Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 18 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]
A fun week with lots of variety culminated in the 17th annual Fall Bird Count on the 15th and 16th. With additional information received after the weekend, a record high total of 148 species were reported, plus one "exotic" - a EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH in the northwest sector on the Quebec side.
Twenty-six species of waterfowl included 1 ROSS'S GOOSE, 10 CACKLING GEESE, 2 EURASIAN WIGEON, 17 RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, 47 RUDDY DUCKS, record high numbers of BLUE-WINGED TEAL and NORTHERN PINTAIL, and the first fall reports of BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON GOLDENEYE. Only 3 GRAY PARTRIDGE was yet another indicator of the scarcity of this species in recent years. A RED-THROATED LOON was seen at Shirley's Bay on the 16th, and 7 GREAT EGRETS were a record high for this count - another group of 7 seen at a different time of day were probably the same flock. A GREEN HERON was also quite late for our region.
Among the 14 species of raptors were a record high number of TURKEY VULTURES, 2 late BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, the first seasonal observations of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 2 GOLDEN EAGLES and 6 MERLINS. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK seen flying over the Bayshore area of Ottawa on the 17th was also late for our neck of the woods. A SORA flitted across the Mer Bleue boardwalk on the 16th, and 98 SANDHILL CRANES was a record high for the fall count, but no real surprise considering the annually increasing numbers that gather east of Ottawa in the fall.
Shorebirds also totalled 14 species, with the highlights being 7 HUDSONIAN GODWITS and 7 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS along the Ottawa River. Some of these were still present on the 17th. An extremely late WESTERN SANDPIPER was reported from the the Ottawa River shoreline at the end of Parker Rd. between Eardley and Luskville in Quebec on the 16th, and a late COMMON TERN was seen the same day at the Deschenes rapids.
The first NORTHERN SHRIKES of the season were found on the weekend, HOUSE WREN and NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD were new species for the count, and 62 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS was a new record high as were 14 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES. NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, MAGNOLIA and BLACKPOLL WARBLERS were all on the late side, a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (not reported on the count) was seen at the east end of Andew Haydon Park on the 16th, and everybody's favourite YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS hit a new record of 358 individuals! A late AMERICAN REDSTART found on the 14th in the Rockcliffe area did not show up on the weekend, nor did a CAROLINA WREN discovered east of Andrew Haydon Park, also on the 14th.
Sparrow numbers were generally low, probably due to the strong west winds. Again a total of 14 species included 1 NELSON'S SPARROW at Constance Bay (still present on the 17th). A flock of 30 SNOW BUNTINGS was a sign of the season to come. PURPLE FINCHES were noted in 3 of the 4 count sectors, a single WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL flew over the the Mer Bleue boardwalk on the 16th, and although no PINE SISKINS were reported on the count, at least 40 were found in the Torbolton forest in Constance Bay on the 14th.
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/
