Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 30 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]
Tuesday Nov. 30, 2010 this is Chris Lewis reporting. A taste of winter brought freezing rain, a dusting of snow and the icing up of the shallower areas of our local ponds and waterways. Waterfowl are beginning to thin out except for the usual 100's of CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS and COMMON GOLDENEYE. Approx. 5500 GREATER SNOW GEESE were seen in the Chesterville area on the 27th, and 3 ROSS'S GEESE were found in a field along Greenbank Rd. near Fallowfield Rd. in southwest Ottawa on the 23rd - at least was 1 still present here on the 26th. What is presumably the same family of 2 adult and 4 juvenile TRUMPETER SWANS discovered on the Jock River near Black's Corners back in June, was seen on the Mississippi River in Carleton Place on Nov. 25th and 26th. A few RING-NECKED DUCKS, LESSER SCAUP, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, BUFFLEHEAD and all 3 species of MERGANSERS were again noted in various locations, a male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was on Shirley's Bay on the 25th and a BLACK SCOTER was reported on the 29th. Flocks of WILD TURKEYS are becoming more evident in rural and suburban areas. A late for Ottawa flight of RED-THROATED LOONS occurred on the 23rd featuring flocks ranging in size from 12 to over 120 birds seen in flight and on the river from Dick Bell Park through Shirley's Bay; none have been subsequently reported. A GREAT BLUE HERON was still at Petrie Island on the 28th. Two adult BALD EAGLES were at the base of the Shirley's Bay causeway on the 28th, and a few ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS continue to be seen. Three SANDHILL CRANES were reported from Smith Rd. southwest of Navan on the 25th, though the large numbers reported earlier in the month may still be present. An adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was on the Ottawa River off Bate Island on the 28th. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was found along March Valley Rd. in Kanata on the 29th, and BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS seem to be everywhere now - approx. 200 have been regular at the national Arboretum and the adjacent Fletcher Wildlife Garden on Prince of Wales Dr. since at least the 23rd and flocks of 30 - 150 were seen in several other locations in and out of town. On the 29th, 3 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were found along a trail the borders the Deschenes rapids on the Quebec side and a couple of sightings of very late NASHVILLE WARBLERS came in on the 27th and 29th - the former was at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, and the latter with the Yellow-rumped's at Deschenes. Small flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS were seen in both the east and west ends of the city last week, and from the 21st to the 28th, 4 - 7 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were observed in the town of Pakenham. 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/
