SIGHTINGS FROM ELSEWHERE IN THE PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND QUINTE AREA
Sunday, Sept. 05: The two SANDHILL CRANES are still in a field on the east side of County Road 15, just south of Demorestville. At noon today, a WHITE PELICAN was spotted in the Bay of Quinte at the Noris Whitney Bridge at Rossmore and Bellelville.
Thursday, Sept. 02: It was a slow day at Prince Edward Point with only ones and twos of many warbler species being present. An adult BALD EAGLE was seen twice along the Prince Edward Bay shoreline from Point Traverse to Little Bluff. A CASPIAN TERN feeding in the Prince Edward Point Harbour. At Sandbanks Provincial Park, a dozen SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, one SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and one BONAPARTE'S GULL at the Outlet River mouth. A GREAT HORNED OWL at Big Island and 2 SANDHILL CRANES at Demorestville.
Wednesday, Aug. 25: A bit of a backyard fallout today along Fry Road, north of Picton. A resident there reported COMMON NIGHTHAWK, AMERICAN REDSTARTS, WILSON'S WARBLER, CHESTHUT-SIDED WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, GRAY CATBIRD, EASTERN WOOD PEWEES, juvenile ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS and BALTIMORE ORIOLES. The highlight was a first year SUMMER TANAGER, which could be the same individual seen at Point Traverse in May, and seen all summer at Wellington. At 10:45 p.m., an EASTERN SCREECH OWL called for 10 minutes on Fry Road, then moved on.
Tuesday, Aug. 24: A rather busy morning at the Point Traverse Woods at 7:00 a.m., with at least 20 BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS present along with YELLOW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, CAPE MAY, and WILSON'S WARBLER, and AMERICAN REDSTARTS. EASTERN TOWHEES and GRAY CATBIRDS were in great abundance. CANADA WARBLER and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO were seen at Prince Edward Point, and the harbour contained about a half dozen GADWALLS. At Sandbanks Provincial Park, both SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER were present.
Monday, August 23: At 6:55 a.m., Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory Manager David Okines found a GLOSSY IBIS sitting amongst the Mallards on the edge of the beach at the entrance to the harbour. The bird was contentedly preening itself among the mallards. It was present for at least five minutes but was not there 10 minutes later when he returned with a scope and camera. The ducks had all been flushed into the water and the Ibis had presumably gone off somewhere to feed. This is the 3rd record for PEPTBO and the first in fall, (previous records were May 1971 and May 1976, there was also a Plegadis Sp in April 2002). The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK is still present in the farm pond, south of Milford.
Saturday, Aug. 21: A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH is coming to a feeder on Victoria Road.
Friday, Aug. 20: At Beaver Meadow Conservation Area today, there was PILEATED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, RED-EYED VIREO, and EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE. The BLCK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK was at the farm ponds south of Milford at 2:00 p.m. At Point Traverse today, a GREAT HORNED OWL was seen, along with 6 EASTERN TOWHEES, 3 GRAY CATBIRDS, a YELLOW WARBLER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS and AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. Three COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were seen at Milford.
Monday, Aug. 16: there was a CAROLINA WREN singing this evening near the dam at the Demorestville Conservation Area.
Sunday, Aug. 15: An adult BALD EAGLE was seen this morning at 9:00 a.m. floating lazily up the Black River, south of Picton. At noon, two female AMERICAN REDSTARTS and an immature CANADA WARBLER were spotted in a backyard along Fry Road. We are currently awaiting further details on a sighting of a suspected WESTERN TANAGER near Consecon.
Friday, Aug. 13: Near Fry Road and Gagne Road, and INDIGO BUNTING was seen and heard.
Thursday, Aug. 12: The Menzel Centennial Nature Reserve on Roblin Road, north of Deseronto, had an EASTERN TOWHEE, FIELD SPARROW and BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. At Trenton, the two "crane ospreys" (an OSPREY that nested atop an abandoned crane) fledged last week and spent time perched on the cables and structure. Yesterday both were gone in the morning but one was back in the afternoon perched on a cable. The TRUMPETER SWAN is still in the same area along the Trent Canal, just north of town.
Wednesday, Aug. 11: The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK was present again today at 3:30 p.m. in the farm ponds south of Milford. At Beaver Meadow Wildlife Management Area, a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and PILEATED WOODPECKER were present.
Monday, Aug. 09: Among the numerious GREAT BLUE HERONS and MALLARDS in the Moira River this evening along the Parrott Riverfront Trail in Belleville, there was a SOLITARY SANDPIPER on one of the exposed flat rocks.
Sunday, Aug. 08: The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK was at the ponds south of Milford this morning. At Gull Pond, off Army Reserve Road, there was a single SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and 5 LEAST SANDPIPERS along with one COMMON MERGANSER and an adult BONAPARTE'S GULL. In Trenton, there was a feeding frenzy comprising no fewer than two dozen EASTERN KINGBIRDS on a covered slope behind a residence.
Thursday, Aug. 05: From another observer today: "The BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK posed nicely for us this morning. We arrived around 10 am and he was together with six young mallards right next to the herd of cattle soaking in the back pond. The whistling duck followed the young mallards after a while, then posed perfectly atop the ridge between the two ponds. We left when he fell asleep. He had been silhouetted against a large brown cow!"
Wednesday, Aug. 04: At Milford the BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK is still present in the back marsh area. Two SANDHILL CRANES flew up from behind the fields in the same area about 100 meters back.
Sunday, Aug. 01: As of today, the BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK is still a fixture at the small ponds south of Milford. Says an Ottawa birder who watched it," After 1 1/2 hours watching the "pond-life" (several cows, as well as 4 CANADA GEESE, a single female MALLARD, a few KILLDEER, BARN SWALLOWS, a BELTED KINGFISHER, etc.), the duck suddenly popped up out of the vegetation at 11:25 a.m., wandered down to the north-most pond and began actively feeding on vegetation on the bottom & surface of the water. It was still present and preening on the pond edge when we departed at 12:05. Shortly after the duck decided to make its presence known, 2 SANDHILL CRANES flew into the field behind the ponds and an adult PECTORAL SANDPIPER appeared briefly as well. Good things came to those who waited!
BEYOND THE BIRDS:
Have you seen anything else of interest, other than birds? Be sure to e-mail your sightings of other wldlife, including mammals, insects, herptiles, fish - anything that you found was especially interesting, and we will try to include it in this space.
Milkweed Tussock Moth (AKA Milkweed Tiger Moth): If you check out the milkweeds on your property right now, you are apt to find Monarch butterflies in various stages of development, from larvae to the chrysalis to the adult. But with them may be this little critter too. It is the milkweed tussock moth caterpillar. They are communal feeders with little to worry about calling attention to themselves. In fact, they are "designed" to be seen. The sharply contrasting orange, black and white coloration is a warning to avian predators that they are toxic. It is a common mid to late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides.
Photo by Hazel Legate of Picton
REPORT FROM THE PRINCE EDWARD POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY courtesy of Banding Station Manager David Okines
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