Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 17 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 6:30 am, Thursday December 17, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting. It looks like winter has arrived to stay in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Local ponds are now mostly frozen, and ice has begun to form on calmer sections of our local rivers. The "deep freeze" weather forecast for the next few days will no doubt affect conditions for the upcoming Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count on Sunday Dec. 20th. Lingering waterfowl this past week included a single female WOOD DUCK and a male NORTHERN SHOVELER on the Rideau River behind the Rideau Tennis Club on the 14th. A few RING-NECKED DUCKS, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, and all three species of MERGANSERS were also still around. Two male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE remain on the Rideau as of the 16th, and a female BARROW'S was on the Ottawa River below the Deschenes rapids on the 14th. On the 16th a covey of 16 GRAY PARTRIDGE was observed flying into a cornfield at Eagleson and Fallowfield Rds., and on the 12th approx. 70 WILD TURKEYS were enjoying the offerings at feeders along Riviere Blanche Rd. in the Lac Lablanche area north of Mayo, Quebec. A rather late COMMON LOON was on the river at Shirley's Bay on the 12th and an even later GREAT BLUE HERON flew over Hwy 417 near exit #96 on the 14th. Three immature BALD EAGLES circled over Shirley's Bay on the 12th and an adult was seen from Britannia the same day. A report of a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK on the 13th in Quebec along Aylmer Rd. between Ch. Grimes and Rue du Golf was interesting - an individual of this species has spent recent winters in the Aylmer area. BOHEMIAN WAXWING reports continue to come in, with flocks numbering from 30 to over 200 seen mainly in the west end of Ottawa; locations included Carling Ave. at Moodie Dr. and at Herzberg Rd., March Rd. at Shirley's Brook in Kanata, and again at Donald B. Munro Rd. and Salisbury Rd. in Carp. A pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS in the Britannia woods, 15 AMERICAN ROBINS at Shirley's Bay, and a lingering WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at a feeder in Carleton Place were noted on the 12th. Large flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS containing several LAPLAND LONGSPURS were reported from the Ste-Rose area along Concessions #19 and #20 from the 11th to the 14th. And it's not the first time that a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT has been caught by winter in Ottawa - one was seen foraging near the Britannia filtration plant on the 15th. 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/
