Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 16 November 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]
A week of Indian Summer weather provided very pleasant conditions for birding all over the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Small flocks of SNOW GEESE were reported from several locations with no significant numbers mentioned recently. Single CACKLING GEESE were noted at Andrew Haydon Park and along Bankfield Rd. on the 11th. A good variety of dabbling ducks is still around, including AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN SHOVELER and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. 2 male REDHEAD were at Shirley's Bay on the 11th along with a few GREATER SCAUP among 100's of LESSER SCAUP and COMMON GOLDENEYE, and small numbers of WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, BLACK SCOTERS and LONG-TAILED DUCKS were seen on the river all week. Up to 3 adult male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE have been seen on the Rideau River between the Hurdman bridge and Riverain/ Strathcona Park - one seen here on the 14th exhibited unusual colour for this species and may be of hybrid origin. All 3 species of MERGANSERS were noted again, a few RUDDY DUCKS are still around on the large quarry pond along Moodie Dr. south of Trail Rd., and a few COMMON LOONS and HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBES were reported from the river from Shirley's Bay through Andrew Haydon Park. The last report of the CATTLE EGRET on Milton Rd. was on the 10th. Both adult and immature BALD EAGLES were seen along both the Ontario and Quebec sides of the river, and a DARK MORPH RED-TAILED HAWK appears to have decided to revisit its winter hunting territory at the Gatineau Airport - first discovered at least 6 years ago, this bird was seen here on Oct. 24th and was still present as of Nov. 14th. Good numbers of "regular" RED-TAILED and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS continue to be widely reported. 3 AMERICAN COOTS were still present at the west end of Andrew Haydon Park on the 15th, and the latest count of the SANDHILL CRANES on Smith Rd. southwest of Navan revealed that there are a record number of 108 birds in this area! On the evening of the 11th, 3 WILSON'S SNIPE were heard and seen along Earl Armstrong Rd. south of the international airport, and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at Andrew Haydon on the 14th. On the 11th a female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was found along trail #56 off Eardely-Masham Rd. in Gatineau Park, a male was seen again along Kewin Rd. in the Dunrobin area, and 3 NORTHERN SHRIKES were spotted in the Eardley-Masham area. A CAROLINA WREN was seen again in the Prom. Lakeview area of Aylmer, Quebec on the 13th. BOHEMIAN WAXWING reports continue, with flocks of various sizes including a massive one of approx. 500 in Gatineau near the des Fees Parkway and Gamelin Blvd. on the 15th. Songbirds on the late side included a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET at Shirley's Bay and a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER at Westboro Beach on the 13th, an AMERICAN REDSTART at Parc Brebeuf on the 9th, and a couple of FOX SPARROWS in different locations on the 9th. Small numbers of SNOW BUNTINGS, COMMON REDPOLLS and PINE SISKINS were also found in the local landscape. 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/
