Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at [email protected]
November 23, 2017 The bird of the year, a hatch-year ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD, had been present in Carleton Place since at least the 3rd, although the news did not become public until after press time on the 16th. This is the first regional record, and the first “gettable” one in Ontario. So it is no surprise that since then a myriad of birders, many from Southern Ontario, have descended on this sleepy town. All have got looks as it showed up at a feeder every 5-20 minutes for a few seconds to a few minutes. It was last seen on the 20 th. Meanwhile, 2 KING EIDERS appeared at Andrew Haydon Park on the 17th, but they were not seen again. The BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER was still present in Britannia as of the 19th, then disappeared until the 23rd. The YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD reappeared on Trail Road on the 18th, and was seen again on the 19th and after an absence yet again on the 23rd. It was among many BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS and EUROPEAN STARLINGS when it was seen, but was usually not present. The weather turned nasty on the 18th, with freezing rain and the first significant snowfall of the season, hampering birding and affecting the lingering PASSERINES. Although the weather moderated a bit, essentially we are now in early winter mode. WATERBIRDS are declining but not that rapidly, but on land 99% of the birds present are the residents, with a few lingerers in areas that are sheltered or have more food. WATERBIRDS declined in numbers, although there were still 22 species around this week, and the major rivers are still running freely. A BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was north of the Hurdman Bridge on the 20th, and with any luck it will be a regular there for the rest of the winter. Lake View Park in Carleton Place still has a good supply of WATERBIRDS including 2 REDHEAD and 2 AMERICAN COOTS. A ROSS’S GOOSE was at the Moodie Drive ponds on and off between the 18th and the 23rd. A little farther afield, the SNOW GEESE numbers were about 60,000 near the Laflèche Landfill, east of Casselman, on the 16th, although this is still quite a bit lower than some previous years. A GOLDEN EAGLE flew over the Trail Road landfill on the 19th, and one was not far to the southwest on the 20th. Another was on Wall Road on the 22nd . All 6 of the regular GULLS were seen this week at the Trail Road Landfill/ Moodie Drive Ponds. 1 BOHEMIAN WAXWING was among 20 CEDAR WAXWINGS at the Experimental Farm. Most of the rest of the week was mostly mundane with a few interesting/ lingering birds: 1. A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON was at the Emerald Meadows storm outlet on the 18th. 2. 2 WILSON’S SNIPE in a creek off Klondike, on the 17th. 3. A TURKEY VULTURE was near Carleton Place on the 18th. 4. A HERMIT THRUSH was at Parc du Lac-Leamy on the 21st. 5. A RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET was near the Rideau Tennis Club on the 20th, and another was near Rivermead in Aylmer on the 18th and on Eardley-Masham Road on the 23rd. 6. A WINTER WREN continues in Britannia as of the 18th. 7. A GRAY CATBIRD is continuing at Britannia as late as the 20th. 8. The BROWN THRASHER continues at Britannia near the Filtration Plant, as of the 22nd. 9. While not gettable, of course, possibly our latest ever PALM WARBLER was found injured in the Findlay Creek area on the 21st and was taken to the Wild Bird Care Centre. 10. A SAVANNAH SPARROW was seen as late as the 20th on Trail road. 11. A FOX SPARROW was at Britannia on the 22nd. 12. A few late WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were present: Quyon, Trail Road, and Rockcliffe, as late as the 20th. 12 RED CROSSBILLS were on the Eardley Masham Road on the 21st, likely the same group that has been there for the last 6 weeks. 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. *Reminder regarding access to the Shirley’s Bay Causeway:* DND has amended our access procedure. You must call Range Control (613-991-5740) for permission, state that you are an OFNC member and give your name. DND will be provided with a list of OFNC members who HAVE SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED access. DND will check, so make sure that your membership is up to date and that you have requested to be on the access list. Finally, you must call again when you have left the area. DND would also like to be informed if you see anyone on the property who should not be there, such as boats in the bay or people fishing on the causeway. They are trespassing and DND will deal with the situation. _______________________________________________ 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
