Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 31 May 2012 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club (OFNC) Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatinau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber Bob Cermak [email protected] or [email protected] Most reports this past week were of local breeding birds, though some later migrants are still moving through. A very late SNOWY OWL was seen on May 19th near the hwy 138 exit of hwy 417 just east of Casselman. A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was heard on May 27th near the barn at Pinhey's Point H.S. That bird was not subsequently found. An adult TRUMPETER SWAN has been seen May 26th and 30th on the east side of Thomas Dolan at Constance Creek. GREAT EGRETS, possibly 2 pairs, have been seen since May 28th exhibiting nesting and bonding behaviour on the south west side of Conroy Island (the RING-BILLED GULL colony island) in the Deschenes Rapids. Could this be the first year they breed in our area? A single ARCTIC TERN made a brief visit to the Deschenes rapids on May 29t. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was seen at Ottawa Beach on May 31st. An Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club birding trip to Larose forest on May 26th found many interesting species including EVENING GROSBEAKS (2), RED CROSSBILLS (30+) and BLACKBURNIAN, BLACK-AND-WHITE, PINE, NASHVILLE, YELLOW-RUMPED, YELLOW, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, OVENBIRD and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT WARBLERS. An Ontario Field Ornithologists birding trip west of Ottawa on May 27th found 85 species including LEAST BITTERN, COMMON GALLINULE, VIRGINIA RAIL, BRANT (300+ flying north), AMERICAN BITTERN (2) and a calling RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. Other interesting sightings were; - YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS were found on May 23rd at two locations on the trails near the Champlain Lookout in Gatineau Park - GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS were heard from the RR tracks west of Terry Fox and at the usual spot near Thomas Dolan - Corkstown/Nortel marsh continues to be active with reports of LEAST-BITTERN, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS, MARSH WRENS, ALDER and WILLOW FLYCATCHERS - CANADA WARBLER was seen at the Britannia Conservation Area on May 26th - COMMON NIGHTHAWK was seen and heard on the late morning of May 26th - male TENNESSEE and BLACKPOLL WARBLERS were reported in a Qualicum Graham Park backyard on May 26th - SANDHILL CRANES (2 adults and 1 immature) were seen near Dwyer Hill Road north of hwy 7 on May 28th - a CAROLINA WREN was seen in a backyard in Belltown on May 29th - RED-NECKED PHALAROPE were seen at the east end of the Deshenes rapids on May 29th (2) and May 31 (1) - a few BLACK-BELLIED and SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, LEAST, SEMIPALMATED and WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS have been found at various locations - at the St Albert lagoons on May 30th there were COMMON GALLINULE (1), AMERICAN COOT (2), PIED-BILLED GREBE (2), LEAST (5) SEMIPLMATED (3) and WHITE-RUMPED (1) SANDPIPERS - a single CASPIAN TERN was seen at the Deshenes rapids on May 31st Thanks to everyone who contributed bird observations - 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/
