Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club
Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at sighti...@ofnc.ca November 2, 2017 It was an excellent week in the region, at least for those lucky enough to see the rarities. A RAZORBILL, the second record for the region, was found at Constance Bay on the 31st, and presumably the same bird was found at Dick Bell Park on the 1st where it swam/ flew east and was not relocated. This may very well have been the unidentified ALCID seen on the 30th in the same area. On the 2nd, a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, again only the second record for the region, was found at Britannia and was seen for a few hours. Of lesser importance but still interesting, the first PURPLE SANDPIPERS of the year were seen flying around (but not landing) at Dick Bell Park on the 31st-1st. There were still a few mild days this week, but starting on the 30th almost continuous rain and at times very windy conditions prevailed. This was likely the reason for at least some of the rarities to have been present. It was again an excellent week for WATERBIRDS, and thus the Ottawa River was the place to be. Regionally, 22 species of DUCK were seen this week. As last week, Andrew Haydon Park to Shirley’s Bay was the best spot. The dynamic conditions on the 31st-1st led to some large flocks of SCOTERS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS and BRANT, as well as a few RED-THROATED LOONS. For those closer to Carleton Place, Mississippi Lake has had a good selection of WATERBIRDS too. A late GREAT EGRET was still at Andrew Haydon Park on the 2nd. Dynamic conditions on the 31st-1st saw a few 100 DUNLIN, mostly flying around the Lac Deschenes area, with a SANDERLING at Constance Bay on the 31 st. SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER in Russell on the 1st. An AMERICAN WOODCOCK in Dunrobin on the 31st was getting a bit late. Some miscellaneous sightings this week: 1. 6 GOLDEN EAGLES flew over Constance Bay on the 31st. 2. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was in the Stony Swamp area on the 27th. 3. A very late TREE SWALLOW was in the Richmond Conservation area on the 28th. 4. A CAROLINA WREN was in Kanata on the 2nd. 5. 2 LAPLAND LONGSPUR were on Rushmore Road on the 30th. 6. 3 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were at the Arboretum on the 28th. Most SPARROWS are getting harder to find, but still at Britannia were SONG SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and a late FOX SPARROW on the 2nd. 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. *Reminder regarding access to the Shirley’s Bay Causeway:* DND has amended our access procedure. You must call Range Control (613-991-5740 <(613)%20991-5740>) for permission, state that you are an OFNC member and give your name. DND will be provided with the OFNC's membership list and they will check, so you need to keep your membership up to date. 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 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
