Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at k_zbitn...@bell.net or sighti...@ofnc.ca
August 11, 2016 While there have been no rarities, there have been a few birds worth chasing. A YELLOW-THROATED VIREO was at Shirley’s bay and Britannia on the 7th and 2 of this scarce species were at Britannia on the 9th. A WHIMBREL was flying over the Stony Swamp area on the 6th, and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER at Embrun 8-9th is still a bit early for this species. Persistent heat (with the hottest day of the year) and dryness this week have made birding a challenge, and perhaps a challenge for the birds themselves. Migration is on the upswing, although it is slow as the weather provided no incentive for them to stop and or linger. Ottawa River water levels continue to drop, causing the shorebird habitat at Shirley’s bay to expand but also to become more distant for viewing. There was little out of the ordinary among the waterbirds. A GREATER SCAUP at the Masson filtration plant was out-of-season. The summering RED-NECKED GREBE persists at Britannia as of the 11th. The low water levels have resulted in considerable habitat along the Ottawa River although it is presumed that most SHOREBIRDS are just flying over in spite of this. An example of this is 200 SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPERS flying down the Ottawa River near Wendover. Shirley’s Bay has the greatest number, but the variety is still only moderate at all locations. 13 species have been seen in the region this week. Some sightings include: 1. Shirley’s Bay: 220 bird of 8 species on the 9th. 2. Petrie Island: 78 birds of 6 species on the 8th (best spot for WILSON’S SNIPE) 3. Richmond CA: 80 birds of 9 species on the 6th incuding BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER 4. Almonte: 64 birds of 6 species on the 7th 5. Embrun: 72 birds of 9 species on the 9th 6. Giroux Road Ponds: 1 KILLDEER on the 6th. 7. Masson Filtration Plant: 4 birds of 2 species on the 5th. There is little else of note among the SONGBIRDS. Many of the residents are becoming a bit more conspicuous as they are no longer involved in nesting and the young are active too. We are still waiting for the bigger mixed flocks of WARBLERS. There were 10 species at Shirley’s Bay on the 8th but that was atypical. CAPE MAY, TENNESSEE and BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS are some of the more interesting early arrivals. Finally, a few odds and ends: 1. 30 COMMON NIGHTHAWK at Almonte on the 7th. 2. 16 HORNED LARK at Giroux Road on the 6th. 3. CAROLINA WREN at the Richmond CA on the 7th. 4. RED CROSSBILL at Shirley’s Bay on the 7th. The OFNC's Birds Committee no longer reports owl sightings on the Internet. We will continue to encourage the reporting of owls to sighti...@ofnc.ca 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. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - 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
