Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 25 January 2011 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 January 25, 2011 this is Chris Lewis reporting. A few days of deep-freeze temperatures were a reminder of what Ottawa-Gatineau is "normally" like in the 3rd week of January. The local waterways are extensively frozen, but a few waterfowl are still about. Aside from the usual congregations of AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS and MALLARDS, and a few COMMON GOLDENEYE and COMMON MERGANSERS on the Ottawa and Rideau Rivers, a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE and a female HOODED MERGANSER were still on the Rideau near the Hurdman (Hwy 417) bridge on the 21st and a female BARROW'S was on the Ottawa off Bate Island on the 20th. A covey of at least 7 GRAY PARTRIDGE was discovered in a field along Rushmore Rd. on the 21st but have since been quite elusive. Various-sized flocks of WILD TURKEYS were reported in the Rockcliffe and Mer Bleue areas during the past week. On the 18th a GREAT BLUE HERON was still in a creek near the corner of Ogilvie Rd.and the Aviation Parkway. On the 22nd there were 2 adult BALD EAGLES along March Valley Rd. in Kanata, and many RED-TAILED HAWKS have been seen recently, some in pairs, perhaps the 1st inklings of hooking up in spring. A few ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were in the Ste-Rose / Cassleman area on the 18th. The wintering RED-SHOULDERED HAWK in Aylmer, Quebec, is evidently still around - the most recent report was on the 21st from Rue Farley off Ch. Garden. It's been a while since MERLINS were reported, but a couple were seen in urban areas last week, and the R.H. Coats building at Tunney's Pasture remains a traditional location for spotting PEREGRINE FALCONS - 1 was seen here on the 19th. The only gull of note was a GLAUCOUS GULL at the Trail Rd. landfill back on the 17th. The most recent report of the RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in Constance Bay was on the 21st, and the last known report of the bird along 6th Line Rd. west of Riddell Dr. was on January 4th. Good numbers of HORNED LARKS (for the dead of winter) are still around in rural areas, and the Hurdman HERMIT THRUSH was quite active at a feeder near the Hurdman bridge on the 23rd. Extremely few AMERICAN ROBINS have been around this season, however 7 were found on the 18th in the Ogilvie Rd. /Aviation Parkway area. The Shirley's Bay area continues to host a few BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and small numbers were seen along Huntmar Rd. on the 18th. A male PINE WARBLER on William McEwen Rd. south of Bankfield Rd. was still alive and well as of the 16th. Wintering LAPLAND LONGSPURS are still going strong - at least 125 were still in the Ste-Rose area in the east on the 18th, and handfuls were present in the west from the 20th the 22nd in the Kinburn and Richmond areas. Flocks in excess of 1000 SNOW BUNTINGS continue to be found on both the Ontario and Quebec sides. Not much new on the local "winter finch" scene. COMMON REDPOLLS are still visiting local feeders, though not in extraordinary numbers, a HOARY REDPOLL or two were again occasionally reported among them, and PINE SISKINS were seen in small numbers near Dunrobin last week. Thank you - Good Birding! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
