After the Christmas Bird Count in mid-December, birding at Presqu'ile Provincial Park has seemed somewhat anti-climactic, especially since holiday activities have interfered with the frequency of certain birders' visits to the Park. Nevertheless, there are several interesting sightings to report. Unquestionably, the greatest surprise was the discovery of two Greater White-fronted Geese among the Canada Geese at Beach 1 on December 20. They were still there two days later, and may well be still present. A few Tundra Swans and a Northern Pintail were seen as recently as December 22, the latter among some Mallards at Beach 1. The rafts of Aythya ducks in Presqu'ile Bay present a challenge to birders. Even with a good spotting scope, one has to be patient to pick out the Canvasback(s), Ring-necked Duck, and probable Lesser Scaup among the hundreds of Redheads and Greater Scaup. In wavy conditions, they bob up and down in the most frustrating way; in cold weather, they huddle together in an almost impenetrable mass; and when viewing conditions are exceptionally good, they are continually diving out of sight. After scanning the flocks several times, one may easily conclude that only the two commoner species are present, only to find one of the others on a final scan. This has led some local birders to wonder whether there might even be a Tufted Duck lurking among them, as there have been at least two appearances of this very rare European stray at Presqu'ile in recent years. Not all of the news this week concerns waterfowl. Two Dunlins, probably the same two that were found on the Christmas Bird Count, have been sighted either on Gull Island (December 22) or along the beaches (December 20). There were also two Glaucous Gulls on Gull Island on December 22. Also on December 22, when a number of birders were active in the Park, Northern Shrikes were seen at widely separated locations by two different observers, reinforcing the truism that the more time that is spent in the field, the more birds are likely to be seen. American Robins and Cedar Waxwings are among the few passerine birds still being seen in good numbers at Presqu'ile as the year draws to a close. However, the feeders located at various points along Bayshore Road provide some of the best variety of songbirds, including a Chipping Sparrow and a White-throated Sparrow at 83 Bayshore Road and another White-throated Sparrow at 186 Bayshore Road. At least three Common Grackles are wintering in the area between the government dock and Salt Point, also visiting feeders from time to time. Several members of this species wintered in the same area last year. To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton. Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid that is available at the Park gate. The channel separating Gull Island from the mainland has almost disappeared, making the island almost a peninsula. The channel is only a few metres wide and about 10-15 centimetres deep. However, when the channel between the island and Owen Point is frozen, as it has been recently, the ice may be unsafe to walk on without breaking through. Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be directed to: FHELLEINER@TRENTU.CA. -- Fred Helleiner 186 Bayshore Road, R.R. #4, Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0 VOICE: (613) 475 5309 If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park. Fred Helleiner <fhelleiner@trentu.ca>