Introduction

Purpose

Birds of the Kingston Region, 2nd edition, is written to document in the literature a summary of the frequency, abundance, distribution, seasonal status and survey results for the 371 species known to have occurred here that include the 192 whose breeding has been confirmed in our area. It is intended for any reader whatever her or his level of knowledge, expertise or interest in birds. An account for each of the 371 species contains detailed information on the geographical and historical status, the average arrival and departure dates, locations where normally found along with details of specimen evidence and photographs where available. The accounts are augmented by various summary tables that show in a convenient and easy to read format the official checklist of birds for the Kingston region, dates for average, record-early and record-late occurrences since the database was begun in 1948. Also provided are the findings of the annual mid-winter waterfowl surveys from their inception in 1991 and the results of the several local Christmas Counts since 1987. The summary of Christmas Counts up to 1987 is given in Birds of the Kingston Region, 1st edition, 1989 (Weir 1989). All of this information is given to help any birder, whether a beginner or one with many years experience, determine how her or his sightings fit the pattern. The information is also intended to provide a bench mark of the status of the species for use by the generations of naturalists who will follow us as they grapple with conservation issues that will only become more severe as the human population increases.

As with the first edition of Birds of the Kingston Region, this second edition is a ‘field guide’ only by way of distributional information provided. The morphological and behavioural details needed to identify any bird species are beyond the scope of this book, although the occasional comment is made about a habit of a particular species. There are several very good books devoted to the identification of birds available commercially that contain excellent colour pictures. The format of this Birds of the Kingston Region, 2nd edition, follows that of the first edition, which has proven useful for keen birders, to those with a general interest in birds, to those who band birds, to biologists who work with birds, to teachers acquainting students with our area’s special natural history features, to environmental consultants involved with planning, to visitors wanting to see local birds, and to tourist operators who serve such visitors.

Why should this second edition be prepared? There are several reasons that compelled me to put in the effort. The Kingston Field Naturalists have continued to carry out their long-standing studies of the birds of the region begun in earnest during the 1960s and they have continued to produce a wealth of new information. These studies involve banding work, waterfowl censuses that include the Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey conducted across North America annually during January, migration monitoring for waterfowl, raptors, owls and songbirds, roadside Breeding Bird Surveys and Forest Monitoring Surveys for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service along with additional routes defined in 1967 by the Kingston Field Naturalists, breeding Red-shouldered Hawk and woodpecker surveys for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and annual breeding bird studies throughout the area. The annual Spring Round-up survey begun in 1960 and the annual Fall Round-up survey, begun in 1966, continue to provide useful information. The several Christmas counts held annually in the Kingston region also add important information to the baseline as autumn ends and winter begins. In addition, the bird studies carried out by the graduate students from Queen’s University augment the large database of the Kingston Field Naturalists. New species have been found and new nesting species located. Range expansions have occurred for several species, but others are experiencing range contractions as they may be in trouble, perhaps due to a combination of forces that include changing weather, habitat deterioration on the wintering grounds or within the nesting range, or factors unknown to us at this time. The report issued on 3 Feb 2007 by the World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Environmental Programme via its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) summarised scientific aspects of climate change and confirmed that global warming is taking place and that human factors are playing a role. One of my urgent priorities is to provide an updated bench mark for the birds of our region to help those persons who follow us to put into context future changes in the status of any species. How often have many of us wished to have had detailed documentation of the bird and other animal species for the 14th to 19th centuries in our area?

This new edition contains substantial new information about each species within the text, and French and English names for all the bird species with a separate index devoted to this listing. Presented in this edition for the first time are Appendices that provide an estimate of the number of breeding pairs to allow a comparison of breeding numbers over a span of 20 years. These statistics have permitted some cautious comment about the increase, stability or decline of many species within the local region. Butcher (2007) has provided a summary of 20 North American breeding birds that appear to be in decline continent-wide based on analyses of Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts 1965-2006. To be included in his analysis, a species must number at least 500,000 individuals or occupy a range equal or greater than one million square kilometres. My analysis for this new edition has allowed an assessment of these 20 species within the Kingston region, which is of course a miniscule part of the area of North America, and the results may or may not coincide with the continental picture. Of the 20 species listed in decline by Butcher (2007), six species do not occur here, three species are either winter visitors or migrants, and 11 breed in our area. Of these 11, three show modest declines viz. Common Tern, Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow; one species shows a more dramatic decrease viz. Loggerhead Shrike; five are stable viz. Field Sparrow, Common Grackle, American Bittern, Whip-poor-will, Horned Lark; and two show modest increases in their breeding numbers viz. N. Pintail and Ruffed Grouse, although this latter species is well known for its cyclic population fluctuations.

The increase to 371 species from the 343 of 1988 is accounted for by the addition of 28 species new to the area as listed below. The Field Check-list of Birds (2008) is shown in Appendix A.

• Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii
• Thayer’s Gull Larus thayeri
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• Lewis’s Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinators
• Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
• Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Townsend’s Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Spruce Grouse Falcipennis canadensis
• Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
• Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus

The American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds is the standard taxonomic reference upon which most books and studies are based. The taxonomy of the families and species together with the scientific and common names used in this new edition follow the 7th edition (1998) and the 42nd (2000) to 48th (2007) Supplements.

The on-going bird studies in our region by the Kingston Field Naturalists have led to numerous papers in the scientific literature and several books. The first two books were written by the late Helen Rose Quilliam, viz. History of the Birds of Kingston in 1965 and the update in 1973 dealt with 294 species. A 40 page Supplement by Weir and Quilliam appeared in 1980 in order to describe the new occurrences subsequent to 1973. However by the late 1980s, it was clear to her and me that the work of the Kingston Field Naturalists revealed such significant new information in an expanded study area required a whole new book, which appeared as Birds of the Kingston Region in 1989 and documented 343 species. Helen and I planned to share the writing, but her deteriorating health made that impossible so she acted as my advisor and consultant. The passage of 19 years to 2008 has once again resulted in a significant expansion of our knowledge of the birdlife in the Kingston region to the degree that a new edition is warranted. Average arrival and departure statistics are now based on up to 60 years of data, which provide a meaningful database on which to draw conclusions.

Basis for Including Records

In 1972, a committee was constituted to advise the late Helen R. Quilliam, at her request, on the suitability of some records to be included in the second edition of History of the Birds of Kingston, Ontario. In 1974, this group became the Rare Birds Committee of the Kingston Field Naturalists. Its purposes remain (i) to serve as the repository for information on specimen evidence, sight records and breeding status of the birds of the Kingston area, (ii) to stimulate written reports on appropriate sight records, (iii) to assess specimen and photographic evidence, sight record reports and breeding documentation and (iv) to advise the KFN Executive on the preparation of checklists.

The advice of this Committee has been essential for me, and no sight record has been included in this book that the Committee judged to be unacceptable. The assessment of song records without a tape recording is more difficult to make. I have included only those that were heard by reliable and very experienced field observers, who are familiar with those particular songs. I take full responsibility for these and all other records in this book, which I, and members of the Rare Birds Committee of the KFN, believe to be correct. Each record is acknowledged with the particular bird sighting. Where three or more members of the Kingston Field Naturalists or of the North Leeds Birdwatchers are involved, the abbreviation KFN or NLB, respectively, is normally used. Exceptions are first ever occurrences or extremely rare sightings.

Escapes

Several exotic species have been reported in our region, which were most probably escapes from captive stock. These are excluded from the species accounts, but are listed here for completeness and interest. Names conform to AOU (1998) and Sibley and Monroe (1990).

• Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Flament rose
  18-22 Sep 1978, Amherst I.
• Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Oie à tête barrée
  21 Aug to 11 Sep 1983, Garden I. & Kingston; 17 May 1988, Amherst I.
• White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis Canard des Bahamas
  19 Jul to 1 Aug 1974, Amherstview Sewage Lagoon & 29 Jul 1993, Little Cataraqui Creek between the Bath Road and King St., Kingston, G. Paul.
• Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Tadorn cesarca
  25-28 Oct 1991, near Glenora, J. & S. Christie; 27 May 2008, Amherst I., Ellis.
• Chukar Alectoris chukar Perdrix choukar
  16 Dec 1979, Simcoe I.; 7 May 2007 near Odessa, H. Evans.
• Ringed Turtle-Dove Streptopelia risoria Touterelle riseuse
  Nov 1972, Kingston; July 1982, East Lake Prince Edward; 7 Jun 1992, Kingston, Stokes.
• Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus Calopsitte élégante
  10-14 Jul 1981, Kingston; 15 Apr 1982, Northport Prince Edward
• Blossom-headed Parakeet Psittacula roseate Perruche à collier noir
  Dec 1982, Bloomfield Prince Edward
• Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulates Perruche ondulée
  Several, Kingston
• Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus Conure veuve
  May 1970, Prince Edward Point
• Red-crowned Parrot Amazona viridigenalis Amazone à joues vertes
  May 1984, Kingston
• Yellow-faced Myna Mino dumontii Mino du Dumont
  6 Sep to 15 Oct 1993, Kingston.
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris Passerin nonpareil
  Summer 1970, East Lake Prince Edward county
• European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Verdier d’Europe
  August 1981, Kingston
• European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Chardonneret élégant
  Aug 1981; 19 Apr 1987; 19-24 May1987; 20-21 Feb 1992, all in Kingston; 19 May 2002, P.E.Pt.; 20 Apr 2006, Washburn.
• Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria Chardonneret mineur
  14 May 2005, Kingston

Abundance and Frequency Designations

The terms of abundance and frequency used are those that were formulated by the New York State Federation of Birds Clubs in 1954, which were used by Quilliam (1965a, 1973), Weir and Quilliam (1980), Weir (1989). They are defined as follows. Use of the word ‘seen’ includes birds heard and identified.

RELATIVE ABUNDANCE

• VERY ABUNDANT 500 or more birds may be seen daily.
• ABUNDANT 200 to 500 easily seen daily.
• VERY COMMON Seen daily (101 to 200 in a single day).
• COMMON Seen almost daily (26 to 100 in a single day).
• FAIRLY COMMON Seen fairly often (6 to 25 in a single day).
• UNCOMMON Seen fairly often (1 to 5 in a single day, no more than 25per season).
• RARE Seen once in a while, sometimes in numbers (no more than 1 to 5 in a single day, no more than 5 per season).
• VERY RARE Seen once in a while, sometimes in numbers (normally no more than 1 per day and 1 per season).
• CASUAL Once or twice over many years, sometimes in numbers.
• STRAGGLER Once in a lifetime; may occur at that time in numbers, but usually one individual.

The above may be modified by the following.

• COLONIAL Breeds in colonies, as most gulls.
• LOCAL May refer to winter roosting areas or to breeding concentrations in small disjunctive areas.
• SPORADIC A sudden incursion; may be in great numbers of individuals.

FREQUENCY STANDARD

• REGULAR Recorded every year.
• IRREGULAR Recorded less than once every year, but no less than once in 5 years, on the average.
• OCCASIONAL Less than once in 5 years but no less than once in 10 years.
• SPORADIC Less than once in 10 years but no less than once in 20years.
• CASUAL Less than once in 20 years.
• ACCIDENTAL Not expected to occur again.

Abbreviations Used in the Text

The following abbreviations have been used. Points of the compass are denoted N, E, S, W, in the normal way. Names of the counties have been italicized. Nomenclature on place names agrees with the decisions of the Canadian Board of Geographical Names, which normally excludes the use of apostrophes. Within the text, a county name is shown in italics as are Latin names and their abbreviations.

ad      adult
AOU     American Ornithologists’ Union
BBS     Breeding Bird Surveys
CC      Christmas count
CRCA        Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority
CWS     Canadian Wildlife Service

• e.g. for example
• et al. and others
• fide on the faith of
• i.e. that is
• I. island
• im. immature
• KFN Kingston Field Naturalists
• L. lake
• m. ob. Many observers
• NLB North Leeds Bird Club
• NMC National Museum of Canada
• NWA National Wildlife Area
• P.E.Pt. Prince Edward Point
• P.P. Provincial Park
• R. river
• ROM Royal Ontario Museum
• viz. namely