I spent yesterday doing my Baillie Birdathon as a fundraiser for Bird
Studies Canada and the Innis Point Bird Observatory. I birded entirely
within the Ottawa Field-Naturalist Club's 50 km Circle (within a 50km radius
of the Peace Tower) on both the Quebec and Ontario sides.
With several days of sustained NE winds leading up to yesterday, there was a
definite shortage of migrants, and strong winds during the day kept bird
song at a minimum. As a result there were quite a few embarassing misses,
but I still managed to total 125 species.
Highlights included:
- two female Red-necked Phalaropes in the eastern cell of the Casselman
Sewage Lagoon
- an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull still lingering amongst other gulls at
the Burnside Pit
- Sedge Wren calling in the Richmond Fen at dusk
DIRECTIONS
(courtesy of Larry Neilly's Birding Ottawa page
http://ca.geocities.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/birdguide.htm)
Casselman Lagoon
From Highway 417 (The Queensway), 52 km east of Ottawa, take the Casselman
exit (66) and go NNW toward the town of Casselman. Drive 1.1 km NNW into
town on Rue Principale, crossing the railway tracks and the main
cross-street (St. Isidore), to turn right or northeast just beyond onto
Laurier. Follow Laurier northeast, then north, 1.8 km to Concession 5 Road
(or Route 500). Turn right or northeast onto it and the road into the
Casselman Sewage Lagoons is on your right almost immediately.
Burnside Pit
From Highway 416 take exit 66 (Fallowfield Road). If southbound, a 0.4 km
offramp dumps onto Fallowfield, where you will turn right or west. If
northbound, the 0.4 km offramp brings you to Fallowfield, where you will
turn left or west onto it and in 0.5 km join the southbound offramp traffic.
Both groups will now follow Fallowfield Road west for an additional 0.4 km
to reach Moodie Drive. Turn left or southeast onto Moodie Drive and go 5.3
km, passing Cambrian Road to reach the Burnside Pits (second gate on the
left). Park along the side of the road without blocking the access.
Richmond Fen
From Highway 416 take exit 66 (Fallowfield Road). If southbound, a 0.4 km
offramp dumps onto Fallowfield, where you will turn right or west. If
northbound, the 0.4 km offramp brings you to Fallowfield, where you will
turn left or west onto it and in 0.5 km join the southbound offramp traffic.
Both groups will now follow Fallowfield Road west 16.5 km to reach Munster
Road. Turn left or southeast onto Munster Road and drive 10.0 km to Kettles
Road. Turn left or northeast onto Kettles and proceed 1.0 km to the pulloff
on the right or southeast for the Ruffed Grouse Area on Kettles Road area.
This pulloff is as good a place to park for the Richmond Fen via Kettles
Road area, as any. You might save 300 metres of walking by parking at the
end of Kettles (another 0.5 km) and cutting across to the tracks, but the
route to the tracks is longer (250 metres), unmarked and hard to find here,
especially in the dark. Better to cross the open field the shorter distance
(30 metres) to the tracks from the Ruffed Grouse Area pulloff and walk the
extra 300 metres
