Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau (National Capital Region) April 24, 2014 Compiler and transcriber Bob Cermak robertcermak@hotmail or [email protected]
Chris Lewis covering for Bob Cermak while he is away in Point Pelee looking at Black Vultures, Hooded Warblers, etc..... ....meanwhile in Ottawa/Gatineau, there has been some good bird activity over the past week, as well as a lot of open water. The Ottawa, Rideau and other rivers are now mostly ice-free, as are ponds and flooded fields in agricultural areas that continue to attract 1000's of CANADA GEESE along with other waterfowl species. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen at the Carp River floodplain along Carp Rd. in Carp on the 19th and 22nd. Approx. 5000 SNOW GEESE have been in the Cobb's Lake Creek floodplain near Russell and Johnston Rds. east of Bourget since the 16th and were still present on the 22nd; small numbers of Snow's have been seen elsewhere. Single adult ROSS'S GEESE were observed at Cobb's Lake Creek on the 17th and along Boundary Rd. north of Cooper Hill Rd. on the 18th. Single CACKLING GEESE continue to be picked out among the Canada's in several locations. Flooded fields along Lockhead Rd. East and Rideau Valley Dr. near Kars yielded 16 species of waterfowl from the 18th to the 20th including a male EURASIAN WIGEON. Another male EURASIAN WIGEON was on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River at Plaisance on the 21st. WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, HOODED MERGANSER and COMMON MERGANSER were all seen in various locations. Two BARROW'S GOLDENEYE were reported from the Rideau River at New Edinburgh Park in downtown Ottawa on the 21st; one was reported from the same location on the 24th. The first local report of RUDDY DUCK came in on the 24th, at the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. south of the Trail Rd. landfill. COMMON LOON and PIED-BILLED GREBE were reported from the aforementioned Moodie Dr. pond on the 22nd. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT are back at two Ottawa River breeding colonies (Conroy Island and Lemieux Island). AMERICAN BITTERN and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON are also back on territory, as are OSPREY, NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL and MERLIN. A few ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK continue to be seen here and there. On the 19th an early BONAPARTE'S GULL was at Andrew Haydon Park, an immature ICELAND GULL was on the remains of the ice on the Ottawa River at the Nepean Sailing Club on the 21st, and a CASPIAN TERN was reported from Petrie Island on the 20th. Among passerines, the most exciting discovery was a male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in Kanata near the Kanata Lakes Golf Course on the 17th. The bird continued to be seen on the golf course by many observers during the next 3 days - the last report was on the 20th. The first local reports of GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and BLUE-HEADED VIREO came in on the 21st. Three species of SWALLOW (TREE, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and BARN) have been around for a couple of weeks. Multiple WINTER WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER and four species of WARLBER (PALM, PINE, YELLOW-RUMPED and BLACK-THROATED GREEN) have been noted. There were several observations of EASTERN TOWHEE since the 20th. An impressive movement of SPARROWS in recent days included AMERICAN TREE, CHIPPING, FIELD, SAVANNAH, FOX, SWAMP, WHITE-THROATED and DARK-EYED JUNCO. On the 21st an early LINCOLN'S SPARROW was seen and heard in the Mer Bleue bog, a traditional breeding area for this species. EASTERN MEADOWLARK are also back on territory, and small groups of RUSTY BLACKBIRD continued to move through last week. ***Due to increasing and widespread concerns regarding disturbance of wildlife and property, the OFNC's Birds Committee no longer reports OWL sightings on the internet. We will continue to encourage the reporting of owls to [email protected] for the purpose of maintaining local records.*** Thank you to everyone who contributed bird observations! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
