It has been a great week for owls away from the traditional hotspot of Amherst Island. The Lemoine Point Conservation Area had a N. Saw-whet, a Barred and a Great Horned; at the Queen's Biological Station (QUBS), two more Barred and another Great Horned and E. Screech Owls have stared to call; one near Battersea last Saturday and a pair in City Park on Monday. There continues to be a single Snowy Owl on the KFN property on Amherst. Accipiters seem to have outnumbered buteos this week with Sharp-shinned Hawks in Bayridge and at Camden East and Bedford Mills. Cooper's Hawks were in Bayridge and on Amherst. There were also 3 Am. Kestrels on Amherst. All the Bald Eagles reported this week were north of the city; 8 at QUBS and 2 more at Bedford Mills. Waterfowl numbers have begun to increase. Off the south shore of Amherst were 1000's of Greater Scaup, 100's of Redheads as well as 20 Tundra and 2 Mute Swans, 9 Gadwall and 3 Bufflehead. A dozen Trumpeter Swans were at Chaffey's Lock on Saturday. Other good sightings this week include 100 Wild Turkeys at the Sydenham dump, a Pileated Woodpecker on Wolfe Island, a Belted Kingfisher at Chaffey's, a N. Shrike on Amherst and 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches at Lemoine Pt. Winter finches remain scarce; a Pine Siskin at Bedford Mills and two more at Elginburg along with a male Purple Finch at Camden East were the only ones noted. Signs of spring are even rarer than winter finches; an Am. Robin at Elginburg, two more at Bath and a pair of Am. Crows at Bedford Mills (there have been none there all winter). The Tufted Titmouse is still cavorting with a flock of chickadees in Bath. Cheers, Peter Good Kingston Field Naturalists 613 378-6605