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 January 15, 2015 This week Ottawa had fairly normal winter conditions. Open water is now restricted to the fastest part of the rivers and some storm water outlets. Most of the birds present are here as well as near urban areas and feeders. Major forested areas like the Larose Forest have very few birds of any kind. As a result there was a similar but diminished variety of birds present as compared to last week. Nonetheless there were a few interesting birds to chase. Still the highlight for the second week in a row was a GYRFALCON which was seen on the 8th, 10th and 11th at the Laflèche landfill east of Ottawa. It is being searched for regularly, as recently as today. This rare bird was a lifer for many birders. A GRAY PARTRIDGE was seen, after a regional absence of many weeks, at 3716 Farmview Road in Antrim, Ontario. Some uncommon waterfowl continue to linger: 1. PIED-BILLED GREBE was last seen near the Rideau Tennis Club on the 8th, while possibly the same bird was seen at Kelly’s landing south of Manotick. 2. GREATER SCAUP was at Britannia as recently as the 14th. 3. NORTHERN PINTAIL was last seen near the Rideau Tennis Club on the 12th while the WOOD DUCK was there on the 15th. 4. NORTHERN SHOVELER was seen at Appaloosa Park on the 15th 5. BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was seen near Hurdman on the 11th, while a second bird was seen at Baie Simard on the 9th. Numbers and variety of GULLS have diminished considerably. Only 4 species, including singles of GLACOUS and ICELAND, were reported. In the area around Stony Swamp, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS continue to be seen regularly. Most recently the Sarsaparilla Trail has been reliable, the last report being from the 15th. On the 14th, Chemin Grimes in Aylmer had both this species and an AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. NORTHERN FLICKER was seen near a feeder on Rue Gabriel Lacasse on the 10th, while the RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER was last seen there on the 11th. However, the RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in Gloucester was seen on the 10th and 14th on Oriole Drive. For those interested in hawk varieties, a possible KRIDER’S or partial albino RED-TAILED HAWK was seen on the 11th near South Mountain. The BROWN THRASHER was seen on Rue Gabriel Lacasse as recently as the 9th. WHITE-THROATED (up to 4) and SONG SPARROW (1) continue at a feeder at the Nesbitt Building in Carleton University. LAPLAND LONGSPUR was seen near the entrance to the now frozen pond on Moodie drive as recently as the 11th. Finally, winter finches continue to be in short supply and not faithful to one locale. Recent reports of PINE SISKIN from Beacon Hill and a HOARY REDPOLL from the Trail Road landfill are typical. One exception to this rule is EVENING GROSBEAK. A dependable flock of up to 20 is at a feeder at 1917 Indian Creek Road, and at the community of Forest Park nearby, an unusually large flock of 75 were seen on the 15th. 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. 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
