Yesterday, Friday Dec 2nd, I observed a very white Snowy Owl sitting on
an old wagon at the edge of a field on Brownlee, between Eagleson and
Shea. On a smaller road nearby there was a male Northern Harrier
checking out the roadside ditches, crossing back and forth over the
road to get both sides.
The following is with permission of Mark Cranford:
On another note of interest, the area south of the airport here will no
longer be viable for the Short-eared Owls that I have reported on in
past years. A new subdivision is going in, with infrastructure being
worked on right now for Phase 1( approximately 30,000 homes). The
access road is right at the "s" curve, a noted landmark for those
wishing to see the owls. The homes will be seen as far as the eye can
see in all directions, according to men working there now. It will
extend up to the Slots (Rideau Carleton Raceway on Albion)! Earl
Armstrong Rd will be in the middle of this construction and the habitat
known for over-wintering Shorties and breeding Harriers, Shorties,
Red-Tailed Hawks, Eastern Bluebirds and many other "field" species will
no longer exist. The pond further east along this road will also be
affected. This pond holds thousands of Canada Geese along with Common
and Hooded Mergansers during migrations as well as Green-winged Teal,
Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, to mention a few others.
Eve Ticknor
OFNC Falcon Watch Coordinator
38-9 Gillespie Cres.
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 9T5
Canada
859-9545 (c)
737-7551 (h)
