Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 23 August 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/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber Bob Cermak [email protected] or [email protected] An adult BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, an Ottawa lifer for many local birders, provided excellent looks on the Shirleys Bay mud flats on August 21 and 22. Very unusual for this time of year, molting adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 4 or 5 have been seen in August, have been seen lately on the mud flats at Shirleys Bay since August 21 and at the St. Albert lagoons on August 18 and 19. A juvenile PARASITIC JAEGER was reported over the Deschenes rapids on August 13. After finally tracking down the Vancouver area birder in New York City on August 19 the information he provided suggests that this was a credible sighting. This would be the first credible sighting since October 27 2011. A very early GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH was seen on Petrie Island in the silver maples south of the beach on August 23. RED-NECKED PHALAROPE were seen at Andrew Haydon, St. Albert lagoons and Shirleys Bay Numbers of warblers and vireos are moving through our area. - Britannia Conservation Area this week; AMERICAN REDSTART, YELLOW and YELLOW-RUMPED, NASHVILLE, BLACK-AND-WHITE, BLACKBURNIAN, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, TENNESSEE, CAPE MAY, OVENBIRD, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKPOLL, WILSON'S, and MAGNOLIA WARBLERS. PHILADELPHIA, RED-EYED, BLUE-HEADED and WARBLING VIREOS, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH and a CAROLINA WREN were also seen in the same area. 11 species of warblers were seen at Shirleys Bay including CANADA and WILSON'S. Numbers of shorebirds continued to be seen this week. The Shirleys Bay mud flats and the St. Albert lagoons continue to be the most reliable places in the area to find shorebirds. The Embrun and Casselman lagoons have had very few shorebirds for the past few weeks and the Richmond lagoon is completely dry. The Ottawa river at Constance Bay, Andrew Haydon Park to Scrivens Street, on the rocks in the Deschenes Rapids and on the rocks at Brebeuf Park (across the river from the Remic Rapids) have all been occasionally productive. The best locations for waterfowl are Shirleys Bay from the causeway and the Moodie Drive ponds south of Trail Road. The Giroux quarry ponds and the St. Albert lagoons can also contain an interesting mix of waterfowl. The best places for Herons, Egrets, and Night-Herons is Conroy Island and the rocks in the Deschenes Rapids and Shirleys Bay from the causeway. COMMON NIGHTHAWKS have been reported at dusk at many locations this week. Flocks of 100 to 500 swallows have been seen occasionally at the lagoons, quarry ponds and smaller numbers have been seen over the Ottawa river most often at the east end of the Deschenes Rapids. 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/
