There were rather a number of good birds this past week: LECONTE'S
SPARROW and a MALLARD X GADWALL HYBRID, both at the Amherstview Sewage
Lagoons; and YELLOW RAIL and SEDGE WREN at Collin's Creek. Among the
newest/most reported migrants were RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD,
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, TENNESSEE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, AMERICAN
REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, ROSE-BREASTED
GROSBEAK, SCARLET TANAGER, BALTIMORE ORIOLE and BOBOLINK.

City of Kingston
On May 5 a YELLOW RAIL was heard singing in the Collin's Creek Marsh
near Westbrook. A SEDGE WREN was there too. There were still some
LONG-TAILED DUCKS on the Kingston waterfront. Good numbers of CHIMNEY
SWIFTS were in the sky above the city all week. Seven CEDAR WAXWINGS
were along the K&P Trail.

Amherstview Sewage Lagoons
Waterfowl inlcuded WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN BLACK
DUCK, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL,
RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD and a MALLARD X GADWALL
HYBRID. Shorebirds included SPOTTED SANDPIPER, SOLITARY SANDPIPER,
both YELLOWLEGS, AMERICAN WOODCOCK and WILSON'S PHALAROPE. Other birds
of note were a RING-NECKED PHEASANT, MERLIN, VESPER SPARROW and 1
LECONTE'S SPARROW.

Canoe Lake Road
Many of the same species listed below for Opinicon Road could be found
on Canoe Lake Road. A notable exception this past week was LOUISIANA
WATERTHRUSH, which was only found on Canoe Lake Road.

Newburg Alavar
Notables there were 4 UPLAND SANDPIPERS, 1 LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and 1
VESPER SPARROW.

Opinicon Road
One TRUMPETER SWAN was seen daily on Lake Opinicon from Queen's
University Biological Station (QUBS). It was joined by 3 others from
time to time. Two DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were unusal for Lake
Opinicon in spring. A single LONG-TAILED DUCK was heard flying over
the Cataraqui Trail one night. The forests along Opinicon Road were
alive with bird life this past week. Most of the sought-after species
were back on territory and loads of migrants continued to pass
through. RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, BROAD-WINGED HAWK and BARRED OWL were
all seen regularly. A GREAT HORNED OWL was singnig at QUBS.
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS were back and the first YELLOW-BILLED
CUCKOO of the spring was singing near the cemetary. SHARP-SHINNED
HAWK, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL, SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL,
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, LEAST FLYCATCHER, SWAINSONS, HERMIT and WOOD
THRUSHES, OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN
PARULA, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE,  BLACK-AND-WHITE,
ORANGE-CROWNED, YELLOW, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKBURNIAN, BLACK-THROATED
BLUE, YELLOW-RUMPED, CAPE MAY, PALM, BLACK-THROATED GREEN and PINE
WARBLERS, SCARLET TANAGER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, INDIGO BUNTING and
RUSTY BLACKBIRD were all reported. CERULEAN and GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS
are back and singing well, making them fairly easy to find, despite
the already fully opened leaves.

Other Sightings
Four TRUMPETER SWANS were on Loon Lake off Massassauga Road. CHIMNEY
SWIFTS were back in Napanee. A PRAIRIE WARBLER was singing at the
Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre. A GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER was
near Enterprise and a CERULEAN WARBLER was at Charleston Lake. A
VESPER SPARROW was at Forfar.

Thank you to those who contributed observations this week. All bird
sightings reported to me are included in the Kingston Field
Naturalists’s long term records database which has over 60 years of
observations on file and is an invaluable conservation resource.

Mark

--
Mark Andrew Conboy
Operations & Research Assistant and Outreach Coordinator
Queen’s University Biological Station
280 Queen's University Road
Elgin, Ontario, Canada K0G 1E0
phone: 613-359-5629
fax: 613-359-6558
email: 7mc19@queensu.ca or mconboy@lakeheadu.ca
QUBS website: http://www.queensu.ca/qubs/index.html
QUBS blog: http://opinicon.wordpress.com/
QUBS flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qubsoutreach/

This year's Spring OFO outing to the Toronto Islands will take place nextSATURDAY, May 19.
I am heading to Pelee for the week and may not have reliable internet so I am sending this reminder now. Thank you to Dave Milsom and the OFO for adding this spring Toronto Islands outing as we are likely to have a very good day with a potential for a great cross-section of species and with a later date like this in may we might have the opportunity to view some of the later migrant species that have shown up on the island before such as Olive-Sided Flycatcher, both Cuckoos and even oporornis warblers like Mourning and Connecticut. I can't guarantee these species but the timing is right, hopefully the birds will cooperate. My good friends Ian Cannell, who previously led this outing and Norm Murr will both be there to find us even more great birds. It should be a fun day. We will catch the 7:30 am ferry to Ward's Island. I recommend being there 30 minutes early (if possible) just in case there is a queue for the ticket machines. The ferry ride takes only about 10 minutes. The ferry prices are $7.00 (in coins) for an adult and $4:50 for seniors andstudents. All fares are return fares.You will need these amounts in CHANGE, to obtain your ticket from a machine,so be sure to have $1.00 and $2.00 and/or 25 cent coins before you arrive atthe docks as there is no reliable place to get change.  We will bird around Ward's Island and then gradually make our way over toHanlan's Point, from where we will take the ferry back to Toronto.We will hope to see a good cross-section of warblers and other migrants. This could take all day, if the birding is good, but anybody who wishes toleave at any time during the day can take return ferries from Ward's, CentreIsland or Hanlan's Point. For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site.(The spring schedule will still be in effect). http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm

In addition you can take an opportunity to read Norm's thorough guide to the islands at http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/torontoislands.php  Hope to see you next week!
Jay Peterson, Trip Leader for this outing.

Directions:The Toronto Ferry Docks are located at the foot of Bay Street in Toronto. Bay Street is on the east side of Union Station and from there it takes  Only about 10 minutes to walk south on Bay to the ferry docks. The entrance to the ferry docks is on the south side of Queen's Quay, justwest of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. Parking ($15, I believe) is available 1 block north of the docks on the westside of Bay, at Lakeshore.  or, 1 block west of Bay, on the north side of Queens Quay. or, 1 block east of Bay, on the south side of Queen's Quay, opposite theToronto Star building and adjacent to Captain John's Restaurant. There are washrooms on the islands as well as at the city side at the ferrydocks. There are water fountains throughout, should you want to refill your waterbottles. The Kitchen Table store opens at 6am and sells coffee and food. It islocated across from the ferry docks, on the north side of Queen's Quay,about 100 metres east of Bay. Food and beverages on The Islands are very expensive, e.g. soft drinks $3.00and up, so I recommend that you bring beverages and food adequate forthe time that you expect to stay on the Islands. After a couple of hours birding Ward's Island, we will take a short break atthe picnic tables beside the Fire Station.Washrooms are available here. If you have any questions, you can reach me my cell 416-303-8819 or, of course, via email at pulchritudinousparula@hotmail.com  Jay Peterson, Trip Leader for this outing.

Hello,
For those going next Saturday, May 19; please note the ferry we are planning to take is at 7:15am, NOT 7:30. The OFO website has the incorrect time as the islands changed their ferry times.
Thank you,
Jay Peterson

This year's Fall OFO outing to the Toronto Islands will take place next SATURDAY, Sept 1.

This is just a friendly reminder regarding the outing and what to expect and bring with you next weekend. Traditionally, the fall outing has been pretty good for a good cross-section of migrant warblers, some flycatchers and other passerines.  In the past few years some good birds like Connecticut Warbler, Olive-Sided Flycatchers and even some surprises like an escapee Cockatiel have been found. You never know what you'll see out there.  My good friends Ian Cannell, who previously led this outing, and Norm Murr will both be there to find us even more great birds. It should be a fun day. We will catch the 7:30 am ferry to Ward's Island. I recommend being there 30 minutes early (if possible) just in case there is a queue for the ticket machines. The ferry ride takes only about 10 minutes. The ferry prices are $7.00 (in coins) for an adult and $4:50 for seniors andstudents. All fares are return fares. You will need these amounts in CHANGE, to obtain your ticket from a machine,so be sure to have $1.00 and $2.00 and/or 25 cent coins before you arrive at the docks as there is no reliable place to get change.  We will bird around Ward's Island and then gradually make our way over to Hanlan's Point, from where we will take the ferry back to Toronto.This could take all day, if the birding is good, but anybody who wishes to leave at any time during the day can take return ferries from Ward's, Centre Island or Hanlan's Point. For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site.(The summer schedule will still be in effect). http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm
In addition you can take an opportunity to read Norm's thorough guide to the islands at http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/torontoislands.php Hope to see you next week!
Jay Peterson, Trip Leader for this outing.

Directions:The Toronto Ferry Docks are located at the foot of Bay Street in Toronto. Bay Street is on the east side of Union Station and from there it takes  Only about 10 minutes to walk south on Bay to the ferry docks. The entrance to the ferry docks is on the south side of Queen's Quay, justwest of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. Parking ($15, I believe) is available 1 block north of the docks on the westside of Bay, at Lakeshore.  or, 1 block west of Bay, on the north side of Queens Quay. or, 1 block east of Bay, on the south side of Queen's Quay, opposite theToronto Star building and adjacent to Captain John's Restaurant. There are washrooms on the islands as well as at the city side at the ferrydocks. There are water fountains throughout, should you want to refill your waterbottles. The Kitchen Table store opens at 6am and sells coffee and food. It islocated across from the ferry docks, on the north side of Queen's Quay,about 100 metres east of Bay. Food and beverages on The Islands are very expensive, e.g. soft drinks $3.00and up, so I recommend that you bring beverages and food adequate forthe time that you expect to stay on the Islands. After a couple of hours birding Ward's Island, we will take a short break atthe picnic tables beside the Fire Station.Washrooms are available here. If you have any questions, you can reach me my cell 416-303-8819 or, of course, via email at pulchritudinousparula@hotmail.com  Jay Peterson, Trip Leader for this outing.

Hello Ontbirders,

Yesterday, forty six enthusiastic and friendly birders came out to the islands for a beautiful day. Weather conditions were perfect with sunny skies and very little wind, temperatures around 30C. The group as a whole counted up 78 species for the day. Among the passerines we encountered were 18 species of warbler. We had a couple of late Yellow Warblers, a few Canadas that were very difficult to see. We had 9 Wilson's Warblers which gave us good looks. Norm called out his "Cape May" tree and right on cue we found a nicely plumaged male. We had some good looks at the difference between Blackpolls and Bay-Breasted in their fall toggery. I was amused to hear someone say at one point "just another Bay-Breasted". It was nice to see a few of those birds as they are a little tougher to find in the spring. In the trap we had one Northern Waterthrush which only a few of us were lucky to get on. American Redstarts were by far the most numerous of the warblers. We had a fortunate day with Vireos as Warbling and Red-Eyed were easy finds and we all had good looks at 3 Philadelphia Vireos as well. Three lucky birders spotted an Olive-Sided Flycatcher on Algonquin Island. We had good looks at a few Eastern Wood Pewees, one Eastern Phoebe, an Eastern Kingbird, quite a few Great-Crested and a nice Yellow-Bellied. We had a Great Egret fly over and a few Great Blue Herons. Three Belted Kingfishers were present. We all saw a nice Budgie at Wards island as well, part of the small flock of escaped birds hanging around the area. One Caspian Tern, no Common. Bird song of course was relatively quiet but a few Carolina Wrens kept our ears engaged. We had 5 Mink on the mammal side as well. I am not cognizant of too many butterfly species but we did see quite a lot of Monarchs moving through but nothing out of the ordinary. It was quite birdy in some areas so we were kept interested and quite a few people actually stayed with us all the way to Hanlan's when we ended the day at 5pm. 8.5 hours of birding with great company and I enjoyed all the conversations. Thanks again to Norm Murr and Ian Cannell for all their help yesterday with such a large group and making sure as many people as possible got on the good birds that we had. We will see all of you hopefully in the spring again.

Thank you,

Jay Peterson

For more about the islands you can check out Norm's guide to the islands at http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/torontoislands.php

Directions:The Toronto Ferry Docks are located at the foot of Bay Street
in Toronto. Bay Street is on the east side of Union Station and from
there it takes  Only about 10 minutes to walk south on Bay to the ferry
docks. The entrance to the ferry docks is on the south side of Queen's
Quay, just west of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. Parking ($15, I
believe) is available 1 block north of the docks on the west side of
Bay, at Lakeshore.  or, 1 block west of Bay, on the north side of Queens
Quay. or, 1 block east of Bay, on the south side of Queen's Quay,
opposite the Toronto Star building and adjacent to Captain John's
Restaurant.

Hello Ontbirders,

This year's Fall OFO outing to the Toronto Islands will take place this SUNDAY, Sept 1.

This is just a friendly reminder regarding the outing and what to expect and bring with you next weekend. Traditionally, the fall outing has been pretty good for a good cross-section of migrant warblers, some flycatchers and other passerines.  You never know what you'll see out there.  Norm Murr will meet us over on Ward's after scouting some earlier birds for us. It always promises to be a fun day with a convivial atmosphere. Be forewarned this year's trip is on a Sunday, therefore, there is NO SUBWAY service for those needing to get to the dock. TTC runs the blue night bus during those morning hours every fifteen minutes from Steeles to Queen's Quay. We will catch the 7:30 am ferry to Ward's Island. I recommend being there 30 minutes early (if possible) just in case there is a queue for the ticket machines. The ferry ride takes only about 10 minutes. The ferry prices are $7.00 (in coins) for an adult and $4:50 for seniors and students. All fares are return fares. You will need these amounts in CHANGE, to obtain your ticket from a machine,so be sure to have $1.00 and $2.00 and/or 25 cent coins before you arrive at the docks as there is no reliable place to get change. The machines do take CREDIT cards if you choose to go that route. We will bird around Ward's Island and then gradually make our way over to Hanlan's Point, from where we will take the ferry back to Toronto. The walk goes as planned rain or shine and I will lead the walk to Hanlan's where we typically finish up around 3pm. Anybody who wishes to leave at any time during the day can take return ferries from Ward's, Centre Island or Hanlan's Point. For a detailed ferry schedule check the following web site.(The summer schedule will still be in effect). http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/ferry-schedule.htm
In addition you can take an opportunity to read Norm's thorough guide to the islands at http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/torontoislands.php Hope to see you next week!
Jay Peterson, Trip Leader for this outing.

Directions:The Toronto Ferry Docks are located at the foot of Bay Street in Toronto. Bay Street is on the east side of Union Station and from there it takes  Only about 10 minutes to walk south on Bay to the ferry docks. The entrance to the ferry docks is on the south side of Queen's Quay, justwest of the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. Parking ($15, I believe) is available 1 block north of the docks on the westside of Bay, at Lakeshore.  or, 1 block west of Bay, on the north side of Queens Quay. or, 1 block east of Bay, on the south side of Queen's Quay, opposite theToronto Star building and adjacent to Captain John's Restaurant. There are washrooms on the islands as well as at the city side at the ferrydocks. There are water fountains throughout, should you want to refill your waterbottles. The Kitchen Table store opens at 6am and sells coffee and food. It islocated across from the ferry docks, on the north side of Queen's Quay,about 100 metres east of Bay. Food and beverages on The Islands are very expensive, e.g. soft drinks $3.00and up, so I recommend that you bring beverages and food adequate forthe time that you expect to stay on the Islands. After a couple of hours birding Ward's Island, we will take a short break atthe picnic tables beside the Fire Station.Washrooms are available here. If you have any questions, you can reach me my cell 416-303-8819 or, of course, via email at pulchritudinousparula@hotmail.com  Jay Peterson, Trip Leader for this outing.