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TRANSCRIPT
The
Blue Bill
Quarterly Journal of the Kingston Field Naturalists
ISSN 0382-5655
Volume 58, No. 1 March 2011
Contents
President’s Page Janis Grant ............................1
Winter Season 01Dec2010-28Feb2011-03-12 Ron D. Weir ..........................2
KFN Outings January-February 2011
Teen Visit to QUBS Jake Baer.................................... 6
Field Trip to Amherst Island Bud Rowe .................................. 7
Teens Wood Duck Box Clean-up Adam Rossiter........................... 8
Field Trip to Observe Bald Eagles Erwin Batalla .......................... 10
Ramble to Cartwright Point Joseph Benderavage................. 10
Field Trip to QUBS and Area Mark Andrew Conboy ............ 11
Kingston and Area Christmas Counts Ron D. Weir ........................12
KFN’s Partner in Habitat Preservation Larry McCurdy ...................17
Darkness of Early Morning a Time for Pondering Terry Sprague......................18
Mid-winter Waterfowl Inventory: Kingston Region Ron D. Weir ........................20
A Big Day in December Erwin Batalla ......................22
Yearly List of Birds-KFN 2010 Ron D. Weir ........................24
The Great KFN Calendar Photo Contest Connie Gardiner..................29
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.
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.
Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #047128
2009/2010 Officers
President: Janis Grant
613-548-3668
Honorary Martin Edwards
President: 613-544-0736
Vice-President: Gaye Beckwith
613-376-3716
Past President: Chris Grooms
613-386-7969
Treasurer: Larry McCurdy
613-389-6427
Recording Rose-Marie Burke
Secretary: 613-549-7583 (winter)
613-353-2463 (summer)
Membership John Critchley
Secretary: 613-634-5475
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 Gaye Beckwith 613-376-3716 [email protected] Newsletter John Diemer 613-389-9451 [email protected] Publicity/Website Chris Grooms 613-386-7969 [email protected] Slideshow 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] Member-at-large Dale Kristensen 613-376-6561 [email protected] Archives Peter McIntyre 613-548-4738 [email protected]
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 1
President’s Page: Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership
Janis Grant
The KFN constitution has a few things
to say about membership and our
nature reserves:
-Membership in the Kingston Field
Naturalists “shall be open to any person in
sympathy with the objectives”
-Objective II (3) “To acquire, receive and
hold lands for the purpose of preserving
their natural flora and fauna”
-Appendix 1: “Use of Nature Reserves is
restricted to Members of the Kingston Field
Naturalists and their guests. Members
wishing to sponsor a group visit, or a visit
by outside organization, shall first seek
permission from the (Nature Reserves)
Committee or KFN Executive”
KFN currently has 566 members, many
of whom are not residents of the
Kingston area. We are pleased that non-
residents are willing to take out
memberships, participate in field trips
and use our nature reserves responsibly.
Recently, it appears some members and
non-members using our Amherst Island
property may have forgotten that
preservation of fauna is the reason we
hold the land. A photograph of a Snowy
Owl taken on our property this winter
was posted on a photography web site
(see below). It shows a female Snowy
with a vole in her talons. Accompanying
it is a message from the photographer in
which he says: ”I stayed at the B&B next
to the KFN for four days, 2 feet away from
KFN territory. Got to see the male and
female in the backyard of the B&B quite a bit
but it was too far for good shots. Did lots of
running to get close to this pair but as you
know they are quite skittish. I was indeed
lucky that on my fourth and last day, one
hour before my ferry left, I finally got to the
female as she hunted.” In the message he
says that he is not a member of KFN.
A week or so after this posting we were
made aware of 7 photographers from
New York who had arrived on Amherst
Island to see the Hawk Owl, which
admittedly has not been on the KFN
property. They brought mice with them
to bait the owl, which is strictly illegal,
and could not be persuaded to stop.
Many of you are aware that the Owl
Woods on Amherst Island has become
such a popular place for birders and
photographers that their visits are
seriously threatening the habitat that
makes the woods attractive to owls. As
a result, the KFN has commissioned a
Stewardship Plan for the Owl Woods
with funding assistance from the
Kingston Community Foundation, the
Ottawa Field Naturalists and other
interested groups. It will be released
shortly with recommendations for
preserving this important owl
sanctuary. In the interim, signs have
been posted in the woods advising
visitors how to behave while there. For
the most part, these rules are being
respected. KFN would appreciate the
same sort of respect from those visiting
the KFN property.
As members, you have every right to
ask people you see on the property if
they are members of Kingston Field
Page 2 March 2011
Naturalists. If they are not, you can
request that they leave.
As a result of the behaviour of the one
photographer on our property, Past
President Chris Grooms posted a
message on the photography website. It
is reprinted here as a reminder to all of
us of our responsibilities when visiting
our nature reserves.
“The Kingston Field Naturalists requires
that all people have memberships to access
its property. Members may invite a guest.
Responsible members wanting to bring a
group of people on to the property must have
the permission of the executive board.
The nature reserve is for the protection of
nature and for the use of KFN members.
Harassment of wildlife is not tolerated and
people caught doing so will be charged
under the trespass to property act. KFN
reserves the right to define what harassment
is and what activities are permitted.
Spending four days on the property in
pursuit of one or two “skittish and
uncooperative” owls and “walking miles all
day through deep snow positioning
ourselves to get that "shot" of the day” and
doing “lots of running to get close to this
pair” when “you know they are quite
skittish”, is clearly harassment! This
behaviour will not be tolerated.
Whether you are a member or not, if you
engage in this type of behaviour you are
NOT welcome on the KFN nature reserve.”
Chris Grooms, Past President, Kingston
Field Naturalists.
Chris mentions that people who harass
wildlife on the property may be charged
under the trespass to property act.
Wildlife harassment is an offence under
the federal Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Act, 1997, S.O. 1997 c. 41.
If you see people harassing wildlife
anywhere, you may telephone Ministry
of Natural Resources at: 1-877-847-7667
If you wish to view the photo and
comments can visit the website at:
http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB3/vi
ewtopic.php?f=3&t=191286&p=1872495#
p1872495
Winter Season 01Dec2010-28Feb2011
Ron D. Weir
The late (3rd week of January) freeze of
the inshore waters of Lake Ontario led
to large numbers of waterfowl lingering
in our area. See the summary elsewhere
in this issue for the Mid Winter
Waterfowl Survey. Once the snow
arrived in quantity by mid to late
January, it remained on the ground
throughout the period. A thaw during
the week 15-18Feb 2011 helped relieve
the steady cold, but was insufficient to
open inshore waters of Lake Ontario. In
general, songbirds proved to be scarce
after early January, and those that did
remain for the season benefitted from
feeders. Both species of waxwings were
in high numbers and the winter finch
showing was mixed. Redpolls and
goldfinch were abundant, but numbers
of Purple Finch and Pine Siskin
dwindled as winter progressed, perhaps
having moved further south.
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 3
Species Account:
Red-throated Loon: 11Dec (1) Sacketts
Harbour, MS, JB; 18Dec (1) PEPt, JHE,
RDW.
Pacific Loon: 19Dec (1) Kingston
waterfront, KFE.
Common Loon: to 06Jan, Kingston, KFN.
Horned Grebe: to 27Dec (12 in all)
Kingston, KFN.
Red-necked Grebe: last one 16Jan,
Amherst I., KFN.
Double-crested Cormorant: to 29Dec
Kingston, KFN.
Great-blue Heron: 11 during winter, last
one 29Jan Kingston, EB.
Turkey Vulture: late bird 16Jan (1)
Amherst I., KFN.
Cackling Goose: 19Dec (1) Wolfe I.,
27Dec (1) Millhaven, 09Jan (2) Bath,
09Jan (1) Waupoos, KFN.
Canada Goose: peaks 19Dec (21,112)
Wolfe I., 09Jan (22,515) Kingston, KFN.
Mute Swan: high numbers 19Dec (47),
09Jan (62) Kingston, KFN.
Trumpeter Swan: 21Dec (21) Westport,
09Jan (19) Kingston, KFN.
Tundra Swan: peaks 19Dec (441) Wolfe
I., KFN, 09Jan (637) Kingston, KFN.
Gadwall: high numbers 19Dec (563),
09Jan (655) Kingston, KFN.
American Wigeon: to 10Jan (5) Kingston,
KFN.
Black Duck: peaks 19Dec (2380), 09Jan
(1743) Kingston, KFN.
Mallard: high numbers 19Dec (23,105),
09Jan (9842) Kingston, KFN.
Green-winged Teal: last ones 09Jan (2)
Howe Island, SD.
Canvasback: 04Dec (25) Wolfe I., 09Jan
(10) Kingston, KFN.
Redhead: peaks 08Dec (5000) Wolfe I.,
19Dec (5986) and 09Jan (2514) Kingston,
KFN.
Ring-necked Duck: peak 19Dec (3705)
Kingston, KFN.
Greater Scaup: peak 09Jan (55,835)
Kingston area, KFN.
Harlequin Duck: 19Dec (2) Kingston,
KFN; 09Jan (1) Amherst I., B & BMD.
Long-tailed Duck: peaks 18Dec (22,568)
and 09Jan (22,658) PEPt, JHE, RDW.
Common Goldeneye: peaks 18Dec (1669)
PEPt, 19Dec (1602) Kingston, 09Jan
(2587) Kingston, all KFN.
Barrow’s Goldeneye: 09Jan (3) Kingston,
RDW.
Ruddy Duck: 02Dec (7) Cataraqui R., EB;
18Dec (1) PEPt, JHE, RDW.
Page 4 March 2011
Bald Eagle: Dec (131 in all), peaks 29Dec
(48) Ivy Lea, KFN; 09Jan (56) Kingston,
KFN.
Northern Harrier: peak 19Dec (47)
Kingston, KFN.
Sharp-shinned Hawk: Dec (14 in all), Jan
(5 in all), Kingston, KFN.
Cooper’s Hawk: Dec (5 in all), Jan (3 in
all), Kingston, KFN.
Northern Goshawk: Dec (3 in all), Jan (4
in all) Kingston, KFN.
Red-shouldered Hawk: 19Dec (1) Howe
I., KFN.
Red-tailed Hawk: peak 19Dec (89)
Wolfe I and Kingston City, KFN.
Rough-legged Hawk: peak 19Dec (90)
Wolfe I., KFN.
Golden Eagle: 19Dec (1 ad) Wolfe I.,
20Jan (1 im) Pt. Pleasant, BRp; 9-10Feb
(1 im) Opinicon, MC.
Peregrine Falcon: 04Dec to 28Feb (4 in
all) Kingston, KFN.
Killdeer: late birds, 02Jan (2) Bath, BRp.
American Woodcock: 30Dec (1) Amherst
I. KFN.
Iceland Gull: Dec (3 in all), Jan (2 in all)
Kingston, KFN.
Lesser Black-backed Gull: 06Dec (1)
Lansdowne, KH; 19Dec (1) Kingston,
KFN.
Glaucous Gull: Dec (8 in all), Jan (4 in
all) Kingston, KFN.
Hawk Owl: 21Jan to late February (1)
Amherst I., J. Scott et al.; 5 – 28 Feb
Kingston, J. Williams et al.
Snowy Owl: Dec (5 in all), Jan & Feb (2
in all) Amherst and Wolfe Islands, KFN.
Barred Owl: Dec (11 in all), Jan (11 in
all) Kingston, KFN.
Long-eared Owl: Dec (7 high tally for
the month) Amherst I., KFN.
Short-eared Owl: peaks 29Dec (22
birds), 27Jan (10) Amherst I., BMD, KH.
Boreal Owl: 29Dec (2) to 16Jan (1)
Amherst I., KFN; 14-17Jan (1) Round
Lake Road, MR.
N. Saw-whet Owl: Dec (11 in all), Jan (4
in all) Amherst I., KFN, numbers
declined.
Hawk Owl by Gaye Beckwith
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 5
Northern Shrike: Dec (22 in all), Jan (11
in all) Kingston, KFN.
Common Raven: Dec (71 in all!!), Jan
(11) Kingston, KFN.
Tufted Titmouse: 15Dec Kingston, H.
Evans; 15Dec (1) Rockport and 1-6Jan (1)
Morton, both E Davies.
Carolina Wren: 09Dec (1) Kingston, EB;
29Dec (2) Rockport and 30Dec (1)
Amherst I., KFN; 16Jan (2) Kingston,
VPM.
Marsh Wren: 19Dec (1) Wolfe I., KFN.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 19Dec (1)
Kingston, KFN.
Townsend’s Solitaire: 7-20Jan (1) Pt
Peninsula, J. Brin, J. Taroll, BRp.
Hermit Thrush: 19Dec (1) and 03Jan (1)
Kingston, KFN and N. Spencer
American Robin: Dec (324 in all), Jan (72
in all) Kingston area, KFN.
Varied Thrush: 8Dec to 14Feb (1)
Moscow CM, BM.
Brown Thrasher: 17Dec (1), Kingston,
EB.
Bohemian Waxwing: Dec (1524 in all)
with peaks 19Dec (420), 15Dec (236),
11Dec (280), Jan (458 in all) peak 24Jan
(200) with smaller flocks present to
28Feb, Kingston, KFN.
Field Sparrow: 29Dec (1) Ivy Lea, KFN.
Savannah Sparrow: 27Dec (1) Napanee,
KFN.
White-crowned Sparrow: 1-22Dec (1)
Camden East feeder, PJG.
Snow Bunting: peaks 19Dec (2056)
Wolfe I. and 15Dec (530) Delta, KFN.
Eastern Meadowlark: last ones 5Dec (6)
Amherst I, KH; 31Dec (1) Howe I., SD.
Pine Grosbeak: 22Dec (1) Westport,
KFN. Only record.
Purple Finch: common during
December, then numbers declined.
Red Crossbill: 20Feb (3) Kingston, BRp,
only sighting.
White-winged Crossbill: 19Dec (3)
Wolfe I. KFN, 20Feb (2) Kingston, BRp,
only sighting.
Common Redpoll: 4Dec onwards, Dec
(590 in all), Jan (447 in all) Feb (400 +).
Hoary Redpoll: 20-23Dec (1) Kingston,
JHE; 27Dec (1) Battersea, MR; 28Dec (2)
Loughborough, MHE; Jan (7 in all), Feb
(several), KFN. One Hoary Redpoll
Ancanthis hornemanni hornemanni
lingered at the Queen’s University
Biology Station feeder from 09-20Feb
2011, P. English.
Pine Siskin: Dec (158 in all), Jan (48 in
all), Feb (6 in all) Kingston, KFN.
American Goldfinch: common
throughout the period.
Page 6 March 2011
Evening Grosbeak: 9Dec (2) Moscow,
KFN; 03Jan (1) Opinicon, MC.
Contributors Abbreviated:
E. Batalla; J. Bolsinger; M. Conboy; S.
David; B. & B.M. Dilabio; K.F. Edwards;
M.H. Edwards; J.H. Ellis; P.J. Good; K.
Hennige; B. MacKenzie; V.P. Mackenzie;
C. McNeill; B Ripley; M. Roncetti; M.
Stewart; R.D. Weir; Kingston Field
Naturalists 3+
KFN Outings January-February 2011
Teen Visit to QUBS
Jake Baer On January 7th , Anne Robertson, with
Adrian, Jake and Cerridwyn of the
Kingston Teen Naturalists arrived at the
Queen’s University Biological Station on
Lake Opinicon at 10a.m. The
temperature with windchill was a bitter
-11oC, the day was overcast with a light
snowfall throughout the morning. As
we were strapping up our snowshoes,
Mark Conboy, a researcher living at
QUBS, greeted us. By the time we were
organized, a researcher visiting QUBS,
Chris Baird, had joined us. We set off
towards the lake and discoveries.
We examined squirrel tracks and had
Mark demonstrate their movement. We
had a good laugh. We investigated
snowfleas or springtails and discussed
their biology. We were ecstatic to see the
otter scampering and sliding across the
lake. As we continued to observe the
otter, a bald eagle landed near a bait pile
on the lake. Its presence was
breathtaking. It only stayed for a
moment then took off. You could almost
feel the gust from its mighty wings as
they forced it up into the air. We stood
in awe for a minute then continued on.
We were warned that the ice was thin in
a certain spot because a muskrat had
been swimming from its den onshore
out into the lake under the ice, leaving a
clear trail of bubbles frozen in the ice.
After readjusting snowshoes we
continued down the lake. Not five
minutes later we heard a mysterious call
Mark identified as a raven. We could
not believe the array of sounds that a
raven could make, so we just stood and
listened to the chirps, peeps, and
electronic sounds. We investigated a
Muskrat house in a shallow bay. We
identified waterweed, a water lily root
and a Banded Mystery Snail shell used
in building the pushup.
We cut up into the forest to examine and
identify small mammal tracks that Mark
had found that morning. In an
investigation that would make Sherlock
Holmes proud, we determined that they
were marten tracks -a marten is a small
predatory weasel. We came to this
conclusion by systematically eliminating
what the tracks could not be. When we
decided that they were weasel tracks,
the next thing to decipher was which
weasel. So we whipped out our field
guide and measuring tape and took
measurements of the diameter, length
and length of gait. We examined the
path of the tracks trying to find clues
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 7
into this animal’s behavior. We noticed
that it ran up and down dead branches
on the ground, making it an agile
creature familiar with navigating trees.
Once we put all the details together we
concluded that they were marten tracks.
Pleased with our detective work, we
snowshoed on.
As we exited the forest we were
delighted to see two bald eagles
performing amazing aerial acrobatics.
We stood still in amazement as they
dove, turned, weaved and soared in
synchrony. When we couldn’t see them
anymore, we continued back to the
QUBS cabin for lunch. As we walked,
we talked about trapping birds and we
saw the aviaries that they keep the birds
in when they need to study them for
extended periods of time. During lunch
we were introduced to Philina English, a
researcher living at QUBS.
From where we sat we could look
through a telescope and clearly observe
one raven and four bald eagles around
the bait pile. Closer to the house,
multiple bird feeders were hanging
from lines strung between trees. At first
there were no birds, but it was not long
before birds of all kinds were flocking to
the feeders. We documented a variety of
species, such as the Hairy Woodpecker,
Downy Woodpecker, Chickadee,
Redpoll, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-
breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, Junco, and
Goldfinch. We observed their feeding
behavior and differences between birds
of the same species. It was such an
amazing sight that we could have spent
all day watching them. But we had
plans to see bigger birds.
In the afternoon we traveled to a part of
the lake where there was open water
and a lock system. We brought two
telescopes and two pairs of binoculars.
It was impossible to miss them: thirteen
Trumpeter Swans lined the edge of the
ice out on the lake. At first glance it was
hard to judge their size. But when a
Canada Goose swam next to one of the
swans it appeared to be the size of a
duck! Only then did we truly
understand the size of these majestic
birds. We continued to observe them for
about an hour, watching them clean,
swim, and honk. Mark illustrated the
beak shape of the trumpeter swan in the
snow then compared it with other
illustrations of different swan beaks.
Then the moment we all hoped for
happened. A dozen trumpeter swans
took flight and did a lap around the lake
before flying into the horizon. The sight
of these massive birds in-flight was
breathtaking. Soon after they had
disappeared, we packed up our gear
and left. But we did not leave empty
handed. We left rich with the experience
of witnessing over 15 species of wild
birds, including the majestic Bald Eagle
and gigantic Trumpeter Swan.
Field Trip to Amherst Island
Bud Rowe On a clear, sunny January 16, sixteen
birders took the 0830 ferry to Amherst
Island to look for hawks, owls and other
over-wintering birds. The temperature
was -10oC, but winds were light and the
fields were covered in light, fluffy snow
that had accumulated the day before.
This caused some concern that the road
to the Owl Woods might not be
Page 8 March 2011
drivable, but this was not the case and
the following is a consolidated list of all
species seen on the island and on the
ferry crossing by most party members:
Red-necked Grebe, Turkey Vulture,
Canada Goose, Tundra Swan, Gadwall,
American Wigeon, American Black
Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Ring-
necked Duck, Greater Scaup, White-
winged Scoter, Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Merganser, Common
Merganser, Red-Breasted Merganser,
American Coot, Bald Eagle, Cooper's
Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged
Hawk, American Kestrel, Herring Gull,
Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Snowy
Owl, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl,
Boreal Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl,
Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue
Jay, American Crow, Horned Lark,
Black-capped Chickadee, European
Starling, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-
eyed Junco, Snow Bunting, Northern
Cardinal, Cowbird, House Finch,
Common Redpoll, American Goldfinch,
House Sparrow
Forty-seven species in all. We were
very fortunate to see most of the owl
species on the island and the Red-
necked Grebe and Turkey Vulture
were unexpected finds for January,
especially for the winter listers!
Teens Wood Duck Box Clean-up
Adam Rossiter
On February 5th, four teen naturalists
joined Anne and Erwin on a trip to the
Helen Quilliam Sanctuary to check on
four Wood Duck nest boxes which had
been installed in February 2010 on
another Teen trip. Wood duck boxes are
put up in ponds, as wood ducks usually
nest in cavities in trees very close to, or
in water. Wood Duck boxes are easiest
to maintain during the winter, when
they are accessible over ice.
The thick layer of snow blanketing the
ground made us appreciate the
snowshoes we had brought, especially
since cleaning out Wood Duck boxes
demands a ladder and various tools to
be brought along. Luckily, the previous
day’s snowfall wasn’t accompanied by
cold; the temperature was -1°C. We also
carried an extra predator guard (a
double sheet of steel meant to stop
predators from climbing up the pole
and disturbing the nest), as one of the
boxes had mysteriously lost its original
one. We came up with a theory
explaining its disappearance: the two
bolts holding it up must have loosened
in heavy winds, allowing the guard to
slide down the pole into the water. We’ll
have to wait until spring to confirm this
theory. Snowy Owl by Martin Edwards
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 9
The hike to the pond where the four
new boxes were placed took about 25
minutes, less than we had expected
given the conditions. We passed two
beaver dams and saw otter and fox
tracks in the snow. Apart from the
tracks and a raven, masses of snow fleas
and, amazingly, a water boatman
(Corixidea) that was somehow alive, we
didn’t see much wildlife.
At each box we checked if it was being
used, marked its location on a GPS unit,
recorded its condition, and made any
necessary repairs, such as fixing the
predator guard or replacing the nail
which holds the hinged side panel of the
box shut. Once this was done, we
cleaned out the boxes and put in new
wood shavings.
We didn’t expect to find any signs of
use, as wood duck boxes are rarely used
within the first year of their installation.
We did however find what was most
likely a Wood Duck down feather in the
second box. A Wood Duck had most
likely only taken shelter in the box for a
short period, not stopping to make a
nest. In the third box we found a mud
and grass nest, made by a Common
Grackle. Common Grackles usually nest
near water, in cavities or in nest boxes,
so it wasn’t surprising to find a grackle
nest in the wood duck box.
In the fourth box, we found a reward
for our work. We found one full egg,
which we later identified as a hooded
merganser egg. Calipers were used to
measure the length and width of the
egg, which was almost spherical.
Hooded mergansers, which are the
second smallest species of merganser,
often use Wood Duck boxes, like the
common grackle. We also found many
shell pieces, which we estimated were
once two eggs. It was encouraging to see
that the nest box had already been used
in the first year, even if it wasn’t used by
a Wood Duck.
After returning from the pond, we filled
out Ducks Unlimited survey cards
(reporting our findings), as Ducks
Unlimited sponsored the installation of
the four new boxes last year. We
returned to our cars and wrote in our
field journals and decided to go to the
Hillside Café for hot chocolate and to
warm up, although what we really
needed to was to dry our feet, as in
some places there were pools of slush
on top of the ice, deceivingly hidden by
snow. Despite the wet feet it was an
enjoyable and productive trip. Having
been on the trip helping put up the new
boxes last year, it was nice to see one of
them in use a year later.
Page 10 March 2011
Field Trip to Observe Bald Eagles
Erwin Batalla
Nine naturalists left the car pool at
Highways 15 and 401 and headed east
on Sunday 06February at 8 a.m. The
weather was mild, and after a slow
drive on the Thousand Islands Parkway,
we walked towards the open water
under the International Bridge. We saw
a few American Robins and immature
and adult Bald Eagles. Returning to our
cars, we saw Pine Siskins, Common
Redpolls and Cedar Waxwings.
At the boat launch in Ivy Lea Village,
there were more Bald Eagles and a
Muskrat on the ice. Several ducks were
visible, including Common and Hooded
Mergansers ans Common Goldeneyes.
Then, we drove north to the outlet of
Charleston Lake, but did not see the 75
swans that a local told us were gathered
there earlier in the day. On our return
trip, we had good looks at a Northern
Shrike and a Cooper’s Hawk.
Altogether, more than a dozen eagles
were seen in juvenile, 2nd year, 3rd year
and adult plumages.
Ramble to Cartwright Point
Joseph Benderavage On the morning of 15 February, nine
Kingston Field Naturalists, led by Erwin
Batalla, braved -13oC weather to search
for signs of animal life, and significant
or interesting flora. I was glad I chose to
wear my double layer of winter
clothing. Cartwright Point, south of
Canadian Forces Base Kingston, was the
Ramble area of choice. It is a residential
peninsula that projects into the
beginning of the St. Lawrence River.
We enjoyed brilliant sunlight, yet the
morning continued very cold. Cardinals
could be heard but not seen. Among the
birds observed were Common Redpolls,
a Red-bellied Woodpecker (seen from
Woodpecker Lane!), two White-breasted
Nuthatches, a few Chickadees, some
Hairy Woodpeckers, and Blue Jays.
An empty nest, apparently upended by
wind, nevertheless stayed attached to its
tree branch overhead. It appeared to be
a woven nest, and since orioles are our
only weaver nest builders, we assumed
Eagle-watching by Gaye Beckwith
Bald Eagle by Gaye Beckwith
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 11
that it was an oriole nest. We noted that
a bird house built onto a tree trunk
several years ago by KFN member Bud
Rowe remains in good shape. It was
subtly inconspicuous, though it was
unoccupied at the time of our visit.
Red squirrels were active, especially
near feeders. We spied squirrel nests in
the trees. They are built with leaves and
interwoven twigs, while the interiors
may contain bark, moss, grass, and fur.
High branches of some trees were
barren of bark, as if it had been stripped
off, perhaps by porcupines.
Very dark Buckthorn berries still on
leafless branches were evident, as were
glossy red berries on vines of Climbing
Nightshade. Seeds of the former contain
a laxative, while the berries of the latter
are poisonous. Both are non-native
species. Ornamental plant Burning Bush
was identified. We also made a tentative
identification of a Bearberry bush.
Traction on icy roads and paths reduced
foot traffic speed somewhat, but
everyone knew what to expect and how
to deal with it. Although the hike was
brief, it featured satisfying discoveries.
Field Trip to QUBS and Area
Mark Andrew Conboy On February 20, eight KFN members,
led by Mark Andrew Conboy, visited
the Queen’s University Biological
Station (QUBS) and surrounding area.
Before heading to QUBS we made a
side-trip to see the Northern Hawk Owl
(Surnia ulula) that had been a resident
on Railton Road for a few days. The owl
was perched in a Shagbark Hickory
(Carya ovata) beside the road. Hawk
owls and hickories don’t normally mix:
hawk owls are birds of the boreal forest;
hickories are trees of southern forests.
Some years hawk owls move south in
the winter, probably in response to food
(voles and other small mammals)
shortages. They rarely wander into the
Kingston area, but this is the third that I
know of this season. One was seen for a
single day on Highway 15 near Crosby
in December; another has been present
on Amherst Island for many weeks.
After the visit with the hawk owl, we
threaded our way north and east to
Opinicon Road. Along the way we saw
a few Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) and a
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), but
no sign of early “spring” migrants such
as Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris).
Along Opinicon Road we stopped at
Herbert’s Bog to listen for birds. The
bog has been a breeding site for
American Three-toed Woodpeckers
(Picoides dorsalis) in the past, so I stop
there in the hope of finding rare boreal
visitors; no such luck on this field trip.
We did watch a flock of American
Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) and some
other common “backyard” birds at a
feeder across the road.
At QUBS we looked for eagles at bait
(scraps of meat from Garrett’s Butcher
Shop) that I put on the ice of Lake
Opinicon but all we found were
Common Ravens (Corvus corax) and
American Crows (C. brachyrhynchos). We
did eventually find an adult Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) soaring over
Page 12 March 2011
Indian Lake Road. The flock of
Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla
garrulus) that had been around QUBS
for a couple of weeks was nowhere to be
found, but redpolls were abundant.
We searched among the Southern
Common Redpolls (C. f. flammea) for the
female Hornemann’s Hoary Redpoll
(Carduelis h. hornemanni) that had been a
regular visitor at QUBS since February
9. Compared to the other redpolls, the
Hornemann’s Hoary Redpoll has whiter
plumage, less streaking on sides, nearly
all-white undertail coverts, a more
robust head and neck, a smaller beak
and is noticeably larger overall. Among
a flock of common redpolls, a
Hornemann’s stands out like a sore
thumb. Its rarity (one of the rarest birds
reported in Ontario this winter), its size
and its extreme northern breeding
habitat (the high arctic including
Ellesmere Island and Greenland) make
Hornemann’s Hoary Redpoll an
attractive target for birders, hence the
many visitors we’ve received at QUBS
since its discovery.
Redpoll identification can be difficult; in
fact it is one of the most challenging
identification problems birders face, but
with direct comparisons with other
redpolls at the feeders it’s possible to
identify this rare bird with confidence.
At Chaffey’s Lock we watched the
resident Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus
buccinator), found a Belted Kingfisher
(Megaceryle alcyon), three American
Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) and three
Canada Geese (Branta canadensis).
Thanks to all who braved the cold
morning air; I hope you had fun.
Kingston and Area Christmas Counts
Ron D. Weir
Normal winter weather prevailed
during the Christmas Count Period
14Dec10 to 05Jan11. Freezing conditions
and a light snow cover greeted the local
counts early in the count period, and
snow was present at the end of the
period. The shallower sections of Lake
Ontario were frozen, as were still waters
away from the lake. 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 Chaffey’s
Lock.
Shown in Table 1 are selected statistics
for the local counts. Those for the
Napanee count were not available in
time for this number of the Blue Bill.
Table 2 contains the species totals for the
past 20 years. Shown in Table 3 is a
summary of the high species tallies for
Ontario during the past seven years.
The detailed species list for the local
area Christmas counts is presented in
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 13
Table 4. Where record numbers of
individuals occurred, the number is
underlined. The entry CW designates a
sighting within the count week, which is
defined as three days before and three
days after the count day.
Table 1: Statistics on Individual Counts in 2010 for the Kingston Area
Date/loc
15 Dec
Delta
18 Dec
Pr Edw Pt
20 Dec
Kingston
21 Dec
Westport
26 Dec
1000 Isl
30 Dec
Rideau Fy
30 Dec
Amherst I
03 Jan
Napanee
Species 40 69 102 37 63 40 57 ?
Birds 4,061 62,690 82,502 1,917 8,607 3,484 9,208 ?
Particip 15 17 53 13 22 14 25 ?
Precip none snow none none none none none ?
T low/ oC -15 -2 -4 -7 -7 -11 -2 ?
T high/ oC -5 +2 0 +3 +4 -2 1 ?
Weather clear overcast cloud cloud cloud clear cloud ?
Table 2: Twenty-year Totals (* = Count was not done)
Count199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
1991-
2010
avg
PE Point 61 61 64 61 76 67 64 61 80 61 72 58 82 71 76 71 65 63 55 55 66
Kingston 95 96 113 99 101 97 106 104 107 102 111 109 103 103 103 104 * 106 101 102 103
Westport 37 55 50 46 36 48 45 41 49 44 54 47 * * * 52 34 36 33 37 44
Napanee 44 46 42 52 52 56 51 38 58 49 50 56 51 58 50 56 51 57 60 ? (54)
1000 Isl 61 55 74 58 53 57 54 56 68 56 61 51 61 57 60 64 60 55 50 63 59
Amherst 51 47 51 n/a 54 57 66 57 51 58 71 60 53 36 64 54 54 57 56 57 55
Rid Fry 39 39 37 36 29 40 45 41 36 37 42 38 37 35 47 54 46 38 39 40 40
Delta 38 37 40 38 43 38 48 40 42 42 40 41**
Table 3: Comparison of selected Christmas Counts in Ontario: 2003 to 2010
Count 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
1. Blenheim/Rondeau 100 103 111 108 100 115 115 103
2. Long Point 110 98 105 106 109 105 98 106
3. Kingston 103 104 103 104 Canc’d 106 101 102
4. Point Pelee 94 91 103 94 98 93 92 96
5. Hamilton 101 102* 100 101 103 103 98 98
6. Toronto 89 89 91 102 81 89 87 ?
7. Niagara Falls 98 95 90 92 96 91 95 ?
Page 14 March 2011
Table 4: Kingston Area Christmas Counts 2010
Count 15Dec
Delta
18Dec
P E Pt
19Dec
Kingstn
21Dec
Westprt
29Dec
1000 Isl
30Dec
Rdeau Fy
02Jan
Amhrst I
03Jan
Npnee
Red-throated Loon - 1 - - - - -
Pacific Loon - - 1 - - - -
Common Loon - - 4 - 2 - 2
Horned Grebe - 1 2 - - - -
Red-necked Grebe - - 1 - - - -
Dbl-crstd Cormornt - - - - 1 - -
Great Blue Heron - 1 cw - 1 - -
Snow Goose - - - - - - -
Cackling Goose - 3 1 - - - -
Canada Goose 24 10,356 21,112 17 1269 12 4461
Brant - - 6 - - - -
Mute Swan - 95 47 - 2 - 11
Trumpeter Swan - - - 19 2 - -
Tundra Swan 3 24 441 - - - 46
Wood Duck - - 1 - - - -
Gadwall - 5 563 - - - 7
American Wigeon - 2 45 - - - -
Amer. Black Duck 4 282 2380 - 48 7 14
Mallard 15 2009 23,105 6 621 15 2198
Northern Shoveler - - 1 - - - -
Northern Pintail - - 4 - - - -
Green-wngd Teal - - 1 - - - -
Redhead 50 5986 - - - -
Ring-necked Duck - 1 81 - - - -
Greater Scaup - 12,340 3705 - - - -
Lesser Scaup - 1 18 - 39 - -
Harlequin Duck - - 2 - - - -
Surf Scoter - 1 - - - - -
Wht-wngd Scoter - 24 4 - - - -
Black Scoter - - 1 - - - -
Long-tailed Duck - 22,568 1630 - - - 1
Bufflehead - 173 304 - 1 - 36
Comm Goldeneye 1 1669 1602 9 773 8 321
Hooded Mergnsr - 2 66 - 20 - -
Common Mergnsr 770 670 4694 2 818 24 33
Rd-brstd Mergnsr - 12 1561 - 15 - 21
Ruddy Duck - 1 - - - - -
American Coot - - 101 - - - -
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 15
Count 15Dec
Delta
18Dec
P E Pt
19Dec
Kingstn
21Dec
Westprt
29Dec
1000 Isl
30Dec
Rdeau Fy
02Jan
Amhrst I
03Jan
Npnee
Bald Eagle 16 6 29 3 48 5 6 -
Northern Harrier - 4 47 - - - 17
Shrp-shinnd Hwk - 1 4 cw 2 1 1
Cooper’s Hawk 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Northern Goshwk - 1 cw 1 - -
Rd-shouldrd Hwk - - 1 - - - -
Red-tailed Hawk 9 12 89 - 26 4 39
Rgh-legged Hawk 2 1 90 - 6 - 65
Golden Eagle - - 1 - - - -
American Kestrel - 1 21 - 2 - 10
Merlin - 1 2 - - - 1
Rng-nckd Pheasant - - 1 - - - 1
Ruffed Grouse - 4 7 2 5 8 -
Wild Turkey 185 84 156 240 114 76 -
Amer Woodcock - - - - - - 1
Bonaparte’s Gull - 1 1 - - - -
Ring-billed Gull 11 18 419 2 170 5 38
Herring Gull 9 34 392 1 78 7 9
Iceland Gull - - 1 - - - -
Lsr Bck-backd Gull - - 1 - - - -
Glaucous Gull - - 1 - 1 - -
Grt Blk-backd Gull - 25 19 - 13 - 1
Rock Pigeon 179 51 1803 100 305 529 60
Mourning Dove 128 190 603 60 388 79 75
Eatrn Screech Owl - - 4 - - - -
Grt Horned Owl - - 8 cw - - 1
Snowy Owl - - 1 - - - 1
Barred Owl 1 - 2 2 1 1 1
Long-eared Owl - - 1 - - - -
Short-eared Owl - - 13 - - - 4
Boreal Owl - - - - - - 1
N. Saw-whet Owl - - - - - - 6
Belted Kingfisher - - 1 - 1 2 1
Rd-bellied Wdpckr - 3 8 - 8 - 3
Downy Wdpecker 30 21 68 27 55 12 13
Hairy Wdpecker 20 10 35 29 47 27 7
Northern Flicker - 4 - - 1 - -
Pileated Wdpecker 3 - 15 7 9 12 2
Northern Shrike 4 2 3 cw 2 1 2
Blue Jay 244 58 243 239 252 146 100
Page 16 March 2011
Count 15Dec
Delta
18Dec
P E Pt
19Dec
Kingstn
21Dec
Westprt
29Dec
1000 Isl
30Dec
Rdeau Fy
02Jan
Amhrst I
03Jan
Npnee
American Crow 195 115 415 41 279 92 3
Common Raven 21 - 3 9 28 9 2
Horned Lark - - 29 - 15 - -
Blk-cppd Chickadee 454 281 1027 382 539 444 145
Tufted Titmouse 1 - - - - - -
Rd-brsted Nuthatch - - 13 16 4 4 -
Wt-brstd Nuthatch 35 29 96 31 97 56 12
Brown Creeper 1 1 7 - 5 4 -
Carolina Wren - - cw - 2 - 1
Marsh Wren - - 1 - - - -
Gldn-crwnd Kinglt - - 22 - 8 - -
Rby-crwned Kinglt - - 1 - - - -
Eastern Bluebird 2 - - - - - -
Hermit Thrush - - 1 - - - -
American Robin 1 75 170 - 16 28 4
Brown Thrasher - - cw - - - -
European Starling 213 534 2371 82 736 271 862
Bohemian Waxwng 236 1 420 58 155 - -
Cedar Waxwing - 127 255 8 117 115 -
Tree Sparrow 131 178 268 54 246 70 62
Field Sparrow - - - - 1 - -
Song Sparrow - 1 5 - 1 - -
Swamp Sparrow - - 41 - - - -
Wht-thrtd Sparrow - - 4 - - - 2
Dark-eyed Junco 141 196 119 37 105 22 2
Lapland Longspur - - 10 - - - -
Snow Bunting 530 3 2056 - 200 1076 7
Northern Cardinal 11 15 66 6 19 14 6
Rd-wngd Blackbrd 4 1 31 - 5 - 7
Estrn Meadowlark - - - - - - -
Rusty Blackbird - - 1 - - - -
Common Grackle - - 1 - - - -
Brwn-hded Cwbrd - 40 3 - - - -
Purple Finch - 12 8 - 56 - -
House Finch 1 43 162 - 122 17 36
Wht-wngd Crssbill - - 3 - - - -
Common Redpoll - 23 203 83 151 89 50
Hoary Redpoll - - Cw - - - -
Pine Siskin - 19 5 - 63 21 -
Amer Goldfinch 316 80 247 236 298 136 52
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 17
Count 15Dec
Delta
18Dec
P E Pt
19Dec
Kingstn
21Dec
Westprt
29Dec
1000 Isl
30Dec
Rdeau Fy
02Jan
Amhrst I
03Jan
Npnee
House Sparrow 105 41 353 96 192 34 232
duck (sp) - 10,014 2500 - - - -
Gull (sp) - 25 69 - - - -
Totals: Species 40 69 102 37 63 40 57
Individuals 4,061 62,690 82,502 1,917 8,607 3,484 9,208
KFN’s Partner in Habitat Preservation
Larry McCurdy I have been a member of the KFN for
over 40 years. One of the most
impressive characteristics of the club
has been its awareness of the
importance of wildlife habitat, and of
the threat to wildlife habitat posed by
human development. Even more
impressive is the resolve of the KFN to
take an active role in protecting habitat.
Before most people imagined that
development would threaten the wild
lands north of Sydenham, the KFN
founders began acquiring properties
that would become the Helen Quilliam
Sanctuary, a profoundly beautiful, and
critically important link in a wildlife
corridor running west from Frontenac
Park to Gould Lake CA. In future this
may be part of a forested corridor from
Adirondack to Algonquin Park.
A second courageous initiative was to
purchase the eastern tip of Amherst
Island, a waterfowl staging area and
home to the easternmost known
breeding colony of Wilson’s Phalaropes.
These properties are very valuable
today and would surely have been
developed and lost forever had the KFN
not had the foresight to purchase them
when it was possible.
Owning properties strains the resources
of the KFN, which relies on volunteers
and donations to manage and protect
them. A few years ago it was recognized
that further land acquisitions would be
a serious burden, so the KFN shifted its
focus to fundraising, through our
Habitat Preservation Fund. We
contribute to the purchase of habitat by
organizations such as the Nature
Conservancy of Canada (NCC),
Cataraqui Region Conservation
Authority (CRCA), and Ontario Nature
(ON). We have contributed tens of
thousands of dollars towards the
purchase of shrike habitat, the Bayview
Bog, Lost Bay Reserve, part of the Owl
Woods property, and others. Hopefully
KFN members will continue to support
this fund.
Conscious of the KFN’s reluctance to
assume ownership of more properties,
and knowing that new properties of
interest would become available
through donation or purchase, a group
including long-time KFN members
established an organization dedicated to
the acquisition and preservation of local
wildlife habitat. The Land Conservancy
for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and
Page 18 March 2011
Addington acts as a land trust, and is
unique in that it holds land as wildlife
habitat, not for human use.
The Land Conservancy cooperates with
the NCC, Ontario Heritage Trust, and
other land trusts. In the six years since it
was founded, it has obtained ownership
of four properties: two woodland
reserves north of Kingston and two
Lake Ontario islands near Kingston. It
has also negotiated a conservation
easement and taken on the monitoring
of another to ensure that two forested
tracts north of Kingston will be
preserved. The Land Conservancy now
protects over 400 acres, remarkable in a
short time, achieved through hard work
and a strong commitment to their vision
of “keeping nature near … always”.
The KFN and the Land Conservancy
share goals, and it is in our collective
interest to see that the Land
Conservancy has a strong membership
for financial security and to increase the
pool of volunteers to monitor properties
and check out possible acquisitions.
KFN members who believe that the
Land Conservancy is carrying on the
KFN’s mission of habitat preservation,
can support the Land Conservancy by
becoming members, and by getting
involved as committee or Board
members.
Membership in the Land Conservancy
for KFLA costs $50 ($60 for a family).
Details can be obtained at
www.LandConservancyKFLA.org. This
spring the Land Conservancy plans to
invite KFN members to tour one of its
properties. Please let me know if you are
interested.
Larry McCurdy
613-389-6427
Darkness of Early Morning a Time for Pondering
Terry Sprague
Every morning at 5:30, I don my
reflective safety vest, put on my LED
headlamp, and set off on my walk to
Baycrest Marina on the shore of the Bay
of Quinte. It is about a five-km walk,
and there is a hint of daylight on the
horizon when I return an hour later.
Even at this hour there are three or four
cars, many of them commuters. Last
month, it was ice fishermen, and on
most weekends I counted over 20
vehicles per hour on this road which 30
years ago seldom saw more than a half
dozen cars in an entire day. If the
occupants wave, I don’t see them in the
glare of the headlights, but many flick
their headlights every morning in
greeting. I seem to be a fixture, and
sometimes meet the same vehicles in the
same spots every morning. All of us are
on a schedule of some sort.
My schedule fluctuates according to the
season. The longer the days, the earlier I
begin my walk, for it is the stillness and
darkness of early morning that I relish.
As someone who teaches Backyard
Naturalization and Bird Identification
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 19
courses all winter and leads guided
hikes during the rest of the year, one
needs an escape into that quiet time,
that something different that allows you
to get away from the daily grind, and be
totally alone. For me, it is the darkness
and magic of early morning, when
mysterious rustles in the underbrush
conjure up images of anything from a
squirrel to something much larger.
Depending on the snow cover,
sometimes I cut through the fields on
my return trip; I know these fields well
as I used to farm them with my parents.
The trail I take passes through the
woods and into once-open pasture
fields, now thick with red cedars. On
occasion a coyote has passed in front of
me, its outline ethereal in the beam of
my headlamp. One morning it was a
skunk, its scent wafting into my nostrils
before I noticed the animal itself.
Something had spooked it and caused it
to spray, and I was pleased that it
wasn’t me. It hung in the stillness for 30
minutes before it finally relented to the
heady scent of early morning crispness.
I feel quite comfortable among wildlife
and always have. Two summers ago, I
spent several days on a remote property
near Tweed doing a vegetation
inventory. There was evidence of bear
all around me, one so close I even
smelled it. I knew they were there, and I
have no doubt they were aware of my
presence. Comfortable, but always with
one eye over my shoulder. Training I
have received in animal behaviour has
caused me to be aware and alert. Don’t
run is the advice as that will provoke a
chase reaction, but by the same token,
don’t stare them in the eyes either for
that can be interpreted as a threat.
Generally, they are happy to avoid
human contact, but there will always be
exceptions, and we must always be on
high alert and know what to do. And as
we learn more, advice continues to be
upgraded. Bear bells and bear spray are
passé, we have been told.
Many of us have a fear of darkness, and
a fear of what we can’t see, or don’t
understand. This is why interpretive
hikes have become so popular, and why
the more I offer, the faster they seem to
fill up. People have an insatiable
appetite to learn about the natural
world around them, and about
biodiversity – how everything interacts
and depends on each other, and to see
these animals of which I speak. We learn
to separate fact from fiction – that
fishers don’t knock down cabin doors,
and bats don’t have a fondness for our
hair, and porcupines won’t shoot you
with their quills, and wolves won’t
carry you off into the woods. If they did,
we would be in serious trouble at
Algonquin, where public wolf howls at
Photo by Gabrielle Holowacz of Ameliasburgh
Page 20 March 2011
night are held for enormous crowds of
park visitors, with the express purpose
of communicating with these predators
and prompting a response.
For centuries we have had this notion
that wildlife is the enemy, and that it
must be controlled, managed, feared
and their numbers artificially
manipulated to satisfy our interests. In
doing so, we have created even more
problems. I think about these things in
the darkness of early morning and
wonder why irresponsible pet owners
bore us to tears on the evening news
about predators on the loose, while
continuing to allow their small pets to
roam free, especially after dark. Mainly I
think about journalist Peter Trueman’s
powerful statement which I use often in
my presentations, “The best thing we
can do for Nature is stop trying to play
God, learn how to control ourselves,
and then get out of the way!”
Mid-winter Waterfowl Inventory: Kingston Region 08-09Jan 2011
Ron D. Weir
The Mid-Winter Waterfowl Inventory
(MWWI) was carried out in North
America during the second week of
January 2011. Fourteen observers
surveyed the Kingston region from Ivy
Lea, Hill Island and Wellesley Island on
the east, to Prince Edward Pt on the
west. Lake Ontario water was open,
except for a few shallow bays.
Sections covered from land were the St.
Lawrence R. from Ivy Lea and the
Thousand Islands to Gananoque
(limited ice), Howe Island, Wolfe Island,
Cataraqui R. and the Rideau system
(frozen except at and below locks),
Amherst Island, Kingston waterfront
from Treasure Island to Collins Bay
(open), Bath Road from Collins Bay to
Glenora (open), Hay Bay (partly frozen),
Waupoos peninsula (partially frozen)
and Prince Edward Pt (open).
For the aerial survey portion, Canadian
Wildlife staff covered the St. Lawrence
R. from Ivy Lea to Kingston, offshore
sections of Wolfe and Amherst Islands,
the offshore islands and adjacent areas
of Waupoos and Prince Edward Pt, and
the Bay of Quinte.
Participants were Kevin Bleeks, Barbara
Campbell, Sharon David, Ben Dilabio,
Bruce Dilabio, Joel Ellis, Peter Good, Bea
and Jay McMahon, Shawn Meyer,
Gerald Paul, Bud Rowe, Barb and Ron
Weir. The results shown in Table 1 were
sent to Shawn Meyer and Barbara
Campbell of Canadian Wildlife Service.
When CWS staff flew over the Kingston
area, they located some waterfowl
beyond the access of the ground
observers and these sightings are
included in Table 1. Sightings of Bald
Eagles from the land observers are also
included in Table 1.
The weekend of the census saw sunny
and cloudy conditions and temperatures
varied from -8oC to -2oC, with moderate
wind from the SW shifting from the W.
Visibility was good. Survey results for
all Lake Ontario sites within Canada
have been collated by Mr. Glenn Coady
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 21
of Toronto. The summary was not
available for this number of the Blue
Bill. Areas surveyed along Lake Ontario
from east to west were Kingston,
Quinte, Presqu'ile, Port Hope, Durham,
Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara.
Table 1. Waterfowl Summary for Kingston 08-09 January 2011 with CWS additions
Species Rid. R
Cat. R. Ivy Lea
Howe
I. Kingstn
Amh.
I.
Wolfe
I.
Bath
Rd.
Hay
Bay Wapoos
Pr Edw
Pt
Bayof
Quinte Total
Common Loon 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - 2
Cacklng Goose - - - - - - 2 - 1 - - 3
Canada Goose 127 394 344 4300 979 9402 4704 500 1750 - 15 22,515
Mute Swan 2 - - - 10 20 6 - 24 - - 62
Tundra Swan - 2 43 18 53 276 25 - 220 - - 637
Trumptr Swan 19 - - - - - - - - - - 19
swan sp. - - - - - 56 56 - 27 - 5 144
Wood Duck - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1
Gadwall - 2 4 500 30 26 - - 30 63 - 655
Am. Wigeon - - - 12 - - 1 - - - - 13
Black Duck 31 23 113 85 78 778 95 - 115 425 - 1743
Mallard 55 513 226 1108 657 4387 1470 - 626 780 20 9842
Grn-wng. Teal - - 2 - - - - - - - - 2
(dabblers) - 700 56 - 1500 401 150 - 120 140 - 3067
Canvasback - - - 10 - - - - - - - 10
Redhead - 2 - 1500 - 212 - 800 - - 2514
Rng-nk Duck - 6 - 40 - - - - 75 - - 121
Grtr Scaup - - - 6240 - 445 150 - 35,500 12,500 - 54,835
Lssr Scaup - - - 10 - - 1 - 125 - - 136
scaup sp. - - 40 - - 1534 130 - - - - 1704
Harlqun Duck - - - - 1 - - - - - - 1
Wht-w. Scotr. - - - - - - - - - 3 - 3
Lng-tld Duck - - - - - - - - 2 22,656 - 22,658
Bufflehead - 15 3 8 90 14 38 - 60 262 - 490
C Goldeneye 9 165 84 112 577 126 946 - 243 325 - 2587
Brrw’s Gldnye - - - - - - 3 - - - - 3
Hooded Merg - - 4 31 - - - - 1 - - 36
Comm Merg 2 444 4858 1825 25 14 28 - 135 340 - 7671
Rd-br Merg - 21 - 30 2 30 6 - 4 127 - 220
merganser sp 135 - - 500 990 657 1587 - 600 150 3 4622
Am Coot - - 1 13 - - - - - - - 14
divers - - - - 60 20 208 - 75 1500 - 1863
Totals 381 2,287 5,778 16,343 5,052 18,398 9,607 500 40,533 39,271 43 138,193
Party hours 2 8 2 7 3 4.5 4 - 3 4.5 - 38
Number of obs 1 11 3 6 3 3 5 - 4 4 - 40
Bald Eagle 3 30 5 5 1 5 5 - 2 - - 56*
Page 22 March 2011
A Big Day in December
Erwin Batalla
Many readers will be familiar with the
Spring or Fall Round-up, when small
groups of birders attempt to locate as
many species as possible between
Saturday and Sunday afternoon within
50km of Kingston. Some have taken part
in a Christmas Bird Count where we are
assigned a specific territory and try to
make a count of the species in that area.
In a Big Day, as defined by the
American Birding Association (ABA), a
small group of birders, usually 3 or 4,
attempts to locate as many species as
possible within a calendar day. The
ABA publishes yearly a list of champion
Big Days for every month within every
state and province. In a Big Day, the
group of “listers” goes all out to beat the
“record”. If the numbers do not look
promising by lunch time, the listers will
ease up and start planning for the next
attempt. There is always “next year”.
A few years ago, while looking at the
table of Big Days for Ontario, I noted
that for the months of April, September
and December, the records for the
province were lower than the
corresponding ones for the state of New
York just to the south. So, over time,
members of the KFN have improved the
provincial records for these months with
different combinations of Bud Rowe,
Darren Rayner, Kurt Hennige, Paul
Mackenzie, Bruce Ripley and Erwin
Batalla. We conducted these in the
vicinity of Kingston to demonstrate that
the large numbers of breeding
passerines, wintering raptors and fall
waterfowl make our area a birding
destination in Ontario at any time of the
year.
On 01 December 2008, we observed 61
species to set the current provincial
record. On that Big Day, we saw a
Ross’s Goose, a Eurasian Wigeon and
two Red-headed Woodpeckers. These
are rare birds and there was little hope
to see them on an attempt to improve on
this record. However, the New York
State record for December stands at 69
so we were spurred on to try again. Paul
Mackenzie, Bruce Ripley and I met at
the Wolfe Island ferry terminal in
Kingston on Saturday 04 December 2010
to begin our quest.
The sky was clear and there was little
wind. The temperature was a mild -6oC.
These conditions would play in our
favor. There had not been a major cold
spell so there was still a lot of open
water. This meant that all the ducks
should still be around but also that
northern birds might not have arrived
yet. Normally, a Big Day in December
would take place on the first of the
month to get remaining birds from the
fall but the mild November could help
us. In any case, 01 December had been a
dreadful rainy day and we were happy
to have waited for the weekend.
The 6:15 ferry carried us to Wolfe Island
and we sped eastwards to Oak Point as
daylight was approaching. As soon as
we got out of Bruce’s van, we heard a
Great Horned Owl and then a second
one which Paul quickly spotted. A pair
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 23
of Eastern Screech Owls responded to
our tape and one of them approached to
investigate this electronic intruder.
Buoyed by this early result, we raced to
the golf course on the 9th Line but did
not see the Short-eared Owl that had
been reported there. On a Big Day, you
must bird independently so you cannot
ask other birders for information.
However, you can “stake” birds and
gather information about their location
before the day.
Next, we birded at Big Sandy Bay and
saw a few sparrows, two woodpecker
species and Bruce “pished” in a Brown
Creeper. This bird is a hard-to-find, but
common, resident of our region. I had a
glimpse of a Song Sparrow but Paul and
Bruce could not convince it to reappear.
On a Big Day, you bird as a unit and
95% of species seen must be seen by all
the participants. With an expected total
of about sixty birds, that meant that a
maximum of three bird species could be
reported but not seen by all participants.
We proceeded to the Horne’s ferry
terminal where we spotted a single
White-winged Scoter. This was a good
sighting because we would not go to
Prince Edward Point where they are
more abundant. At Button Bay, we saw
the huge Redhead raft which Kurt had
reported at the Fall Round-up and
spotted a few Canvasbacks among
them. As we were packing our spotting
scopes in the van, a Peregrine Falcon
flew over and there was much rejoicing.
We returned to Kingston by ferry,
seeing many Long-tailed Ducks but
unable to spot a Common Loon during
the crossing. After an unsuccessful
attempt at Carolina Wren in Kingston
East, we went to the apartment
buildings overlooking the Rideau.
There, we spotted Northern Shoveler,
Ruddy Duck and American Coot. While
I was desperately looking for the
Northern Pintail which had been there
two days earlier, behind me, Paul and
Bruce found a Song Sparrow near a
derelict trailer, erasing our first “strike”.
As we were about to give up, two
Pintail swam into view.
It was now about 11 a.m. We had seen
52 birds. We had no rarities but had
done well with waterfowl. We had seen
a large Snow Goose with all the proper
field marks in a flock of Canada Geese
on Wolfe and many Tundra Swans, so
we did not have to stop at Elevator Bay
as we had planned. Therefore, we
headed for the Cataraqui Cemetery
where Paul had seen a Red-bellied
Woodpecker a week earlier. At the
entrance, we stopped to see a bird that
flew to a feeder and when Paul got out
of the car, he found a Red-winged
Blackbird at the top of a tree. This was
another of many strokes of good luck in
which we found a single bird of a
species we would not see again.
We drove to Camden East to visit the
feeders of Peter Good and added Pine
Siskin and a very subdued but elegant
adult White-crowned Sparrow. We saw
a Brown-headed Cowbird in the town of
Violet on our way to Napanee where the
“staked” Wood Ducks were waiting for
us. Then, Bruce showed us Mute Sawn,
House Finch and Lesser Scaup in Hay
Bay. In our euphoria over having seen
Page 24 March 2011
all the expected waterfowl, we had
forgotten to stop at the Amherstview
sewage lagoons to see Lesser Scaup so
this was a disaster averted. As we were
leaving Hay Bay at high speed to catch
the ferry to Amherst Island, Paul
spotted an immature Bald Eagle
through the back window. After many
rolling stops but no speeding tickets, we
caught the 2:30 p.m. ferry.
Once again, we looked on the lake for a
Common Loon but only observed a
flock of Snow Buntings flying low over
the waves. On the island, we drove
along the south shore and spotted a few
Horned Grebes. We stopped at the
Lauret’s house to find out if there was
still hunting in the Owl Woods and as
Paul was talking to the owners, we saw
a Merlin trying to catch birds at their
feeders. We then saw a Northern Shrike
and a single Sharp-shinned Hawk.
It was now almost 4 p.m. and we had
seen a record-breaking 70 birds. All our
staked birds had come through and we
only had to wait a few minutes to see a
Short-eared Owl. Peter told us that he
had gone the night before and that
many had erupted before sunset flying
above the Northern Harriers. We parked
at the Fire Hall and pointed a
nonchalant spotting scope in the
direction of their imminent appearance.
It was getting a little windier and cooler
so we took turns looking for them and
tried to keep warm in the vehicle. After
we missed the 4 p.m. ferry with no owl
seen, we moved to the north shore road
nearer the site where the owls had been
seen. There, we saw 10 Northern
Harriers jousting with each other in
midair but still no owl. As 5 p.m.
approached, we were freezing and the
mood was less cheery. It was almost
dark when we finally spotted three owls
flying high: species number 71!
On the way back to the mainland, we
reviewed our list. We had seen no rare
bird but had late Northern Shoveler,
Wood Duck and White-crowned
Sparrow. These are birds which are hard
to get on a winter list (between the
beginning of December and the end of
February). Our big miss was the
Common Loon. Overall, it was a
tremendous day with luck on our side
throughout. Now, how about April…
Yearly List of Birds – KFN 2010
Ron D. Weir
There were 281 species of birds seen
during 2010 within the 50-km radius
circle centred in MacDonald Park,
Kingston, compared with the 30-year
average (1980-2009) of 280. The
distribution over the past 30 years is
given in the following table. *In the
yearly list for 2007 (Blue Bill 55 (1)
(2008)), a total of 270 was shown. Since
that list appeared, two additional
species were reported: Red Phalarope
(1) and Parasitic Jaeger (1) on 16Sep 07
at Henderson, NY. **In the yearly list for
2009 (Blue Bill 57 (1) (2010)), a total of
280 was shown. Since that list appeared,
the sighting of a Roseate Spoonbill at
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 25
Westport on 13 Jun 2009 has become
known. The KFN learned of this record
in the official report of the Ontario Bird
Records Committee published in 2010.
Table 1: Annual total bird species for the Kingston area 1980 to 2010
Year Total Year Total Year Total
1980 278 1991 281 2001 285
1981 277 1992 281 2002 287
1982 276 1993 293 2003 282
1983 282 1994 283 2004 280
1984 285 1995 280 2005 278
1985 271 1996 285 2006 274
1986 277 1997 283 2007 272*
1987 279 1998 283 2008 272
1988 270 1999 278 2009 281**
1989 273 2000 282 2010 281
1990 279
In 2010, two new species were added to
the list, which stands at 376: Yellow-
nosed Albatross and Vermilion
Flycatcher. Rarities reported during
2010 include Pacific Loon, American
White Pelican, Tricolored Heron, Glossy
Ibis, Black Vulture, Eurasian Wigeon,
Harlequin Duck, White-winged Dove,
White-eyed Vireo, Townsend’s Solitaire,
Varied Thrush and Lark Sparrow.Other
good finds among species not seen
every year were Cackling Goose,
Barrow’s Goldeneye, Marbled Godwit,
Western Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper,
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Gray
Owl, Boreal Owl, Tufted Titmouse,
Connecticut Warbler, Hooded Warbler,
Summer Tanager, Nelson’s Sparrow.
Among the species missed were eiders,
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Red
Phalarope, Forster’s Tern, three-toed
woodpeckers, Worm-eating and
Kentucky Warblers, Pine Grosbeak and
Red Crossbill.
The following list contains the date of
the first sighting in the Kingston area
during 2010 for each species, with the
observers' initials. Where KFN or NLB
appears, then 3 or more observers of the
Kingston Field Naturalists or North
Leeds Birders, respectively, were
involved. Excluded from Tables 1 and 2
are the Black-bellied Whistling Duck
seen in Prince Edward County during
summer 2010 just outside our 50-km
circle, and the Chukar at Camden East
and Yarker also during summer 2010.
The Chukar is probably an escape.
Observers abbreviated in list: E. Batalla,
J. Bolsinger, E.K.Brown, J. Cartwright,
M. Chojnacki, B. M. diLabio, J. H. Ellis,
H. Evans, P.J. Good, K. Hennige, D.
Kristensen, A. Kuhnigle, B. MacKenzie,
V.P. Mackenzie, P. Martin, L&P
Page 26 March 2011
McCurdy, J&B McMahon, C. McNeill, L.
Nuttall, D. Okines, B. Ripley, A.
Robertson, A.K. Rowe, A. Simmons, R.T.
Sprague, R.D. Weir, R. Worona.
Species Date Observer
Red-thrted Loon 02May JHE, RDW
Pacific Loon 07Nov KFN
Common Loon 01Jan JHE, AKR
Pied-billed Grebe 19Mar VPM,AKR
Horned Grebe 04Apr VPM,AKR
Red-necked Grebe 03Jan KFN
Yllw-nsd Albatrss 04Jul EKB, PM
Am White Pelican 13Apr MStewart
Dbl-crstd Crmrnt 09Jan KFN
American Bittern 06Apr PJG
Least Bittern 22May KFN
Great Blue Heron 08Jan KFN
Great Egret 19May L&PM
Tricolored Heron 25May KFN
Cattle Egret 23Oct J Scott
Green Heron 24Apr EB
Blk-crwd Nt-Hrn 20Apr RDW
Glossy Ibis 23Aug DO
Black Vulture 06Mar RTS
Turkey Vulture 28Mar GSmith
Snow Goose 14Mar JHaig
Canada Goose 01Jan KFN
Cackling Goose 17Mar NLB
Brant 13May EB, VPM
Mute Swan 01Jan JHE, AKR
Trumpeter Swan 03Jan KFN
Tundra Swan 01Jan JHE, AKR
Wood Duck 03Jan KFN
Gadwall 01Jan KFN
Eurasian Wigeon 21May VPM,AKR
Amer Wigeon 01Jan KFN
Amer Black Duck 01Jan KFN
Mallard 01Jan KFN
Blue-winged Teal 02Apr VPM,AKR
Northrn Shoveler 19Mar VPM,AKR
Northern Pintail 02Jan KFN
Species Date Observer
Green-wngd Teal 03Jan KFN
Canvasback 24Mar VPM
Redhead 01Jan KH, RW
Ring-neckd Duck 01Jan KFN
Greater Scaup 01Jan KFN
Lesser Scaup 01Jan KH, RW
Harlequin Duck 24Apr DO
Surf Scoter 09Jan KFN
Wht-wngd Scoter 09Jan KFN
Black Scoter 09Jan KFN
Long-tailed Duck 02Jan KFN
Bufflehead 01Jan KFN
Com Goldeneye 01Jan KFN
Barrw Goldeneye 09Jan JHE, RDW
Hooded Mergnsr 01Jan KFN
Comm Mergnsr 01Jan KFN
Rd-brstd Mergnsr 01Jan KFN
Ruddy Duck 01Jan KH, RW
Virginia Rail 18Apr VPM
Sora 21Apr JHE, RDW
Comm Moorhen 29Apr PJG
American Coot 01Jan JHE, AKR
Sandhill Crane 30Mar LN, MC
Osprey 18Mar KFN
Bald Eagle 01Jan JHE, AKR
Northern Harrier 01Jan JHE, AKR
Shrp-shinnd Hwk 02Jan KFN
Cooper’s Hawk 04Jan HE
North Goshawk 03Jan LN, MC
Red-shldrd Hawk 02Jan KFN
Brd-wngd Hawk 29Apr KFN
Red-tailed Hawk 01Jan KFN
Rgh-lggd Hawk 01Jan JHE, AKR
Golden Eagle 02Jan KFN
American Kestrel 01Jan JHE, AKR
Merlin 04Jan HE
Peregrine Falcon 06Jan JElliot
Rng-nckd Phesnt 02Jan KFN
Ruffed Grouse 22Jan PJG
Wild Turkey 03Jan KFN
North Bobwhite 07Jun RTS
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 27
Species Date Observer
Blk-bellied Plover 04May VPM
Am Glden-Plover 25Apr KFN
Semipalm Plover 13May EB, VPM
Killdeer 10Mar EB
Grtr Yellowlegs 08Apr BMD
Lessr Yellowlegs 12Apr RTS
Solitry Sandpiper 12May JHE, RDW
Willet 29May BMD
Spottd Sandpiper 25Apr KFN
Uplnd Sandpiper 14Apr JHE, VPM
Whimbrel 29May KFN
Hudson Godwit 03Oct VPM
Marbled Godwit 04May KFN
Ruddy Turnstone 14May AK
Red Knot 01Jun JHE
Sanderling 01Jun JHE
Semiplm Sndpipr 29May KFN
Wstrn Sandpiper 16Apr KFN
Least Sandpiper 04May VPM
Wht-rmp Sndppr 26May KFN
Baird’s Sandpiper 24Aug KFN
Pectral Sandpiper 04Apr J&BM
Purple Sandpiper 28May AK
Dunlin 13May EB, VPM
Stilt Sandpiper 18Jul VPM
Ruff 24Aug JHE, AKR
Sht-blld Dowtchr 14May VPM,AKR
Lng-blld Dowtchr 13Apr KFN
Wilson’s Snipe 24Mar PJG
Amer Woodcock 16Mar EB
Wilsn’s Phalarpe 30Apr AK
Rd-nkd Phalrope 24May VPM
Little Gull 26Sep BR
Bonaparte’s Gull 02Apr AKR,VPM
Ring-billed Gull 01Jan KFN
Herring Gull 01Jan KFN
Iceland Gull 18Feb VPM
Lssr Blk-bkd Gull 02Mar VPM
Glaucous Gull 17Jan KFN
Grt Bck-bkd Gull 01Jan KFN
Caspian Tern 11Apr KFN
Species Date Observer
Common Tern 04Apr ESwainson
Black Tern 14May VPM,AKR
Rock Pigeon 01Feb VPM
Whit-wngd Dove 13Sep BR
Mourning Dove 01Jan AKR,VPM
Blk-billed Cuckoo 07May EB
Yllw-blld Cuckoo 25May RTS
East Screech Owl 03Jan KFN
Grt Horned Owl 02Jan KFN
Snowy Owl 01Jan JHE, AKR
Barred Owl 04Jan LN, MC
Great Gray Owl 02Feb DK
Long-eared Owl 01Jan JHE, AKR
Short-eared Owl 02Jan KFN
Boreal Owl 01Jan JHE, AKR
N Saw-whet Owl 01Jan JHE, AKR
Com Nighthawk 22May AR
Whip-poor-will 24Apr JHE, RDW
Chimney Swift 30Apr CGrooms
Rby-thrtd Humm 20Apr RDW
Belted Kingfisher 22Jan RTS
Rd-hdd Wdpckr 08May RBoston
Rd-belld Wdpckr 02Jan KFN
Yllw-blld Sapsckr 04Apr EB
Downy Wdpckr 01Jan KFN
Hairy Woodpeckr 01Jan KFN
Northern Flicker 02Jan LN, MC
Pileated Wdpckr 01Jan KH, RW
Olv-sidd Flyctchr 20May AKR, VPM
East Wood-Pewee 16May KFN
Yllw-blld Flyctchr 16May KFN
Alder Flycatcher 26May KFN
Willw Flycatcher 08May RTS
Least Flycatcher 24Apr JHE, RDW
Eastern Phoebe 25Mar LN, MC
Vermiln Flyctcher 13Oct NLB
Eastern Kingbird 30Apr AK
Lggerheed Shrike 25Mar PJG
Northern Shrike 01Jan JHE, AKR
White-eyed Vireo 02May RTS
Yellw-thrtd Vireo 02May BMD
Page 28 March 2011
Species Date Observer
Blue-headd Vireo 18Apr RTS
Warbling Vireo 01May JHE, VPM
Philadelph Vireo 05May RTS
Red-eyed Vireo 16May AKR,VPM
Gray Jay 31Oct P&DSpaar
Blue Jay 01Jan KFN
American Crow 01Jan KFN
Common Raven 02Jan KFN
Horned Lark 01Jan KH, RW
Purple Martin 25Apr KFN
Tree Swallow 19Mar BRp
N Rg-wng Swllw 13Apr VPM
Bank Swallow 04May VPM
Cliff Swallow 14Apr JHE, VPM
Barn Swallow 07Apr JHE, VPM
Blk-cpd Chickdee 01Jan KFN
Boreal Chickadee 17Oct MConboy
Tufted Titmouse 02Jan AKR
Rd-brstd Nuthtch 01Jan KFN
Wht-brstd Nthtch 01Jan KFN
Brown Creeper 10Jan KFN
Carolina Wren 18Feb VPM
House Wren 24Apr JHE, RDW
Winter Wren 02Apr VPM,AKR
Sedge Wren 15May AK
Marsh Wren 23Apr EB
Gldn-crwn Kinglt 01Jan KH,RW
Rby-crwn Kinglet 05Apr EB
Bl-gry Gnatcatchr 25Apr VPM
Eastern Bluebird 19Mar VPM,AKR
Twnsd’s Solitaire 21Dec MStewart
Veery 08May RTS
Gry-chkd Thrush 21May DO
Swainsn’s Thrush 04May RTS
Hermit Thrush 08Apr BMD
Wood Thrush 04Apr JHE, RDW
American Robin 02Jan KFN
Varied Thrush 08Dec CM, BM
Gray Catbird 01May KFN
N Mockingbird 11May RTS
Brown Thrasher 10Jan EB
Species Date Observer
Eur Starling 01Feb VPM
American Pipit 30Apr AK
Bohem Waxwing 06Jan NLB
Cedar Waxwing 03Jan KFN
Blue-wngd Wrblr 13May RTS
Gld-wngd Wrblr 02May BMD
Tennessee Wrbler 14May VPM,AKR
Orng-crwn Wrblr 02May JHE, RDW
Nashville Wrbler 24Apr JHE, RDW
Northern Parula 01May EB, AS
Yellow Warbler 22Apr GPaul
Chstnt-sid Wrblr 01May RTS
Magnolia Wrbler 30Apr AKaduck
Cape May Wrbler 02May JHE, RDW
Blk-thrt Bl Wrblr 02May JHE, RDW
Yllw-rmpd Wrblr 11Jan BR
Blk-thr Grn Wrblr 22Apr GPaul
Blckburn Warbler 14May VPM,AKR
Pine Warbler 05Apr EB
Prairie Warbler 02May JHE, RDW
Palm Warbler 15Apr KFN
Bay-brstd Warblr 14May VPM, AKR
Blackpoll Warblr 30Apr RTS
Cerulean Warbler 02May BMD
Blk-&- wht Wrblr 01May JHE, VPM
Amer Redstart 02May KFN
Ovenbird 01May RTS
Nort Waterthrsh 28Apr BMD
Louis Waterthrsh 24Apr JHE, RDW
Connectic Wrblr 14May VPM,AKR
Mourning Warblr 14May VPM,AKR
Comm Yellowthrt 05May RTS
Hooded Warbler 16May DO
Wilson’s Warbler 20May VPM,AKR
Canada Warbler 01May AKaduck
Summer Tanager 15May RTS
Scarlet Tanager 01May EB, AS
Eastern Towhee 03Jan KFN
Am Tree Sparrow 01Jan KFN
Chippng Sparrow 07Apr JC
Clay-clrd Sparrw 04May KH
The Blue Bill Volume 58, No. 1 Page 29
Species Date Observer
Field Sparrow 04Apr VPM,AKR
Vesper Sparrow 18Apr VPM
Lark Sparrow 14May VPM,AKR
Savannah Sparrw 31Mar EB, HE
Grsshppr Sparrw 04May KH
Hnslow’s Sparrw 24May JB
Nelson’s Sparrow 01Oct VPM
Fox Sparrow 04Apr VPM,AKR
Song Sparrow 03Jan KFN
Lincoln’s Sparrw 14May VPM,AKR
Swamp Sparrow 03Apr VPM
Wht-thrtd Sparrw 03Jan KFN
Wht-crwn Sprrw 10Jan LN, MC
Dark-eyed Junco 01Jan KH, RW
Laplnd Longspur 03Oct JHE
Snow Bunting 02Jan KFN
Northrn Cardinal 01Jan PJG
Rs-brstd Grosbk 01May EB, AS
Indigo Bunting 30Apr RTS
Dickcissel 18Oct DO
Species Date Observer
Bobolink 01May JHE, VPM
Rd-wngd Blckbrd 02Jan KFN
East Meadowlark 18Mar PJG
Yllw-hd Blackbrd 06May CFleming
Rusty Blackbird 02Jan KFN
Brewr‘s Blackbird 15Oct MConboy
Common Grackle 02Jan KFN
Brn-hd Cowbird 01Jan JHE, AKR
Orchard Oriole 02May KFN
Baltimore Oriole 01May JHE, VPM
Purple Finch 11Jan PJG
House Finch 01Jan KFN
Wht-wng Crssbill 07Nov KFE, RDW
Common Redpoll 04Dec KFN
Hoary Redpoll 20Dec JHE
Pine Siskin 02Jan LN, MC
Amer Goldfinch 01Jan KFN
Evening Grsbeak 13Mar EB
House Sparrow 02Feb VPM
The Great KFN Calendar Photo Contest
Connie Gardiner
Fourteen people submitted 44 photos in
four categories; Flora, Fauna,
Landscapes, and KFN Activities/People.
As a result of judging by two
professional photographers, 13 photos
were selected for our first ever KFN
calendar. Gaye Beckwith did the “mock-
up” complete with appropriate sayings
on a nature theme as well as adding
significant dates. The calendar included
all photos submitted by placing small
versions of the images on the back page.
One hundred copies were ordered and
sold to club members. Besides being a
show-case for the photographic
enthusiasts of the club, it was fun to see
other members’ work. We are grateful
for the enthusiastic support of the
photographers and also those who
bought the finished product. The club
netted almost $200.00. In addition the
original photos will be auctioned at the
May dinner meeting.
Winning photos from each category are
on the next page.
Page 30 March 2011
Landscape Vern Quinsey
Fauna Kurt Hennige
Flora Murray Seymour
KFN Activities David McMurray