- RBA * Ontario * Ottawa/Gatineau * 11 April 2005 * ONOT0504.11
- Birds mentioned Pied-billed Grebe American Bittern SNOW GOOSE Canada Goose Turkey Vulture Osprey Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Broad-winged Hawk American Kestrel Virginia Rail SANDHILL CRANE Lesser Yellowlegs Wilson's Snipe American Woodcock Barred Owl GREAT GRAY OWL Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Bohemian Waxwing Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Rusty Blackbird - Transcript hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club date: 11 April 2005 number: 613-860-9000 for the status line : press 2 for rare bird alerts: press 1 to report a sighting: press # coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Can. Nat. Capital Reg.), E.Ont., W.Que. compiler : Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] transcriber: Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] internet : Gordon Pringle [EMAIL PROTECTED] OFNC BIRD STATUS LINE - APR 11 2005 AT 6:30 PM This is Chris Lewis reporting. First of all, an OFNC birding field trip which did not get advertised, but was scheduled for WEDNESDAY APRIL 13 will take place on that day. Meeting place and time is the Elmvale Shopping Centre parking lot at 7:00 AM. A very warm and sunny weekend prompted lots of bird and birder activity. The flooding in the fields northeast of Carlsbad Springs and southeast of Bourget is beginning to recede, and many 1000's of Canada Geese and good numbers of common ducks are now widely distributed. There was only one Greater SNOW GOOSE with the Canada's east of Bourget on the 9th. Along Frank Kenney Rd. at Bear Brook on the 9th there was a Pied-billed Grebe and a very early juvenile Broad-winged Hawk, along with a few Rusty Blackbirds. The cornfields on the west side of Milton Rd. continue to host at least 2 SANDHILL CRANES, and the 1st report of Savannah Sparrow came from Milton Rd. on the 9th as well. A flight of Turkey Vultures and various hawk species was noted on April 10th, including several Northern Harriers and Sharp-shinned Hawks, a couple of Cooper's Hawks, and a few American Kestrels. Ospreys have returned to nests on the Thomas Dolan Parkway at Constance Creek, and Klondike Rd. south of March Rd. as of the 10th, and a pair was reported flying together up the Ottawa River east of Petrie Island as well. The first reports of American Bittern, Virginia Rail and Wilson's Snipe were from the Munster Rd. area at Soldier's Line and at Kettles Rd. at dusk on the 9th, and American Woodcocks were also displaying here the same evening. On the 9th and 11th, a Pied- billed Grebe was in the pond across from the Skeet Club on March Valley Rd., and the 1st Lesser Yellowlegs of the season was found here the same day. Also on the 9th, at least 2 GREAT GRAY OWLS were still on Kilmaurs Side Rd. at Dunrobin Rd., and one was along Greenland Rd. near Dunrobin. On the 10th a Barred Owl was in the Watt's Creek area south of Carling Ave. and Rifle Rd. Recent reports from Gatineau Park include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush and still a few Bohemian Waxwings. The influx of Golden-crowned Kinglets appears to have dissipated, but a somewhat early Ruby-crowned Kinglet was found along March Valley Rd. on the 10th and the Britannia woods continued to host a singing Winter Wren and Fox Sparrow as well as several Dark-eyed Juncos. At the Clyde Ave. woods the same day, a Hermit Thrush and a Fox Sparrow were singing, and two Fox Sparrows were also reported from the Jack Pine Trail on the 9th. Thank you - Good spring birding! - End transcript
