Clear DayWEEKLY BIRD REPORT FROM PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND THE QUINTE AREA for the week of Monday, October 25 to Sunday, October 31, 2004 A rather busy stream of birds highlighted the past week of activity in Prince Edward County, the spotlight being on the BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER which first appeared at Sandbanks Provincial Park on October 23rd, and was seen by several observers the following two days, and again on October 27th. At the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, owling has picked up a bit again and volunteers there banded 151 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS during the last week plus two BARRED OWLS. Numbers of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS offshore have dropped to just a handful now but the scaup and scoters are still showing well. LONG-TAILED DUCKS are starting to increase and up to 150 have been seen in a day. Another duck seen in good numbers has been RED-BREASTED MERGANSER with up to 50 seen daily. Seventeen ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were seen during the week with 9 on the 28th including 6 in the air together. Three GOLDEN EAGLES have been seen this week, all of them hatch year birds. An AMERICAN WOODCOCK was seen on the 27th. HAIRY WOODPECKERS are showing up more regularly with up to 5 in a day being seen. Also being seen nearly daily is a NORTHERN SHRIKE, but at least two birds are involved. With the winds dying down at the beginning of the week we had a large movement of birds on the 26th, (Tuesday) when 385 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were trapped with an estimated total of 800 present. Also present that day were 120 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, 32 BROWN CREEPERS, 12 WINTER WRENS and 12 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, the first AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS arrived that day as well and FOX SPARROWS increased to 12, The following day most of the previous days birds had gone but FOX SPARROWS had increased again to 15. A few PINE SISKINS are starting to appear at the niger feeder but have only reached a maximum of 8. And finally, a rare bird for the Point on the 28th was a COMMON RAVEN that was seen and heard calling and circling over the area. Migration Monitoring for the fall ended today (Sunday) and we had a very successful fall with a record number of over 7000 birds banded. Owling will continue for a few more days weather permitting, but the passerine nets will be taken down tomorrow. GOLDEN EAGLES in Prince Edward County this past week have exceeded sightings of the more commonly expected bald eagle. In addition to the three seen at Prince Edward Point during the week, other reports included two at Sandbanks Provincial Park on October 27th, a juvenile at Point Petre on October 28th, and an individual on County Road 1, two kilometres east of Consecon, on October 29th. There was also one seen at Point Petre on October 18th that was accidentally omitted from last week's report. As well as the sighting of a COMMON RAVEN at Prince Edward Point on the 28th, an individual was also seen and heard on Sprague Road at Big Island on October 25th. Omitted from last week's report until a detailed description was received, was a late male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at Sheba's Island on October 24th. Another late report to come in was a BLACK VULTURE at Sandbanks Provincial Park, seen by the park's staff naturalist on October 22nd. PURPLE FINCHES continue to move through the area. A half dozen or so can be found most mornings on Sprague Road, Big Island, and are also regular bird feeder clients at 23 Sprague Road. PURPLE FINCHES have also been seen at Prince Edward Point, West Lake and Huff's Island. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS have been seen at feeders in Adolphustown and east of Lake on the Mountain. A Thomasburg feeder has FOX SPARROWS, and a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW has been visiting a feeder near Madoc, where 4 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and an EASTERN PHOEBE have also been in the area. And a PILEATED WOODPECKER dropped into one backyard on Chuckery Hill Road at Lake-on-the-Mountain. In Picton, a RUFFED GROUSE turned up on one front lawn eating berries of a mountain ash. Movements of raptors have been noted at a couple of locations. On October 27th, birders at Point Traverse noted RED-TAILED HAWKS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, COOPER'S HAWKS, SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, MERLIN, NORTHERN HARRIER and TURKEY VULTURES. Other observers the following day at Point Petre counted 40 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 3 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, 6 TURKEY VULTURES and the GOLDEN EAGLE mentioned elsewhere in this report. A late OSPREY was at Point Petre on October 24th. At Sandbanks Provincial Park, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen flying into a cloud of blackbirds and emerging with a struggling victim in its talons. The two displaying SANDHILL CRANES south of Picton were last reported being seen in an agricultural field near the junction of County Roads 10 and 11 on October 25th, as the two birds continue to elude birders by expanding their feeding area to at least a 2 km stretch of highway. Shorebirds reported during the week were BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, DUNLIN and SANDERLINGS on October 28th, along the Lake Ontario Beach at Sandbanks' West Lake Sector. Other noteworthy sightings during the week were RUSTY BLACKBIRD and BARRED OWL at Point Petre on October 27th. A BARRED OWL was also seen at Vanderwater Conservation Area, one day earlier. And that's it for this week from Prince Edward County and the Quinte area. Our thanks to David Okines (Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory) Bruce DiLabio, Margaret Bain, David & Yvette Bree, John & Margaret Moore, Jack Lashley, Bruce & Allyson Parker (Ontbirds), Albert Boisvert, Lee Shipp, Pamela Martin, Rae & Steve O'Brien, Paul Mackenzie, Fred Helleiner, Lloyd Paul, Judith Gray, Bill Hogg and Joe Victor for their contributions to this week's report. This report is also posted in the BIRDING section of the NatureStuff website. This report will be updated by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 7th. Bird sightings must be in by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening to be included in the next report. Good fall birding. Terry Sprague Picton, Ontario tsprague@kos.net www.naturestuff.net