Ontario Ottawa/Gatineau 09 June 2009 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 8:00 am, Tuesday June 9 2009, this is Chris Lewis reporting. Most of our local bird species have settled into breeding mode although some of the later migrants are still moving through. Several flocks of Brant ranging from 25 to over 140 individuals were seen flying north and east in several locations on June 1st and 2nd; 23 were on the Ottawa River at Deschenes on the 7th and a lone lingerer was still at the St. Albert sewage lagoons on the 7th. Two female Surf Scoters (rare in spring in Ottawa) were spotted from the Shirley's Bay boat launch on the 2nd. A Least Bittern was reported from the Sabourin marsh in Hull, Quebec, on the 7th. Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk and American Kestrel were all noted in their typical habitats. Migrant shorebirds have for the most part moved on. Three Ruddy Turnstones were a nice find on the Ottawa River near Tunney's Pasture on the 31st, and a visit to the St. Albert lagoons on the 7th produced small numbers of Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Dunlin and a single Lesser Yellowlegs. A Red-necked Phalarope was still at the Embrun lagoons on the 7th as well. Upland Sandpipers, a declining breeding species in our region, were found in a field south of the Moodie quarry ponds and also in the area of Woodkilton Rd. and Dunrobin Rd. southwest of Constance Bay. The numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls at the Deschenes rapids built up to at least 30 by the 6th. A few Black Terns were again noted here and at the Embrun lagoons over the past week, and the breeding colony in the marshes on the Quebec side of the river is in fine form again this year. Common Terns were noted on the Ottawa River below the Deschenes rapids on the the 2nd and 7th, as well as above Fitzroy Harbour on the 6th. ARCTIC TERNS were still moving along the Ottawa River until at least the 2nd, with 4 seen at Deschenes rapids that day. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are always of interest in our region and reports came from two different locations in Gatineau Park on the 1st and the 7th. Black-billed Cuckoos were also reported from diverse locations, and most of our common breeding songbirds were again well-represented on territory. 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/
