Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN) maintains records in a 50km radius of MacDonald Park, Kingston. Birders using eBird are encouraged to share their sightings with 'Kingston FN'. Alternatively, please email or send records directly to me - contact details below. Please note that some sightings may require review and remain unconfirmed unless stated otherwise. Highlights: Sorry for the late report - 'tis the season of Christmas Bird Counts. It was a pretty good week in the area with a mix of interesting sightings. The Spotted Towhee continues to draw visitors. A very cold snap at the end of the week, has frozen all inland waterbodies, and Lake Ontario between Kingston and Wolfe Island is starting to also freeze over. Here are the highlights of the last week: TRUMPETER SWAN - the cold snap has finally started to concentrate our winter species with an impressive 67 birds seen at Chaffey's Locks on 19th. TUNDRA SWAN - birds are still being reported (though in lower numbers) from a number of locations. Wolfe Island remains the best place to see them. NORTHERN SHOVELER - a male was seen at Hillview Pond, Kingston on 17th. NORTHERN PINTAIL - 2 birds were seen on Wolfe Island on 14th. GREEN-WINGED TEAL - 2 male birds were seen in Sydenham on 16th with at least one still there on 20th. ICELAND GULL - 2 birds were seen at Verona dump on 15th, with another at Big Sandy Bay, Wolfe Island, the same day. GLAUCOUS GULL - an immature bird was seen at Prince Edward Point on 14th and 16th. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK - there were no reports this week. SNOWY OWL - it remains difficult to calculate the number of birds in the area but 13 were tallied on 15th during the Kingston CBC. Three birds were seen on Amherst Island on 16th. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER - a female bird was seen near Brewer's Mills on 16th. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER - 3 birds were seen at Frontenac Provincial Park on 14th. GYRFALCON - a grey bird was photographed on the ice of Cataraqui Bay, Kingston, on 18th. NORTHERN SHRIKE - 4 different birds were seen this week, at Amherst Island, Prince Edward Point, Verona, and Gananoque. GRAY CATBIRD - a single bird was seen near Crosby on 19th. NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD - the 2 birds found at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston, on 11th continued all week along the fence line with Kingston Penitentiary. HERMIT THRUSH - a single bird was seen on Bur Brook Road, north of Kingston on 15th and 16th. SNOW BUNTING - it was an OK week for this species (enjoying the cold no doubt) but the highest count of just 80 came from Wolfe Island on 14th. CHIPPING SPARROW - 2 birds were reported from Marshlands CA, Kingston, on 19th. SWAMP SPARROW - a lone bird was seen at Marshlands CA, Kingston, on 19th. SPOTTED TOWHEE - this long-staying, brightly-coloured, male continued to be seen at Prince Edward Point this week, and has now been seen by many appreciative observers. Let's hope it continues into the new year. EASTERN MEADOWLARK - a single bird was seen on Amherst Island, on 17th. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD - birds were seen at Marshlands CA, Kingston, on 15th, Adolphustown on 15th when 20 were seen, Prince Edward Point on 16th, and Ellisville on 18th. COMMON GRACKLE - a single bird was seen at Gananoque on 14th, with up to 10 birds at Prince Edward Point over the week. Another single bird has been present at Glenburnie over the week. PALM WARBLER - this bird was seen from 12th - 14th at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour but has not been seen since. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER - singles were seen at Prince Edward Point on 14th and 16th. In order to minimise disturbance to wildlife and property in the recording area, Kingston Field Naturalists has adopted the KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy <https://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/KFN_sensiti ve_sightings_policy.pdf> . Please note that you must be a card-carrying member of Kingston Field Naturalists (KFN), or be accompanied by a member, to access both the Martin Edwards Reserve and Amherstview Sewage Lagoons. As always, a big thank you goes to all those who have submitted sightings directly or via eBird. Mark. Mark D. Read 337 Button Bay Road, Wolfe Island, Kingston, Ontario K0H 2Y0 Canada Mobile: +1 (613) 217-1246 Email: <mailto:markdread@gmail.com> markdread@gmail.com eBird Guidelines for Reporting Sensitive Species <http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/1006789-guidelines-for-repor ting-sensitive-species>