Hello Ontbirds people, Again, in Gordon Pringle's absence (hope you're enjoying PEI, Gordon!) here is the lastest bird sightings summary from the Nation's Capital...... _________________________________________________________
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Bird Status Line, Oct. 22, 2006. This is Chris Lewis reporting. The bird of the week was a 1st winter NORTHERN WHEATEAR (the 6th record for Ottawa) discovered on Oct. 19th by an unidentified birder from the U.S. who was kind enough to let local birders know of its presence at the Nepean Sailing Club (a.k.a. Dick Bell Park) on the Ottawa River. The bird was searched for extensively on the 20th and 21st but was not relocated. Waterfowl congregations continue to build up on the Ottawa River, with numbers of Ring-necked Ducks, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye and Bufflehead increasing on an almost daily basis. Impressive rafts of Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup were seen on the Quebec side above and below the Deschenes rapids on the 21st. All 3 species of Scoters were present in small numbers between Dick Bell Park and Shirley's Bay on the 21st including an adult male Black Scoter, unusual at any time of year in Ottawa, as well as 14 Red-breasted Mergansers and at least 5 Horned Grebes. A Red-shouldered Hawk (a late migrant by Ottawa standards) was observed from the Britannia water purification plant on the 21st, and 2 American Coots were seen at the mouth of Pinecrest Creek near the filtration plant on the 19th. On the 18th, 41 Sandhill Cranes were feeding in a field on the west side of Milton Rd. and were subsequently seen flying west, a Hudsonian Godwit (the only local report this season) circled over the quarry pond on Giroux Rd. north of Navan, and 2 Lapland Longspurs were among flocks of American Pipits near this location on the 18th as well. Two somewhat late Bonaparte's Gulls flew over the ducks on Crystal Bay on the Ottawa River on the 21st, and a very late Common Tern continues to linger at the west end of Andrew Haydon Park as of the 21st. A Northern Saw-whet Owl was at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden on the 18th. Many Dark-eyed Juncos at Britannia on the 21st and a single Snow Bunting at Lakeside Gardens on the 22nd were an indication of the season to come. Thank you - Good Birding! Chris Lewis Ottawa [EMAIL PROTECTED]
