Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at [email protected]
December 14, 2017 There were no new birds this week, and, sadly, the birding community lost its pride and joy: the BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER at Britannia succumbed to our cruel winter on the 12th. Real winter finally arrived this week. Heavy snow on the 12th has now completely covered the ground and will likely be with us until March. Cold started on the 11th and we had the coldest day of the season on the 14th. Unfortunately worse is to come, and as luck would have itO, just in time for the Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count on the 17th. Generally birding was quiet, with a few continuing lingerers among the PASSERINES, although the more sensitive of them will be in for a tough ride. However, it has not been cold enough to have a huge effect on the rivers yet, so there is just a bit less variety than last week. With the heavy snow, the large flocks of GEESE will not stick around much longer, but this week at least they were still around. 5 species of GEESE were present this week. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was at Ottawa Beach on the 9th and on the same day a ROSS’S GOOSE and a CACKLING GOOSE were near Winchester. A CACKLING GOOSE was at the Cope drive Ponds on the 11th. Winchester had 8500 SNOW GEESE on the 9th, there were 5000 SNOW GEESE on Frank Kenny on the 10th, and 10,000 in Russell on the 11th. Aside from the big two, PUDDLE DUCKS are lingering in very small numbers. Up to 2 NORTHERN PINTAILS were at the Cope Drive Ponds as late as the 13th. An AMERICAN WIGEON continued at Britannia on the 12th. There was a WOOD DUCK on the 11th at Andrew Haydon Park and 2 at Billings Bridge on the 14th. 16 species of DUCK were present this week, only 7 of which are regular in the winter. Among other water-dependent birds, there was a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT at Quyon and another at Baie Simard, both on the 10th. A BELTED KINGFISHER was at Petrie Island on the 9th, in Thurso on the 11th, and at Britannia on the 12th. There are still a few scattered sightings of GREAT BLUE HERON. A GOLDEN EAGLE was in Larose forest on the 10th and another was in Constance Bay on the 13th. There have been a few scattered sightings of NORTHERN SHRIKE, but it appears that there is a population crash of AMERICAN ROBINS as there are very few this winter compared to last winter. Other miscellaneous sightings include: 1. GRAY CATBIRD in Britannia on the 13th. 2. HERMIT THRUSH at Britannia on the 11th. 3. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER at Britannia on the 11th. 4. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET at Baie Simard on the 9-10th and 2 at Shirley’s Bay on the 9th. 5. WINTER WREN at Britannia on the 8th. 6. 3 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS at Masson on the 11th. 7. 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS on Akins Road on the 13th. Finally, the WINTER FINCH story still has a poor cast of characters. A trip to Lac la Blanche on the 9th produced only a few PINE SISKINS. There was an injured RED CROSSBILL in Hull on the 8th, and in Almonte a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL flew over on the 13th. 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
