Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at [email protected]
November 24, 2016 The (female) SUMMER TANAGER was re-found at the Bruce Pit on the 18th and was last seen on the 19th. There was a report of an unidentified JAEGER flying west, just east of the Deschênes rapids on the 22nd but it was not relocated. Weather was above seasonal until the 19th, but winter arrived quite suddenly on the 20th with heavy snow and temperatures below freezing for the rest of the week, with even more snow on the 24th. While it was not cold enough to freeze the rivers, ponds are freezing up and most lingering passerines have likely perished or have been driven to feeders or more sheltered areas. The poor weather conditions also reduced birding activity this week. There are still a reasonable variety of WATERBIRDS around, with the best variety and numbers along the Ottawa River. 20 species of DUCKS were seen in the region as a whole this week. On the 19th there were over 300 birds of 10 species of DUCKS at Shirley’s Bay, mostly LESSER SCAUP. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was in a pond on Cope Drive on the 22nd. A ROSS’S GOOSE was in the Woodlawn area on the 19th. The same pond on Cope Drive also had a very late BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON on the 23rd, and there are still a few GREAT BLUE HERONS around. A few late/ uncommon WOODPECKERS were around: a NORTHERN FLICKER at Pine Grove on the 19th and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER coming to a feeder in the Fallowfield area. 73 SANDHILL CRANES were near Smith and Milton in Navan on the 22nd. The CAROLINA WREN is still in the Carlington area as of the 18th and there was another in Gatineau on the 22nd. 2 lingerers seen on the 18th will have a tough time in this weather: a BROWN THRASHER in Kanata, and a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET in Britannia. On the 19th a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was at Shirley’s bay and also on Kerwin Road. This is time when SPARROWS start showing up at feeders or milder microclimates near the rivers. Of the less common ones, FOX SPARROW has been seen regularly at feeders in Richmond, Nepean, and Gatineau as late as the 24th. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was along the Ottawa River near Parkdale on the 23rd, and a SAVANNAH SPARROW was at Andrew Haydon Park on the 23rd. Single LAPLAND LONGSPURS were near Pakenham on the 22nd and on Brownlee Road on the 22nd as well. Finally, even the hardier BLACKBIRDS are becoming scarce. There were 3 COMMON GRACKLES at a feeder in Gatineau on the 22nd. Modest numbers of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS are still around but they will become scarce very soon. *NOTE RE: ACCESS TO THE SHIRLEY’S BAY CAUSEWAY*. The OFNC has a signed agreement with DND and PWGSC 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
