Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler and transcriber: Greg Zbitnew at [email protected] or [email protected]
Recent reports to December 25, 2014 Since the Christmas bird count last week, rivers and creeks have not frozen significantly more, and snow depths have actually diminished with the recent thaw. Therefore many of the unusual birds reported last week have persisted through the week. In fact, two additional count week birds (late reports) were added: HORNED GREBE at Deschênes and HOARY REDPOLL in Alta Vista. The NORTHERN PINTAIL was seen on Upper Aylmer Road near Chemin Grimes. HOODED MERGANSER was seen on the Rideau River between Black Rapids and Manotick. Both the BARROW’S GOLDENEYE and PIED-BILLED GREBE were still on the Rideau River north of the 417 as of December 22. BUFFLEHEAD were seen at Deschênes and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were seen from Parc Moussette. Small numbers of GREAT BLUE HERONS are still present; one in Aylmer, one near Richmond and one on Huntmar. 5 species of gulls are still present, mostly HERRING and GREATER BLACK-BACKED, but also small numbers of ICELAND (2), GLACOUS (6) and RING-BILLED (1). Particularly good spots for gulls are the Trail Road dump, the Rideau River north of Hwy 417 and the Rideau River at the mouth of the Jock River. A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen southeast of Ottawa, as well as on Steele line in the northwest, while GRAY PARTRIDGE was seen near Packenham. In the trails around Stony Swamp, up to 6 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were seen by different people. The AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER in Aylmer (Grimes Road) was seen as recently as the 21st, while another was seen on the 20th in the Cumberland area. Both RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and NORTHERN FLICKER were seen at the Moore farm in Hull this week. HERMIT THRUSH continue to be seen in various places. GRAY CATBIRD was seen as recently as the 21st at Fletcher Wildlife Garden and there are also new sightings from the Kanata area and from near Packenham. The ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK in Hull was seen as recently as the 21st. WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS continue to be seen in numbers in various spots, and a CHIPPING SPARROW, rare in winter, was seen at a feeder east of Gatineau. Lastly, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD was seen from two locations east of Ottawa in Masson. Note: The OFNC's Birds Committee no longer reports owl sightings on the Internet. We continue to encourage the reporting of owls to [email protected] for the purpose of maintaining local records. 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 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
