Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at [email protected]
September 29, 2016 The best bird of the week was a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, seen briefly in a back yard in Nepean. Other good birds were a EURASIAN WIGEON at Plaisance as late as the 27th, and a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER at Shirley’s Bay on the 23rd. There was a big shift in the weather this week. It was much cooler, although temperatures are still near seasonal. The biggest change was persistent northerly winds which brought a flux of new birds, most notably SPARROWS, into the area, while at the same time pushing out quite a few other PASSERINES, most notably WARBLERS. Many birds have now likely disappeared for the season. There was a real change to the WATERBIRD population this week. The first major concentrations of DIVING DUCKS were seen at Plaisance. On the 27th, there were 450 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 3 REDHEAD and a few other DIVING DUCKS. There were 450 PUDDLE DUCKS of 9 species, mostly AMERICAN WIGEON. Among the thousands of CANADA GEESE, there were up to 8 SNOW GEESE at the Moodie Drive ponds this week, with a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE there on the 25th, possibly the same one reported near Britannia earlier. Up to 6 CACKLING GEESE were also at the ponds this week. SHOREBIRDS have not been special except for the rarity. There were 40 birds of 6 species at Embrun. Shirley’s Bay ranges from similar to poor, depending partly on whether the PEREGRINE FALCON is strafing the area. 2 BAIRD’S SANDPIPER were at Constance Bay on the 24th. 5 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER were in Kinburn this week, and one has also been seen regularly at the Giroux Road ponds. A few late/ uncommon species were seen this week: 1. 2 EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE at Plaisance on the 27th. 2. 150 TREE SWALLOWS at Russell on the 27th. 3. 7 GRAY PARTRIDGE in Goulbourn on the 25th. 4. NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH ON Greenbelt Trail 10 on the 23rd. 5. 2 INDIGO BUNTING at Kinburn on the 25th. 6. 2 EASTERN TOWHEE at Stoney Swamp on the 24th. 7. RED CROSSBILL at Shirley’s Bay on the 24th. There were 21 species of WARBLER seen this week, but variety has declined to about 5 species per trip, with the vast majority being YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. Lastly, SPARROWS, particularly WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, have become abundant. The first FOX SPARROWS were seen in a few places, and notable were up to 3 very late CLAY-COLOURED SPARROWS seen as late as the 27th in a rich area just west of Kanata. Rather unfortunately, it appears that whole area will be developed before long. *NOTE RE: ACCESS TO THE SHIRLEY’S BAY CAUSEWAY*. The OFNC has a signed agreement with DND and PWGS that gives OFNC members limited access to this important birding area. You must call the Range Control Office (613-991-5740) before entering DND property, and you will be informed how far down the causeway you may go. For your safety, please respect their instructions, as the shooting patterns vary from day to day. 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. We encourage everyone to report their bird sightings on eBird for the benefit of the entire birding community. Good birding. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
