Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club (OFNC) Ottawa/Gatineau (50km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Al Caughey at [email protected]
Update for 2026.04.23 (season 1; episode 12) In last week's update, I said "hopefully we'll have lots of good habitat to entice returning ducks and shorebirds"... little did I know! On Tuesday, Chantal Périard found 3 Black-necked Stills on the mudflats at the bridge on Frank Kenny Rd in Ottawa's east end - the first ever sighing for the area! (And I thought last week's Mountain Bluebird was exceptional - no offense Rob & Amber!). In other news, the total number of species in the 50km circle jumped from 145 to 154 and the number of notable species increased slightly to the mid-thirties - now including: Sora, Upland Sandpiper, Dunlin, Least Bittern, American Goshawk, Blue-headed Vireo, Northern House Wren, American Pipit, Evening Grosbeak, Ovenbird, Nashville Warbler & Northern Yellow Warbler. In addition, apparently a hummingbird was seen in Kanata in the past day or two! In terms of the coming week, east and north winds and cooler night time temps for the next couple of days should slow movement but then the winds should swing around to the south on Tues/Wed which could trigger a significant push - esp. nocturnal. Rain on Tuesday night might produce a "fallout" meaning that there could be some good finds in local woodlots on Wednesday morning (although, TBH, it'll be tough to beat the stilts). If you are thinking about putting out your hummingbird feeders, remember to use a mixture of 4 parts boiling water and 1 part white granulated (*without* food colouring, honey, or artificial sweeteners). Clean the feeders and replace the nectar every 2–4 days to prevent mold. Also, several, widely separated feeders may help to reduce territorial battles. *Current Notable Birds:* *Greater White-fronted Goose*: 25 reports at 5 locations - 1 at Frank Kenny Rd (bridge)/Frank Kenny Rd [Ottawa] (21 times between Apr 22-23); 1 at Cumberland Ridge Drive/Cumberland Ridge Dr [Ottawa] (4 times on Apr 18) *Cackling Goose*: 8 reports at 3 locations - as many as 7 at Vernal pond, Conn. 7 Carleton Place ON [Lanark] (4 times between Apr 20-22); 1 at Hwy 7 Storm Pond/Eastwood Dr, Carleton Place ON [Lanark] (4 times on Apr 20); plus several other locations and dates in counties where eBird does not flag them as notable *Tundra Swan*: 2 reports at 2 locations - 4 at Lalonde Rd, Clarence-Rockland ON [Prescott and Russell] (on Apr 23); 3 at Prudhomme St, Wendover ON [Prescott and Russell] (on Apr 17) *Canvasback*: 6 reports at 4 locations - 1 at Piste cyclable sentier des voyageurs (cabane brune)/Cabane Brune/Sentier des voyageurs (cabane brune) [Gatineau] (4 times on Apr 19); 1 at Rapides Deschênes (incluant Parc) [Gatineau] (twice on Apr 19); one at Bate Island [Ottawa] on Apr 19 *Barrow's Goldeneye*: 12 reports at 3 locations - 1 at Dow's Lake/Dow's Lake Pavillion/Central Experimental Farm Arboretum [Ottawa] (10 times between Apr 20-22); 1 at Chapman Mills CA [Ottawa] (on Apr 18) *Ruddy Duck*: 5 reports of 1 at Hwy 7 Storm Pond/Carleton Place, Storm drainage pond [Lanark] on Apr 17; plus other locations and dates in Ottawa and Prescott & Russell counties where eBird does not flag them as notable *Sora*🆕: 6 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Former rail trail west of Stonecrest Rd [Ottawa] (5 times between Apr 19-21); 3 at Munster Rd [Ottawa] (on Apr 20) *Black-necked Stilt*🆕: nearly 100 reports at the Frank Kenny Rd (bridge) [Ottawa] between Apr 21-22. Unfortunately, they've not been reported since about 4PM on Apr 22nd *Upland Sandpiper*🆕: 15 reports at 5 locations - 2 at Franktown Rd [Ottawa] (twice between Apr 18-19); as many as 4 at Panmure and Upper Dwyer Hill (13 times between Apr 18-19); plus several other dates after Apr 19th (apparently when eBird stopped flagging them as notable in Ottawa county) *Spotted Sandpiper*: 30 reports at 8 locations - as many as 4 at Hwy 7 Storm Pond [Lanark] (19 times between Apr 17-23); 4 at Carp R, between Hazeldean and Palladium [Ottawa] (on Apr 23); 1 at Prescott Russell Trail [Ottawa] (on Apr 22); 1 at Brewer Park [Ottawa] (twice between Apr 18-21); 1 at Dick Bell Park [Ottawa] (3 times on Apr 20); 1 at Rapides Deschênes (incluant Parc) [Gatineau] (twice on Apr 20); 1 at Solarium Ave Stormwater Pond [Ottawa] (on Apr 19); 1 at Last Mile Rd [Ottawa] (on Apr 18) *Solitary Sandpiper*: a single report of 1 at Richmond - Yard to Jock River [Ottawa] on Apr 19 *Dunlin*🆕: 4 reports of 1 at Frank Kenny Rd/Frank Kenny Rd (bridge) [Ottawa] on Apr 23 *Iceland Gull*: 2 reports of 1 at Trail Rd [Ottawa] on Apr 19 and another at Derreen Ave [Ottawa] on Apr 19 *Least Bittern*🆕: a single report of 1 at Lanark - Jock River, Goodwood Marsh [Lanark] on Apr 17 *Golden Eagle*: 2 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Cobbs Lake Creek at Lalonde Rd [Prescott and Russell] (on Apr 23); 1 at Mer Bleue Bog [Ottawa] (on Apr 18) *American Goshawk*🆕: a single report of 1 at Rue Dupéré, Cantley [Les Collines-de-l] on Apr 19 *Red-bellied Woodpecker*: 2 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Sauve Terrace [Prescott and Russell] (on Apr 22); 2 at Forêt Boucher [Gatineau] (on Apr 17); plus other locations and dates in several other counties where eBird does not flag them as notable *Black-backed Woodpecker*: 6 reports at 5 locations - 1 at Greenbelt Pathway (East/West of Conroy) [Ottawa] (twice between Apr 17-22); 1 at Parc du Lac-Beauchamp [Gatineau] (on Apr 20); 1 at Ramsyville NCC Path [Ottawa] (on Apr 20); 1 at Sheila McKee Park [Ottawa] (on Apr 19); 1 at Greenbelt pathway south of Davidson Rd [Ottawa] (on Apr 17) *Blue-headed Vireo*🆕: 8 reports at 6 locations - 1 at Black Rapids Creek Greenbelt Pathway [Ottawa] (on Apr 21); 1 at Stony Swamp (Sarsaparilla Trail) [Ottawa] (3 times between Apr 19-20); 1 at NCC Trail 20 [Ottawa] (on Apr 20); 1 at Nortel Marsh [Ottawa] (on Apr 19); 1 at Parc du Lac-Beauchamp [Gatineau] (on Apr 19); 1 at Stony Swamp NCC Trail 24 [Ottawa] (on Apr 18); plus other locations and dates in Lanark and Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais counties where eBird does not flag them as notable *Northern Shrike*: 4 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Dolman Ridge Rd [Ottawa] (3 times between Apr 18-22); 1 at Richmond CA (formerly Richmond Sewage Lagoons) [Ottawa] (on Apr 17); plus other locations and dates in Gatineau and Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais counties where eBird does not flag them as notable *Northern House Wren*: 4 reports at 4 locations - 1 at Parc La Baie [Gatineau] (on Apr 23); 1 at Greenbelt Pathway West [Ottawa] (on Apr 23); 1 at Richmond SW - Joys Rd south of Garvin Rd [Ottawa] (on Apr 22); 2 at Dolman Ridge Rd [Ottawa] (on Apr 22); plus sightings in Lanark county where eBird does not flag them as notable *Mountain Bluebird*: 7 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Cumberland Ridge Dr/1620 Cumberland Ridge Drive [Ottawa] (4 times between Apr 17-18); 1 at Cumberland Ridge Drive/Cumberland Ridge Dr [Ottawa] (3 times on Apr 17). Unfortunately, there have been no sightings since 6AM on Apr 18 *American Pipit*🆕: a single report of 1 at Didsbury Rd Scrape - Carp Watershed Restoration Area [Ottawa] on Apr 21 *Evening Grosbeak *(Eastern or type 3)🆕: 4 reports of 20 at Forest East of Burnt Lands Rd (Private)/1644 Burnt Lands Rd (Private) [Ottawa] between Apr 22-23; plus other locations and dates in several other counties where eBird does not flag them as notable *Snow Bunting*: 3 reports at 3 locations - 1 at Carp R, between Hazeldean and Palladium [Ottawa] (on Apr 23); 4 at Remic Rapids Lookout [Ottawa] (on Apr 18); 2 at R.H. Coats Building [Ottawa] (on Apr 17) *White-crowned Sparrow*: 3 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Carling Av Nepean, ON [Ottawa] (on Apr 20); 1 at Fernbank Rd [Ottawa] (twice on Apr 19) *Ovenbird*🆕: a single report of 1 at Merivale Gardens-Grenfell Glen-Pineglen-Country Place [Ottawa] on Apr 22 *Nashville Warbler*🆕: a single report of 1 at Ch Younger, Val-des-monts [Les Collines-de-l] on Apr 22 Northern Yellow Warbler🆕: a single report of 2 at Britannia Ridge [Ottawa] on Apr 22 Palm Warbler: 6 reports at 6 locations - 1 at Nepean Creek Park [Ottawa] (on Apr 18); 1 at Mer Bleue Bog [Ottawa] (on Apr 18); 1 at Richmond CA (formerly Richmond Sewage Lagoons) [Ottawa] (on Apr 18); 1 at Rideau River Eastern Pathway north of Hurdman Bridge [Ottawa] (on Apr 17); a single report of 1 at Rapides Deschênes (incluant Parc) [Gatineau] on Apr 18 and a single report of 1 at Ch Lebaudy [Gatineau] on Apr 19 *Not reported since the last update (or longer notable)*: - White-winged Scoter, Common Gallinule, Glaucous Gull, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole As always, send questions, comments or photos to [email protected]. Your feedback is appreciated. Good birding, Al -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
