Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 29 September 2008 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 7:30 am, Thursday September 17, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting. Reports over the past week indicate that fall migration in the Ottawa-Gatineau area is progressing pretty much as expected for this time of year; the only exception has been a dearth of shorebirds due to the minimal feeding habitat. Before heavy rains and a change to north winds on the evening of the 14th, habitat along the Ottawa River had begun to improve. On the 12th an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER was on the sand bar at the east end of Andrew Haydon Park, and on the 14th Shirley's Bay hosted a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 5 each of GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, at least 6 SOLITARY SANDPIPERS and a PECTORAL SANDPIPER. A BAIRD'S SANDPIPER was also present on the 16th. Wet areas in the Stony Swamp along the Jack Pine trail also had a few SOLITARY SANDPIPERS last week. When visting Shirley's Bay, please obtain permission to access the causeway by calling the Range Control office at 613-991-5740. It's still early for waterfowl migration in our area. A couple of lingerers were of interest: the lone BRANT remains a fixture at Andrew Haydon Park, and a female GADWALL that has been in a pond at the Jack Pine trail for several days was still present on the 12th. Up to 10 AMERICAN WIGEONS have been seen on Mud Lake in Britannia since the 9th, and a few more BLUE-WINGED TEAL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL and HOODED MERGANSERS have begun to appear. Visits to the Embrun and Casselman lagoons on the 9th revealed virtually no change in waterfowl previously reported, however an increase in RUDDY DUCK numbers was noted at the Moodie Dr. quarry pond on the 16th. An AMERICAN BITTERN was flying around the marshes on the west side of Shirley's Bay causeway on the 12th, 1 GREAT EGRET was in the same location on the same day, and reports of GREEN HERONS continue to come in from widespread locations. On the 13th an adult BALD EAGLE was spotted across the river from Petrie Island, and a couple of kettles of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS totalling approx. 80 birds in the northwest winds on the 15th was a good flight by Ottawa standards. MERLINS and PEREGRINE FALCONS have been seen regularly along the river as well as the Embrun sewage lagoons and elsewhere. On the late side were a couple of PHILADELPHIA VIREOS at Britannia and Shirley's Bay on the 15th, several RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS were feeding on Jewelweed at Petrie Island on the 13th, and it's about time that RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS began to move - the 1st report came from the Jack Pine Trail on the 12th. A significant movement of SWAINSON'S THRUSHES occurred during the wee hours of the 15th; at least were 50 heard in flight over Carlington Heights along with at least 1 GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. The most frequently reported warblers since the 8th have been TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, MAGNOLIA, YELLOW-RUMPED, PALM and BLACKPOLL, with a large increase in the numbers of YELLOW-RUMPED'S. A visit to the fields near the international airport on the 12th was very productive for sparrows - among 7 species were CLAY-CLOURED, FIELD, GRASSHOPPER and LINCOLN'S, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were again noted in good numbers over the past week. 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/
