Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 15 October 2010 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [email protected], or [email protected]
It's been a very interesting period for local birding, with several unusual reports as well as evidence that northern species are on the move! Approx. 300 GREATER SNOW GEESE were noted in the sod fields along Hwy #138 east of Casselman on the 11th, and a ROSS'S GOOSE was found among a flock of CANADA GEESE along Conc. #15 north of Fournier on the 7th. Back on the 1st a CACKLING GOOSE was spotted in Black Bay near Thurso, Quebec, and 2 were seen in a field along Bankfield Rd. on the 9th. At least 60 REDHEAD in Shirleys' Bay on the 10th was a significant number for our area, small numbers of SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS have begun to arrive as of at least the 8th, and a few HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBES are also showing up on the Ottawa River. The first seasonal report of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was on the 12th, and 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS (most likely the resident breeding pair) have recently been seen almost daily in downtown Ottawa. A good variety of shorebirds was found at the Casselman sewage lagoons on the 13th, including approx. 20 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS - reports of this species also came from a variety of locations on the Quebec side from the 8th to the 12th. Other shorebirds reported locally over the past week were KILLDEER, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, and DUNLIN. Two BONAPARTE'S GULLS were still at the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. south of Trail Rd. on the 9th, and 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were south of this location the same day. Early "northerners" for our parts were a female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER along the trail at Mer Bleue and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at Carling Ave. and Rifle Rd on the 12th. An extraordinary spate of GRAY JAY sightings have been reported - This species is rarely seen in Ottawa-Gatineau, however individuals were found in Hull, Quebec at Rue Duhamel (Sept. 30) as well as Rue Gabriel-Lacasse (Oct. 13),the Eardley-Masham Rd. south of Chemin du Camp Gatineau in Gatineau Park (Oct. 10) and even on the "ridge" in the Britannia Conservation Area (Oct. 9). Furthermore, a BOREAL CHICKADEE was among a flock of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES in Carp on the 15th. Lots of our more usual migrant passerines were present during the past week including BROWN CREEPER, WINTER WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, SWAINSON'S and HERMIT THRUSH, and AMERICAN PIPITS continue to be abundant in agricultural areas. YELLOW-RUMPED was (of course) the most frequently encountered warbler species, but a couple of reports of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS came in from Deschenes and Britannia, and NORTHERN PARULA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE and PALM WARBLER were also seen on the Thanksgiving weekend. More AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS have begun to trickle in, a few CHIPPING, FIELD and SWAMP SPARROWS are still around, FOX SPARROWS were not widely reported this week but 1 was seen at the Jack Pine Trail along Moodie Dr. on the 13th, and numerous WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS continue to grace the local landscape. A report from the fields near Quyon, Quebec on the 12th included 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS and a female-plumaged McCOWN'S LONGSPUR - the latter was searched for but not re-located later the same day or the next. At least 40 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were at Britannia on the 9th, and PURPLE FINCHES, PINE SISKINS and EVENING GROSBEAKS have begun to appear in recent days. 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/
