Blue Bill - kingstonfieldnaturalists.org · [email protected] . Please include contact phone number. 613-376-3716 Submissions should be in MS Word format or in “plain text” format

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

[email protected]

Honorary Martin Edwards

President: 613-544-0736

[email protected]

Vice-President: Gaye Beckwith

613-376-3716

[email protected]

Past President: Chris Grooms

613-386-7969

[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 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.


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,


Tundra Swan: peaks 19Dec (441) Wolfe

I., KFN, 09Jan (637) Kingston, KFN.

Gadwall: high numbers 19Dec (563),


American Wigeon: to 10Jan (5) Kingston,

KFN.

Black Duck: peaks 19Dec (2380), 09Jan

(1743) Kingston, KFN.

Mallard: high numbers 19Dec (23,105),


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


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


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 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


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


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 - - - -


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


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

[email protected]

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


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


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


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


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


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



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


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


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


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



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


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

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