Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 04 October 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]
The past week was dynamic for both weather and bird activity. More SNOW GEESE are arriving - groups of 25 or more appeared in a wide variety of locations, and the first seasonal reports of CACKLING GEESE came in since the 29th. Increased numbers of puddle ducks and diving ducks are showing up. It's getting late for GREEN HERONS but no real surprise that at least one was still at Mud Lake in Britannia on the 2nd. BALD EAGLES were again seen on early every visit to the Ottawa River, especially Shirley's Bay, along with both MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCON. There was lots of action on the shorebird scene. The High Falls Conservation Area in Casselman hosted 7 species on the 27th including SANDERLING and STILT SANDPIPER. A cold front with rain and northeast winds brought at least 14 species to the mud flats west of the Shirley's Bay causeway on the 2nd and 3rd. Numbers varied with the time of day and the presence of predators, but many observers reported at least 10 BLACK-BELLIED, 3 AMERICAN GOLDEN and up to a dozen SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, as well as several LESSER YELLOWLEGS and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS, perhaps 60 WHITE-RUMPED, 1 BAIRD'S, 50 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 30 DUNLIN. More exotic visitors were 31 HUDSONIAN GODWITS and a RED PHALAROPE that spent most of the 3rd feeding and dodging falcons, and a MARBLED GODWIT was also reported from this location but was not seen after 9:00 AM. Back on the 29th a juvenile LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was still at the Richmond lagoons off Eagleson Rd. but has not been reported since. On the 2nd the Deschenes rapids of the Ottawa River hosted 5 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and single LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were found at the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. and at Shirley's Bay. The picture of passerine migration is also changing. A major movement of BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, WINTER WRENS and GOLDEN-CROWNED and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS was noted in the past few days. ORANGE-CROWNED, NORTHERN PARULA and BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS were found among the YELLOW-RUMPED flocks. The first seasonal reports of FOX SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO and SNOW BUNTING came in since the 30th, and an unusual visitor to a feeder in Pakenham was a FIELD SPARROW on the 1st. 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/
