January 20, 2012 Amherst Island birding

The bird activity on Amherst Island continues to change daily. The "Owl Woods" was somewhat quiet but we managed to find 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl, my first since checking in late October. There have been very few reports of any owls  from the "Owl Woods"  this season. The feeders were active with 30+ House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, American Tree sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Both Short-eared and Long-eared Owls, one of each were found roosting in the woods. A drive around the island netted a few Snowy Owl and still low numbers of hawks, including Red-tailed, Rough-legged, American Kestrel, and Northern Harrier.

Good birding, Bruce

Directions: Amherst Island: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $9.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road.

Because of liability issues, visitors to the Kingston Field Naturalists' property at the east end of Amherst Island MUST be accompanied by a KFN member. For KFN contact information or how to become a member, please visit http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/ ."

A Common Redpoll feeding on White Cedar cones. 

First recorded in Ontario during the early 70's the House Finch is now a regular sight in south Ontario. 

A Snowy Owl sits quietly. 

 

Easy to overlook at the best of times as they roost during the day. This Northern Saw-whet Owl was sitting 15-20 feet up a Jack Pine.  

January 18, 2012 Birding Amherst Island

Made a quick trip to Amherst Island and found no snow on the island and no ice on the water. It looked more like late fall. I check the usual spots and found 3 Snowy Owls at the east end, KFN property and 1 along the South Shore Road. The Short-eared Owls starting flying at 4:14pm both east and west of Stella. A small number of hawks were observed including Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks along with American Kestrel. With the wide of waters I counted late 7 Common Loons and 1 Red-necked Grebe off the South Shore Road.

Good birding, Bruce

Directions: Amherst Island: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $9.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road.

Because of liability issues, visitors to the Kingston Field Naturalists' property at the east end of Amherst Island MUST be accompanied by a KFN member. For KFN contact information or how to become a member, please visit  http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/ ."

Amherst Island Ferry

Icy road conditions to the Owl Woods.

With no snow cover,  Snowy Owls were easy to pick out. 

Short-eared Owls were already hunting at 4:15pm. 

The Short-eared Owl is a regular winter resident on Amherst Island in small numbers. 

Final Results of the Massena, NY.-Cornwall, ON. CBC

39^th  Annual

Massena, New York-Cornwall, Ontario

Christmas Bird Count Results

December 27, 2011

Hi Everyone

Please find attached the results of the 39th Annual Massena-Cornwall Christmas Bird Count. I've also attached the revised All Time Record Highs, 1971-2011. Both lists follow the most recent AOU changes in the July 2011 supplement. If you note any errors in the numbers please let me know. Also, please forward results to anyone whose email I don’t list and took part.

Thanks and have a great year birding!

Bruce Di Labio Compiler

The 39th Annual Massena,NY.-Cornwall,On. Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on Tuesday, December 27, 2011. A total of 36 field observers and 12 feeder watchers recorded a record high 78 species and a record high 24,015 individuals. One new species, Winter Wren, was added to the All Time list bringing the total to 138 species in 39 years. Also, 16 record high counts and 3 tied record highs were recorded. The weather conditions for the day were great for being out counting birds. The temperature ranged from 0c to +4c with the visibility “excellent” along the St. Lawrence River during the morning due to the calm conditions. Also, the morning was mainly clear and the afternoon was mainly overcast with light variable winds. The St. Lawrence  River was wide open except for a few sheltered bays that were frozen or had ice along the shoreline. These conditions were superb and resulted in many new water birds record high counts. In the 24 years I've been involved with the count it was one of the best! I would like to thank all the participants and sector leaders for their continued support on the count. Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested in participating next season.

The date for next Massena, NY.- Cornwall, ON. CBC is tentatively set for Saturday, December 22nd, 2012.

Di Labio Birding Website
Courses and Field Trips
http://www.dilabiobirding.ca
http://www.brucedilabio.blogspot.com

Bruce Di Labio
400 Donald B. Munro Drive
P.O. Box 538
Carp, Ontario
K0A 1L0
Office 613-839-4395 Cell 613-715-2571

A few Massena-Cornwall CBC (1971-2012) statistics:

Total Species: Record High 78 (2011)      Record Low 29 (1971)

Total Individuals: Record High 24,015 (2011) Record Low 2,286 (1971)

The accumulative list stands at 138 species since the first count on December 27, 1971. There are 2 years that the count wasn’t held or data not available, 1972 and 1974. I’m not sure if it was due to poor weather.

One of the rarest birds to be found on the Massena, NY.- Cornwall, ON Christmas Bird Count was a Sage Thrasher. This individual was found on the first count on December 27, 1971 at the entrance to the Robert Moses Power Dam.  The thrasher was feeding in a crab apple tree and photographed by Doug Allen. At the time it was the 3^rd NYS record.

The following highlights were recorded:

New species:

Winter Wren 1

Record Highs: Previous highs are shown in parentheses followed by year.

American Wigeon 10 (9) 2006

Redhead 8 (5) 2001, 2006

Bufflehead 54 (46) 2008

Hooded Merganser 80 (63) 2006

Red-breasted Merganser 85 (28) 2009

Common Loon 32 (21) 2006

Red-necked Grebe 7 (4) 1994

Bald Eagle 9 (7) 2002

Cooper's Hawk 4 (3) 1991, 1994

Peregrine Falcon 2 (1) 2003, 2008, 2009

Mourning Dove 402 (373) 2001

Northern Flicker 16 (11) 1999

Pileated Woodpecker 19 (12) 2001

American Robin 1,609 (129) 1985

European Starling 3,225 (1211) 1998

Dark-eyed Junco 94 (84) 2008

Tied Record Highs: Previous ties are shown in parentheses followed by year.

Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (1) 1988

Merlin 2 (2) 2008

Carolina Wren 1 (1) 1990, 2008, 2010

Other species of interest:

Cackling Goose 1 (2nd record)

Northern Pintail 1 (4th record)
Red-throated Loon 1 (3rd record)

Eastern Meadowlark 1 (4th record)

Winter Finches:

Pine Grosbeak (0)
Purple Finch (2)
Red Crossbill (0)

White-winged Crossbill (0)

Common Redpoll (0)
Pine Siskin (75)
American Goldfinch (328)
Evening Grosbeak (0)

Species	Number	Records	Comments
Snow Goose	3		late
Cackling Goose	1	2nd	last recorded 2006
Canada Goose	6577
Tundra Swan	1	3rd	late
Gadwall	87
American Wigeon	10	*	Record High
American Black Duck	68
Mallard	1951
Northern Pintail	1	4th	late
Redhead	8	*	Record High
Ring-necked Duck	4
Greater Scaup	5
Lesser Scaup	1		last recorded 2006
Long-tailed Duck	3
Bufflehead	54	*	Record High
Common Goldeneye	1132
Hooded Merganser	80	*	Record High
Common Merganser	978
Red-breasted Merganser	85	*	Record High
Ruffed Grouse	1		low
Wild Turkey	245
Red-throated Loon	1	3rd	first since 1997
Common Loon	32	*	Record High
Horned Grebe	1	6th	last recorded 2005
Red-necked Grebe	7	*	Record High
Double-crested Cormorant	2		late
Great Blue Heron	1		late (photo)
Bald Eagle	9	*
Northern Harrier	1		late. Last recorded 2006
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3
Cooper's Hawk	4	*	Record High
Northern Goshawk	3		scarce nowadays
Red-shouldered Hawk	1	***	Ties record high
Red-tailed Hawk	31
Rough-legged Hawk	3
Merlin	2	***	Ties record high
Peregrine Falcon	2	*	Record High
Ring-billed Gull	45
Herring Gull	1311
Iceland Gull	2
Glaucous Gull	4
Great Black-backed Gull	362		lower numbers in recent years
Rock Pigeon	503
Mourning Dove	402	*	Record High
Great Horned Owl	1		low
Snowy Owl	2		part of south bound movement
Downy Woodpecker	45
Hairy Woodpecker	45
Northern Flicker	16	*	Record High
Pileated Woodpecker	19	*	Record High
Northern Shrike	4
Blue Jay	274
American Crow	2,545
Common Raven	7
Horned Lark	1
Black-capped Chickadee	623
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2		low
White-breasted Nuthatch	68
Brown Creeper	10
Carolina Wren	1	***	Ties record high (photo)
Winter Wren	1	**	New species (photo)
Golden-crowned Kinglet	9
American Robin	1,609	*	Record High
European Starling	3,225	*	Record High
Cedar Waxwing	186
Snow Bunting	538
American Tree Sparrow	108
Song Sparrow	2
Dark-eyed Junco	94	*	Record High
Northern Cardinal	19
Red-winged Blackbird	1
Eastern Meadowlark	1	4th	late
Brown-headed Cowbird	8
Purple Finch	2
House Finch	23
Pine Siskin	75
American Goldfinch	328
House Sparrow	96
Total Species:	78
Total Individuals:	24,015
Record High*
New Record**
Ties Record High***

December 29, 2011 Dunrobin-Breckenridge Christmas Bird Count Results

Despite frigid overnight  temperatures, -21c, the 31st annual Dunrobin-Breckenridge Christmas Bird Count was a success with 50 species. This fits into the 30 year average of 50 species. No new species, a few record highs and a couple of surprises.  Most field observers commented on a slow start but as the morning warmed up bird activity increased. Highlights included Red-bellied Woodpecker, Snowy Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Merlin, and Canada Goose. I'll have the complete results available mid January. 

Bohemian Waxwing and Cedar Waxwings feeding in Red Cedar. 

Open water along March Valley Road.

Old abandoned farm houses are sometimes used by Common Ravens or Turkey Vultures for nesting sites. 

Fresh snow along Riddell Road.

The Common Raven is a regular sight in the Dunrobin area. 

Low overnight temperatures put the final freeze on the Ottawa River.

A Bohemian Waxwing feeding in a Red Cedar.

A view from Baskin's Beach across the Ottawa River to the Quebec side.

December 27,2011 Massena, N.Y-Cornwall, ON Christmas Bird Count

The Massena-Cornwall Christmas Bird Count was held under ideal weather conditions with excellent visibility along the St.Lawrence River. With no rain or snow and limited amounts of ice and snow most participants had a great day in the field. I don't have the final results yet but overall at list 1 new species was found, a Winter Wren, on Moulinette Island. In fact Ben and I observed 2 wren species, the other a Carolina Wren on Ault island. Not bad for late December in eastern Ontario. Other higlights included 1 Red-throated Loon, 25+ Common Loon, 7 Red-necked Grebe, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk,  1 Snowy Owl, 400+ American Robin, 1 Song sparrow, 3 Northern Flicker to name a few! Other groups had impressive lists including Double-crested Cormorant, Horned Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Tundra Swan, American wigeion and Eastern Meadowlark. Lets hope we set a new record. I'll have the results availible end of first week of January. Heading to Dominican Republic soon!

One of the few Carolina Wren records for the count.

Pishing and squeaking played an important role for attracting species.

Ben hard at work looking for northern Flickers. Still no shoes!

The last of the freighters along the St. Lawrence before freeze up.

A female Pileated Woodpecker made a brief stop on a telephone pole at Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Snowy Owls were found on the count for the first time in since 2008 reflecting the large southbound movement experienced this fall/winter.

A Winter Wren was new for the count. It was tricky to photograph since they don't sit still for very long.

Record numbers of American Robins were found, likley due to our mild fall and great berry crop.

Always a great bird to see on a Christmas bird count!

December 26,2011 Gray Partridge

Hi Everyone
Today I observed a flock of 9 Gray Partridge along Terry Fox Drive just south of Richardson Side Road. The flock was feeding in a field before a Common Raven dive bombed them a couple of times and the flock flew off across the Carp River towards Huntmar Rd. and disappeared. This area is north of the Maple Grove Road site and bordered by Huntmar Road,, Richardson Side Road, Terry Fox Drive and Hwy. 417.
Good Birding, Bruce 

December 24,2011 Christmas Eve

Now with winter upon us now, the ground snow covered, be sure to have your bird feeders full for our winter resident species or a late lingerer. A suet feeder will attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and any other insect eater that might be still hanging on. Both sunflower and nyger seeds work well for most local species. 

American Robins can overwinter in small numbers if there is an ample food supply of berries/fruit such as Mountain Ash, Buchthorn, Wild Grape, or Crab-apple. 

An American  Robin foraging on the ground. 

Buckthorn berries are still abundant this winter.

Over 100 American robins were counted at the Britannia Conservation Area on December 18th. 

The White-breasted Nuthatch  is a permanent resident in eastern Ontario. During the winter months it can be found associating with Black-capped Chickadees as they forage through city woodlots or visit bird feeders.