage Lagoons. Permits are being checked on a regular basis at Amherstview and those without are being evicted. KFN members wishing to enter the Invista property must enter through the west gate and show their membership card to security. Ducks Unlimited is currently reconstructing the berm around the wetland at the Martin Edwards Reserve, so the path to the point is off limits. As always, a big thank you goes to all those who have submitted sightings directly or via eBird. Anthony N. Anthony Kaduck Kingston, Ontario Email: kaduckintransit « at » googlemail.com -- "The simple step of a simple courageous man is not to partake in falsehood, not to support false actions" -- Alexandr Solzhenitsyn -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
