Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 03 December 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 9:00 pm, Thursday Dec 3, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting. Highlights in the last week of November and beginning of December included two species that paid all too brief visits to the Ottawa River - a HARLEQUIN DUCK dropped in to the Deschenes rapids on the 23rd and an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE flew by Andrew Haydon Park on the 28th. Large flocks of SNOW GEESE were again found along Hwy 417 at Hwy 138 and near Moose Creek on the 2nd, and smaller groups were in the Winchester and Navan areas on the 28th and 1st. Single CACKLING GEESE were reported from several locations over the past week, and 9 were closely associating at the east end of Andrew Haydon on the 2nd. On the 24th waterfowl on the Quebec side below the Deschenes rapids included approx. 150 RING-NECKED DUCKS as well as numerous SCAUP spp. and BUFFLEHEAD. Both a RED-THROATED LOON and a RED-NECKED GREBE were also reported from this location the same day. One each of SURF SCOTER and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (both late for Ottawa) were spotted off Andrew Haydon on the 2nd, varying numbers of COMMON GOLDENEYE are now on both the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers, and 2 male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE continue to hang out on the Rideau between the Hurdman bridge and Riverain Park. HOODED MERGANSERS were widely reported and approx. 130 COMMON MERGANSERS were at Constance Bay on the 2nd. On the 25th a single ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen along March Valley Rd. and an adult PEREGRINE FALCON cruised over Andrew Haydon Park on the 28th. Good numbers of SANDHILL CRANES are still in the fields on the west side of Milton Rd. southwest of Navan - 62 were counted on the 22nd, and 48 were still present on the 1st. Noteworthy gulls aside from the Kittiwake included 7 ICELAND, 4 LESSER BLACK-BACKED and 17 GLAUCOUS GULLS coming in to roost on the river off Andrew Haydon Park at dusk on the 26th, and a 1st winter "NELSON'S GULL" (Herring X Glaucous hybrid) was reported from the Nepean Equestrian Park at Moodie Dr. and Corkstown Rd. on the 28th. A couple of late BELTED KINGFISHERS were seen along March Valley Rd. on the 25th, and at Petrie Island on the 1st. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was also noted on the 1st at Bowesville and High Rds. south of the international airport. A few DARK-EYED JUNCOS were moving through the Britannia Conservation Area on the 2nd, and on the 1st a dozen BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS were found at what has become a traditonal wintering location along Russell Rd. in Carlsbad Springs. And once again, a feeder near the village of Poland west of Lanark seems to be a magnet for what were described as "hordes"of EVENING GROSBEAKS. 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/
