Ontario Ottawa/Gatineau 02 March 2009 Birds mentioned:
Common Goldeneye Barrow's Goldeneye Gray Partridge Wild Turkey Bald Eagle Peregrine Falcon Ring-billed Gull Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Northern Shrike American Crow Common Raven Horned Lark Bohemian Waxwing Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Pine Grosbeak House Finch White-winged Crossbill Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll Pine Siskin Evening Grosbeak Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Rare bird alerts are now included in the introductory message Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [email protected] At 4:00 pm on Monday March 2, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting. Due to increasing and widespread concerns regarding disturbance of wildlife and property, the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Birds Committee has adopted a policy of no longer publicizing OWLS on the Bird Status Line or on the internet. We will continue to encourage the reporting of owls to the Bird Status Line for the purpose of maintaining local records. Please refer to the OFNC Code of Conduct on the birding page at www.ofnc.ca The last two weeks of February continued to be fairly status quo for this time of year, with very few new reports but a few signs of the season to come. A couple of ambitious Ring-billed Gulls showed up among the wintering larids on the Rideau River at Strathcona Park on the 17th and a Red-winged Blackbird came to a feeder in Chelsea, Quebec, on the 25th. Northern Cardinals, Pine Grosbeaks and House Finches have begun to sing, and a male Gray Partridge was displaying and calling on Garvin Rd. near Shea Rd. on the 1st. An increase in the number of Horned Larks in agricultural areas was also noted last week. The male Barrow's Goldeneye remains at his chosen station on the Rideau near the Hurdman bridge, consorting with the Common Goldeneye; there have been no reports of the female Barrow's since January. At least 6 Wild Turkeys were seen along Bradley Rd. below the Eardley escarpment in Gatineau Park on the 1st, and 4 Bald Eagles were seen from nearby Therien Rd. on the 28th along with many Common Ravens. Two Peregrine Falcons, presumably Ottawa's resident breeding pair, were spotted on the south side of the R.H. Coats building at Tunney's Pasture on the 2nd. At least 4 Iceland and 6 Glaucous Gulls were roosting north of the Hurdman bridge on the evening of the 28th and several of both species were also seen on the ice of the Moodie Dr. quarry pond south of Trail Rd. last week. Northern Shrikes were reported from the Larose forest, the Eardley-Masham area as well as the Britannia filtration plant from the 17th to the 1st, single Hoary Redpolls were noted at feeders near Shirley's Bay as well as Rockcliffe during the same period, and a steady stream of 1000's of American Crows can be seen every day now, heading southwest in the morning and northeast at dusk. Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks, White-winged Crossbills, Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins are still around in varying numbers and 3 Evening Grosbeaks (a species that has been nearly absent in the Ottawa-Gatineau area this winter) were seen on Bradley Rd. on the 22nd. Thank you - Good Birding! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
