limestone.kosone.com!tsprague
For some, it is the changing colours of the leaves, or the drop in temperatures at night that signify the arrival of autumn; to me, it is the arrival of the YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER in its drab, fall plumage. Look for them around your doorstep, your window sills, in the bushes, or hovering around your eaves as they search for food. I found one in my car the other day after I left the window open. This week, they are everywhere in the Quinte area, and they will linger well into late October, and even into November providing that one last glimpse of the warbler family before spring rolls around.
Lots of bird activity in Sandbanks Provincial Park today (Sunday) with both RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS being observed. BLUE JAYS were absolutely everywhere in the park, and several RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES were heard calling. The most numerous species in the park appeared to be the NORTHERN FLICKER, often as many as two dozen observed at any one time.
At the mouth of the Outlet River, a half dozen GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS were loafing on the beach. They were joined by 25 or so BONAPARTE'S GULLS and at least one LITTLE GULL.
It's not too early to start thinking about setting your winter bird feeding station; in fact, there are many who never stop feeding, but feed right through the summer months. The seventh annual bird feeding workshop is scheduled for Sunday, November 17th, 3:30 p.m., at the Regent Theatre, Main Street in Picton. This event, sponsored by the Quinte Conservation Services Alliance and Picton Farm Supply is a great opportunity to learn all the whys and wherefores of this popular pastime. Special feature of the afternoon will be a film, "Spring & Summer Songbirds of the Backyard". If you are in the Quinte area that week, plan to drop by.
This report will be updated Sunday, October 6th. Please e-mail tsprague@limestone.kosone.com
FALL FESTIVAL OF NATURE
Two months of nature activities sponsored by the
Quinte Conservation Services Alliance.
Saturday, October
5th "Ontario Hiking Day".
Celebrating one day early, we will be hiking
the Quinte Conservation Area all afternoon.
Corner
Wallbridge-Loyalist Rd./Highway #2, 1:00 pm. to 3:00 p.m.
tsprague@limestone.kosone.com or
613-968-3434 for more information.
Terry Sprague
limestone.kosone.com!tsprague
The migration through the Quinte area continues, but nothing out of the ordinary was reported this past week.
Dan Korchuk and Melanie Blamire, birding in the Belleville Marsh Area in east Belleville, reported a major wave of warblers in the bushes and trees adjacent to the marsh. By far the most predominant were YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, interspersed with BLACK-THROATED BLUE, TENNESSEE, CANADA, REDSTART, CHESTNUT-SIDED, NORTHERN PARULA, BLACK-THROATED GREEN, and BLACKPOLL.
A report came in early last week of a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER having been shot in Hillier Township on the west side of Prince Edward County. It is regrettable that some peoples' value of wildlife is measured in terms of only whether it can be shot, hooked or trapped.
Although well out of the Quinte area, a hike organized by the Quinte Conservation Services Alliance, at Depot Lakes Conservation Area, north of Verona was very productive on Saturday. There was movement everywhere throughout the 4 km. hike with BLUE JAYS dominating the scene. The call of a HAIRY WOODPECKER at one point in the walk caused everyone in the group to train their binoculars on a dead tree. The tree contained no fewer than 3 HAIRY WOODPECKERS, a DOWNY WOODPECKER, a NORTHERN FLICKER and a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER!
Back in the Quinte area, fall hikes are being planned by the QCSA until the end of October. Notices will be placed at the end of these bird reports at the appropriate time. Join us if you can.
If you have been birding in the Prince Edward County, Belleville, Trenton, Presqu'ile areas this past week, let us know what you observed.
This report will be updated Sunday, September 29th. Please e-mail tsprague@limestone.kosone.com
Terry Sprague
limestone.kosone.com!tsprague
I saw something a bit interesting about 3 weeks ago. It was a simple house sparrow but it was one third white. White feathers mottled its body and even its tail had alternate brown white markings. - it was immature. Coxwell & Danforth
Ken Cook
kcook@fpelectronics.com
A colleague of mine reported that her brother (an experienced naturalist) sighted an albino Robin in a group of Robins near Alton, Ontario. Anyone know of how extensive Albinism (sp?) is in birds?
Rod Murray
rodmurr@astral.magic.ca
Please call the Toronto Rare Bird Hotlne for information about a black-throated gray warbler banded today on Muggs Island. Also adult Franklin's gull that flew by Leslie Street Spit and seabirds seen on Lake Erie. (416-350-3000, and punch in #2293).
Don Davis
stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca!Donald_Davis
The migration through the Quinte area has been slow but steady this past week, with some interesting sightings.
Prince Edward Point on Saturday had WINTER WREN, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, CHESTBUT-SIDED WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER AND RED-EYED VIREO were present, along with RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, BROAD-WINGED HAWK and numerous AMERICAN KESTRELS.
Also on Saturday, there were numerous species feeding at the mouth of the Outlet River in Sandbanks Provincial Park. Included were DUNLIN, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SANDERLING AND LEAST SANDPIPER. These birds were interspersed with GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL, RING-BILLED GULL, BONAPARTE'S GULL, as well as CASPIAN TERN AND COMMON TERN.
On September 10th, park naturalists David and Yvette Bree and Joanne Dewey found an ARCTIC TERN on the Camper's Beach, at Sandbanks. It has not been seen since. While this is not the first sighting of the species in Prince Edward County, it does, however, represent the first fall sighting of the species in the Quinte area. The three naturalists also found a GOLDEN PLOVER at Sandbanks the same day.
If you have been birding in the Prince Edward County, Belleville, Trenton, Presqu'ile areas this past week, let us know what you observed.
FALL FESTIVAL OF NATURE
Two months of nature activities sponsored by the
Quinte Conservation Services Alliance
Saturday, September
21th "Hiking the Shield"
We will be joining the Rideau Trail
Association at Depot Lakes Conservation Area.
Meet at gate,
Highway 38, north of Verona, 10:00 a.m.
tsprague@limestone.kosone.com or
613-968-3434 for more information.
Terry Sprague
limestone.kosone.com!tsprague
Presqu'ile birding was outstanding on September 9th:
D. Bree saw the largest flock of warblers he has ever seen in the park, and included Canada, Wilson's, chestnut-sided, magnolia, b-t green, b-t blue, black and white possible blackburnian, possible mourning, redstart, common yellowthroat, and red-eyed vireo.
Shorebirds included:
western sandpiper - 1 juv, Wilson's phalarope - 1 juv, red know - 8 juv,
lesser golden plover - 1 juv, black bellied plover - 25 juv, semi-palmated
plover - 150 juv, ruddy turnstones - 75 juv, lesser yellowlegs - 2 ad, 20 juv,
greater yellowlegs - 1 ad, 2 juv, Baird's sandpiper - 8 juv, white-rumped
sandpipers - 15 ad, killdeer - 6, semi-palmated sandipipers - 100 juv, least
sandipiper - 45 juv, sanderling - 3 ad, 200 juv, short-billed dowitcher - 18
juv, long-billed dowitcher - 1 juv, spotted sandpiper - 1 juv, pectoral
sandpiper - 1 ad, 1 juv, whimbrel - 1 juv, green heron - 1 juv, snow goose - 1
sub adult white phase, 1 shelduck, 1 merlin - juv,
On Sept. 7 - one peregrine falcon
Besides shorebirds, the following other noteworthy birds have been seen:
On Sept. 10 - blue-gray gnatcatcher, 2 American pipit, 6 red knot, 200
sanderling, 1 buff breasted,
On Sept. 9 - olive-sided flycatcher
On Sept. 11 - 2nd year little gull, 4 gadwall, 1 male immature canvasback, 4 American wigeon, 1 yellow-throated vireo,
A sooty tern was found at Chubb Point, south of Grafton, Ontario on Sunday, September 8th by Jarmo Jaleva. He had gone specifically there to try and find such a bird. Chubb Point is located directly south of Grafton on Station Road. At the bottom of this road is an immense large pasture field, consisting of many acres. It is a wide open field, fenced in for cattle, and has just short grass and muddy spots. Often, hundreds of gulls are resting in the middle of this field. Monarch butterflies also congregate there.
Don Davis
stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca!Donald_Davis
The fall migration of shorebirds continues in the Quinte area. The usual species comprising SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, and GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS continue to turn up in suitable areas in Prince Edward County, including Sandbanks Provincial Park, North Beach and Pleasant Bay.
Bill Gilmour and Steve LaForest report a "probable" LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at Presqu'ile Provincial Park appeared on Saturday. Other notable species observed there in the past three days have included RUDDY TURNSTONE, LESSER GOLDEN PLOVER (3), 3 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 3 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, and 1 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER.
Also seen at Presqu'ile this past week were 2 MERLIN, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and 1 SNOW GOOSE
BALD EAGLES have been seen this past week in the vicinity of False Duck Island, off the shore of Prince Edward Point. Historically, the species once nested on nearby Timber Island, and birds are still observed fairly regularly along the entire South Marysburgh Township peninsula during the fall winter and spring months.
If you have been birding in the Prince Edward County, Belleville, Trenton, Presqu'ile areas this past week, let us know what you observed.
This report will be updated Sunday, September 15th. Please e-mail tsprague@limestone.kosone.com
Terry Sprague
tsprague@limestone.kosone.com
Rode my bike out to the park on Saturday to watch the CNE Air Show but got a couple of birding surprises. In amongst the RINGED-BILLED GULLS at the Humber River bridge I saw two BLACK-BACKED GULLS. Also saw a GREAT BLUE HERON flying by the bridge. At the park there were the usual MUTE SWANS, MALLARDS, BLACK DUCKS, CANADA GEESE and CORMORANTS. Mixed in with them though were a male HOODED MERGANSER and at least one female (possibly two). Also, there was a male GREATER SCAUP, couldn't be sure if there was also a female or not. There was also a duck with a larger bill, but not having my binoculars with me I couldn't tell if it was just a mutant mallard or something else. This was all on the eastern side of the park. Didn't check the inlet on the western side.
Chris Clark
djttd.com!cclark
Both the living and the dead in this week's report from the Quinte area. Evelyn Ward of Wellington was mystified when she found the carcasses of a half dozen birds in her door yard early last week, comprising HOUSE FINCHES and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. Suspecting her feeder, she took extra precautionary measures in keeping her feeder setup sanitary. This week she discovered the cause of the bird mortality when a grey squirrel was seen capturing yet another small bird. This is behaviour much more common with the red squirrel, although grey squirrels have been known to feast on birds' eggs when given a chance. No word as to whether or not war has been declared.
Roy Stevenson of Belleville reports that the OSPREY chicks are still in the nest atop the hydro pole just south of the village of Rossmore, not far from the Bay Bridge. Ospreys nested this year in several locations throughout the Quinte area. It is good to see this species once again enjoying some success.
Dan Korchuk and Melanie Blamire, two students working on bird surveys at the Belleville Marsh and the city's East Bayshore area came across a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON on Wednesday, on the former Bakelite property. They also found both LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and SPOTTED SANDPIPER.
Myrna Wood says her apartment window on Spring Street in Picton doesn't have an awful lot to offer in the way of exciting bird habitat. However, the Manitoba Maples there produced a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO on Thursday. Now we can't get her to leave her window for some real serious birding!
If you have been birding in the Prince Edward County, Belleville, Trenton, Presqu'ile areas this past week, let us know what you observed.
This report will be updated Sunday, September 8th. Please e-mail tsprague@limestone.kosone.com
Terry Sprague
limestone.kosone.com!tsprague