Ontario
Ottawa/Gatineau
05 May 2009
Birds mentioned:
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
TUNDRA SWAN
good variety of ducks
incl. Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
Ring-billed Gull
Common Tern
Arctic Tern?
Chimney Swift
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER
Warbling Vireo
Bank Swallow
Marsh Wren
Gray Catbird
16 spp. warblers
incl. Orange-crowned
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided
Black-throated Blue
Yellow
Yellow-rumped
Blackburnian
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
White-crowned Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Rusty Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Pine Siskin
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 11:30 am, Tuesday May 5, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting.
A few days of gorgeous weather in spite of persistent winds prompted a
flurry of migratory activity. A few Snow Geese are still trickling through -
on the 29th there were 3 at Alfred and on the 3rd one was at Hwy 416 and
Brophy Rd. Local breeding Canada Geese have already hatched their first
brood of goslings. Single immature TUNDRA SWANS were spotted at Constance
Creek off the Thomas Dolan Parkway on the 2nd and at the Embrun lagoons on
the 4th. Several duck species were noted again in the Alfred, Embrun and St.
Albert lagoons. A fairly large group of mostly Lesser Scaup was at Shirley's
Bay on the 2nd and a few Bufflehead are still around in various locations.
At least 11 Horned and 2 Red-necked Grebes were at Shirley's Bay on the
weekend as well. Double-crested Cormorants are nesting for the 4th
consecutive year among the Ring-billed Gull colony near the Lemieux Island
filtration plant.
Both the Embrun and St. Albert lagoons have excellent shorebird habitat; on
the 3rd a combined total of approx. 40 Greater and 120 Lesser Yellowlegs
were present along with a couple of Spotted Sandpipers, 4 Least Sandpipers
and 4 Dunlin. Common Terns were noted at Britannia on the 3rd. This date
would be extremely early for Arctic Tern - unfortunately a couple reported
at Britannia was not confirmed or seen again. Six species of woodpeckers
were found at the old burn site in Constance Bay on the weekend and included
a pair of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS; this will be the 8th consecutive year for
this species breeding at this site.
Many areas in and around Ottawa hosted newly arrived passerines including:
Chimney Swift, Least Flycatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo,
Bank Swallow, Marsh Wren, Gray Catbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore
Oriole, and 16 species of warblers with Orange-crowned, Northern Parula,
Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, American Redstart,
Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush and Common Yellowthroat all back since the
28th. Yellow Warblers are now everywhere and the first big wave of
Yellow-rumpeds has thinned out a bit over the past week. Eastern Towhees are
back on territory in the Carp hills, a White-Crowned Sparrow was still in a
west-end backyard until at least the 30th (more are no doubt on their way or
already here), and a massive number of Rusty Blackbirds totalling over 5200
birds flew over the Richmond Fen early on the morning of the 30th. Purple
Finches were singing in several locations on the weekend, 2 Red Crossbills
at Carling Ave. and Grandview Rd. were likely just passing through on the
2nd, a single White-winged Crossbill was reported from Britannia on the
30th, and Pine Siskins continue to swarm local feeders, numbering into the
100's in some neighbourhoods.
Finally, from farther afield, a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was an exceptional
find for Eastern Ontario in spring! It was first observed on the 30th at
Heriot and Dickinson Islands along the Long Sault Parkway west of Cornwall
and was present until at least the 3rd.
Thank you - Good Birding!
_______________________________________________
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