Birding in the Kingston Area

Kingston sits astride the Atlantic Flyway, a major migration route. Millions of birds travel through the area enroute to their breeding grounds, and then return again in the autumn as they head back to their wintering areas. This makes the area one of Ontario’s premier birding destinations, and the KFN membership includes many keen birders.

KFN Sensitive Sightings Policy (web)

Recent bird sightings within the 50km KFN circle, centred on MacDonald Park, Kingston.

Check the home page for the latest post from Mark Read on Kingston Area Birds

Older Reports: See the Ontbirds archives.

Map of the Kingston Circle

Kingston Field Naturalists supports the American Birding Association’s PRINCIPLES OF BIRDING ETHICS in accordance with KFN’s Sensitive Sightings Policy. KFN no longer publicly reports sensitive sightings until the threat to the animal or plant is passed; all KFN members should follow the code of ethics and the Sensitive Sightings Policy. Please review them both before reading on.

Weekly bird reports are posted to the Ontbirds listserv (http://www.ofo.ca/site/content/ontario-hotlines-and-news) but do not include sensitive sightings in accordance with the KFN’s Sensitive Sightings Policy.

NOTICE TO MEMBERS: The Owl Woods on Amherst Island is CLOSED from November 18 to December 8th. The Owl Woods is private land.  The owners ask birders to stay out of the Woods during hunting season.  KFN asks all birders to honour this long-term agreement.

(L to R) Osprey, Least Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing. Copyright Anthony Kaduck

Bird Checklists and Reporting Forms

Kingston Field Naturalists (Kingston Nature Club prior to 1963) began collecting bird records in 1947. Originally filed by hand, KFN now collects the majority of records via eBird. These records include sight and banding observations, evidence of breeding birds, egg and brood dates, and other behavioural and circumstantial information. Ongoing projects of KFN continue to ensure that updated information is added to the database. These archives are rich with data that help paint a picture of the occurrence, abundance, and frequency of the 381 bird species known to have occurred in the Kingston region to 2018.

This wealth of information led the late Helen Quilliam to write her History of the Birds of Kingston, Ontario, 2^nd edition, (1972, 210 pp). In order for her to judge the suitability of some of the records for inclusion in her book, she requested that a committee be set up. This was done and the committee eventually became the Rare Birds Committee in 1974. Subsequently, the Committee set the standard for the records included in Ron Weir’s Birds of the Kingston Region, (608 pp, 1989) and subsequent 2^nd edition published in 2008. To this day, the purposes of the Committee are to (i) serve as the repository for information on specimen evidence, sight records and breeding status of the birds in the Kingston area, (ii) stimulate written reports on appropriate sight records, (iii) assess specimen evidence, sight record reports and breeding documentation, and (iv) advise the KFN Executive on the preparation of checklists.

The Committee would appreciate the help of those observers who find birds denoted by an (a) on the Field Checklist of Birds by completing and submitting the Rarity Form. These species are designated as rare or accidental in our area.

(L to R) Barred Owl, Wilson’s Phalarope, Downy Woodpecker. Copyright Anthony Kaduck

eBird

Kingston Field Naturalists has become an enthusiastic supporter of eBird. This is a great tool for birding anywhere in the world and it turns your bird observations into “critical data for science”! Everyone birding anywhere is encouraged to use it. Please check out what it is all about and sign yourself up. You can share all your records with KFN by using the share feature and the club’s user identity “Kingston FN”. Please visit eBird Canada to sign up and for further information.

Mike Burrell has prepared a series of eBird “how to” articles that have appeared in various editions of the Blue Bill. Check them out to learn more about how to use eBird and get the most out of it. Please note that these articles are a few years old and some things have changed. eBird also has a user-friendly help section.