Blue Bill - Kingston Field Naturalists

The

Blue Bill

Quarterly Journal of the Kingston Field Naturalists

ISSN 0382-5655

Volume 61, No. 1 March 2014

Contents

President’s Page Gaye Beckwith .......................1

Kingston and Area Christmas Bird Counts Ron.D. Weir ..........................2

KFN Outings Dec 2013-Feb 2014 M. Read, J. Benderavage, R. Giguere ............7

KFN Yearly List of Birds 2013 Ron D. Weir ........................11

Learning Nature from the Basics Terry Sprague ......................19

Mid-Winter Waterfowl Inventory Jan 2014 Ron D. Weir ........................21

When is it Worth the Drive from Kingston to Oxford Mills Frederick Schueler ...............25

(Mudpupppy Observation)

Mudpuppy Night at Oxford Mills 2014 Maureen Addis ....................30

Kingston Region Birds Winter Dec 01 2013-Feb 28 2014 Mark Read ...........................32

Field Herping Ethics and Personal Safety Tips Bruce Ripley ........................38

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 15

th

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

2014/2015 Officers

President: Kurt Hennige

613-876-1804

[email protected]

Honorary President : Ron D. Weir

613-549-5274

[email protected]

Vice-President: Alexandra Simmons

Speakers 613-542-2048

[email protected]

Past President: Gaye Beckwith

613-376-3716

[email protected]

Treasurer: Larry McCurdy

613-389-6427

[email protected]

Recording Janis Grant

Secretary: 613-548-3668

[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 James Barber 613-767-8934 [email protected] Junior Naturalists Anne Robertson 613-389-6742 [email protected] Education Mark Read 613-217-1246 [email protected] Field Trips Gaye Beckwith 613-376-3716 [email protected] Bird Sightings Mark Read 613-217-1246 [email protected] Bird Records Ron Weir 613-549-5274 [email protected] Speakers Alex Simmons 613-542-2048 [email protected] Newsletter Janet Elliott 613-547-2674 [email protected] Website Mike Burrell 613-442-0020 [email protected] Slideshow Gaye Beckwith 613-376-3716 [email protected] Ontario Nature Ken Robinson 613-766-4782 [email protected] Member-at-large Rose-marie Burke 613-549-7583 [email protected] Member-at-large Ken Robinson 613-766-4782 [email protected] Publicity Rose-marie Burke 613-549-7583 [email protected] Facebook, flickr Polly Aiken 343-363-1342 [email protected] Archives Peter McIntyre 613-548-4738 [email protected]

http://www.kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/

http://www.kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/

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The Blue Bill Volume 61, No. 1 Page 1

President’s Page

Gaye Beckwith

On February 8, I had the pleasure of

accompanying Anne Robertson and four

KFN Teen Naturalists on a snowshoe

excursion into the Helen Quilliam

Sanctuary to check for activity in Wood

Duck boxes in one of the sanctuary’s

ponds. The teens cleaned the boxes,

recorded the number and size of eggs,

and prepared boxes with wood

shavings for the upcoming nesting

season. This information, collected for

years, is forwarded to Ducks Unlimited

so breeding patterns and success can be

monitored over a broader scale. This is a

wonderful example of Citizen Science.

“Citizen Science”, also known as crowd

science, civic science and networked

science, is scientific research conducted

mainly by nonprofessional scientists. It

can involve data collection and analysis,

observations, developing technology,

and testing natural phenomena. It may

be done to support research taking place

in the scientific community. Rick

Bonney of Cornell Lab of Ornithology is

credited with coining the term.

Our club is active in Citizen Science.

Sixteen straight years of participation in

the Great Canadian BioBlitz have

supplied baseline data on species on

different sites in our region, pieces of a

larger puzzle of what lives and grows in

Canada. KFN has conducted surveys of

raptors on Wolfe Island, Red-

shouldered Hawks, Short-eared Owls

on Wolfe and Amherst Islands,

grassland birds at Lemoine Point, and

Chimney Swifts at Queen’s University.

We participated in a Mammal Atlas and

partnered with organizations such as

Ontario Nature to assist with tracking

species through Adopt-a-Pond, Marsh

Monitoring, and Frog Watch.

With the advent of the internet, “citizen

science” has exploded. Non-scientists

from around the world can join a project

to contribute observations pertaining to

numerous scientific endeavors. One

pioneering project, SETI@Home, has

millions of participants who volunteer

their idle computers to search for

extraterrestrial life. A free software

program downloads and analyses radio-

telescope data while participants are not

using their hardware.

Scientific America lists projects where

laypeople can get involved in internet-

based scientific research. Some are:

The Smell Experience Project, where

you log in to help researchers

understand why our sense of smell

might change over time;

Zooniverse, where individuals study

Hubble telescope images to help

identify the ages of star clusters in the

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy;

You can join Nova Energy Lab and

help design energy systems to reduce

carbon emissions;

The Snowtweets Project helps

Canadian Researchers map worldwide

snow depths using Twitter

Page 2 March 2014

In an effort to deal with dog poo in

Melbourne Australia, residents collect

droppings to use as biogas. From this

Poo Power Project, a worldwide effort has

emerged to identify ‘hotspots’ for dog

poo and to promote discussion of the

problem;

What’s Invasive locates and identifies

the spread of habitat-destroying flora

and fauna.

To see a more complete list connect to

www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-

science/

EBird originates from the Cornell Lab of

Ornithology where Rick Bonney did

pioneering citizen science work, and

now has thousands of bird enthusiasts

entering their bird sightings into a

worldwide database tracking every

species of bird on the planet. KFN is

active in putting our bird records into

eBird. Recently eButterfly was released

to track butterflies. Spiders in Your World

is a program recording the spiders in

your home or neighbourhood. All are

projects in which any of us can

participate.

My Uncle Willie died a few years back

and my cousin recently showed me the

notebook in which his father kept notes

on nature sightings around the family

farm near Marysville, ON. The entries

start in the Fall of 1980, with “first killing

frost Sept. 26”, then “Saw first Snow

Buntings (8) Oct 22” and “3 Blue Birds

west of Roblin migrating Oct 22.”

Through eBird my cousin and I are

going to enter the bird sightings from

this notebook, making my uncle’s

observations available to a wide

audience. Perhaps some will be used in

the tracking of birds from the 80’s.

Without programs like eBird the

potential science in the notebook would

lay dormant. Imagine if all the

information noted by our ancestors

could be harnessed to add insight into

the world of the past.

Fortunately for Citizen Science, present

and future note-takers have facilities

available to share their observations

immediately with the scientific

community, which may help to save this

fragile planet we inhabit.

Kingston and Area Christmas Counts

Ron D. Weir

A return to winters of 18+ years ago

greeted local counts in the Count Period

14Dec2013 to 05Jan2014. Intense cold

prior to and during the period produced

ice on shallow bays and along parts of

Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence

River, resulting in lower waterfowl

numbers. Overall species totals were

lower than the long-term average. Table

1 lists selected statistics for local counts.

Table 2 contains species totals for the

past 23 years. Table 3 is a summary of

the high species tallies for Ontario from

2003 to 2013. Totals are from

<<birds.audubon.org/Christmas-bird-

count>> or (*) from Ontario Birds

http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/


‘ONTBIRDS’. Table 4 is the detailed

species list for local Christmas counts;

where record numbers of individuals

occurred, the number is underlined. The

entry CW designates a sighting within

the count week, defined as three days

before and three days after count day.

Table 1: Statistics on Individual Counts in 2013 for the Kingston Area

18Dec

Delta

14Dec

Pr Edw Pt

15Dec

Kingston

16Dec

Westport

20Dec

1000 Isl

27Dec

Amherst I

30 Dec

Napanee

Species 41 63 96 39 55 54 51

Birds 2868 12574 42713 3117 3394 1602 4001

Participants 15 27 47 17 17 27 9

Precipitation Lt snow None Snow/clear None Rain/Snow Snow/clear None

Temp low oC -18 -18 -2 -29 -4 -5 -12

Temp high oC -5 -15 0 -22 2 -1 -11

Weather Cloudy Cloud

Cloud to

Clear Clear Cloud Cloud Clear

Table 2: Twenty-three year Average (* = Count was not done)

Count 1991 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

Avg

1991-

2013

P. Edw. Pt. 61 61 64 61 76 67 64 61 80 61 72 58 82 71 76 71 65 63 55 55 69 70 63 66

Kingston 95 96 113 99 101 97 106 104 107 102 111 109 103 103 103 104 * 106 101 102 105 108 96 103

Westport 37 55 50 46 36 48 45 41 49 44 54 47 * * * 52 34 36 33 37 51 47 39 44

Napanee 44 46 42 52 52 56 51 38 58 49 50 56 51 58 50 56 51 57 60 59 59 58 51 53

1000 Isl. 61 55 74 58 53 57 54 56 68 56 61 51 61 57 60 64 60 55 50 63 54 55 55 59

Amherst I. 51 47 51 n/a 54 57 66 57 51 58 71 60 53 36 64 54 54 57 56 57 69 61 54 56

Delta 38 37 40 38 43 38 48 40 42 42 40 38 44 41 40**

Table 3: Comparison of Selected Christmas Counts in Ontario 2003 to 2013

Count 2003 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

Blenheim 100 103 111 108 100 115 115 103 108 107 98

Long Point 110 98 105 106 109 105 98 106 111 112 92

Kingston 103 104 103 104 Canc’d 106 101 102 105 108 96

Pt Pelee 94 91 103 94 98 93 92 96 98 97 *

Hamilton 101 102 100 101 103 103 98 98 105 99 98

Toronto 89 89 91 102 81 89 87 93 87 98 97

Niagara Falls 98 95 90 99 96 91 95 86 98 92 93

Oshawa 87 84 85 98 82 80 86 91 91 95 80

Woodhouse 81 76 96 99 76 83 86 82 86 91 92

Page 4 March 2014

Table 4: Kingston Area Christmas Counts 2013

Count 18Dec

Delta

14Dec

P E Pt

15Dec

Kingston

16Dec

Westport

20Dec

1000 I

27Dec

Am. I.

29Dec

Napanee

Common Loon 1 - 1 - - 1 -

Horned Grebe - - 1 - - 1 -

Dble-cr. Cormorant - - cw - 2 - -

Great Blue Heron 1 - 2 1 - - -

Turkey Vulture - 1 - - - - -

Snow Goose - 2 1 - - - -

Brant - - 1 - - - -

Cackling Goose - - 2 - - - -

Canada Goose - 5355 21872 91 642 77 351

Mute Swan - 114 53 - 4 44 13

Trumpeter Swan 6 - - 3 - - -

Tundra Swan - 4 393 - - 24 3

Wood Duck - - - - - - 1

Gadwall - 25 306 - 3 3 4

American Wigeon - - 31 - - - -

Amer. Black Duck - 39 374 - 5 7 4

Mallard 5 1256 7269 12 168 50 229

Northern Shoveler - - 1 - - - -

Northern Pintail - 11 3 - 1 - -

Green-winged Teal - - 1 - - - -

Redhead - - 56 - - 30 22

Ring-necked Duck - 5 28 - - 2 -

Greater Scaup - 399 2492 - - 85 51

Lesser Scaup - 1 13 - - - -

Scaup (sp) - - 55 - - - -

Wht-winged Scoter - - 9 - - - -

Black Scoter - - 2 - - - -

Long-tailed Duck - 1267 124 - - 11 1

Bufflehead - 99 185 - 5 45 -

Common Goldeneye - 683 1136 - 27 260 133

Barrow’s Goldeneye - - 2 - - - -

Hooded Merganser - - 23 - - 1 -

Common Merganser 13 299 317 - 535 22 -

Rd-brstd Merganser - 105 963 - 4 16 14

duck (sp) - 208 - - - - -

American Coot - - 17 - - - -

Bald Eagle 2 16 33 2 6 9 1

Northern Harrier - - 14 - 1 3 1


Count 18Dec

Delta

14Dec

P E Pt

15Dec

Kingston

16Dec

Westport

20Dec

1000 I

27Dec

Am. I.

29Dec

Napanee

Shrp-shinned Hawk 1 1 2 1 1 1 1

Cooper’s Hawk 1 2 2 - - - 1

Northern Goshawk 1 - - - - - 2

Red-tailed Hawk 14 6 20 10 7 14 16

Rough-legged Hawk - 1 4 - 3 2 1

American Kestrel - 1 2 - - - 1

Merlin - - cw - - - -

Gyrfalcon - - 1 - - - -

Peregrine Falcon - 1 1 - - - -

Ring-nckd Pheasant - - 2 - 1 5 -

Ruffed Grouse - 1 - 5 2 - -

Wild Turkey 39 7 128 183 113 - 80

Bonaparte’s Gull - - cw - - 1 -

Ring-billed Gull - 4 46 - 56 2 196

Herring Gull 1 114 90 - 73 8 136

Iceland Gull - - 1 - 1 - -

Glaucous Gull - 1 2 - - - -

Grt Black-back. Gull - 1 13 - 14 3 11

gull (sp) - 11 3 - - - -

Rock Pigeon 245 51 712 62 85 60 269

Mourning Dove 179 153 606 74 137 145 258

Eastern Screech Owl - - 4 - - - -

Great Horned Owl - 1 2 - - - -

Snowy Owl - 1 22 1 - 8 -

Barred Owl - - 1 2 - - -

Long-eared Owl - - 1 - - - -

Short-eared Owl - - 16 - - - -

Nrth Saw-whet Owl - - - - - 1 -

Belted Kingfisher 1 - 1 1 1 - 1

Rd-bellied Wdpckr 1 5 1 - 3 3 -

Downy Woodpecker 36 22 69 31 39 5 5

Hairy Woodpecker 17 12 17 30 20 4 6

Northern Flicker - 4 2 1 - - 2

Pileated Woodpckr 4 2 5 9 7 - -

Northern Shrike 2 - 8 - 1 1 -

Blue Jay 473 166 283 334 212 145 149

American Crow 148 157 105 40 78 4 82

Common Raven 15 19 13 13 11 2 3

Horned Lark - - 255 - 10 - 26

Blk-cppd Chickadee 318 230 506 258 257 78 86

Page 6 March 2014

Count 18Dec

Delta

14Dec

P E Pt

15Dec

Kingston

16Dec

Westport

20Dec

1000 I

27Dec

Am. I.

29Dec

Napanee

Tufted Titmouse - - 1 - - - -

Rd-brsted Nuthatch - - 6 5 1 - 1

Wht-brstd Nuthatch 18 13 47 37 44 5 7

Brown Creeper 1 1 5 13 3 - -

Winter Wren - - 4 - - - -

Marsh Wren - - 1 - - - -

Gldn-crwnd Kinglet 1 8 33 - 2 - -

Hermit Thrush - 1 1 - - - -

Eastern Bluebird 6 8 - - - 2 3

American Robin 5 334 46 205 25 1 209

Gray Catbird - 1 - - - - -

European Starling 358 340 1,994 741 201 113 1023

American Pipit - - 2 - - - -

Bohemian Waxwing - - - - - - 23

Cedar Waxwing 326 350 87 481 342 36 14

Yellw-rmpd Warbler 2 17 - - - - -

Tree Sparrow 149 191 162 58 183 52 129

Savannah Sparrow - - 2 - - - -

Song Sparrow - - 6 - 1 1 -

Swamp Sparrow - - 2 - - - -

Wht-thrtd Sparrow - 3 8 1 1 - -

Wht-crwnd Sparrow - 1 1 - 2 - -

Dark-eyed Junco 211 285 235 147 208 26 101

Lapland Longspur - - 20 - - - -

Snow Bunting 56 5 766 1 268 75 244

Northern Cardinal 9 8 67 2 21 4 2

Rd-wingd Blackbird 1 - 1 1 1 1 -

Eastern Meadowlark cw - 1 - - - -

Rusty Blackbird - - - - - 1 3

Brwn-hdd Cowbird - - 1 - - - -

Purple Finch 22 3 - 95 4 - 3

House Finch 11 33 128 16 17 56 -

Pine Siskin - - 2 - - - 1

American Goldfinch 90 98 40 117 122 33 36

House Sparrow 77 11 386 32 57 21 42

Totals Species 41 63 96 39 55 54 51

Total Individuals 2,868 12,574 43,713 3,117 3,394 1,602 4,001


KFN Outings Dec 2013-Feb 2014

Kingston Field Trip – 2 February 2014

Mark Read

Four members joined me for a morning

visiting a few of Kingston’s birding

locations, on a day with vastly

improved weather compared to the

bone-numbing cold of the previous few

days. To get the day rolling, we headed

up to Princess Towers where I had seen

the resident pair of Peregrine Falcons

that morning. We missed them, but a

member of the group observed one take

a Feral Pigeon later in the day.

We went to the Wolfe Island Ferry Dock

where a few waterfowl were restricted

to the ice-choked channel, allowing for

close looks. Mallard numbered about 40,

including a leucistic female. Of more

interest to some were two 1st winter

drake Long-tailed Ducks viewed right

from the dock. Also present were

Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, an

American Black Duck and Common and

Red-breasted Mergansers, allowing

close comparison of the females.

We headed to the Invista plant to check

the lagoon. Upon our arrival we were

greeted by an immature Snowy Owl.

Scanning the pool, we logged 15 Mute

Swans, 5 American Coot and the usual

Canada Geese, Mallard, Gadwall and

American Black Duck. We continued to

the Ball Diamond for better looks at the

outfall, often a better area for diving

ducks. We were rewarded with 9

Greater Scaup, a Common Goldeneye

and a Common Merganser. A Northern

Shrike first gave itself away with its

scratchy yet melodic singing. We had

great views through the ‘scope, Polly

actually seeing the bird regurgitate a

pellet. We decided to continue to

Lemoine Point, seeing a Red-tailed

Hawk on our way out.

We spent over an hour at Lemoine

Point, enjoying the birdlife in the shelter

of the woods. In the open grassland was

a female American Kestrel sitting on a

pole. We soon began seeing Black-

capped Chickadees, hoping for a hand-

out of sunflower seeds. We obliged,

attracting both Hairy and Downy

Woodpecker to the vicinity, but not to

the hand. A pair of Red-breasted

Nuthatches did come to the hand,

allowing those with a fast shutter to

snap a few shots. White-breasted

Nuthatch, not to be upstaged by its

miniature cousin, joined in the show

and came to the hand too. This allowed

us to compare the male and female of

each species, males having black crowns

and females dark grey crowns.

Page 8 March 2014

Looping back to the car park, we added

a few more species to the trip list

including Golden-crowned Kinglet,

Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco

and Blue Jay. In total, including

Peregrine, we saw 35 species – not too

bad for a winter morning in Kingston.

Kingston Field Trip – 23 February 2014

Mark Read

Six members and two guests joined me

on a field trip to Kingston birding

locations, following a similar format to

the trip a couple of weeks earlier. We

met at Marshlands Conservation Area

where three of us kicked off the day

with a large immature female Cooper’s

Hawk flicking through the trees, and

perching just up the trail with the

remains of an American Red Squirrel.

Upon the arrival of three more

members, the car park came alive with

chickadees, a couple of Northern

Cardinals, 3 Downy Woodpeckers and

American Robin. A flock of 15 Red-

winged Blackbirds was present,

including an immaculate male

pronouncing his presence with his

characteristic song. The others were a

mix of age and sex, suggesting a

wintering flock rather than newly-

arrived migrants.

We headed to the Wolfe Island Ferry

Dock where waterfowl provided some

cracking views. Birds included Greater

Scaup, Goldeneye, Mallard and single

male Redhead and Long-tailed Duck.

The highlight for many was the

opportunity to photograph these species

so close to shore, favourites being the

Common and Red-breasted Mergansers.

A scan of the ice revealed the second

bonus species of the day: an immature

Glaucous Gull out in the channel. It took

off with 20 Herring Gulls, flew towards

us and passed in front of the dock,

allowing everybody to see it in flight.

After an unsuccessful stop in town for

the resident Peregrine Falcons, we

continued to Invista, quickly locating

the immature Snowy Owl. A female

American Kestrel sat up on a wire. We

began to scan the pool, and soon found

the Red-necked Grebe first located a few

days earlier. We locked onto 2 male

American Wigeon, a ‘new’ species for

the month. We saw the usual Mallard,

Gadwall and American Black Duck;

numbers of other species were way

down. From the Ball Diamond, we

located another bonus bird, a male

White-winged Scoter – not an easy bird

to find in the Kingston area. Also

present were a handful of Greater

Scaup, a single Mute Swan, lone female


Goldeneye and a couple of Red-breasted

Mergansers. A Northern Shrike again

put on bit of a show, allowing us great

views through the ‘scope. Two Red-

tailed Hawks were seen on our way out.

We continued to Lemoine Point,

exploring the trails at the southern end

of the Conservation Area. We

encountered another Northern Shrike;

the ‘ever-present’ American Kestrel

could not be located. The woods were

busy with chickadees. On the ‘Feeder

Trail’, we saw a pair of Red-breasted

Nuthatches and the larger, more

common White-breasted Nuthatches.

Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers

allowed comparison, and a few

American Robins added a splash of

colour. A Brown Creeper was heard but

not seen. Returning to the car park, we

added Northern Cardinal, European

Starling, Red-tailed Hawk and Blue Jay.

In total, we saw 38 species.

Parrott’s Bay C. A. Ramble 03Dec2013

Joe Benderavage

On an overcast morning, eight members

met at the South (Loyalist Parkway)

entrance to Parrott’s Bay Conservation

Area for a ramble led by Nancy Spencer.

We headed along the marked trail and

boardwalk to the covered lookout area.

We saw few birds, but we thought we

heard a Chickadee and a Raven, and

sighted a Blue Heron heading south

over Lake Ontario. From the lookout we

proceeded uphill along the trail

overlooking the water. Our ramble took

us all the way across to the Taylor Kidd

side of the C. A., and back to our

starting point.

Along the way we looked at the remains

of plants from the past growing season

including Ash, Balsam Fir, Beech, Black

Cherry, Buckthorn, Burdock, Bur Oak,

Canada Anemone, Chicory, Garlic

Mustard, Grey Dogwood, Hepatica,

Herb Robert, Hop Hornbeam,

Ironwood, Juniper, Lichens (Cup or

Fairy Cap), Maple, New England Aster,

Nannyberry, Nightshade, Poison Ivy

berries, Raspberry canes, Red Oak

leaves (pointed), Shagbark Hickory,

Sumac (female), Thorn Ash (or possibly

Prickly Ash), White Oak (rounded

leaves), White Pine, Winterberry, Wild

Grape and Zig-zag Goldenrod (wide

leaves and florets at each stem).

We saw a variety of ferns and fungi

including Marginal Fern, Rock

Polypody Fern and Spinulose Fern,

Silky Parchment Fungus and Turkey

Tail Fungus. Karst topography (fissures

in limestone) is typical of the area, and

was readily seen in select places. We

observed examples of Erratic rock as

well as Fossilized rock.

Page 10 March 2014

L. Ontario Pk. Ramble 4February2014

Joe Benderavage

On a bitterly cold but bright morning,

Anne Robertson led a group of six

ramblers from Portsmouth Olympic

Harbour westward along the

waterfront. The going was rough, as we

slid, stumbled and crunched our way

over uneven layers of ice and snow. The

wiser among us were prepared with

crampons on their boots.

Our attempts to stay upright were

interspersed with pauses to learn how

local Flora and Fauna survive the

winter. Screech Owls, for example,

favour small holes in the trunks of tall

trees they can observe from, and

squirrels use cedar bark (its oils have

preservative properties) as insulation

for their tree-bound nests.

We studied burs, buds and conifer

needles. How many people know the

structure of a bur? Burs have styles, like

dandelions; they have tiny hooks on the

ends, forming bracts. Inside each bract is

a flower. So many flowers produce a

great many seeds. One bur might have

as many as twenty seeds, a small plant

could have 5000 seeds; a lot, but not

nearly as many as in a Cattail. Burs are a

great place for tiny insects to spend the

winter; if you open one up, you may

find many inhabitants. The hooks lose

their strength when they get wet. If you

get burs on dog fur or in your hair,

wetting them will make removal easier.

We noted that groups of buds found

close together at the tip of a branch are

typical of Oak; on Ash, the buds are in

opposite formation. Pussy Willow has

one bud scale with the flower inside; in

winter, animals eat the buds.

We learned that pines are not identified

by the colour of the bark, but rather by

the length of their needles. Red Pines

have long needles; Jack and Scotch Pines

have short needles, two to a branch.

Anne pointed out Thistle, Sumac,

Chicory and Mullein. We looked at

animal tracks in the snow and pondered

whether they were from foxes or dogs.

Foxes tend to leave a straight line of

tracks, whereas dogs meander. After

returning to our cars, some of us

travelled further west to observe

waterfowl in the Invista settling pond.

KFN Teen Trip to Monitor Wood Duck

Boxes at Helen Quilliam Sanctuary

Ronan Giguère

As a replacement for the Oxford Mills

mudpuppy night (cancelled 7February

due to the water not having enough

oxygen, therefore no mudpuppies to be

seen), Anne Robertson organized a last

minute snowshoeing excursion to the

HQS to check on last summer’s use of

the wood duck nest boxes.

On 8February2014, Ronan, Will, Rowan,

and Michael met Anne at Tim Hortons,

and in Sydenham were joined by Gaye

for our adventure. We parked on the

edge of the road at about 10:15 and

equipped with snowshoes, tools, a

ladder and replacement wood shavings,

set off walking up the valley. On the

way to we noticed a dragonfly nymph

skin clinging to a piece of wood sticking

out of the ice. We saw deer tracks and

signs of deer feeding under a Red Cedar


tree; Anne showed us a talus slope (a

rock formation) and some icicle falls.

We got to the pond where the four

boxes to be monitored were at about

11:00. At the first box I had the honor of

climbing the ladder.

Inside I found two unbroken

(abandoned) eggs, one of which Gaye

cracked open to find dark yellow yolk.

There was also a half-opened egg with

the embryo chick still in it and a dead,

skeletal chick of what we thought was a

Wood Duck. The second box contained

trampled egg shells, proof that it had

been a Hooded Merganser nesting there.

Because the chicks remain in the box

after hatching, the shells are well

trampled and broken into small pieces.

The third box had 19 eggs of a Wood

Duck (we could tell by the egg size

measured with calipers), one of which

let off a smelly bang in my face while I

tried to pry it from the frozen nest

bottom. The fourth box revealed one full

egg and some shell of a Hooded

Merganser at the bottom of a nest of

pine needles. At one of these boxes we

had a marvelous view of a mature bald

eagle soaring overhead.

All boxes were in good condition with

intact predator guards. We cleaned each

out and a put in fresh wood shavings.

We lunched in the sunshine before a 30-

minute snowshoe back to the car and

drove to Gaye’s house for hot chocolate

and muffins. Gaye showed us how to

enter our sightings into eBird. We

recorded 7 species: Bald Eagle, Black-

capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Downy

Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker,

Raven and Crow.

A rewarding day.

Yearly List of Birds KFN 2013

Ron D. Weir

There were 264 species of birds seen

during 2013 within the circle of 50 km

radius centred in MacDonald Park,

Kingston, compared with the 33 year

average (1980-2012) of 280. Totals for the

past 33 years are given in Table 1. A

decline is evident over the past four

years. The 2013 total of 266 is lowest

since prior to the year 1980.

No new species was added to the

cumulative list, which remains at 376.

Page 12 March 2014

Rarities reported during 2013 include

American White Pelican, Glossy Ibis,

Ross’s Goose, Greater White-fronted

Goose, Harlequin Duck, Gyrfalcon,

Thick-billed Murre, Chuck-will’s

Widow, Fish Crow, Varied Thrush, and

Lark Bunting.

Other good finds among species not

seen every year were Cackling Goose,

Barrow’s Goldeneye, Yellow Rail, Great

Gray Owl, Tufted Titmouse,

Connecticut Warbler, Hooded Warbler,

Nelson’s Sparrow.

Among the species missed were the

eiders, Willet, Buff-breasted Sandpiper,

Red-necked and Red Phalaropes,

Franklin’s Gull, Forster’s Tern, and

three-toed woodpeckers. Table 2

contains the date of first occurrence in

2013 with the observers' initials. Where

KFN appears, more than 3 observers of

the KFN were involved, similarly for the

NLB (North Leeds Birders).

Two species of interest were seeen

outside, but near, the Kingston circle. A

Tricolored Heron appeared 01June2013

at El Dorado Shores, NY, on our south

side and a Lark Bunting on 15May2013

at Calendon Station on our north side.

In the yearly list for 2007 (Blue Bill 55 (1)

(2008)), a total of 270 species was shown.

Since that list appeared, two additional

species were reported for 2007, which

are Red Phalarope (1) and Parasitic

Jaeger (1) on 16Sep07 at Henderson, NY.

In the yearly list for 2009 (Blue Bill 57 (1)

(2010)), a total of 280 species was shown.

Since that list appeared, the sighting of a

Roseate Spoonbill at Westport on

13Jun2009 has become known 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 2012

Year Total Year Total Year Total

1980 278 1991 281 2002 287

1981 277 1992 281 2003 282

1982 276 1993 293 2004 280

1983 282 1994 283 2005 278

1984 285 1995 280 2006 274

1985 271 1996 285 2007 272*

1986 277 1997 283 2008 272

1987 279 1998 283 2009 281**

1988 270 1999 278 2010 281

1989 273 2000 282 2011 277

1990 279 2001 285 2012 273

2013 266


Table 2: Bird species seen in the Kingston area in 2013 with date of first sighting and

associated observers.

Species Date Observer

Red-throated Loon 05 Jan JHE, RDW

Common Loon 05 Jan KFN

Pied-billed Grebe 15 Mar MDR

Horned Grebe 08 Apr MDR

Red-necked Grebe 05 Jan JHE, RDW

American White Pelican 21 Sep KFN

Double-crested Cormorant 21 Mar KH

American Bittern 21 Apr PB

Least Bittern 18 May KFN

Great Blue Heron 11 Mar JC

Great Egret 04 Apr JVW

Green Heron 18 Apr MDR

Black-crowned Night-heron 27 Apr KFN

Glossy Ibis 14 May WH

Turkey Vulture 14 Feb KB

Greater White-fronted Goose 24 Mar MC

Snow Goose 12 Mar JC

Ross’s Goose 12 Nov MDR

Cackling Goose 27 Mar MDR

Canada Goose 01 Jan KFN

Brant 04 May GB

Mute Swan 01 Jan KFN

Trumpeter Swan 05 Jan KFN

Tundra Swan 01 Jan KFN

Wood Duck 01 Jan MRon

Gadwall 01 Jan KFN

Eurasian Wigeon 17 Mar JSB

American Wigeon 05 Jan KFN

American Black Duck 01 Jan KFN

Mallard 01 Jan KFN

Blue-winged Teal 09 Apr KH

Northern Shoveler 05 Jan KFN

Northern Pintail 05 Jan KFN

Green-winged Teal 05 Jan KFN

Canvasback 05 Jan KFN

Redhead 05 Jan KFN

Ring-necked Duck 05 Jan KFN

Greater Scaup 01 Jan KFN

Lesser Scaup 05 Jan KFN

Page 14 March 2014


Harlequin Duck 28 Mar KH

Surf Scoter 05 Jan JHE, RDW

White-winged Scoter 05 Jan JHE, RDW

Black Scoter 05 Jan JHE, RDW

Long-tailed Duck 01 Jan KFN

Bufflehead 01 Jan KFN

Common Goldeneye 01 Jan KFN

Barrow’s Goldeneye 12 Feb VPM

Hooded Merganser 01 Jan KFN

Common Merganser 01 Jan KFN

Red-breasted Merganser 01 Jan KFN

Ruddy Duck 05 Jan KFN

Yellow Rail 29 May KH

Virginia Rail 22 Apr VPM

Sora 27 Apr MB

Common Moorhen 02 May MDR

American Coot 01 Jan MRon

Sandhill Crane 29 Mar GP

Osprey 25 Feb KFN

Bald Eagle 01 Jan KFN

Northern Harrier 07 Jan AH

Sharp-shinned Hawk 01 Jan MRon

Cooper’s Hawk 06 Jan BH

Northern Goshawk 04 Feb KFN

Red-shouldered Hawk 16 Jan KFN

Broad-winged Hawk 17 Apr SH

Red-tailed Hawk 01 Jan KFN

Rough-legged Hawk 01 Jan MRon

Golden Eagle 20 Jan KH

American Kestrel 01 Jan C Law

Merlin 01 Jan AC

Gyrfalcon 11 Mar KH

Peregrine Falcon 05 Jan DM

Ring-necked Pheasant 01 Jan MRon

Ruffed Grouse 17 Jan MC

Wild Turkey 01 Jan KFN

Black-bellied Plover 17 Apr MDR

American Golden-Plover 10 Sep MDR

Semipalmated Plover 06 May KH

Killdeer 08 Mar MM

Greater Yellowlegs 17 Apr MDR

Lesser Yellowlegs 27 Apr WW

Solitary Sandpiper 02 May KH



Spotted Sandpiper 24 Apr VPM

Upland Sandpiper 17 Apr KH

Whimbrel 28 Jul MDR

Hudsonian Godwit 30 Oct RB

Ruddy Turnstone 08 Jun KH

Red Knot 06 Sep MDR

Sanderling 30 May KH

Semipalmated Sandpiper 16 May KH

Least Sandpiper 03 May MDR

White-rumped Sandpiper 23 May MDR

Baird’s Sandpiper 07 Aug MDR

Pectoral Sandpiper 18 Apr MDR

Dunlin 17 Apr MDR

Stilt Sandpiper 18 July MDR

Short-billed Dowitcher 19 May MDR

Long-billed Dowitcher 07 Sep RDW

Wilson’s Snipe 31 Mar JC

American Woodcock 12 Mar KFN

Wilson’s Phalarope 24 Apr VPM

Little Gull 31 Mar KFN

Bonaparte’s Gull 08 Apr MDR

Ring-billed Gull 01 Jan KFN

Herring Gull 01 Jan KFN

Iceland Gull 04 Jan JT

Lesser Black-backed Gull 09 Apr DM

Glaucous Gull 12 Jan DM

Great Black-backedGull 01 Jan KFN

Caspian Tern 05 Apr MDR

Common Tern 27 Apr MB

Black Tern 11 May MP

Thick-billed Murre 03 Dec JG, MDR

Rock Pigeon 01 Jan VPM

Mourning Dove 01 Jan KFN

Black-billed Cuckoo 13 May KH

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 18 May AW

Eastern Screech Owl 17 Jan MC

Great Horned Owl 06 Feb KB

Snowy Owl 07 Jan KFN

Barred Owl 09 Jan AH

Great Gray Owl 14 Jan KR

Long-eared Owl 02 Jan KFN

Short-eared Owl 01 Jan MRon

Northern Saw-whet Owl 01 Jan MRon

Page 16 March 2014


Common Nighthawk 18 May KFN

Chuck-will’s-widow 20 May JB, WW

Whip-poor-will 27 Apr PE

Chimney Swift 03 May RDW

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 05 May MC

Belted Kingfisher 01 Jan MRon

Red-headed Woodpecker 11 Mar CP

Red-bellied Woodpecker 01 Jan MRon

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 31 Mar MC

Downy Woodpecker 01 Jan MRon

Hairy Woodpecker 01 Jan MRon

Northern Flicker 03 Jan JVW

Pileated Woodpecker 01 Jan AC

Olive-sided Flycatcher 18 May KFN

Eastern Wood-Pewee 16 May MAT

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 18 May RDW

Alder Flycatcher 18 May KFN

Willow Flycatcher 16 May KH

Least Flycatcher 01 May RDW

Eastern Phoebe 31 Mar KFN

Great-crested Flycatcher 03 May MC

Eastern Kingbird 28 Apr MP

Loggerhead Shrike 27 Mar KFN

Northern Shrike 05 Jan KH, MRon

Yellow-throated Vireo 06 May MDR

Blue-headed Vireo 21 Apr TW

Warbling Vireo 02 May MC, CJ

Philadelphia Vireo 12 May TW

Red-eyed Vireo 03 May MC

Blue Jay 01 Jan CR

Fish Crow 02 May KH

American Crow 02 Jan KH

Common Raven 02 Jan NLB

Horned Lark 08 Jan KH

Purple Martin 08 Apr MDR

Tree Swallow 31 Mar KFN

Northern Rough-winged Swallow 17 Apr SC

Bank Swallow 21 Apr KFN

Cliff Swallow 21 Apr KFN

Barn Swallow 08 Apr MC

Black-capped Chickadee 01 Jan KFN

Tufted Titmouse 14 Jan SD

Red-breasted Nuthatch 03 Jan JVW



White-breasted Nuthatch 01 Jan MRon, KH

Brown Creeper 19 Jan MC

Carolina Wren 18 Jan JG

House Wren 29 Apr NLB

Winter Wren 22 Jan MC

Marsh Wren 02 May DM

Sedge Wren 18 May KFN

Golden-crowned Kinglet 01 Jan MRon

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 10 Apr MC

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 26 Apr WW

Eastern Bluebird 15 Feb PP

Veery 04 May GL

Gray-cheeked Thrush 10 May MDR

Swainson’s Thrush 04 May MC

Hermit Thrush 14 Apr KH

Wood Thrush 28 Apr RDW

American Robin 07 Jan GB

Varied Thrush 22 Feb VPM

Gray Catbird 04 May GL

Northern Mockingbird 03 Feb PT

Brown Thrasher 17 Apr MDR

European Starling 01 Jan VPM

American Pipit 15 Feb KFN

Bohemian Waxwing 12 Jan PB

Cedar Waxwing 07 Jan MDR

Blue-winged Warbler 29 Apr DJ

Golden-winged Warbler 04 May MC

Tennessee Warbler 02 May KH

Orange-crowned Warbler 16 May MDR

Nashville Warbler 27 Apr MC

Northern Parula 07 May NLB

Yellow Warbler 29 Apr DS

Chestnut-sided Warbler 04 May MC

Magnolia Warbler 04 May MC

Cape May Warbler 05 May KH

Black-throated Blue Warbler 30 Apr MDR

Yellow-rumped Warbler 14 Apr KH

Black-throated Green Warbler 27 Apr MC

Blackburnian Warbler 02 May KB

Pine Warbler last 27Jan MDR, 1st 15Apr MC

Prairie Warbler 03 May CR

Palm Warbler 24 Apr SC

Bay-breasted Warbler 11 May MP, MJ

Page 18 March 2014


Blackpoll Warbler 12 May TW

Cerulean Warbler 05 May KFN

Black-and white Warbler 28 Apr RDW, WW

American Redstart 02 May CR

Ovenbird 01 May MDR, MC

Northern Waterthrush 28 Apr RDW, WW

Louisiana Waterthrush 20 Apr MDR

Connecticut Warbler 01 Sep TW

Mourning Warbler 14 May MC

Common Yellowthroat 05 May KH

Hooded Warbler 18 May KFN

Wilson’s Warbler 11 May MDR

Canada Warbler 16 May KFN

Scarlet Tanager 03 Apr JB

Eastern Towhee 10 Mar KFN

American Tree Sparrow 01 Jan KFN

Chipping Sparrow 08 Apr MC

Clay-colored Sparrow 29 Apr MC

Field Sparrow 03 Apr CR

Vesper Sparrow 07 Apr MC

Savannah Sparrow 09 Apr J Haig

Grasshopper Sparrow 18 May KFN

Henslow’s Sparrow 20 May JSB

Nelson’s Sparrow 12 Sep TLH

Fox Sparrow 31 Mar KFN

Song Sparrow 01 Jan KFN

Lincoln’s Sparrow 29 Apr DJ

Swamp Sparrow 15 Apr MC, KFN

White-throated Sparrow 08 Jan KH

White-crowned Sparrow 02 Jan KH

Dark-eyed Junco 01 Jan KFN

Lapland Longspur 10 Feb KFN

Snow Bunting 01 Jan KFN

Northern Cardinal 01 Jan MR

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 01 May MC

Indigo Bunting 07 May ES

Bobolink 01 May MDR

Red-winged Blackbird last 10Jan KFN, 1st 08Mar MM

Eastern Meadowlark last 07Jan AH, 1st 31Mar KFN

Rusty Blackbird last 08Feb KFN, 1st 31Mar KH

Common Grackle last 12Jan JC, 1st 08Mar MM

Brown-headed Cowbird Last 10Jan KFN, 1st 11Mar MC

Orchard Oriole 05 May MDR



Baltimore Oriole 04 May KFN

Pine Grosbeak 16 Jan NLB

Purple Finch 09 Jan NLB

House Finch 01 Jan KFN

Red Crossbill 08 Jan JSB

White-winged Crossbill 01 Jan RA

Common Redpoll 01 Jan KFN

Hoary Redpoll 16 Jan KFN

Pine Siskin 09 Jan RA

American Goldfinch 01 Jan C Law

Evening Grosbeak 17 Feb GE

House Sparrow 01 Jan VPM

Contributors for 2013: R. Agombar, G. Beckwith, J. Berger, K. Blaney, P. Blancher K. Bleeks,

J.S.Bolsinger, R. Brouse, P. Burke, M. Burrell, A. Carrière, S. Coates, M.A. Conboy, J. Cooke, S.

David, J.H. Ellis, G. Emsley, P. English, J. Grant, J. Haig, W. Haller, B. Hamilton, S. Hannah,

K. Hennige, T.L. Hoar, A. Hywarren, D. Jackson, C. Jones, M. Julian, C. Law, G. Lawrence, V.P.

Mackenzie, M. Miller, D. Morin, M. Patry, P. Perren, J. Platt, C. Prideaux, M.D. Read, C.

Robinson, K. Robinson, M. Roncetti, D. Sadler, E. Silhanek, J. Thompson, P. Thut, M.A. Trinkl,

W.Wehjte, T. Wheatley, J. Van Wieren, A. Williams, R.D. Weir, KFN = 3+ members of the

Kingston Field Naturalists, NLB = 3+ members of the North Leeds Birders

Learning Nature from the Basics

Terry Sprague

It has been a while since I wrote my

book, “Up Before Five – the Family Farm”.

The book was done on an HP computer

with a 27-inch flat screen and a soft

touch keyboard. What a difference from

the old Smith Corona manual

typewriter I used when I wrote “Birds of

Prince Edward County”. Nary a drop of

White-out did I use with my last book.

Now I am starting another one. I guess

that’s what one does when one retires.

“Up Before Five – the Family Farm”

sounds like a memoir. In a way, it was.

It was a collection of memories of small

farms – ours, in particular – and how

they bound the community together and

neighbours helped neighbours during

threshing and silo-filling bees. It was a

book filled with stories of how families

and neighbours worked together, and

sat down at a meal, together. It was fun

recalling some of our misadventures,

mistakes and mishaps in the day to day

life of toiling from early morning until

evening in a family business.

As I gaze over the fields behind our

house that haven’t seen a plough in 36

years, I think back to days of tomatoes,

oats and corn, the sight of cows on

pasture and the heady fragrance of a

freshly manured field on a misty

morning. Mostly, I recall the love my

Page 20 March 2014

parents had for wild animals. They were

never too busy to take in an orphaned

skunk, raccoon, squirrel, robin –

anything that needed a little bit of love

and attention. No one told us about

human imprinting, but we knew our

adoptees had miraculously survived

their release somehow, as we would

encounter them in the weeks to follow.

My interest in nature was encouraged

by my parents. Not just wildlife, but

everything in the natural world around

me. I knew nothing about biodiversity –

if the word even existed then – but I had

a sense that everything I saw was

interconnected and dependent on each

other. New weeds and other plants

came home with me daily to be

identified. Everything I found needed a

name. I remember arguing with the

weed inspector that the plant growing

in our pasture field which he

erroneously identified as tansy was, in

fact, wormwood. Turned out I was

correct. Because I was only 17 or 18

years old, my identification was

dismissed by a government employee

who had degrees, and curtly reminded

me of this, but I always knew. In the

end, my father chose to believe me.

Field tillage and the fall harvest were

always a little monotonous when the

most exciting thing to look forward to

was the distant fencerow ahead of us.

Nature that I could view from the

tractor seat always made the day more

interesting. My father’s old army

binoculars became essential tools that

got crammed in the tool box along with

the pliers and vice grips. I had an

insatiable appetite to learn the identity

of all the things I saw, and probe deeper

into why they were here, and what

purpose they had. No Internet then,

precious few field guides, and no one

who I could ask. I learned by observing.

Pipits accompanied me during fall

ploughing, invisible against the clods of

upturned sod until the approaching

tractor sent them skyward in an almost

hysterical fashion, returning a few

seconds later to another spot ahead of

the tractor. It was a couple years before I

learned what they were, and another

two years finding out why they were

here, and where they disappeared to

when I no longer saw them. My father’s

old bird book of the 1800s gave little

information except how to bag

songbirds for private collections.

One by one, I learned the identities of

these birds as I met them, and studied

their habits, determined to find out as

much as I could about them. Vesper

sparrows were my favourites. In the

evening a liturgy of them would live up

to their name by delivering a chorus of

melodious trills. I likened the notes to

those of a song sparrow, but with more

leisurely opening notes. If I close my

Vesper Sparrow by John Vieira


eyes, I can still hear them in our

laneway. They nested in the hay fields,

and disturbing one with the hay mower

would send it cart wheeling in a series

of wild summersaults in an effort to

draw me away from its nest. Until then,

I believed it was only the killdeer that

went to so much trouble to feign injury.

There were mysteries that I could never

solve. How zigzagging flocks of tree and

barn swallows could dart in front of the

combine, exploiting insects that were

disturbed during the harvesting process,

and concentrate on catching flying

insects while avoiding collisions with

their cohorts. How a single ring-billed

gull that appeared from out of nowhere

the moment the plough was dropped

into the ground, could alert, within

seconds, hundreds of gulls that had

been nowhere in sight. And how they

managed to gulp down field mice in a

single gulp while in flight. All

fascinating stuff, and every day, an

outdoor classroom.

These memories come back as I reflect

on my early interest in nature and the

things I saw from the tractor seat.

Learning about the things I observed

was an exercise in attempting to draw

some sort of conclusion from what

appeared. It was not the study of a

science per se, like botany or even

ornithology, but rather, endeavouring to

understand what I saw, with no interest

in the systematic order or their

relationship. It trained my senses to

comprehend the common things of life;

not through a scientific approach, but by

establishing a living sympathy with

everything that I came in contact with.

As I write this, there are still snow

covered fields just across the fence. The

vesper sparrows no longer nest on our

former farm, and the tree swallows have

declined dramatically from the days

when they would darken the sky. I do

hope the grasshopper sparrow returns

to this same field this spring. I know the

bobolinks will. I will watch them again;

as after more than 60 years of watching

these same fields, I am still learning.

Terry Sprague is a professional naturalist,

free-lance writer and KFN member who

lives in Prince Edward County.

Mid-winter Waterfowl Inventory: Kingston Region 04-05 Jan 2014

Ron D. Weir

The Mid-Winter Waterfowl Inventory

(MWWI) was carried out throughout

North America in January 2014.

Fourteen observers surveyed the

Kingston region from Ivy Lea, Hill and

Wellesley Islands on the east to Prince

Edward Point on the west. Extensive ice

everywhere except at Pr. Edw. Pt.

hampered finding waterfowl, thousands

of which had departed Kingston over

the span of a few days.

For the aerial survey portion, Canadian

Wildlife Service staff covered the St.

Lawrence River from Ivy Lea to

Kingston, offshore sections of Wolfe and

Amherst Islands and the offshore

islands, and adjacent areas of Waupoos

and Pr. Edw. Pt., and the Bay of Quinte.

Page 22 March 2014

They remarked on widespread

extensive ice. Participants were James

Barber, Erwin Batalla, Kevin Bleeks,

Hugues Bonin, Melodie Bowes, Barbara

Campbell (CWS), Sharon David, Peter

Good, Paul Mackenzie, Jay & Bea

McMahon, Shawn Meyer (CWS), Mark

Read, Ron Weir.

Table 1 lists Kingston region results

forwarded to Barbara Campbell of the

CWS; including waterfowl observed by

CWS beyond access of ground

observers. The total of 18,260 made up

of 24 species of geese and ducks is well

below the normal numbers due to the

extensive ice. Thirty-one Bald Eagles

from land observers appear in Table 1.

Census weekend saw sunny and cloudy

conditions and temperatures from -24oC

to -11oC with moderate wind from the

SSW. Visibility was good. The results of

the survey for the Lake Ontario sites on

the Canadian side were collated by Mr.

Glenn Coady of Toronto. The summary

is shown as Table 2, which includes the

overall total from Kingston. Areas

surveyed along L. Ontario from east to

west were Kingston, Quinte, Presqu'ile,

Port Hope, Durham, Toronto, Hamilton

and Niagara.

The distribution of high numbers in the

table is biased towards the western end

of the lake; extreme early ice conditions

at the eastern end of L. Ontario forced

the waterfowl westwards.

Thanks to all the KFN members who

participated in the annual survey.

Table 1: Waterfowl Summary for Kingston 04-05 January 2014. All sites were mostly

or completely frozen.

Species Rideau

&Cat R.

Ivy

Lea

Howe

I.

King-

ston

Amh.

I.

Wolfe

I.

Bath

Rd.

Hay

Bay

Wau-

poos

P. Edw.

Pt.

Bay of

Quinte

Total

Horned Grebe - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1

Canada Goose 102 - 1 305 - 300 - - 40 50 - 808

Mute Swan - - 2 41 95 - 30 - 25 105 - 298

Tundra Swan - - - 10 11 20 - - 97 10 - 148

Trmpetr Swan 7 - - - - - - - - - - 7

swan sp. - - - - 9 6 - - - - - 15

Gadwall - - - 69 - - - - - 20 - 89

Amer. Wigeon - - - 2 - - - - - - - 2

Black Duck 25 - 5 150 - 65 - - - 30 - 275

Mallard 185 30 7 1550 - 65 - - 45 850 - 2732

N. Shoveler - - - 1 - - - - - - - 1

N. Pintail - - - 3 - - - - - - - 3

(dabblers) - 119 - - 84 - - - - - - 203

Redhead - - - 15 - - - - - 13 - 28

Rng-nck Duck - - - 63 - - - - - 25 - 88

Greater Scaup - - - 21 2 35 - - - 550 - 608

Lesser Scaup - - - 10 - - - - - 9 - 19


Species Rideau

&CatR.

Ivy

Lea

Howe

I.

King-

ston

Amh.

I.

Wolfe

I.

Bath

Rd.

Hay

Bay

Wau-

poos

P.Edw.

Pt.

Bay of

Quinte

Total

Black Scoter - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1

Wht-wng Sc. - - - - - - - - - 35 - 35

Lng-tld Duck - - 315 40 3153 106 100 - - 3300 - 7014

Bufflehead - - - 1 33 3 - - 5 122 - 164

Com Golden - 370 1 - 35 52 10 - - 750 - 1218

Hooded Merg. - 8 - 17 - - - - - - - 25

Comm. Merg. 2 312 15 75 453 72 - - - 24 - 953

Red-br Merg. - - - 1 5 10 - - - 120 - 136

merganser (sp) - 110 110 - - 19 - - - - - 239

Amer Coot - - - 5 - - - - - - - 5

divers - - - - - 5 - - - 3500 - 3505

Total 331 949 456 2379 3880 758 140 - 212 9515 - 18620

Party hours 0.5 2 3 6 3 6 1.5 - 1 4 - 27

Observers 1 2 1 6 1 3 2 - 1 1 - 18

Bald Eagle - - 4 3 2 20 - - - 2 - 31

Table 2: Lake Ontario Mid-winter Waterfowl Inventory Compiled by Glenn Coady

Species Kingston Quinte Presqu'ile PtHope Durham Toronto Hamilton Niagara Total

Red-throated Loon 0 9 9

Common Loon 1 1

Pied-billed Grebe 2 2

Horned Grebe 1 4 3 1 9

Red-necked Grebe 1 6 7

Dble-crstd Cormrnt 1 39 13 53

Tundra Swan 148 1 7 156

Trumpeter Swan 7 1 114 231 353

Mute Swan 298 98 560 13 492 135 5 1601

Grt Wt-frntd Goose 0 0

Snow Goose 0 0

Brant 0 0

Canada Goose 808 10 11 1064 653 7815 2197 2205 14763

Cackling Goose 0 0

Wood Duck 3 1 4

Green-winged Teal 0 5 5

American Blk Duck 275 11 4 48 16 314 179 9 856

Mallard 2732 100 624 155 6657 3009 818 14095

Northern Pintail 3 1 2 6

Northern Shoveler 1 4 113 118

Gadwall 89 948 80 1117

Page 24 March 2014

Species Kingston Quinte Presqu'ile PtHope Durham Toronto Hamilton Niagara Total

Eurasian Wigeon 0 0

American Wigeon 2 27 2 31

Canvasback 1 5 2 8

Redhead 28 1 150 1576 208 2 1965

Ring-necked Duck 88 1 1 6 2 98

Greater Scaup 608 161 563 99 4050 36175 1506 353 43515

Lesser Scaup 19 2 5 44 88 4 162

Scaup sp. 1 31 32

King Eider 1 1 3 5

Harlequin Duck 1 4 5

Long-tailed Duck 7014 1198 1148 273 397 12567 41248 4986 68831

Black Scoter 1 2 12 15

Surf Scoter 2 451 453

Wht-winged Scoter 35 10 10 6 41 306 19329 1319 21056

Comm Goldeneye 1218 206 562 466 1321 3254 5976 2422 15425

Barrow's Goldeneye 0 0

Bufflehead 164 6 27 53 177 795 208 715 2145

Hooded Merganser 25 20 34 79

Common Merganser 953 8 12 16 20 313 2764 233 4319

Rd-brstd Merganser 136 57 262 418 1014 1524 1018 3124 7553

Ruddy Duck 61 229 290

American Coot 5 1 12 30 11 59

Swan sp. 15 0 15

Merganser sp. 239 0 30 269

Duck sp. 3708 12 1 8445 12166

Mallard X Blk Duck 4 4

Total Birds 18620 1878 3311 3069 7866 73054 79111 24746 211655

Total Species 24 12 13 11 16 34 30 20 36

Participants 18 2 5 2 2 32 16 18 95

Party-hours 27 8 9 8 8 65 21 16 162

Bald Eagle 31 1 1 1 3 18 3 58

Common Goldeneye by

Mark Read


When is it worthwhile to drive from Kingston to Oxford Mills?

Frederick W. Schueler Bishops Mills Natural History Centre, 6 St Lawrence Street, RR#2 Bishops

Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0

(613)258-3107 <[email protected]> http://pinicola.ca/

Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills is the

weekly nocturnal visit to Kemptville

Creek below the dam at Oxford Mills,

every Friday evening at 20h00 from the

first Friday after Thanksgiving until

spring high water. The best Mudpuppy

viewing in Ontario! Flat bedrock and

clear shallow water provide safe

footing for researchers and spectators of

large numbers of the giant aquatic

Salamanders pursuing their winter

activities.

http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm

When we first began Mudpuppy Nights

in Oxford Mills, in 1999, an era of low

water and fairly cold winters, we

boasted that “Even on the nights of

highest water, I am able to dipnet at

least one, to bring back to shore to

show around” (Schueler 2001). However,

in a recent revision of the webpage,1

we've had to warn that: “Mudpuppies

don't come up into the area where they

can be viewed when the water is high

and fast. After rain or thaws it may

take weeks for water levels to subside

to the point where significant numbers

of Mudpuppies are visible, so after

such events it's best to contact us, or to

1) http://pinicola.ca/mudpup1.htm – this page

includes links to field notes from all Mudpuppy

Nights

check the NatureList2 for recent

reports.”

It was in 2001, while the above article

was in press, that we began to

experience “cat farts”, episodes of

anoxia, when solid ice cover above the

dam kept the air from the water while

the metabolism of muck-dwelling

organisms continued to grind away,

sending murky brown oxygen-depleted

water over the spillways, and obliging

the Mudpuppies to retreat downstream

to reaches where the water had picked

up some oxygen: fascinating for us to

observe, but not much of a spectacle for

visitors. The fact that the spillways are

sheathed with ice doubtless reduces

their effectiveness as oxygenators, since

the atmosphere the water falls through

is enclosed by ice, and not exchanging

freely with the open air.

Through the years since 2001, more and

more groups have come from various

distances to see the Mudpuppies,

making it important for us to diagnose

conditions in advance of each Friday,

and then to expose these predictions to

province-wide scrutiny by e-mail. As

the proprietors, we're prepared to be

fascinated by swirling eddies, murky

2)https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!abou

tgroup/naturelist – click the little arrow to see

posts



https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!aboutgroup/naturelist

https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!aboutgroup/naturelist

Page 26 March 2014

marshy-smelling currents, precipitated

humic acids released from melting ice,

and delightful ruffled fringes of clear ice

on the edges of the shelves, but those

who must gamble on driving the 400 km

from Toronto, or the 100 km from

Arnprior, or the 140 km from Kingston,3

through winter weather, are only going

to be adequately rewarded by

Mudpuppies (Torontonians can see ice

and water at Sir Casimir Gzowski Park,

Arnpriorities along the Madawaska

River, and Kingstonites at the Little

Cataraqui Conservation Area, if that's

what they're after, even if Oxford Mills'

ice is exceptionally fine and variable).

The “catch at least one” boast first fell

through completely in the winter of

2003-2004, when there were 12 outings

where no Mudpuppies were seen. As

early as 31 October I warned that

“Mudpuppy Night will go ahead

tonight, but be warned that the creek is

very high from the recent rain, to the

extent that the 'Vantage Point' ledge

below the western side of the spillway,

which was 20 cm above the water last

week, is now about 5 cm below the

water. The water is all coming through

the central spillway, so there's a

straight chute of white water from

there to the west bridge abutment,”4

and, with these starting conditions, we

saw none in November, only 2 in all of

3) the optimal route from Kingston to Oxford

Mills is Hwy 401, Hwy 15, CoRd33, CoRd

(Hwy) 42, CoRd 30, Greenbush & Jellyby Rds,

CoRd 15, Land 'o Nod, Bolton, & Hares Hill

Rds, Jig Street, & CoRd 18.

4) http://pinicola.ca/Mn2003.htm

December, and only 18 in January,

before the count came up to 50 on the

30th of January.

In the years since, there have been been

warmer winters, with January rain, or in

the present case of 2013-2014, a very

cold winter with high initial

streamflows from a rainy summer. The

winter of 2003-2004 had the second-

lowest total number of sightings (258),

followed by 396 in 2004-2005, and then

by the nadir of 95 in 2005-2006.

Conditions have improved, our

methods and our lights have continued

to be upgraded, and the number of

visits (in order to check conditions

before visitors come from a distance)

have increased, and we have counted a

total of more than a thousand in 2010-

2011 (1119), 2009-2010 (1379), and 2008-

2009 (1090).

On 7 February of 2014 both the Kingston

Field Naturalists (KFN; “excited and

hoping for the best conditions” after

having had to cancel a visit in the

previous winter), and the Ottawa

Amphibian and Reptile Association

(OARA) were scheduled to Mudpuppy,

but the night before I'd had to report

that: “...alas, we're into a cat farts

situation, with no oxygen in the water,

and accordingly no Mudpuppies to be

seen. I had a troop of little Beaver

Scouts out tonight, and I had to try to

engage their attention with details of

ice formation and water chemistry, but

this seemed to engage their parents

more than it did the scouts.”

So both groups rescheduled for 21

February. On 7 February Brian Day and

http://pinicola.ca/Mn2003.htm


I were pleasantly surprised to find the

water clearer than it had been the night

before, though still very brown, and to

see 14 Mudpuppies out near the the

main current, though none could be

seen from shore. Next Friday, Saint

Valentines Day, the streets were parked

up by romantically inclined patrons of

the Brigadoon Restaurant, and the

Mudpuppy nighters were a troop of

TREX Girl Guides from Ottawa,

including Dawn Seburn, who did the

wading, and counted 38 'puppies,

scattered all across the creek, several of

them actively swimming.

On the day before the scheduled

KFN/OARA revisits, 20 February, John

Tanner and I counted 36, again actively

swimming and scattered all across the

area of open water, but “with the

forecast rain and melting, we hope[d]

that the 'heavy rain' mentioned for

areas south of here won't reach Oxford

Mills, and that the snow will absorb

most of the melted snow. In any event

it will be melting, so those who come

should wear traction-enhancing

footwear. Sometimes one wonders

whether OARA and KFN plans to

come to Mudpuppy Night don't cause

warm snaps and rain.”

Rose-Marie Burke wrote: “Yes. I have

the power. It has been demonstrated

numerous times over the past few

years. Since I took up astronomy, the

proportion of cloudy weather has

greatly increased, as when I took up

nature photography, the proportion of

critters I've seen has greatly decreased,

unless I had no camera, then

something spectacular would appear

before me and just stand still right

there in front of me. The number of

thunderstorms with pretty lightning

has also greatly decreased since I

learned to do long exposures. And

ISON? I single-handedly destroyed

that great comet. So [since I've got to

preside over the sump pump, and can't

come], go forth people, it should be a

good night in Oxford Mills!”

In the event, the rain wasn't as heavy as

forecast, and the visitors were able to

see 32 Mudpuppies, with “water murky

brown; most flow through west

spillway; ca 5cm over the Vantage

Point Ledge, a 30cm blanket of

undulating foam at the downstream

end of the open water; ice rotting along

shore.”

The next week, 28 February, what we'd

feared for the KFN visit had come true,

and despite a cold week, the water was

higher, and very brown-murky, with a

whiff of the cat-farts smell. We saw only

one 'puppy each on east and west sides

of the creek. Fortunately one of them

was in clear view, with the fluffy gills of

low oxygen, and could be enjoyed from

solid ice, so a multitude of visitors

watched it for a long time as I outlined

the biology of the situation. We suppose

the high water was flowing from the

melting and rain of a week earlier,

seeping down through the snow and

unfrozen ground, and the anoxia was

due to the water coming just far enough

up to fill the air spaces under the ice,

without breaking the ice cover, or

melting any openings.

Page 28 March 2014

Our winter Mudpuppy observations are

summarized in the Table. If we rank

years by the features that make for a

good Mudpuppy viewing season (high

mean, high minimum count, low

number of null nights, high maximum

count, late last observation), and sum

these ranks, this evaluates the seasons in

the following increasing order (with

total number of Mudpuppy

observations in parentheses): 2003 (258

observations), 2005 (95), 2001 (209), 2004

(396), 2007 (411), 2012 (795), 2010 (1119),

2002 (595), 2006 (973), 2000 (455), 2009

(1379), 2008 (1090), 2011 (699). Since we

began winter observations, we've

recorded a total count of 9760

observations.

We started the project with three aims:

1) to publicize this population of

“keystone predators,” which, being

neither “Species at Risk,” nor exploited

for sport or commerce, are caught in a

funding gap in the present system of

support for natural history research, 2)

to inspire others across the province to

get out and find similar venues of

winter Mudpuppy activity in their

streams, and 3) to get us out through the

winter to see what the Necturus and the

other creatures of the creek were doing.

We've certainly reached lots of local

folks, eastern Ontario naturalists, and

Ontario, Quebec, New York, and

Vermont herpetologists with the

message that Mudpuppies are abundant

in Kemptville Creek and active in the

winter. We've found that the Oxford

Mills site is so ideal that no one has yet

found another place where Mudpuppies

can be viewed in the winter, though

we're still encouraging those with dams,

boots, and lights to go out and scout for

'puppies. We've been out 431 times after

winter Mudpuppies in Oxford Mills,

and with the present document we're

actually starting to analyse some of the

data gathered – so perhaps with this

start, the book-length treatment can't be

far behind...

Acknowledgements: Valerie Kirkwood,

Larry Frazer, Eric Snyder, Wes von

Papineau, Matt Keevil, and especially

Brian Day have been regular observers

in various winters, the Seburn and Scott

families have helped on many nights,

and many others have helped with

observations or made financial

contributions. Thanks to the Maries

Treats and Treasures and the Brigadoon

Restaurant for welcoming our boots and

'puppies, and especially to Aleta

Karstad and our family for being the

mainstay of the enterprise, and being

willing to get to Oxford Mills not too

long after the appointed time, even after

already exhausting Fridays.

Literature Cited

Frederick W. Schueler. 2001. Mudpuppy

Night in Oxford Mills: It's your only

chance to see an active Amphibian when

the air temperature is -26 C! The

Ontario Herpetological Society News 88

(March2001).

http://pinicola.ca/H2001C.HTM

http://pinicola.ca/H2001C.HTM


Table1. Hibernal Mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) counts below the dam in

Oxford Mills (Canada; Ontario; Grenville County; North Grenville Township;

Oxford Mills Dam, Kemptville Creek. 44.9649°N 75.6786°W) This gives the number of visits, the mean and range of Necturus counted at these visits, the

number of zero counts, the standard deviation of the counts, and the date when the last Necturus

was see; there is usually at least one zero count after this last observation). Asterisks (*) indicate

incomplete years not included in rank comparison.

Winter Visits Mean Range ZeroCounts St. Dev Latest Obsd

1991-1992* 9 13.00 2-40 14.61

1992-1993* 3 4.33 0-12 1 5.44

1994-1995* 2 0.00 0 2 0.00

1998-1999* 11 12.18 0-30 2 11.87 19 March

1999-2000 16 8.56 0-30 2 10.25 16 March

2000-2001 29 15.69 0-75 5 18.36 31 March

2001-2002 21 9.95 0-46 5 12.16 29 March

2002-2003 27 22.04 0-50 1 16.24 21 March

2003-2004 28 9.21 0-60 12 16.50 03 March

2004-2005 27 14.67 0-80 7 24.26 25 March

2005-2006 21 4.52 0-30 11 8.21 10 March

2006-2007 33 29.48 0-128 13 41.21 23 March

2007-2008 29 14.17 0-49 5 14.12 28 March

2008-2009 27 40.37 0-170 5 55.59 06 March

2009-2010 32 43.09 0-160 6 51.25 05 March

2010-2011 29 38.59 0-125 6 42.45 04 March

2011-2012 28 24.96 1-103 0 25.47 09 March

2012-2013 33 24.09 0-98 8 29.53 22 March

2013-2014* 26 34.08 0-159 5 45.64 [data to 28Feb]

The picture below was taken by Janet Elliott at the 2014 Mudpuppy viewing.

Page 30 March 2014

Mudpuppy Night in Oxford Mills

Maureen Addis

Four adult and two Teen KFN

members participated in the

February 21 mudpuppy night in

Oxford Mills. After several failed

attempts (Jan. 2013, 10Jan2014

Brigadoon restaurant closed;

14Feb2014 anoxic conditions) we

were finally on our way.

As we started our journey to Oxford

Mills the sky cleared and a starry

night was upon us. I was entertained

by two Teens (Ronan and Michael)

reciting a poem written by Fred

Schueler, reprinted below with

permission, full of information

about the mudpuppies at Oxford

Mills. Each read alternate lines and

we analyzed the meaning and

information the poem gave us. The

boys enjoyed the poem and decided

to put it to music and sang it. It

sounded great!

When we arrived at our destination

we suited up for wading and others

joined us as we gathered around a

cooler of mudpuppies for a close up

view and photo shoot. We made our

way to the river’s edge and

proceeded to wade in the shallow

cold water. About 35 mudpuppies

were seen. Some were netted to

replace last week’s catch in the

cooler. Studies of their fecal pellets

indicate what they have been eating.

They are such beautiful creatures

with their large red fluffy gills which

make them look fairytale like.

Fred was very informative about the

mudpuppies as he has studied them

every week for 15 winters. I was

surprised to find they had a life

expectancy of 35 years and it took

six to eight years for them to reach

reproductive maturity. I learned

how they play an important role in

the ecological life of the river

keeping it clean by feeding on fish,

crayfish frogs and other things.

Satisfied with our sightings, we

headed to the Brigadoon restaurant

for some hot chocolate and gathered

for a drawing lesson from Aleta.

Several good drawings were

produced, like the one below by

Bruce Elliott.

Thank you to Anne Fred and Aleta

for a very enjoyable outing


The Mudpuppy Poem

by Fred Schueler

The dam in Oxford Mills has got an

ancient pedigree:

The province nearly tore it down in

1953.

Repaired, it bars the Rideau Carp

from running up the stream,

And stymies springtime Mudpout to

support a fishery.

The summer creek below the dam is

golden, clear, and warm.

Pearlly Clams and twiggy Caddis

larvae root around,

Red-eyed Rock Bass fan their fins

behind each standing stone,

And giant neotenic mothers guard

their broods alone.

In August when the gold-striped

offspring leave the nest at last

There's no idea of hibernating to let

winter pass.

Their mating season (no one's seen

it) may well be a blast,

And everything that moves becomes

their wintery repast.

Necturus maculosus - they prowl the

winter nights.

The tadpole is their snack food, the

Crayfish their delight.

When Oxford Mills, incurious, has

tucked itself in tight,

They wander, cleaning up the creek,

beneath the shelves of ice.

Salamanders generally do well when

its cool

(Ambystoma walks over snowdrifts

on its breeding stroll),

And these aquatic wanderers are

faithful to this rule:

They fatten up on ice-stunned fish in

riffle and in pool.

Below the dam in January, on the

bedrock floor,

At first you just see one, and then

there's more and more and more,

Stepping with their little feet and

stubby fingers four,

They fan red gills and flex broad

tails beside the spillway's roar.


winter nights.







If you say "keystone predator," I

think "Necturus" now.

Most creeks lack winter foragers,

and so we must allow

Their presence here transforms the

stream. Though we may not know

how,

Around these long-lived

Salamanders the creek's life

revolves.


winter nights.







Page 32 March 2014

Kingston Region Birds – Winter 2013/14 (Dec 1st – Feb 28th)

Mark D. Read

The KFN reporting area is centred on

MacDonald Park, Kingston and extends

for a radial distance of 50km. An

interactive map showing the KFN circle

is available on the KFN website. If

errors are noted or significant

observations omitted in this report,

please do contact me and I will update

accordingly. We also encourage you to

submit all future sightings, so that a

better understanding of our region’s

birdlife can be achieved. Members

already using eBird can very easily

share their sightings with ‘Kingston FN’.

Alternatively, please email, phone or

post records directly to me. Contact

details are found inside the front cover.

In total, 126 bird species were recorded

in our region during the reporting

period. Most of these sightings were

gleaned from eBird; many are now

shared with the KFN account. More

than 80 observers reported almost

11,500 sightings either directly or

through eBird. Just over 193,000

individual birds were recorded.

The winter of 2013/14 will be

remembered for its extreme cold; only

small pockets of water remained open,

and waterfowl were understandably

scarce. Finches were also hard to come

by, due to bountiful seed crops further

north. It was, however, a great year for

Snowy Owls, with birds even taking up

winter residence in Kingston itself. Here

are the highlights of Winter 2013/14:

Snow Goose: Just 3 records: 1 in the

Hay Bay section of the Napanee CBC on

14Dec (JG, PM, AR); a long-staying

immature dark morph in Cataraqui Bay,

last seen on 15Dec (MDR et al.); a flock

of 95 in flight over Sackets Harbour,

Jefferson County, NY on 14Dec (JBol).

Ross’s Goose: A bird at Sandhurst

Shores on 13Dec (DE, JHall) and a

second sighting just east of Lennox

Generating Station on 14Dec (JHaff)

presumably refer to the same bird

reported in that area in late November.

Canada Goose: A high count of 5400

reported at Sackets Harbour, Jefferson

County, NY on 14Dec (JBol).

Mute Swan: Widespread. High counts

of 105 at Pr. Edw. Pt. on 4Jan (RW) and

71 at Hay Bay on 14Dec (JG, PM, AR).

Trumpeter Swan: Fairly regular along

the Rideau Canal. High counts were 29

at Chaffey’s Locks on 11Dec (PP) and 24

at Lower Brewers on 25Dec (MDR).

Tundra Swan: This species, present

throughout much of early December,

with a high of 173 on 1Dec on Wolfe

Island (KH et al.) was, due to the

freezing conditions, far less common in

the latter part of the reporting period.

Wood Duck: A female bird on the

Napanee River 1Feb (BB).

American Wigeon: Numbers were

good, with up to 120 birds (JS et al.), in


Cataraqui Bay in early December but

dropped off as it froze over. Only a

couple of sightings in Jan/Feb.

Northern Shoveler: The last record was

of two birds noted at Amherstview

Sewage Lagoons on 7Dec (PM).

Northern Pintail: Just five sightings, a

‘high’ of two in Kingston on 4Jan (RW).

Green-winged Teal: All but one record

(1, Pr. Edw. Pt., 12Dec (BR)) were from

Belle Park, Kingston, with the last bird

noted on 30Dec (KG).

Canvasback: Two birds at Invista on

4Dec (JS et al.); one at Pr. Edw. Pt. on

11Dec (BR); a single male 10-11Jan (EB et

al.) and 24-28 Jan (EB et al.) at Invista.

Redhead: Fairly widespread; suffered

from lack of open water in the latter part

of the winter. High count of 150 birds at

Cataraqui Bay 11Dec (MDR).

Ring-necked Duck: A total of 158 birds

in Cataraqui Bay on 2Dec (KHan); over-

wintering birds (mainly males) reached

a peak of 79 on 16Jan at Invista (MDR).

Greater Scaup: Widespread. High count

of 900 at Cataraqui Bay 4Dec (JS et al.)

Lesser Scaup: Far less common than

Greater Scaup; widespread sightings of

small numbers (max 42 on Wolfe Island,

30Dec, (JT)), mainly in Dec and Feb.

King Eider: An immature male and a

female were discovered at Pr. Edw. Pt.

on 27Feb (CH) remained into March and

were joined by a further 2 females.

Surf Scoter: A first-year male seen off

Traverse Woods, Pr. Edw. Pt. on 16Jan

(JR, MRun) is the only record.

White-winged Scoter: Apart from

expected records at Pr. Edw. Pt., 4 birds

off Portsmouth Harbour on 13Dec (JBar)

and a single adult male at Invista, 21-

28Feb (DD, JBar et al.) were of note.

Black Scoter: Two records, both from Pr.

Edw. Pt.: 1 on 4Jan (RW) and 2 (male

and female) on 16Jan (JR, MRun).

Barrow’s Goldeneye: A single bird

noted during the Kingston CBC on

15Dec (per RW) and an immature male

at Pr. Edw. Pt. on 4Jan (RW).

Hooded Merganser: Widespread, in low

numbers, throughout the region.

Common Merganser: An impressive

count of over 2500, mainly male, birds

photographed off Howe I. 30Dec (SED).

Ruddy Duck: The only record was a

single bird at Wolfe I. on 10Dec (JT).

Ring-necked Pheasant: Other than a

single bird on Wolfe I. on 10Dec (JT) and

one near Lansdowne on 20Dec (KH), all

records came from Amherst Island.

Wild Turkey: Widespread. The high

count was over 250, recorded on Wolfe

Island 28Dec (MRun).

Red-throated Loon: One at the entrance

to the Inner Harbour, Kingston 4-6Dec

(MDR et al.) and one at Sackets Harbour,

Jefferson County, NY, 8Dec (JB).

Page 34 March 2014

Common Loon: The last bird of 2013

was seen on Wolfe Island 23Dec (PM).

No over-wintering birds were noted.

Pied-billed Grebe: Only record was 1 in

Cataraqui Bay on 3Dec (KH).

Horned Grebe: A high count of at least

22 birds at Stoney Point, Jefferson

County, NY on 8Dec (JB). Extreme

conditions brought birds inland with

singles at Marble Rock Dam 23Jan–3Feb

(PS et al.) and Collins Creek, north of

Kingston on 3Feb (BR et al.)

Red-necked Grebe: Birds driven off the

Great Lakes by freezing conditions

found their way to the region with a

bird at Marble Rock Dam 8-17Feb (KH et

al.) and another at Invista from 18Feb

onwards (MVAB et al.).

Double-crested Cormorant: The two

latest records were of 1 in Collins Bay

on 12Dec (BR) and another at RMC,

Kingston also on 12Dec (EB).

Great Blue Heron: One individual tried

overwintering at Belle Park, Kingston

and was seen on 30Dec (KG) and 9Jan

(MDR) but not since. Another was seen

in the Bayridge/Days Rd. area of the city

on 12Jan (JBar, CH).

Turkey Vulture: Two reports, both

singles; 1 on Wolfe I. on 20Jan (CM)

another near Lansdowne, 23Feb (PS).

Golden Eagle: An adult soaring near

the village of Morton on 15Jan (CH) and

another adult feeding on a carcass on

Opinicon Rd on 20Feb (CH).

Northern Harrier: Widespread early

reports but scarce by mid-January.

Cooper’s Hawk: More reports than of

Sharp-shinned Hawk, particularly later

in the season.

Northern Goshawk: Five reports; an

immature at Cranberry Lk, 21Dec

(MRun); an immature near Bath, 30Dec

(KB); an adult on Howe I., 30Jan (SED);

one near Lennox & Addington Power

Stn, 16Jan (BR); an adult (probable male)

near Gananoque R. on 28Feb (CH).

Bald Eagle: Widespread reports, often

scavenging on dead waterfowl.

Red-shouldered Hawk: One bird, seen

on a few occasions at Bedford Mills (LN,

MC et al.)

Red-tailed Hawk: Reports of the

northern subspecies (B. j. abieticola)

from Amherst Island on 28Jan (MDR);

10Feb, (LB); and Gananoque Golf &

Country Club 12Feb (KH).

Rough-legged Hawk: Most records

came from Amherst I. (max 5, 10Dec

(PP)), with 1 bird from Wolfe Island on

several dates during the winter.

American Coot: Sightings from three

locations; Invista, Lower Brewers Mills

and Outlet (Charleston Lake). Invista

was most consistent and held a high of

18 on 2Dec (MDR).

Killdeer: An early bird was near the

Millhaven Ferry Dock on 23Feb (JHaff).


Thick-billed Murre: This definitive

highlight of the winter was found on the

afternoon of 3Dec (JG) near Breakwater

Park in downtown Kingston. It swam

east, visiting the centre of the KFN circle

in the late afternoon before relocating

overnight to Delta Marina. The next day

it was seen by many observers but was

not seen subsequently. This is just the

third documented occurrence of the

species in Ontario since the mid-1950’s.

Bonaparte’s Gull: The last record was a

single bird just off Portsmouth Olympic

Harbour, Kingston on 15Dec (JBar).

Iceland Gull: There were 1-2 immature

birds at Lansdowne Dump 2-23Dec (KH

et al.); one at Violet Dump, 19Dec (BR);

an immature at Heritage Point, Bath,

28Dec (MDR) and at Kingston’s Wolfe

Island Ferry Dock, 5Jan (JB, MDR); one

near Bath, 12Jan (CH); an immature on

Amherst I, 19Jan (KFN).

Lesser Black-backed Gull: An

immature bird at Collin’s Bay, 2Dec

(MDR) and another at the Wolfe Island

Ferry Dock, Kingston on 5Dec (HZ, RS).

Glaucous Gull: Several records; a high

count of 4 at Heritage Pt., Bath on 28Dec

(MDR).

Eastern Screech-Owl: Several reports; a

red morph seen on Wolfe I. 4Feb (JBar,

MDR).

Snowy Owl: An impressive winter for

this species with the first Kingston bird

showing up on 4Dec at Lemoine Point

(BR), 3 at the airport by 8Dec (MDR).

Wolfe Island held consistently high

numbers, with a peak of 33 recorded on

22Jan (BRH). Twelve birds on Amherst

Island on 23Jan (BM, HZ).

Great Gray Owl: A bird a Lemoine Pt

on 1Jan (JP, MRon) was not seen

subsequently. Up to 2 birds in the Owl

Woods, Amherst I. during the latter part

of the winter (many observers).

Long-eared Owl: Up to 5 birds in the

Owl Woods Amherst I. on 12Dec (JM);

but no more than 1 was after this date.

Short-eared Owl: As many as 16 birds

on 15Dec during the Kingston CBC (per

RW) but numbers and sightings

dropped off to almost nothing.

Northern Saw-whet Owl: Two

sightings, both from the Owl Woods,

Amherst I.; 1 on 10Dec (PP), another

single, 25Dec (MRon).

Belted Kingfisher: There were 20

sightings from a variety of locations; the

most unusual being of two birds flying

over Princess St, Kingston, 15Jan (MDR).

Red-headed Woodpecker: The adult

bird first reported 10Oct (MDR)

continued at Gananoque Golf &

Country Club over the winter period.

Red-bellied Woodpecker: Widespread

reports, many coming from feeders.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: A single bird

seen near Buck Lake, Perth Rd on 4Jan

(GU) and another at Snowshoe Bay,

Jefferson County, NY on 15 Feb (JBol).

Page 36 March 2014

Northern Flicker: Most late winter

reports came from Amherst I., though

others were noted on both Wolfe and

Howe I. earlier in the season, as well as

Charleston Lake and Kingston.

Merlin: Few reports. Most came from

the west-end of Kingston where they

were noted breeding last year.

Gyrfalcon: A bird was seen during the

Kingston CBC on 15 Dec (per RW).

Peregrine Falcon: Other than the

resident pair in Kingston, sightings from

Pr. Edw. Pt., 1 on 4Jan (RW), 1 at Bath

12Jan (CH) 1 on Amherst I. 19Jan (KFN).

American Crow: An impressive 681

birds leaving their traditional roost near

Princess St on 28Feb (CG) for a site

further south.

Horned Lark: Fairly widespread, with

the high count being 34 on Fairfax Rd,

Lansdowne on 20Jan (KH). Spring

arrivals seemed to be coming through

by mid-late February.

Tufted Titmouse: The bird first seen on

Howe I. 14Oct (SED) continued

throughout the reporting period.

Red-breasted Nuthatch: Scarce, with

only Lemoine Pt., Kingston and

Charleston Lake having consistent

sightings.

Winter Wren: Just 5 sightings, with 1 at

Charleston Lake on 9Dec (KH); 2 at Big

Sandy Bay on 15Dec (MDR); 1 on

Washburn Rd on 18Dec (MVAB); 1 at

Cranberry Lake on 23Dec (MRun); and

another at Harrowsmith on 15Feb (GB).

Carolina Wren: One on McKnight Rd

on 2Dec (PM) and another at Cartwright

Pt. on 6 Dec (BR) were the only records.

Eastern Bluebird: Fairly well-

documented, with up to 6 at a property

near Elginburg on 7Jan (EB) where they

were present for at least two weeks.

American Robin: A good crop of Red

Cedar berries kept birds in the area, Pr.

Edw. Pt. holding consistently high

numbers. Over 200 in early February

(BR, MDR), with 400 on 22Feb (MO).

Northern Mockingbird: A bird at Three

Mile Bay, Jefferson County, NY on 8Dec

(TC) and another on Amherst Island,

27Dec (PG) were the only records in the

circle. A bird seen on Long Pt Rd on

20Jan (BR) was 1km outside the area.

Bohemian Waxwing: Thirty two birds

at Hawk Ridge, Hwy 15 (ED), and 6 at

Cranberry Lake on 23Dec (MRun).

Lapland Longspur: Fairfax Rd.,

Lansdowne was the most consistent

location this winter where a high of 2

birds were seen (JT et al.); 2 were seen

on Amherst Island on 16Dec (JBar).

Yellow-rumped Warbler: By far the

largest number was 16, recorded at Ray

Bay, Jefferson County, NY on 13Jan

(JBol). On this side of the border, 4 were

seen at Heritage Pt., Bath on 1Dec (BR).

No birds were reported consistently

from any location over the winter.


Eastern Towhee: An adult male coming

to a feeder near Odessa on 16Feb (CPC)

had been present for a couple of weeks.

Fox Sparrow: A bird at a feeder at

Bedford Mills on several dates during

January and February (LN, MC).

Swamp Sparrow: A single bird at Little

Cataraqui Creek C. A. on 15Dec (EB).

White-crowned Sparrow: A bird seen

on several occasions at Cranberry lake

in December was of the western

‘Gambel’s’ subspecies (MRun). The only

other sighting was of 1 at a feeder just

east of Kingston 16-18Dec (PM et al.).

Dark-eyed Junco: An ‘Oregon’ form,

showing orange flanks, at a feeder near

Camden East from 19Nov continued

throughout the winter (WB).

Red-winged Blackbird: Records from

early December include 22 at Cataraqui

Bay on 2Dec (MDR). A few were noted

in Reddendale on 17Feb and 15 at the

same location on 22Feb (SN).

Eastern Meadowlark: A single bird on

Howe Island, 1Dec (EB).

Rusty Blackbird: One on Amherst I.,

16Dec (JBar); 2 on Wolfe I. 22-28 Jan

(SF); 8 on Marble Rock Rd, 12Feb (NLB).

Common Grackle: Two independent

reports of a single bird on Amherst I. on

1Feb (JC et al.) and 2Feb (LB).

Brown-headed Cowbird: Consistent

reports of 1-2 birds at a feeder near

Elginburg throughout the winter (EB)

with occasional reports of singles near

Glenburnie (RL) and Washburn Rd

(MVAB). Bucking the trend were 26

birds seen at Gananoque on 31Jan (AK).

Baltimore Oriole: A lone bird seen at

Invista on 3Dec (BR et al.)

Purple Finch: Fairly widespread, but

most records from north of the 401.

Pine Siskin: Just one report of a single

bird in the southern section of the

Napanee CBC on 30Dec (KB).

Evening Grosbeak: A record east of

Lansdowne on 12Jan (CH) is the only

one of the season.

Other species observed during the

reporting period: Gadwall, American

Black Duck, Mallard, Long-tailed Duck,

Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-

breasted Merganser, Ruffed Grouse,

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Ring-billed Gull,

Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull,

Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Great

Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Downy

Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker,

Pileated Woodpecker, American Kestrel,

Northern Shrike, Blue Jay, Common

Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, White-

breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper,

Golden-crowned Kinglet, European

Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Snow

Bunting, American Tree Sparrow, Song

Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow,

Northern Cardinal, House Finch,

American Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Observers: Polly Aiken (PA), Catherine

Anderson (CA), Rosemary Anderson

(RA), Bonnie Bailey (BB), James Barber

Page 38 March 2014

(JBar), Erica Barkley (EB), Erwin Batalla

(EB), Betsy Beckwith (BB), Gaye

Beckwith (GB), Luke Berg (LB), Kevin

Bleeks (KB), Jeffrey Bolsinger (JBol), H.

W. Bonin (HWB), William Bradford

(WB), Greg Campbell (GC), Tom

Carrolan (TC), Carrie & Peter Cartile

(CPC), Mark Chojnacki (MC), Steve

Coates (SC), Joël Coutu (JC), Rick

Collins (RC), Ann Cummings (AC),

Elaine Davies (ED), Sharon E. David,

(SED), Rollin Deas (RD), Bruce DiLabio

(BD), Dale Dilamarter (DD), David

Edwards (DE), Sharon Ferguson (SF),

Paul Gilmore (PGil), Peter Good (PG),

Janis Grant (JG), Keith Gregoire (KG),

Chris Grooms (CG), Jeff Haffner (JHaff),

John Hall (JHall), Kevin Hannah

(KHan), Jeremy Hatt (JHatt), Peggy

Hauschildt (PH), Chris Heffernan (CH),

Kurt Hennige (KH), Brandon R. Holden

(BRH), Janet Venn Jackson (JVJ),

Andrew Keaveney (AK), Kingston Field

Naturalists (KFN), Andrew Lowles

(AL), Roger Lupton (RL), Jason

McArthur (JM), Paul Mackenzie (PM),

Brian Morin (BM), Clare Muller (CM),

Silvia Naylor (SN), North Leeds Birders

(NLB), Michael Oldham (MO), Paul

O’Toole (PO), Sylvia Naylor (SN), Linda

Nuttal (LN), Jim Palmer (JP), Mark

Patry (MPat), Piers Perren (PP), Mary

Peppard (MPep), Brian Penney (BP),

Darren Rayner (DR), Mark D. Read

(MDR), Anne Robertson (AR), Martin

Roncetti (MRon), Bruce Ripley (BR),

Jana Roth (JRoth), Jon Ruddy (JR),

Michael Runtz (MRun), Arthur Rowe

(AR), Paul Schoening (PS), Robert

Scranton (RS), Jeff Skevington (JS),

James Thompson (JT), Gary Ure (GU),

Gordon Vogg (GV), Ron D. Weir

(RDW), Stu Williams (SW), Hans van

der Zweep (HZ).

Field Herping Ethics and Personal Safety Tips

Text and photos by Bruce Ripley

This article is intended for amateur nature

enthusiasts who enjoy observing and

photographing reptiles and amphibians in

the wild.

Field Herping Ethics

1. Respect the Animals and the

Environment

Always be aware of the effects your

presence and actions have on the land and

its inhabitants. You can easily destroy

habitat and animals accidentally even

without knowing it. Treat animals and the

environment with care and respect.

2. Don't Destroy Natural Habitat or

Natural Features

Do not break up rocks, logs, stumps or

other natural features; leave the habitat as

close to the way you found it as possible. If

you remove a herp from underneath some

cover, put the cover back down then place

the herp beside it. Rolling over a rock

changes the microhabitat underneath,

where the humidity is higher than the

surroundings, and where small

invertebrates, food sources for herps or

their prey, have been established. Replacing

the rock as you found it will lessen the time

needed to restore this microhabitat. This


even applies to artificial cover (AC) such as

boards, tin, and trash.

3. Handle Herps as little as possible

Try to minimize the stress they endure from

contact with you. Herpers usually want to

catch and handle animals they find. It's

often the only way you will be able to

identify it to species or to observe and

photograph wary and secretive animals. It

can be more rewarding if you just observe

herps in their environment. You can see

more interesting natural behavior that way.

Herps are generally tough and resilient, but

to be safe, it's probably best not to handle

them longer than is necessary. Handle them

gently and put them back in the exact area

where they were found. It can be harmful to

amphibians if your hands are dry or have

sun block, bug spray or other potentially

noxious substance on them. Amphibians

should be handled as little as possible

because handling removes skin secretions

and possibly could predispose them to

fungal infections, while continuous holding

in the hand or keeping in containers can

result in overheating. Hands should be

wetted in the local water or in wet

grass/vegetation so that loss of skin

secretions is minimized. Do not lift a turtle

by the tail but by the rear end of their shells.

Refrain from grabbing lizards and

salamanders by the tail. They may drop

their tails in defense when they fear for

their life, which hinders their ability to

survive and breed. When removing a live

herp from a roadway, always move them to

the side of the direction they were going

regardless of which side of the road looks

like better habitat.

4. Respect Private Property

Never Trespass! Enter private property only

with permission. Never Disturb Research

Sites.

5. Be careful sharing locations, in public

and in private

6. Know the laws regarding herps

http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/speci

es/legal_protection_for_reptiles_and_amphi

bians.php

Massassauga Rattlesnake: Masters of

camouflage, this individual was heard

first before being seen.

Eastern Foxsnake; Often confused with

the Massasauga Rattlesnake.

http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/species/legal_protection_for_reptiles_and_amphibians.php



Page 40 March 2014

Personal Safety Tips

1. When road cruising, pull far off the road

when you stop. Be prepared to answer to

local citizens or the police.

2. Have sun block, bug spray, wide-rimmed

hat, proper foot wear, plenty of water, food,

maps, GPS, mobile device and first aid kit.

3. Most herps (and most wild animals) are

capable of biting, including seemingly

harmless turtles. Also be prepared to be

scratched or urinated, regurgitated or

musked on. Avoid making contact with

your eyes and mouth after handling herps.

Wash and disinfect your hands after a day

of handling herps.

4. When in areas with venomous snakes,

watch your every step! Never step over

rocks and logs but walk around them. Don't

stick your hand into areas you can't see.

Wear snake-proof footwear and leggings.

Don't flip over rocks, logs or AC. Never

walk through tall grass or brush aimlessly.

Most venomous snakes are active at night.

Walk carefully at night using a strong

flashlight. If you hear a rattler but can't see

it, don't move until you do see it, move

away slowly in the opposite direction.

Observe from a safe distance and never

attempt to handle a poisonous snake. Know

where the closest medical centre is. Go

herping with friends.

5. Know your identifications. Water, Fox,

Milk, Rat and Hognose Snakes all

superficially look like rattlers as well as

some southern poisonous snakes. Milk, Rat

and Fox Snakes often vibrate their tails

simulating a rattlesnake. If in doubt, stay

away from it. A snake without a rattle could

still be a rattler as the rattle often breaks off.

In Ontario a snake with round pupils is

non-venomous and the Massasauga

Rattlesnake has eliptical (cat eyes) pupils.

There are no venomous snakes in

southeastern Ontario.

References

Ontario Nature, California Herp Forum,

Animal Ethics Infolink

Milksnake; the perils of removing a herp

off the road.

Baby Snapper; rescued from the highway.

Documents

Blue Bill - Kingston Field Naturalists