Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 31 July 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 7:15 am, Friday July 31 2009, this is Chris Lewis reporting. At the end of what Environment Canada has called the coolest wettest July in 17 years, several interesting reports came in between the showers and thunderstorms. Visits to the St. Albert and Embrun sewage lagoons from the 25th to the 29th were productive for waterfowl and shorebirds. WOOD DUCK, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and singletons of LESSER SCAUP, HOODED MERGANSER and RUDDY DUCK were all found here on the 26th, along with PIED-BILLED GREBE, COMMON MOORHEN and AMERICAN COOT. Among the 12 species of shorebirds at the lagoons south and east of Ottawa on the 26th and 27th was a rare-in-summer adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at St. Albert and a molting adult SANDERLING at Embrun. A few GREATER YELLOWLEGS and increasing numbers of LESSER YELLOWLEGS were also present, as well as an UPLAND SANDPIPER and a WILSON'S SNIPE at St. Albert, and at least 25 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS at Embrun. Small groups of LEAST SANDPIPERS were noted at both sites. The lone BRANT was still at Andrew Haydon Park as of at least the 26th, and a couple of BALD EAGLES were out and about on the 25th - one flew over the Ottawa River at Petrie island and another was soaring over downtown Ottawa. A family of 5 MERLINS was reported from Alta Vista and a juvenile was at Britannia on the 28th; both locations are among many suburban spots in Ottawa where Merlins have bred since 1997. A BONAPARTE'S GULL appeared at the storm water ponds on Eagleson and Fernbank Rds on the 25th and more GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS have been seen near the Trail Rd. landfill as well as on the Ottawa River. Back on the 21st, a CASPIAN TERN was reported from Remic rapids at Parc Brebeuf. Many of our common breeding songbirds have fledged young. And interesting sight on the 29th was a pair of adult HORNED LARKS with a juvenile at a housing construction site on Fernbank Rd. On the 29th and 30th a total of 10 species of warblers was reported from the Britannia Conservation Area, several of them obviously migrants. TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, YELLOW-RUMPED, BAY-BREASTED and CANADA were spotted here along with YELLOW, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACK-AND-WHITE and AMERICAN REDSTART. 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/
