- RBA
* Ontario
* Ottawa/Gatineau
* 17 March 2008
* ONOT0803.17
- Birds mentioned
Canada Goose
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
GRAY PARTRIDGE
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
GOLDEN EAGLE
GYRFALCON
Ring-billed Gull
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
American Crow
Horned Lark
TUFTED TITMOUSE
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
Hermit Thrush
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Snow Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Redpoll
HOARY REDPOLL
- Transcript
hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
date: 17 March 2008
Number: 613-860-9000
For the status line PRESS * (star)
To report bird sightings, PRESS 1 (one)
Rare bird alerts are now included in the introductory message
coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Can. Nat. Capital Reg.), E.Ont., W.Que.
compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED]
internet: Gordon Pringle [EMAIL PROTECTED]
THE OFNC BIRD STATUS LINE @ 5:00 pm, MONDAY MARCH 17, 2008.
The first "official" day of spring is just a few days away, and both the
weather and a GYRFALCON continue to taunt us. The most recent report of a
dark morph Gyr was on the 12th at the Trail Rd. Landfill. The bird has not
been seen since then but may very well still be around. However, many other
birds at the landfill and along nearby roads included at least 6
Red-tailed Hawks, a
dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, 1000's of Ring-billed Gulls, 5 Iceland and 4
Glaucous Gulls of various ages, several 1000 American Crows, and a large
influx of Horned Larks along with small groups of Snow Buntings. At least 300
Horned Larks were also reported from the Ste-Rose are east of Ottawa
on the 11th,
and 3 coveys of GRAY PARTRIDGE totalling up to 30 birds were also seen east
of Ottawa in the Alfred area.
The push to return to the breeding grounds is on in spite of the still huge
quantities of snow in our area. Several groups of Canada Geese were noted
over the week, and a few more Red-winged Blackbirds are trickling in and
beginning to sing. The first report of a male Greater Scaup on the Ottawa
River was on the 16th above the Deschenes rapids, 3 Bufflehead and 2 Hooded
Mergansers were also on the river at the Champlain bridge, and below the
rapids the wintering Hermit Thrush was still present. Other survivors
included the Hermit Thrush at the feeders on Hurdman Dr. near the Rideau
River on the 15th, a Song Sparrow that has evidently been present on
Glengarry St. since December, and last but not least the Townsend's
Solitaire in Parkwood Hills and the TUFTED TITMOUSE in Forest Park (Embrun)
are still around as of at least the 11th and the 16th, respectively.
Other noteworthy sightings were a Bald Eagle flying over Remic rapids
on the 12th
and 16th, and an adult GOLDEN EAGLE in the Gatineau hills at Eardley-Masham and
Bradley Rds on the 16th. Many local observers have noted flocks of American
Crows numbering into the 1000's during the past season. The Trail
Rd. Landfill is
obviously one of their day-time destinations and there are several night-time
roosts around Ottawa, including the Ottawa General Hospital campus, the Rideau
River at Billings Bridge, and some parts of Kanata. Their numbers
certainly seem to
be increasing in recent years. A continuing movement of large mixed flocks of
Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings was also noted in locations such as the Britannia
Conservation Area, and although the Redpoll numbers at the Hilda Rd.
feeders have
dwindled considerably, both a HOARY REDPOLL and Common Redpoll of the
"Greater" subspecies were still sporadically visiting this spot on the 16th.
Thank you - Good Birding!
- End transcript
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