Non-raptor Observations: The Ojibway Nature Centre's weekday birding class was on the tower between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to hear the calls of dozens of Sora Rails (as estimated by Paul Pratt) as the marsh offers lots of cover this fall with one Sora seen close to the tower.

At 8:15 am, it was estimated that about 20-30 birds per minute (bpm) were flying south, peaking at 50 bpm at 8:30 am, then tapering off until very few birds were flying by 10:00 am. Most common reverse migrants were RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, COMMON GRACKLES, AMERICAN PIPITS, EUROPEAN STARLINGS, BALTIMORE ORIOLES, YELLOW-RUMPED, NASHVILLE, and YELLOW WARBLERS.

>From 7:35 until 8:40 a steady stream of birds, estimated at more than 5000 per minute, passed the tower, blackening the skies. Predictions: We should see light winds out of the North early veering to the Northeast as the day progresses. Sunny skies in the morning becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon.

In total, I estimated nearly 21,000 ducks from the open water at the ice boom in Lake Erie up along the west river to about the middle of Grand Island. No major rarities were seen although I can hardly say I gave the effort justice in the relatively short amount of time I was counting.

For the first time are provided the estimated number of pairs of flycatchers, vireos, swallows, wrens, thrushes, warblers, sparrows and blackbirds that nest in our area, each ranked within its own family in separate appendices to make for easy reading.

We saw at least three Bald Eagles and at times the air was full of Blue Jays; the board at the observatory estimated 4000 by early afternoon. There were night flights over Kingston on the 13/14; lots of Swainson's Thrushes and on the 15/16; several thousand Swainson's and hundreds of Gray-cheeked Thrushes.

However, at the Whirlpool, there were a lot of Bonies – I estimated 4 to 5000. Lots at Adam Beck and downriver from there though we never checked lower Queenston. Good numbers of large gulls at Adam Beck.

Highlights include (with mostly estimated numbers) red-bellied woodpecker – a pair –very vocal winter wren 2 brown creeper 10 dark-eyed junco 25 fox sparrow 8 white-throat 75 eastern towhee 3 hermit thrush 125 golden-crowned kinglet 10 ruby-crowned kinglet 50 great-crested flycatcher 2 field sparrow 2 purple finch 30 (many brightly-coloured males) pine

The bird was probing furiously, at an estimated distance of 80 feet.DESCRIPTION:- tertials were plain grey, with no internal marks and fell just short of the tail tip. The tail was DARK, a reddish brown, with dark bars. Scapulars were dark centred, with reddish brown fringes. Most of the wing coverts were plain grey and "neat" looking.

Using Christmas Bird Count data and personal observation from Brian Morin, Jacques Bouvier and myself I’ve estimated that there were 140+ in the Ottawa-Gatineau district and over 350+ in eastern Ontario west to Presqu’ile Provincial Park. An amazing winter for Snowys. Interestingly there were few birds found dead in an emaciated condition.