Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at sighti...@ofnc.ca
October 3, 2019 The highlight of the week was a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, seen in the Dovercourt area on the 27th but not relocated. The first EURASIAN WIGEON of the year was at Baie Noire on the 29th. Fall definitely arrived this week with much cooler temperatures, cloud and some rain. Large numbers of SONGBIRDS are leaving, but some species are still common, and SPARROWS are increasing. WATERBIRD variety and number is picking up in the better areas. The best places for WATERBIRDS now are Shirley’s Bay and Baie Noire. Baie Noire had over 500 birds of 10 species on the 29th, over 300 of them AMERICAN WIGEON. Shirley’s Bay had over 300 birds of 11 species. These areas will get better for about 4 weeks. In the meantime, some of the less common ones have been observed. A REDHEAD was at the Almonte lagoons most of the week until the 2nd. A RUDDY DUCK was at the Moodie Drive ponds on the 30th. 18 species of DUCKS were seen this week. Also notable were a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE at the Moodie Drive Ponds on the 30th and 4 in Almonte on the 2nd. A CASPIAN TERN was at Shirley’s bay on the 28th. The last few late migrant HAWKS are still passing through. Notably, a BROAD-WINGED HAWK was at the Bruce Pit on the 30th, and there were 4 separate sightings of RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS this week. 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS were seen on March road on the 28th. SHOREBIRDS are well past their peak, but far from gone. Most notable was a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER in Constance Bay until the 28th and one at Shirley’s Bay on the 28th to the 30th. There were 20 SHOREBIRDS of 5 species at Shirley’s bay on the 2nd and still some at but there are still some at Andrew Haydon Park. 14 species were seen in the region this week, but there are not numbers anywhere. Most insect eaters are now late or very late. A very late COMMON NIGHTHAWK was at the Deschenes Rapids on the 1st. Late were a YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER in Britannia on the 26th and another in the Dovercourt area on the 28th. An EASTERN WOOD PEWEE was in the Alta Vista area on the 1st. A CAROLINA WREN was in Hull on the 1st. KINGLETS, especially RUBY-CROWNED, are now here in some numbers. 2 PINE SISKINS were in Kanata on the 1st. As mentioned, SPARROWS are doing well, notably WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. Up to 2 NELSON’S SPARROW were seen at the mouth of Constance Creek until the 30 th. The first AMERICAN TREE SPARROW of the season was in Crysler on the 1st and a CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW in Gatineau on the 29th was late. WARBLERS are still doing fairly well, but that won’t last much longer. 21 species of WARBLER have been seen this week, 16 since the 1st. Some of the sightings have been a bit late, but none have been exceptional. 5-10 species have been seen in the better areas and the better times, although 11 species of WARBLER were at the Old Quarry trail on the 1st. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS are now being seen from time to time in all areas. *Reminder regarding access to the Shirley’s Bay Causeway:* DND has advised extra caution as the causeway is in rough shape. They have also requested that if any garbage can be removed it would be appreciated. To access this site, you must be on the access list, and you must call Range Control (613-991-5740) for permission, state that you are an OFNC member and give your name. 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. The OFNC has provided DND 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 that the OFNC put you on the access list. This list was sent to DND this spring and will be updated occasionally. To get on the next access list, please contact members...@ofnc.ca. 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 birdalert@ontbirds.ca 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
