Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at sighti...@ofnc.ca
October 24, 2019 The highlight this week was only a maybe, a possible PACIFIC LOON west of Dick Bell Park on 19th. The identification waits the final words of experts. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at Lac Lapêche on the 20th was also a good one. Seasonal temperatures and a fair bit of rain marked the week. Migration was slow this week, although there is little left to come through other than WATERFOWL. We are well into fall birding. About 100 species were seen on the eBird “Big Day” on the 19th, although variety and volume are declining almost daily. WATERBIRD numbers are still good, with 3 species of GREBE and 22 species of DUCK seen this week. The best area is between Andrew Haydon Park and Shirley’s Bay, as usual. 3 species of SCOTER were at Shirley’s Bay on the 22 nd. RUDDY DUCK, scarce this season, was there on the 21st. BLACK SCOTER and AMERICAN COOT were at Dow’s Lake on the 23rd. There was a bit of a movement on the 19th, with a RED-THROATED LOON seen at Shirley’s Bay. A few BRANT have been on the river this week, and a COMMON GALLINULE was at Shirley’s Bay on the 19th. With only 7 species of SHOREBIRD seen, and most of them expected, we are definitely near the seasonal end of this group. A SEMIPALMATED PLOVER at Baie Fraser on the 20th was a bit late. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK and a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK were at Shirley’s bay on the 20 th. 11 species of SPARROW were in the region this week including a NELSON’S SPARROW at Constance Bay on the 20th. Volume is low in most areas, though. 6 species of WARBLER were seen this week, but now anything other than YELLOW-RUMPED is not expected. Last sightings of other WARBLERS were: 1. ORANGE-CROWNED and NASHVILLE WARBLER at the Fletcher on the 21st. 2. NORTHERN PARULA at Shirley’s Bay on the 18th. 3. PALM WARBLER on Trail P17 in Gatineau Park on the 23rd. 4. PINE WARBLER in Crystal Beach on the 19th. A few other notable sightings rounded out the week: 1. The first SNOW BUNTING of the season was at Constance Bay on the 22 nd, 2. A BLUE-HEADED VIREO was at Lac Meech on the 22nd. 3. CAROLINA WREN has been seen in multiple spots from Petrie Island to Kanata. 4. A SCARLET TANAGER was in Britannia on the 18th. 5. A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was at Shirley’s bay on the 20th. 6. A PINE SISKIN was at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden (flyover) on the 23rd. 7. A GREEN HERON was at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden on the 24th. *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
