Ontario/Quebec
Ottawa/Gatineau
5 September 2013
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]
The fall migration continues to produce good numbers of interesting migrants.
Cooler nights and winds from the north west recently have resulted in some rare
or difficult to find birds.
A PARASITIC JAEGER (adult light morph) was seen briefly at 5:45 pm on the 3rd
just below (east) of the Ottawa River Deschenes Rapids. It "pursued a
Ring-billed Gull and stole a fish from it, then rested on the water." The bird
left the area shortly thereafter and was not relocated.
A BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was found today at the Embrun lagoon on the "mud" on
the SE corner of the NW cell. The bird flew west with 12 LESSER YELLOWLEGS at
10 am. Also present at that location were LEAST (6) and SEMIPALMATED (5)
SANDPIPER and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (2), 6 were present on the 2nd. WILSON'S
PHALAROPE (1) were seen there on the 31st and 3 were present on the 1st.
SABINE'S GULL (2 juv) were seen briefly today (1 pm) to the west of the
Shirley's Bay causeway. The birds disappeared shortly thereafter and have not
been relocated. The observer noted that "this is one of the earliest records
for the Ottawa-Gatineau district and is 1 of the approximately 15 records of
juveniles. Interestingly the majority of records have been recorded between
September 12th and 25th."
There have been GOLDEN PLOVERS (3 to 23+) nearly every day since August 31st on
the partially flooded field just north of the Twin Elm rugby fields near the
intersection of Twin Elm Rd and Barnsdale Rd. Also present at that location
have been SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and WILSON'S SNIPE (an
astonishing 50 on the 2nd). A PEREGRINE FALCON (1 juv) has been hunting the
many Rock Pigeon that also feed on that field.
The high water levels continue to make it difficult to find shorebirds in our
area.
There are occasionally a few on the limited mud flats and shallow water at the
west end of Andrew Haydon Park and possibly on the limited mud flats at Ottawa
Beach (just east of Andrew Haydon). There is usually small numbers at the base
of the Shirley's Bay causeway (SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (1) were present on the
1st and 2nd) and at the Almonte lagoon: LESSER (84) and GREATER (1) YELLOWLEGS,
STILT SANDPIPER (1) and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (1) were present on the 3rd.
An OFNC trip to the Shirley's Bay mud flats on August 31st found LESSER
YELLOWLEGS (12), SOLITARY (3), PECTORAL (1), SEMIPALMATED (4), LEAST (6)
SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (2) and WILSON'S SNIPE (1).
A good variety of warblers have been reported all over our area. There were 21
species at the Britannia Conservation area on the 2nd including large numbers
of CAPE MAY (30 on the 3rd) and smaller numbers of TENNESSEE, PALM, WILSON'S,
CANADA, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, OVENBIRD, CHESTNUT-SIDED and BLACKBURNIAN.
Interesting sightings:
- SANDHILL CRANE (3) near Bennie's Corners on the 3rd
- YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER in the Britannia woods on the 3rd
- REDHEAD (1 juv) at the Moodie Rd ponds since the 4th
- SWAINSON'S (100), GRAY-CHEEKED (7) THRUSH and VEERY (20) heard overhead south
of the Britannia Woods between 11 and 12 pm on the 4th
- BLACKPOLL WARBLER at Britannia Conservation Area on the 5th
Thank you to everyone who contributed bird observations!
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