Blue Bill - Kingston Field Naturalistskingstonfieldnaturalists.org/bluebill/bb-mar10.pdf · Blue...

The Blue Bill

Quarterly Journal of the Kingston Field Naturalists

ISSN 0382-5655

Volume 57, No. 1 March 2010

Contents

President’s Page Chris Grooms............................1

Kingston and Area Christmas Counts Ron D. Weir .............................2

KFN Teen Trip: Mudpuppy Night

in Oxford Mills Drew Sauve ..............................7

Yearly List of Birds-KFN 2009 Ron D. Weir .............................8

Winter Field Trip to Chaffey’s Lock

and QUBS Mark Andrew Conboy............13

Wood Duck Boxes at HQS: Initial Work Rose-Marie Burke and

Preparations for a Teens’ Project Anne Robertson ......................14

Wood Duck Nest Box Installation

and Cleanout Adam Rossiter ........................16

Mid-Winter Waterfowl Inventory

2010 Kingston Ron D. Weir ...........................18

Strange Sounds from the Skies Terry Sprague.........................20

Winter Season 01Dec2009-28Feb2010 Ron D. Weir ...........................22

The Blue Bill is the quarterly journal (published March, June, September and December) of the Kingston Field Naturalists, P.O. Box 831, Kingston, ON (Canada), K7L 4X6.

KFN Information Line: (613) 389-8338 Website: http://www.kingstonfieldnaturalists.org

Send submissions to the Editor by the 15th of the month prior to the month of publication (i.e. by the 15th of February/May/August/November) to the address above, or to the editor via e-mail to: [email protected]. Please include contact phone number.

Submissions should be in MS Word format or in “plain text” format (PC or MacIntosh) or unformatted in the body of an e-mail.

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2008/2009 Officers

President: Chris Grooms

613-386-7969 [email protected]

Honorary President:

Vice-President: Janis Grant

613-548-3668 [email protected] Past President: Hugh Evans 613-546-9145 [email protected]

Treasurer: Larry McCurdy

613-389-6427 [email protected]

Recording Rose-Marie Burke Secretary: 613-549-7583 (winter) 613-353-2463 (summer) [email protected]

Membership John Critchley

Secretary: 613-634-5475 [email protected]

Nature Reserves Erwin Batalla 613-542-2048 [email protected] Conservation Chris Hargreaves 613-389-8993 [email protected] Blue Bill Editor Alex Simmons 613-542-2048 [email protected] Junior Naturalists Anne Robertson 613-389-6742 [email protected] Education Shirley French 613-548-8617 [email protected] Field Trips Kurt Hennige 613-386-1772 [email protected] Bird Sightings Peter Good 613-378-6605 [email protected] Bird Records Ron Weir 613-549-5274 [email protected] Speakers Chris Grooms 613-386-7969 [email protected] Publicity John Diemer 613-389-9451 [email protected] Website/Slides Gaye Beckwith 613-376-3716 [email protected] Ontario Nature Jackie Bartnik 613-531-3736 [email protected] Member-at-large Connie Gardiner 613-545-2354 [email protected] Archives Peter McIntyre 613-548-4738 [email protected]

The Blue Bill Volume 57, No. 1 Page 1

President’s Page

Chris Grooms

On February 6th, 2010, our Honourary

President and long-time club member

Faith Avis passed away. She will be

greatly missed by all who knew her. Her

contributions to the KFN, to

conservation and to the betterment of

our society will endure.

The privately-owned Owl Woods on

Amherst Island became popular with

local birdwatchers a few decades ago

when it was discovered that wintering

and migrating owls were using it as a

day roost. The KFN obtained the kind

permission of the owners to do regular

bird counts and make it a stop on field

trips to the Island. These days the

Woods are more popular than ever.

Birdwatchers, photographers and

families come from all over eastern

North America to see this unique

spectacle. It is not uncommon to have

150 people visit on a weekend.

Unfortunately, this popularity has

caused problems for the owls trying to

rest in this little woodlot. The large

numbers of people is the main

disturbance to the owls. Another is the

increasing numbers of people new to

birdwatching and nature photography.

These people don’t have the experience

to know that the owls in the woods are

there to rest and that human presence

and behaviour can be very stressful to

them. People linger too close to the owls

for too long and often pursue them from

perch to perch. Some owls are forced to

spend a large part of their day fleeing

from people instead of conserving the

energy needed to survive the winter.

In response to this situation and in

cooperation with the landowners, the

KFN has put up new signs with new

rules and has begun to educate visitors

to the Woods. We are also undertaking a

management planning process that will

consult the landowners and

stakeholders and determine solutions to

the problems. The goal is to find ways to

reduce human disturbance to the point

where the owls get all the benefits the

Owl Woods can offer them and at the

same time provide an educational and

inspirational experience to us. This may

be a challenge, but we remain hopeful.

So far the response to the new rules and

signs has been positive.

Alternate sources of energy that do not

alter the composition of the atmosphere

are needed to fight climate change.

Wind and solar power are obvious

possibilities. However, all large-scale

industrial development has

environmental impacts. A major

concern over wind energy is the

potential to impact bird and bat

populations. Placement of wind farms

in areas of concentrated bird movement

is clearly a worry. Amid growing

concern over the submission rate of new

wind farm proposals along the Great

Lakes shorelines, the KFN has partnered

with the Prince Edward County Field

Naturalists to educate ourselves, the

public and government about the risks

posed by wind farm placement.

March 2010

We are proposing that Ontario Nature

resolve to encourage the Ontario

Government to place a moratorium on

wind farm development within five

kilometers of Important Bird Areas and

National and Provincial Parks until

thorough radar studies of bird

movements are done at these sites. This

resolution is designed to protect the

shoreline of places like southern Prince

Edward County, where hundreds of

thousands of birds move though on

seasonal migrations. Our proposed

resolution will be presented at a future

KFN meeting for our membership to

consider and, if approved, it will go on

to the Ontario Nature regional and

AGM for consideration this spring.

As spring approaches and the end of my

term as President nears, I reflect upon

the bit of KFN history that I know well. I

see many bright spots illuminated by

the contributions of Faith Avis and

people like her. When I think about the

future of the Club, I realize that part of

Faith’s legacy is to have made the KFN

stronger and our way forward a little

clearer.

Kingston and Area Christmas Counts

Ron D. Weir

Normal winter weather prevailed

during the Christmas Count Period

14Dec09 to 05Jan10. Freezing conditions

and a light snow cover greeted the local

Counts early in the period and heavy

snow was present at the end of the

period. The shallower sections of Lake

Ontario and still waters away from the

Lake were frozen. The only open water

along the Rideau Canal and Cataraqui

River was at locks and places where

water tumbled over falls, including

Kingston Mills and Chaffeys Lock.

Table 1 lists statistics for local counts.

Table 2 lists species totals for the past 19

years. Table 3 lists high species tallies

for Ontario for the past seven years. The

detailed species list for the local

Christmas counts is in Table 4. Where

record numbers of individuals occurred,

the number is underlined. The entry CW

designates a sighting within the count

week, defined as three days before and

three days after the count day.

Table 1: Statistics on Individual Counts in 2009 for the Kingston Area

16 Dec

Delta

19 Dec

Prince

Edward

Pt.

20 Dec

Kingston

22 Dec

Westport

26 Dec

1000

Islands

28 Dec

Rideau

Ferry

02 Jan

Amherst

Island

03 Jan

Napanee

Species 42 55 101 33 50 39 56 60

Birds 2,826 47,322 23,833 1,753 8,244 2,664 5,078 4,705

Participants 12 16 46 15 17 17 25 13


Table 2: Seventeen-year Comparison with 17-year Average (* = Count was not done)

Count 1991 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

1991-

2009

avg

PE Point 61 61 64 61 76 67 64 61 80 61 72 58 82 71 76 71 65 63 55 67

Kingstn 95 96 113 99 101 97 106 104 107 102 111 109 103 103 103 104 * 106 101 103

Westprt 37 55 50 46 36 48 45 41 49 44 54 47 * * * 52 34 36 33 44

Napanee 44 46 42 52 52 56 51 38 58 49 50 56 51 58 50 56 51 57 60 54

1000 Is. 61 55 74 58 53 57 54 56 68 56 61 51 61 57 60 64 60 55 50 59

Amherst 51 47 51 n/a 54 57 66 57 51 58 71 60 53 36 64 54 54 57 56 55

Rid Frry 39 39 37 36 29 40 45 41 36 37 42 38 37 35 47 54 46 38 39 40

Delta 38 37 40 38 43 38 48 40 42 42 41**

Table 4: Kingston Area Christmas Counts 2009

Count 16Dec

Delta

19Dec

P E Pt

20Dec

Kngstn

22Dec

Wstprt

26Dec

1000 Is

28Dec

Rid Fy

02Jan

Amh Is.

03Jan

Napnee

Common Loon 3 4 3 - - 1 3 1

Horned Grebe - - 2 - - - - -

Red-nckd Grebe - - 1 - - - - 1

Dble-cr Cormornt - - 2 - - - - -

Great Blue Heron - - 1 1 - - 1 -

Snow Goose - - - - 17 - -

Cackling Goose - - 2 - - - - -

Canada Goose 112 10,453 14,497 16 963 1 1676 80

Brant - - 3 - - - 7 -

Mute Swan - 53 15 - - - - 6

Trumpeter Swan - - - 26 - - - 1

Tundra Swan - 393 411 - - - 40 8

Wood Duck - - - 1 - - - 6

Gadwall - 4 269 - - - 9 5

American Wigeon - - 20 - - - - -

Amer Black Duck 30 159 594 - 10 8 29 52

Mallard 176 1556 38492 2 185 - 484 341

North Shoveler - - 6 - - - - -

March 2010

Count 16Dec

Delta

19Dec

P E Pt

20Dec

Kngstn

22Dec

Wstprt

26Dec

1000 Is

28Dec

Rid Fy

02Jan

Amh Is.

03Jan

Napnee

Northern Pintail - - 1 - - - 1 -

Grn-wngd Teal - - 5 - - - - 1

Greater Scaup - 16,864 2366 - - - - 18

Lesser Scaup - 7 4 - 33 - - 2

Surf Scoter - - 2 - - - - -

Wht-wngd Scoter - 46 15 - - - - -

Black Scoter - 1 5 - - - - -

Long-tailed Duck - 12,856 1522 - - - 7 9

Bufflehead 9 222 197 - 16 - 12 -

Comm Goldeneye 34 1850 1767 23 904 17 570 203

Brrw’s Goldeneye - - 1 - - - - -

Hood Merganser 16 1 33 - 4 - - -

Comm Merganser 560 220 1037 - 3133 36 29 4

Rd-brstd Mergnsr 4 540 1850 - 52 - 323 7

Ruddy Duck - - CW - - - - -

Osprey - 1 - - - - - -

Virginia Rail - - 1 - - - -

American Coot - - 45 - - - - -

Bald Eagle 12 16 8 5 21 5 7 -

Northern Harrier - 1 20 - 2 - 13 -

Shrp-shnd Hawk - 1 5 - - 1 1 1

Cooper’s Hawk - 1 2 - - 2 - 1

North Goshawk 1 - 1 - - - - 5

Accipiter (sp) - - - - 1 - - -

Red-shldrd Hawk - - - - - - 1 -

Red-tailed Hawk 9 9 24 4 18 1 15 8

Rgh-lgged Hawk 1 - 9 - 2 1 16 -

Golden Eagle - 1 - - - - 1 -

American Kestrel - - 6 - 1 - 3 1

Merlin - - 2 - - 1 - -

Peregrine Falcon - - CW - - - - -

Rng-nckd Pheasnt - - 6 - - - 3 -

Ruffed Grouse CW 8 6 24 4 1 - 1

Wild Turkey 120 32 76 93 134 74 - 4


Count 16Dec

Delta

19Dec

P E Pt

20Dec

Kngstn

22Dec

Wstprt

26Dec

1000 Is

28Dec

Rid Fy

02Jan

Amh Is.

03Jan

Napnee

Amer Woodcock - - 1 - - - - -

Bonaparte’s Gull - - 5 - - - - -

Ring-billed Gull 31 13 78 - 153 2 - 21

Herring Gull 10 143 133 - 244 11 23 6

Iceland Gull - - 1 - - - - -

Glaucous Gull - 1 1 - 1 - - -

Grt Blck-bck Gull - 17 14 - 22 - - 12

Rock Pigeon 110 115 1330 69 266 471 144 157

Mourning Dove 97 105 427 95 206 126 78 319

Estrn Screech Owl - - 4 - - - - 1

Grt Horned Owl - 1 7 - 1 - 1 -

Snowy Owl - - 8 - 3 -

Barred Owl - - 3 - 1 - CW -

Long-eared Owl - - - - - - 9 -

Short-eared Owl - - CW - - - 7 -

Boreal Owl - - - - - - 1 -

N Saw-whet Owl - - - - - - 2 -

Belted Kingfisher 1 - 1 - 2 - - -

Rd-belld Woodp. - 3 3 - 2 - 1 -

Dwny Woodpeckr 19 22 55 23 38 16 10 11

Hairy Woodpeckr 22 13 31 24 19 28 7 7

Northern Flicker - - 1 - - - - -

Pileatd Woodpckr 2 1 7 5 5 1 - 1

Northern Shrike 2 - 5 1 1 - 2 3

Blue Jay 271 142 166 286 190 203 100 233

American Crow 69 264 254 25 216 75 6 210

Common Raven 60 - 3 17 8 10 1 1

Horned Lark - 9 203 - 2 - 1 35

Bl-cpd Chickadee 216 211 701 406 379 546 72 312

Tufted Titmouse - - 1 - - - - 1

Rd-brstd Nthatch 1 1 23 13 6 - - -

Wt-brstd Nthatch 16 23 104 36 4 30 14 16

Brown Creeper 1 4 7 - 3 2 - -

Carolina Wren - - 2 - - - - -

March 2010

Count 16Dec

Delta

19Dec

P E Pt

20Dec

Kngstn

22Dec

Wstprt

26Dec

1000 Is

28Dec

Rid Fy

02Jan

Amh Is.

03Jan

Napnee

Winter Wren - - 1 - - - - -

Marsh Wren - - 2 - - - - -

Gldn-crnd Kinglet - - 17 - - - 3 -

Eastern Bluebird - - 1 - - - - -

American Robin 3 - 8 - 4 - 5 7

European Starling 87 383 1827 125 464 386 373 1008

Bohem Waxwing - - 2 113 - 287 - 35

Cedar Waxwing - - 2 - - 30 - 25

Tree Sparrow 125 154 77 62 83 63 54 127

Song Sparrow - 1 7 1 - - - 1

Swamp Sparrow - - 21 - - - - -

Wht-thrtd Sparrw - - 2 - 2 2 - 9

Dark-eyed Junco 31 186 76 31 82 40 9 263

Laplnd Longspur - - 6 - - - - 10

Snow Bunting 375 56 103 40 1 75 668 500

Northrn Cardinal 11 10 41 10 8 7 9 8

Rd-wngd Blckbrd 1 - 5 - - - 3 5

Eastrn Meadwlrk - - 1 - - - - -

Rusty Blackbird - - 3 - - - 2 -

Common Grackle - - 1 - - - 1 -

Brn-hdd Cowbird 1 - - - 22 - 17 -

Pine Grosbeak - - - 1 - 3 - -

Purple Finch - - 3 5 - 1 - 3

House Finch - 1 98 - 17 6 30 53

Common Redpoll - - 5 - - - - 5

Pine Siskin 2 13 - - - - - -

Amer Goldfinch 107 52 142 119 114 63 44 358

Evening Grosbeak - - - - - - - -

House Sparrow 68 41 261 51 177 31 127 174

Scaup (sp) - - 50 - - - - 1

Gull (sp) - 50 - - - - - -

Totals: Species 42 55 101 33 50 39 56 60

Individuals 2,826 47,322 23,833 1,753 8,244 2,664 5,078 4,705


KFN Teen Trip: Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills

Drew Sauve, photos by Philina English

On Friday January 8 2010, five warmly

bundled teen naturalists accompanied

by Anne, Mark, and Philina travelled to

the bridge over Kemptville Creek at

Bishops Mills, Ontario, to examine the

Common Mudpuppy where they

congregate below the dam. This is the

best place in Ontario to view these

active aquatic amphibians in winter.

When we arrived the weather was calm

and clear at minus 9C, perfect weather

for a night of exploration. We were

greeted by Fred Schueler and Aleta

Karstad, naturalists researching a

variety of species in the creek.

Fred began by giving the teens

information on the mudpuppies, while

Aleta, using a dip net, filled a

tupperware container with three

mudpuppies for close examination.

Mudpuppy biology was explained

including what they eat (crayfish and

small fish) and where they live. Their

smooth spotted skin and bright red gills

were noticed. This nocturnal species

accumulates here and lays eggs in May

on the undersides of the rocks.

Shortly after learning about the

mudpuppies, the teens began taking

turns heading into the knee-deep water

of the creek on the south side to count

mudpuppies and any other nocturnal

wildlife. It was noticed that the

mudpuppies were mainly found in

crevices in the riverbed, where they

could remain in the fast current and

wait for prey. After each teen got a turn

walking into the river with the wading

boots, they moved to the north side of

the creek to count and explore the river

again. They noticed that the mudpuppy

population there was much higher than

on the south side of the river. In total

about 50 Mudpuppies were recorded.

Then the teens began to pack up and say

goodbye to Fred and Aleta. They made a

pit-stop on the way home at Tim

Horton’s, and completed their field

notebooks, including sketches of these

the largest Canadian salamander. A

short ride, arriving back in Kingston

around midnight, completed the field

trip

March 2010

Yearly List of Birds – KFN 2009

Ron D. Weir

There were 280 species of birds seen in

2009 within the 50-km-radius circle

centred in MacDonald Park, Kingston,

compared with the 29 year average

(1980-2008) of 280. The distribution over

the past 29 years is given in Table 1

Table 1: Annual total bird species for

the Kingston area 1980 to 2009

Year Total Year Total

1980 278 1995 280

1981 277 1996 285

1982 276 1997 283

1983 282 1998 283

1984 285 1999 278

1985 271 2000 282

1986 277 2001 285

1987 279 2002 287

1988 270 2003 282

1989 273 2004 280

1990 279 2005 278

1991 281 2006 274

1992 281 2007 272*

1993 293 2008 272

1994 283 2009 280

*In the list for 2007 (Blue Bill 55 (1)

(2008)), a total of 270 species was shown.

Since then, two additional species were

reported for 2007, which are Red

Phalarope (1) and Parasitic Jaeger (1) on

16Sep07 at Henderson, NY.

In 2009, one new species, White Ibis,

was added to the list, which stands at

374. Rarities reported in 2009 include

Western Grebe, Little Blue Heron,

Glossy Ibis, Black Vulture, Harlequin

Duck, White-eyed Vireo, Townsend’s

Solitaire, Yellow-throated Warbler,

Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky

Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lark

Sparrow, Lark Bunting.

Other good finds not seen every year

were Cackling Goose, Barrow’s

Goldeneye, Sandhill Crane, Marbled

Godwit, Western Sandpiper, Lesser

Black-backed Gull, Great Gray Owl,

Boreal Owl, Tufted Titmouse,

Connecticut Warbler, Hooded Warbler,

Summer Tanager, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed

Sparrow.

Among the species missed were eiders,

Willet, Purple Sandpiper, Red

Phalarope, three-toed woodpeckers, and

Brewer’s Blackbird.

Table 2. Species seen in the Kingston

area in 2009, first sighting, observers

Species Date Observer

Red-thrtd Loon 26 Apr JHE, RDW

Common Loon 06 Jan KFN

Pied-billed Grebe 26 Mar EB

Horned Grebe 03May KFN

Red-nckd Grebe 01 Jan JS

Dble-cr Cormornt 26 Mar EB

American Bittern 27 Apr PJG

Least Bittern 13 Jun KFN

Grt Blue Heron 08 Jan PM et al.

Great Egret 31 Mar NS

Lttle Blue Heron 13 May EF

Green Heron 22 Apr NLB



Blk-crnd Nt-Hern 27 Apr KFN

Glossy Ibis 26 Oct JW

White Ibis 06 Oct BRp

Black Vulture 23 Mar VPM

Turkey Vulture 04 Mar NLB

Grt Wht-fr Goose 17 Mar RTS

Snow Goose 08 Mar DB

Canada Goose 01 Jan KFN

Cackling Goose 28 Mar RTS

Brant 12 May JHE, BR

Mute Swan 06 Jan KFN

Trumpeter Swan 06 Jan KFN

Tundra Swan 02 Jan KFN

Wood Duck 06 Jan VPM

Gadwall 01 Jan VPM

Amer Wigeon 01 Jan KFN

Amer Blk Duck 01 Jan KFN

Mallard 01 Jan KFN

Bl-wngd Teal 09 Apr KFN

North Shoveler 28 Mar RTS

North Pintail 01 Jan KFN

Grn-winged Teal 06 Jan PM

Canvasback 04 Nov BH, JP

Redhead 01 Jan KFN

Rng-nckd Duck 06 Jan VPM

Greater Scaup 01 Jan KFN

Lesser Scaup 01 Jan KFN

Harlequin Duck 29 Apr MB

Surf Scoter 16 Jan KFN

Wt-wngd Scoter 02 Jan KFN

Black Scoter 01 Jan JS

Lng-tailed Duck 01 Jan KFN

Bufflehead 01 Jan KFN

Comm Gldeneye 01 Jan KFN

Brrws Goldeneye 07 Mar NL

Hood Merganser 01 Jan KFN


Comm Mergansr 01 Jan KFN

Red-br Mergansr 01 Jan KFN

Ruddy Duck 21 Oct NLB

Virginia Rail 27 Apr KFN

Sora 27 Apr KFN

Comm Moorhen 24 Apr KFN

American Coot 01 Jan KFN

Sandhill Crane 14 Mar CG

Osprey 27 Mar RDW

Bald Eagle 01 Jan KFN

Northern Harrier 02 Jan KFN

Shrp-shnnd Hwk 02 Jan LN, MC

Cooper’s Hawk 02 Jan KFN

Northrn Goshwk 04 Jan PM

Rd-shldrd Hawk 20 Jan BRp

Brd-wngd Hawk 20 Apr DR

Red-tailed Hawk 01 Jan JHE, RDW

Rgh-leggd Hawk 01 Jan KFN

Golden Eagle 16 Jan NM et al.

American Kestrel 02 Jan KFN

Merlin 20 Jan DR

Gyrfalcon 03 Mar BE et al.

Peregrine Falcon 07 Jan CG

Rng-nck Pheasnt 02 Jan KFN

Ruffed Grouse 22 Jan LN, MC

Wild Turkey 01 Jan KFN

Blck-belld Plover 11 May RTS

Am Gldn-plover 07 Jun JHE

Semipalm Plover 16 May KFN

Killdeer 08 Mar EB, BR

Grtr Yellowlegs 09 Apr KFN

Lsser Yellowlegs 27 Apr KFN

Solitary Sandpipr 29 Apr MC

Spotted Sandpipr 25 Apr RTS

Upland Sandpipr 11 Apr RT

Whimbrel 24 May KFN

March 2010


Hudson Godwit 04 Oct JHE, RDW

Spotted Sandpipr 25 Apr RTS

Upland Sandpipr 11 Apr RT

Whimbrel 24 May KFN

Hudson Godwit 04 Oct JHE, RDW

Marbled Godwit 16 May KFN

Ruddy Turnstone 28 May RTS

Red Knot 31 May RTS

Sanderling 24 May JHE, RDW

Smiplm Sandpipr 16 May KFN

Westrn Sandpipr 06 Sep RDW

Least Sandpiper 30 Apr RTS

Wt-rmp Sandpipr 27 May BMD

Baird’s Sandpiper 23 Aug BMD et al.

Pectoral Sandpipr 19 Jul RDW

Dunlin 21 May RTS

Stilt Sandpiper 06 Sep HE

Bf-brstd Sandpipr 12 Sep JHE,RDW

Sh-billd Dowitchr 22 May JHE, BR

Lg-billd Dowitchr 12 Sep RDW

Wilson’s Snipe 22 Apr AA

Amer Woodcock 19 Mar EB

Wlsn’s Phalarope 27 Apr KFN

Rd-nkd Phalrope 02 Jun JHE, BR

Little Gull 22 Apr RTS

Bonaparte’s Gull 02 Apr JHE

Ring-billed Gull 01 Jan KFN

Thayer’s Gull 13 Jan RJ, JC

Herring Gull 01 Jan KFN

Iceland Gull 01 Jan KFN

Lsr Blck-bkd Gull 20 Apr DVW, DA

Glaucous Gull 02 Jan KFN

Grt Blk-bckd Gull 02 Jan KFN

Caspian Tern 11 Apr RTS

Common Tern 18 May RTS


Common Tern 18 May RTS

Forster’s Tern 01 Oct BH

Black Tern 03 May JHE, RDW

Rock Pigeon 01 Jan VPM

Mourning Dove 01 Jan KFN

Blck-blld Cuckoo 15 May RTS

Yllw-blld Cuckoo 18 May MC

East Screech Owl 22 Feb MC

Grt Horned Owl 16 Feb MM

Snowy Owl 01 Jan KFN

Barred Owl 01 Feb BMD

Great Gray Owl 15 Jan BMaillet

Long-eared Owl 01 Jan CL

Short-eared Owl 01 Jan CL

Boreal Owl 01 Jan CL

N Saw-whet Owl 01 Jan CL

Comm Nighthwk 23 May MSiol

Whip-poor-will 26 Apr MC, LN

Chimney Swift 25 Apr OW

Rby-t Hmmngbd 03 May JHE

Belted Kingfisher 27 Jan MC et al.

Rd-hd Woodpckr 15 May SD

Rd-bel Woodpckr 02 Jan KFN

Ylw-bel Sapsuckr 05 Apr KFN

Dwny Woodpckr 01 Jan KFN

Hairy Woodpckr 01 Jan KFN

Northern Flicker 02 Jan KFN

Pileated Wdpckr 08 Jan RTS

Olv-sid Flycatchr 10 May DO

E Wood-Pewee 20 May RTS

Ylw-bel Flycatchr 17 May KFN

Alder Flycatcher 03 May KFN

Willow Flycatchr 24 May JHE, RDW

Least Flycatcher 25 Apr RTS

Eastern Phoebe 17 Mar HE



Gt-crstd Flycatchr 27 Apr KFN

Eastern Kingbird 23 Apr KFN

Lggrhead Shrike 27 Mar AC

Northern Shrike 01 Jan KFN

White-eyed Vireo 27 Apr DO

Yllw-thrtd Vireo 29 Apr BMD

Blu-hd Vireo 26 Apr KFN

Warbling Vireo 27 Apr KFN

Phildlphia Vireo 13 May DO

Red-eyed Vireo 08 May MC

Blue Jay 01 Jan KFN

American Crow 01 Jan KFN

Common Raven 03 Jan PJG

Horned Lark 02 Jan KFN

Purple Martin 23 Apr FA, HE

Tree Swallow 28 Mar KFN

N Rg-wgd Swllw 15 Apr DR

Bank Swallow 25 Apr RTS

Cliff Swallow 23 Apr RTS

Barn Swallow 10 Apr RTS

Bk-cpd Chickdee 01 Jan KFN

Tufted Titmouse 20 May J&BM

Red-br Nuthatch 01 Jan KH

Wht-br Nuthatch 01 Jan KFN

Brown Creeper 02 Jan VPM

Carolina Wren 18 Mar MC, LMc

House Wren 27 Apr KFN

Winter Wren 02 Jan KFN

Sedge Wren 08 May DO

Marsh Wren 23 Apr FA, HE

Gldn-crn Kinglet 02 Jan KFN

Rby-crn Kinglet 16 Jan KFN

Bl-gry Gnatcatchr 27 Apr MC

Eastern Bluebird 03 Jan EB

Twnsnd’s Solitair 12 Jan JP

Veery 27 Apr RTS


Gry-chkd Thrush 11 May DO

Swainsn’s Thrush 13 May DO

Hermit Thrush 02 Jan KFN

Wood Thrush 26 Apr JHE, RDW

American Robin 04 Jan MMumby

Varied Thrush 01 Feb SP

Gray Catbird 26 Apr JHE, RDW

Nor Mockingbird 24 Apr JSB

Brwn Thrasher 02 Jan JHE, RDW

Europ Starling 01 Jan VPM

American Pipit 16 Sep DO

Bohmn Waxwing 10 Jan PM et al.

Cedar Waxwing 01 Jan LN

Bl-wngd Wrblr 03 May RDW

Gld-wngd Wrblr 29 Apr RTS

Tennessee Wrblr 03 May KFN

Orng-crwn Wrblr 02 May MC

Nashville Warblr 25 Apr RTS

Northern Parula 28 Apr MC

Yellow Warbler 25 Apr MC

Chstnt-sd Wrblr 02 May MC

Magnolia Warblr 27 Apr LM, MM

Cape May Warblr 29 Apr RTS

Bk-thrtd Bl Wrblr 25 Apr RTS

Yllw-rmpd Wrblr 01 Jan KH

Bk-trtd Grn Wrblr 26 Apr MC

Blckbrnian Wrbler 27 Apr RTS

Yllw-thrtd Wrblr 04 May VR

Pine Warbler 11 Apr PM

Prairie Warbler 22 May MC

Palm Warbler 27 Apr KFN

Bay-brstd Wrbler 16 May KFN

Blkpoll Warbler 09 May DO

Cerulean Warbler 03 May BMD

Blk-and-wt Wrblr 25 Apr RTS

Amer Redstart 29 Apr NLB

March 2010


Wm-eatg Wrbler 25 Apr AS, EB

Ovenbird 28 Apr MC

North Wtrthrush 25 Apr JSB

Louis Wtrthrush 08 May JHE, BR

Kentucky Wrbler 27 Jun GS

Cnnecticut Wrblr 24 May JHE, RDW

Mourning Wrbler 17 May KFN

Comm Yellwthrt 27 Apr HE

Hooded Warbler 17 May KFN

Wilson’s Warbler 11 May DO

Canada Warbler 08 May MC

Yllw-brstd Chat 21 May DO

Summer Tanager 10 May DO

Scarlet Tanager 29 Apr RTS

Eastern Towhee 16 Apr KH, GP

Am Tree Sparrw 01 Jan KFN

Chipping Sprrow 02 Apr MC

Cly-clrd Sparrow 08 May BRp

Field Sparrow 14 Apr RTS

Vesper Sparrow 28-Mar RTS

Lark Sparrow 25-Apr DO

Lark Bunting 27-May BMD

Svnnah Sparrow 05 Apr KH

Grsshpr Sparrow 16 May KFN

Hnslw’s Sparrow 05 Jun NL, GS

Nelson’s Sprw 21 Sep BMD

Fox Sparrow 15 Jan RTS

Song Sparrow 05 Jan SD

Lncoln’s Sparrow 15 Apr MC

Swamp Sparrow 05 Apr PJG

Wt-thrtd Sparrow 23 Jan KFN

Wt-crnd Sparrow 11 Jan EB

Dark-eyed Junco 01 Jan KFN

Lapland Longspr 20 Sep MC

Snow Bunting 01 Jan KFN

Northrn Cardinal 02 Jan KFN


Rs-brstd Grsbeak 28 Apr PJG, EB

Indigo Bunting 16 Apr RTS

Dickcissel 17 May GS

Bobolink 03 May KFN

Rd-wgd Blackbrd 01 Jan KH

East Meadowlark 19 Mar RMB

Rusty Blackbird 10 Jan SD

Common Grackle 28 Feb NM, IC

Brn-hd Cowbird 16 Mar JH

Orchard Oriole 12 May JHE, BR

Baltimore Oriole 27 Apr KFN

Pine Grosbeak 01 Jan KFN

Purple Finch 01 Jan MC, LN

House Finch 01 Jan KH

Red Crossbill 09 Jan MC

Wt-wgd Crssbill 02 Jan KFN

Common Redpoll 01 Jan LN

Hoary Redpoll 10 Jan EB

Pine Siskin 01 Jan LN

Amer Goldfinch 01 Jan KH

Evening Grsbeak 16 Apr LN, MC

House Sparrow 01 Jan VPM

Table 3: Contributors for 2009

D. Andrews P. Martin

A. Anthony L. McCurdy

F. Avis J.& B. McMahon

M. Bain M. McMurray

E. Batalla L. Miller

J.S. Bolsinger M.A. Miller

I. Cannell N. Murr

J. Cartwright N. Leeds Birders

A. Chabot L. Nuttall

M. Conboy D. Okines

S. David G. Paul

B.M. Dilabio J. Pleizier

J.H. Ellis D. Raynor


H. Evans B. Ripley (BRp)

B. Ewald V. Rohwer

E. Fletcher B.Rowe (BR)

P.J. Good J. Scott

C. Grooms A. Simmons

K. Hennige G. Smith

B. Holden N. Snider

J. Hopkins R.T. Sprague

R. John R. Tkachuck

Kingston Field Nats O. Weir

N. Leone R.D. Weir

C. Lyons D.V. Weseloh

E. Machell J. Wimperis

V.P. Mackenzie

Winter Field Trip to Chaffey’s Lock and Queen’s University

Biological Station

Mark Andrew Conboy, photo by Rose-Marie Burke

The Kingston Field Naturalists’ winter

field trip to Chaffey’s Lock and Queen’s

University Biological Station (QUBS)

took place on February 6, 2010. There

were four members in attendance on

this clear sunny and cold morning; the

temperature was -13oC, with a windchill

of -22oC. We drove to Chaffey’s Lock by

way of Perth and Opinicon Roads.

There was little wildlife to be seen en

route aside from white-tailed deer,

American crows, black-capped

chickadees and a common raven.

Our luck changed at Chaffey’s lock,

where there were eight trumpeter swans

at the ice edge. A lone Canada goose

which has been present all winter was

dwarfed alongside the enormous bulk

of the swans. A male belted kingfisher

has also been at the lock all winter. On

the day of our trip a female kingfisher

had joined him. The male chased the

female on several occasions, suggesting

that there may be strong competition for

food and perches in the dead of winter.

There were two bald eagles perched in a

large oak overlooking Opinicon Lake.

Only a few landbirds could be found in

the trees around the lock station: one

downy woodpecker, one brown creeper,

some black-capped chickadees and a

few rock pigeons. There was river otter

scat and tracks at end of the point on the

east side of the lock. Other signs of

animals at Chaffey’s included white-

tailed deer, fisher, American red squirrel

and eastern grey squirrel.

March 2010

We took a walk on the Bonwill Tract,

part of QUBS. Most KFN members

know this area, across from the Skycroft

Campground on Opinicon Road, as one

of the best locations for finding cerulean

warblers, yellow-throated vireos,

yellow-billed cuckoos and other highly

sought-after breeding birds. In spring it

is easy to hear more than two dozen

species of birds singing and calling on

the Bonwill Tract; in early February of

course the situation is much different.

Aside from a few black-capped

chickadees and the odd calling pileated

woodpecker, the woods were quiet.

We followed the Red Gate Trail north,

stopping occasionally to sort through

exposed leaf litter in search of

hibernating frogs and insects. We found

none. There were tracks belonging to

white-tailed deer, fisher and American

red squirrels plus some left by coyotes, a

northern raccoon, a red fox and various

small mammals.

Despite looking carefully for any insect

life we found only one insect, a larval

alderfly in Rivendale Creek. At Two

Island Flats (formerly a small lake) I had

hoped to find tracks of short-tailed

weasel, which I had noticed there

several times in the winter. The flats

were crisscrossed with many fox tracks

but no weasel tracks. Because of the

bitter wind we did not linger long on

the flats. Just as we were leaving an

adult bald eagle flew overhead.

Although it was a cold day and wildlife

sightings were few, the trip was a great

opportunity for everyone to brush up on

their tracking skills and share a wealth

of natural history stories.

Wood Duck Boxes at the Helen Quilliam Sanctuary: Initial Work

Preparations for a Teens' Project

Rose-Marie Burke and Anne Robertson

Wednesday February 10, 2010 was a

cloudy winter day, but it didn’t deter us

from heading to a pond in the Helen

Quilliam Sanctuary to put up base poles

for four Wood Duck boxes donated by

Ducks Unlimited. This work was in

preparation for a Teen Naturalists’

outing the following Saturday, when

they would attach the boxes and

predator guards to the upper poles and

place them on the bases. Anne

Robertson, Erwin Batalla, Peter Good

and I gathered together equipment,

tools and supplies and met at the

Sanctuary that morning. We pulled our

first load out of the vehicles: Anne had a

large backpack full of tools and

hardware, Peter carried the post driver,

all 50 lbs or so of it, on his shoulder,

Erwin carried a ladder, and I carried my

big steel pry bar, a bag of tools and my

small backpack with camera.

We entered the property near the Helen

Quilliam Sanctuary sign at the south

end of the Sanctuary and followed the

"new" trail to the junction with the

Roland Beschel trail, and then south


before cutting off west to the beaver

pond. There was not much snow on the

ground, although some places where it

had melted and re-frozen were rather

slippery. A trail always seems longer

and steeper when you’re carrying a

load, and by the time we reached the

pond I was sure we had walked farther

than the kilometer we had covered.

When we reached the pond we

examined the positions for the boxes

previously planned for with CRCA and

subsequently mapped by Ducks

Unlimited, then headed back to the

vehicles for the rest of the supplies. I

decided to follow Anne, knowing that

she was familiar with the Sanctuary,

and she led me back along ponds and a

stream on a much flatter and easier trail

than the one on which we had entered.

We gathered up our second load: the

base poles, one of the nest boxes, a

predator guard and more hardware,

and headed back to the pond on Anne’s

route, admiring the scenery, an ice fall,

and many animal tracks along the way.

Our work began by chipping a hole

through the 6-inch-thick ice with the

steel pry bar. Then we stuck the base

pole through the hole down into the

mud, and began to pound it down with

the post driver. In some places where

the water was shallow Erwin or Peter

got up on the ladder to get it started, as

the poles are about 12 feet long.

When we had the first base pole in place

Anne assembled the box and predator

guard and bolted them to the upper

pole, as she wanted to be familiar with

the setup before bringing the Teen

Naturalists to assemble the remaining

boxes. While she worked on this I

helped Peter and Erwin install the

remaining three bases.

It’s a bit of a guessing game as to where

to put the base, as there’s no way of

seeing through 6 inches of ice what’s on

the bottom of the pond. We looked at

stumps and nearby rocks to try to

determine where we might hit a clear

spot, but hit logs in four of eight

March 2010

attempts. At one point we drove the

pole pretty hard into a log, and it took

quite a bit of yanking and twisting to get

it back out again.

By the time we had the last base pole in

place Anne had finished assembling the

Wood Duck box, and Peter and Erwin

lifted it into place. The boxes and

support poles are designed for easy

cleaning, just lift it out in winter, open

the box and clean it out, and replace it.

It’s getting the boxes into place that

requires a little more work.

We finished our project by noon,

gathered up our tools and headed back

to the vehicles. Erwin invited us to join

him at his house for coffee. We ended

by watching the birds at his feeder

while sipping fresh hot coffee and

enjoying Alexandra’s home baking.

Wood Duck Nest Box Installation and Cleanout

Adam Rossiter, photos by Rose-Marie Burke

On Saturday, February 13, under partly

overcast skies, 6 teen naturalists joined

Anne and Diane on a trip to install 3

new Wood Duck nest boxes and clean

out 3 others at the Helen Quilliam

Sanctuary.

The new

boxes were

donated by

Ducks

Unlimited

Canada, a

non profit

organization

working to

conserve

wetlands for

North

America’s

wildlife.

Preservation

of wetlands is extremely important, as

they offer a variety of ecological niches

for species ranging from

microorganisms to mammals and

plants. Wetlands are also used by birds,

as they make their nests in them, and

find food and cover.

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) need wetlands

to survive. At the beginning of the 20th

century Wood Duck numbers decreased

due to habitat loss and because their

plumage and meat were sought after.

Widespread

construction

and erection of

nest boxes

returned the

population to

sustainable

numbers. Nest

boxes remain

very important,

as more than 80

per cent of the

original

wetlands in

eastern Canada

have been lost.

Nest box programs have been effective

in increasing local breeding populations.

Our boxes were mounted on steel poles,

chosen over trees because they are

harder for predators to climb and

because their location can be chosen.


Wood Ducks prefer nesting over water

as their young climb to the nest entrance

and jump out the day after they hatch.

Water provides a soft landing spot.

Baby ducks are quite self-sufficient at

this time, they can swim and find food.

On the Wednesday before the teen trip,

a group had driven base poles through

the ice on the pond chosen for the nest

boxes (about 20 minutes from the road).

Into these base poles the teen group slid

a second steel pole, to which we

attached the nest boxes and a predator

guard, a large double sheet of steel, to

reduce the chance of the eggs being

eaten by predators such as raccoons and

snakes and reduce the chance of the hen

abandoning the nest.

The boxes installed were made of thick

cedar, which is resistant to weather and

insects. They measured 9.25” by 23.5”,

with an entrance hole of 3” by 4”. The

size of the nest box’s entrance hole is

important, as it reduces the chance of

predation, and keeps smaller birds

(European Starlings, for example) from

nesting in the boxes. The two pole

design enables the pole holding the nest

box to be slid out, allowing the nest box

to be lowered, inspected and cleaned.

Winter is the best time for inspection

and cleanout, as boxes on the frozen

water become accessible. Removing old

material and debris from the boxes is

important, as Wood Ducks are cavity

nesting ducks, which do not carry

nesting material. Because of this, we put

3 to 4 inches of wood shavings in the

bottom of each nest box. Hens will not

choose to nest in a box if there are no

wood shavings, as eggs could freeze.

Sawdust is never used for this purpose

as it can suffocate newly hatched

ducklings. Winter inspection is also

important to understanding the success

of the nest box. One can find several

clues to the nest box being occupied.

They include the presence of light

colored duck down, small eggshell

fragments and opaque shell membranes.

After installing the boxes, we took a

break for lunch, returning to the cars.

On the way we found some coughed up

Woodpecker pellets full of ant skeletons,

and heard a raven. While eating lunch

we hoped to see an otter, but

unfortunately didn’t (we did however

see two Tundra Swans earlier).

After lunch we hiked to a different pond

to clean out and inspect 4 nest boxes

which were put up in 1991. Their

different design required us to bring a

ladder, and climb up to each box, which

was attached to a tree. The new two-

pole nest box system will save time and

make it easier to check on the nest boxes

in future years.

The tree to which box 91/11 was

attached had died and fallen over, so we

removed the predator guard and box

and took them away, to be re-used in a

March 2010

different location. In box 91/5 we found

4 unhatched Hooded Merganser eggs.

This means that most likely several

ducklings survived, as Hooded

Mergansers will typically lay a clutch of

7-12 eggs. The eggs were identified by

size (measured with calipers), colour

and luster.

After cleaning out and putting fresh

wood shavings into all the older boxes

we departed for Kingston after a great,

productive day.

Mid-winter Waterfowl Inventory (2010): Kingston 10 Jan 2010

Ron D. Weir

The Mid-Winter Waterfowl Inventory

(MWWI) was carried out throughout

North America during the second week

of January. In Kingston the weekend of

the census saw sunny and cloudy

conditions and temperatures from -20C

to -4C and some brisk N-NW winds.

Visibility was good. Eighteen observers

surveyed the Kingston region from

Mallorytown Landing on the east to

Prince Edward Point on the west. Very

low temperatures during the two days

preceding the count resulted in freezing

of the inshore water of the rivers and

Lake Ontario. This served to concentrate

waterfowl and made counting easier.

Sections covered from land were the St.

Lawrence River from Mallorytown

Landing to Ivy Lea (mostly frozen), Hill

Island to Gananoque (mostly frozen),

Howe Island, Wolfe Island, Cataraqui

River (frozen), Rideau system (frozen

except at locks), Amherst Island

(extensive ice cover), Kingston

waterfront from Treasure Island to

Collins Bay (mostly frozen), Bath Road

from Collins Bay to Glenora (partly

frozen), Hay Bay (frozen), Waupoos

peninsula (partially frozen) and Prince

Edward Point (open).

From the air, sections covered were the

St. Lawrence River from Ivy Lea to

Kingston, offshore sections of Wolfe and

Amherst Islands, and offshore islands

and adjacent areas of Waupoos and

Prince Edward Point, and the Bay of

Quinte.

Participants were Erwin Batalla, Kevin

Bleeks, Kathleen Burtch, Sharon David,


Joel Ellis, Hugh Evans, Barb and Chris

Heffernan, Bea and Jay McMahon,

Shirley and Gerald Paul, Bruce Ripley,

Bud Rowe, Ken Ross, Alex Simmons,

Barb and Ron Weir.

Table 1. Waterfowl Summary for Kingston 09/10 January 2010 KFN & CWS

Species

Rid. &

Catar.

Riv.

Ivy

Lea

Howe

Isl.

Kngstn

Amh.

Isl.

Wolfe

Isl.

Bath

Rd.

Hay

Bay Waupoos

Prince

Edward

Point

Bay of

Quinte Totals

Common Loon - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1

Dbl-Crst Crmrnt - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1

Canada Goose - 171 4 187 223 448 15,520 - 98 365 - 17016

Mute Swan - 4 4 - 11 27 27 - 40 2 - 115

Tundra Swan - - - 15 55 382 45 - 225 42 - 764

swan (sp) - - - - - 50 - - 15 30 - 95

Gadwall - 12 - 140 68 80 - - - 5 - 305

Amer. Wigeon - 4 - 1 - - - - - - - 5

Black Duck - 25 97 95 113 565 126 - 74 133 - 1228

Mallard 2 32 88 1486 185 697 382 - 325 100 - 3297

N. Pintail - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - 2

Grn-wngd Teal - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1

(dabblers) - - 190 - - - 713 - 15 55 - 333

Redhead - - - - - - 1 5 - - 6

Rng-nckd Duck - - - 35 - - - - - - - 35

Grtr Scaup - 1 - 5 - - - - 1 15600 - 15607

Lssr Scaup - - - 2 - - - - - - - 2

Scaup sp. - - - 443 40 1557 - - - - - 2040

Surf Scoter - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1

Wt-wngd. Scoter - - - - - - - - - 75 - 75

Blck Scoter - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1

Lng-tld Duck - - - - 3 3578 25 - 25 30550 - 34181

Bufflehead - - - 5 12 19 10 - 55 75 - 176

Comm Gldneye - 1433 145 115 284 202 199 - 425 739 - 3542

Brrw’s Gldneye - - - - - 2 - - - - - 2

Hooded Merg - - - 52 - - - - - - - 52

Comm Merg 6 289 6 110 2 1500 50 - 20 10 - 1993

Rd-brstd Merg - 3 - 2 - 15 40 - 100 165 - 325

merganser (sp) - 6320 5423 - 1101 - 256 - - 50 - 13150

Ruddy Duck - - - 2 - - - - - - - 2

Amer Coot - - - 65 - - - - 1 - - 66

Divers - 150 - - 35 - 140 - 100 2500 - 2925

Totals 8 8444 5957 2762 2132 9122 17535 - 1524 50500 - 97984

Party hours 2 6 2 6 3 4.5 2 - 4 5.5 - 35

Number of obs. 1 4 1 4 2 3 2 - 3 3 - 25

Bald Eagle 0 15 9 0 1 7 7 - 4 5 - 48*

March 2010

Details for Table 1:

Bald Eagle: 23 adults, 25

immature

Ivy Lea: Mallorytown Landing

west to bridge, Hill Island, to

Gananoque

Kingston Waterfront: Treasure

Island to Lemoine's Point

Bath Road: Collins Bay to

Glenora Ferry

Hay Bay: south shore Hay Bay

(frozen)

Waupoos: NE peninsula of

Prince Edward county

PEPt: SE peninsula of Prince

Edward county

Bay of Quinte (frozen)

The results in Table 1 were sent to Ken

Ross of the Canadian Wildlife Service.

CWS staff flew over the Kingston area

and located some waterfowl beyond the

access of ground observers, which are

included in Table 1. Sightings of Bald

Eagles from land observers are also

included.

Survey results for Lake Ontario sites

within Canada have been collated by

Mr. Glenn Coady of Toronto. Areas

surveyed were Kingston, Quinte,

Presqu'ile, Port Hope, Durham, Toronto,

Hamilton and Niagara. That summary

was not available in time for this

number of the Blue Bill.

.

Strange Sounds Coming from the Skies

Terry Sprague

There was just a hint of daylight

appearing on the eastern horizon last

spring when my Sheltie/terrier stopped

in her tracks on our early morning walk.

Her keen ears had picked up the sound

long before I had. The sound was a

"peent," and was repeated several times.

It reminded me of a noise made by some

faulty part of an electrical system. This

was a male woodcock, and my dog was

the first to get it on the checklist for the

day. My dog passed away in November,

but during her 15 years, she had been

responsible for many of my first

sightings of the year.

Soon they will be calling everywhere.

You must be on site early in the

morning if you are to catch this strange

performance. However, the woodcock is

not particular about the time of the

night, for once it becomes dark, this

strange noise can be heard any hour of

the night wherever there are open areas

with a few trees about. It is an amazing

ceremony, and is done to woo a female

nearby, waiting to critique his stage

performance. Although the nasal sound,

similar to that of a nighthawk, may

sound unmusical to any of us in the

audience, to the glassy-eyed female

waiting on stage, the pulsating note is

seductive.

Having successfully captured her

attention, he now switches to an even

more bewildering sound, like that of an

unfamiliar frog. Suddenly, he springs

into the air, ascending gracefully into a

widening spiral, accompanied by soft

twittering and musical notes made by

the rush of air past the wings. Reaching


an altitude of 300 feet or more in the

night sky, he hangs suspended for a

moment, before fluttering like an oak

leaf back to the ground, this time

singing a few additional notes.

Landing on the ground from where he

began his nuptial flight, he staggers

toward the female, seemingly exhausted

by the effort. If he has been successful in

winning the heart of this fair lady, they

will mate right then and there with what

little energy he has left, or it may take

several such performances before she is

convinced that he is the one and only.

My dog heard all this going on, her

head twisting from side to side as she

tried to process the strange noises

coming from above the cedar trees in

the roadside pasture. I even managed to

catch sight of the bird in the twilight as

it fluttered toward the ground.

The sky dance of the woodcock is no

more unusual though than the bird

itself. At first glance, everything seems

wrong about it. For one thing, it is a

shorebird that rarely goes near the shore

except by accident. Its legs are short and

the bird obviously lost the ability to run

along shorelines with its cousins

thousands of years ago, in favour of

more upland habitat; in fact, the bird

can barely walk at all.

Evolution has even re-positioned

everything in its head. The beak is

positioned where you would expect, at

the front of the head, but seems longer

than it should for a bird of its size. The

beak needs to be long since it spends so

much time buried deep in the mud

extracting worms. The end of the beak is

sensitized with nerve-endings that can

pick up vibrations of worms in the soil.

The tip of the beak can work

independently of the main beak; that is,

the upper and lower mandibles can

wiggle around and snatch a worm,

while the base of the beak remains

tightly closed.

This infatuation with moist soil created

a few problems. With its eyes focussed

on the work at hand, it was subject to

surprise attacks from behind. Over

thousands of years, the eyes have not

only enlarged to work more efficiently

in dim light, but have actually shifted,

more toward the back of the head, so it

can look over its shoulder at the same

time it is probing the earth in front of it.

This has resulted in some further

modifications to the bird since evolution

can't move the eyes without moving

something else to accommodate them. It

was the brain that had to move, and it

now lies sort of upside down in the

bottom of the skull. This meant, too, that

the ears had to move. Ears on birds are

normally behind the eyes. The ears on

Photo by Peter Sporring of Belleville

March 2010

the woodcock are in front of the eyes,

and this unique position, foreign to all

other birds, may actually assist in

finding prey.

Woodcocks are indeed strangely

fascinating birds - a bird that hears with

its beak, can see backwards and

forwards, has an upside-down brain,

ears at the front of its head, and sings

with its wings. Turn off the TV and

listen for them some evening this

spring.

Terry Sprague is a naturalist, free-lance

writer and KFN member who lives in

Prince Edward County. See his website

at www.naturestuff.net .

Winter Season 01Dec2009 – 28Feb2010

Ron D. Weir

While most water was frozen solidly by

the second week of January, average

low and high temperatures throughout

the period were above the long-term

normal. Snowfall amounts were also

well below normal. Songbirds became

scarce by early December prior to the

arrival of the colder weather,

presumably having migrated in

response to availability of food.

Species Account

Common Loon: to Jan 09, PEPt, KFN.

Horned Grebe: to Dec 20 Kingston,

KFN.

Red-necked Grebe: to Dec 20 Kingston,

KFN.

Double-crested Cormorant: to Jan 09

PEPt, KFN.

Great Blue Heron: 3 different birds

during December, latest Jan 02 (1)

Amherst I., KFN.

Snow Goose: last ones Dec 26 (17) Ivy

Lea, KFN.

Canada Goose: peaks Dec 19 (10,453)

PEPt, KFN; Jan 10 (17,016) Kingston,

KFN.

Cackling Goose: Dec 01 (2) and Dec 20

(2) Wolfe I., KFN.

Brant: last ones Dec 20 (3) Wolfe I.,

KFN.

Mute Swan: Dec 19 (53) PEPt, KFN; Jan

10 (115) Kingston, KFN.

Tundra Swan: peaks Dec 19 (393) PEPt;

Dec 20 (411) Wolfe I.; Jan 10 (764)

Kingston, KFN.

Wood Duck: to Dec 31 (4) Chaffeys

Lock, MC.

Gadwall: peaks Dec 20 (269), Jan 10

(305) Kingston, KFN.

American Wigeon: to Jan 10 (5)

Kingston, KFN.


Black Duck: peak Jan 10 (1228)

Kingston, KFN.

Northern Shoveler: to Dec 20 (6)

Kingston, KFN.

Canvasback: to Dec 20 (3) Kingston,

KFN.

Redhead: peak Dec 20 (3025) Wolfe I.,

KFN.

Ring-necked Duck: peak Dec 16 (130)

Kingston, BMD.

Greater Scaup: peaks Dec 19 (16,864)

PEPt, KFN; Jan 10 (15,607) Kingston,

KFN.

Surf Scoter: Dec 20 (2) Wolfe I., Jan 10

(1) PEPt, KFN, only sightings.

White-winged Scoter: peak Jan 10 (75)

PEPt, KFN.

Black Scoter: Dec 19 (1) PEPt, Dec 20 (5)

Kingston, Jan 10 (1) PEPt, KFN.

Long-tailed Duck: peak Jan 10 (34,181)

PEPt, KFN.

Bufflehead: Dec 19 (222) PEPt, Dec 20

(197) Kingston, Jan 10 (176) Kingston,

KFN.

Common Goldeneye: peaks Dec 19

(1850) PEPt, Dec 20 (1767) Kingston, Jan


Barrow’s Goldeneye: peak Dec 20 (1 im

male) Wolfe I., GFV, RDW; Dec 30 (1 ad

male) Bath, BRp; Jan 10 (2 ad males)

Kingston, JHE, RDW.

Hooded Merganser: peaks Dec 02 (110)

Elgin, NLB; Dec 20 (773) Kingston, Jan


Common Merganser: peak Jan 12 (5000)

Wolfe I., JHE, BRowe

Ruddy Duck: Dec 1-5 (1 & 2 birds) Hay

Bay, KH, PJG; Dec 2-31 (1) Kingston EB,

BMD; Jan 01-09 (2) Kingston, KFN.

Virginia Rail: Dec 20 (1) Wolfe I., GFV,

RDW.

Osprey: last one Dec 19 (1) PEPt, fide

RTS.

Bald Eagle: Dec (77 in all), peaks Jan 10

(48), KFN; Feb 28 (13) Opinicon, MC.

N. Harrier: peak Dec 20 (20) Kingston,

KFN.

Red-shouldered Hawk: Jan 02 (1)

Amherst I., JHE, RDW.

Red-tailed Hawk: peaks Dec 20 (24)

Kingston; Dec 26 (18) Ivy Lea; Jan 21

(22) Amherst I., KFN.

Golden Eagle: Dec 19 (1 ad) PEPt, JHE,

RDW; Jan 02 (1 ad) Amherst I., JHE,

RDW; Jan 09 (1) Westport, R. Anderson.

Peregrine Falcon: Dec 16 (3) Wolfe I., J

Pleizer, B. Holden; Jan 06 to Feb 05 (1)

Kingston, KFN.

American Woodcock: Dec 20 (1) Wolfe

I., GFV, RDW. (late)

Lesser Black-backed Gull: Dec 10 (1),

16 (1) Kingston, KH, EB.

Barred Owl: Dec (8 in all), Jan 04 to Feb

28 (17 different birds) Kingston, KFN.

Great Gray Owl: Feb 02 (1) Sydenham,

D. Kristensen.

Long-eared Owl: Dec (6 high tally for

the month), Jan 02 (9) Amherst I., KFN.

Short-eared Owl: peaks Dec (23 birds),

Jan 23 (10) Amherst I., KFN.

Boreal Owl: Dec 28 to Feb 28 (1)

Amherst I., KFN.

N. Saw-whet Owl: peaks Dec 16 to Feb

28 (3-4) Amherst I., KFN

N. Flicker: Dec 20 (1) Kingston, Jan 22

(1) Bedford Mills, KFN.

Tufted Titmouse: Dec 01 to Feb 28 (1)

Wilstead near Kingston, LN et al.; Dec 01

to Feb 28 (1) Lyndhurst, KFN; Dec 20 to

Feb 28 (1) Kingston City, O Koroluk;

Dec 01 to Feb 04 (2) Bath, G Gault.

Carolina Wren: Dec 20 (1), Feb 18 (1)

Kingston, KFN, VPM.

Marsh Wren: Dec 20 (2) Wolfe I., KFN.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet: Dec 16 (1)

Amherst I., BMD.

Brown Thrasher: Dec 11 to Jan 10 (1),

Elginburg, EB.

Bohemian Waxwing: Dec 22 (113)

Westport, KFN; Jan 06 (40) Morton,

NLB.

Eastern Towhee: Jan 03(1) Napanee,

KFN; Feb 27 (1) Kingston, N Tate et al.

Pine Grosbeak: Dec 22 (1) Westport,

KFN. Only record.

Purple Finch: very scarce throughout

the period.

Common Redpoll: very scarce.

Pine Siskin: Dec (20 in all), Jan 02 to Feb

28 (5 only) Kingston area, KFN.

Evening Grosbeak: none.

Contributors:

E. Batalla, M. Conboy, M. Ch, B.M.

Dilabio, J.H. Ellis, P.J. Good, K. Hennige,

V.P. Mackenzie, L. Nuttall, B Ripley

(BRp), R.T. Sprague, G.F. Vance, R.D.

Weir, Kingston Field Naturalists 3+,

North Leeds Birdwatchers 3+

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