An intrepid band of birders consisting of two leaders and a troika of hardy participants (including guest Manuel Grosselet, a Mexican ornithologist and bander visiting Ottawa to promote birding tourism in Mexico) endured a +3° temperature and intermittent drizzle to record a total of 72 species. By the end of the endeavour we all wished we had been birding anywhere in Mexico!
Three Upland Sandpiper, a single American Golden Plover, a lone Solitary Sandpiper and three Wilson’s Snipe in aerial display were among the eight species of shorebird observed. Thicket, forest and open field habitats yielded Blue-headed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Purple Finch, Rusty Blackbird, Broad-winged Hawk, Merlin, American Kestrel, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Bluebird and Bobolink. A pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker responded cooperatively to a vocal imitation call of Barred Owl. The vanguard of migrating warblers included typical early arrivals such as Black-and-white, Northern Waterthrush, Nashville, Yellow and Yellow-rumped. A pair of Red-necked Grebe and three Common Terns at our last stop at the Burnside Quarry rounded out the day on a satisfying note. Thanks to Remy, Mark and Manuel for their patience and enthusiasm throughout the outing. Congratulations to Manuel who can now proudly boast that he barely survived “spring” in Canada! (Apologies for the delay in submitting this report … birding in southwestern Ontario got in the way!) Leaders: Colin Gaskell and Martha Burchat, Ottawa, ON _______________________________________________ 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
