- RBA * Ontario * Ottawa/Gatineau * 30 April 2006 * ONOT0604.30
- Birds mentioned Horned Grebe American Bittern GREAT EGRET GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE Snow Goose Green-winged Teal Northern Pintail Redhead Long-tailed Duck Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Osprey Bald Eagle Broad-winged Hawk Wild Turkey Common Moorhen Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper Wilson's Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Snowy Owl BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird American Pipit Blue-headed Vireo Palm Warbler Eastern Towhee Purple Finch - Transcript hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club date: 30 April 2006 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] THE OFNC BIRD STATUS LINE @ 6:30 pm, SUNDAY APRIL 30, 2006. This is Chris Lewis reporting. The month of April ended with a weekend of gorgeous weather, after a chilly week of northerly winds which delayed migration much the same as in other parts of the province. A GREAT EGRET discovered on the Rideau River west of Bank St. opposite the Billings Bridge shopping centre on April 22nd continued to hang out at or near this location until at least the 28th. The most recent report of a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE and a Snow Goose at the large pond on the east side of Moodie Dr. south of Trail Rd. was on the 24th. A total of 6 late Snow Geese were seen in scattered locations including Masson, Quebec, as well as the Embrun and St. Albert sewage lagoons on the 30th, and other late waterfowl were a male Long-tailed Duck on the Ottawa River west of the Britannia Yacht Club, and a pair of Common Goldeneye at Shirley's Bay on the 29th. On the 24th at the Moodie Dr. pond there were 3 Redhead and 3 Ruddy Ducks, and a male Red-breasted Merganser was still present here on the 29th. Small numbers of Horned Grebes were seen on the Ottawa River during the week, the 1st report of American Bittern was on the 30th with 4 seen in the Masson-Thurso marshes. The marshes also hosted all 9 species of our common puddle ducks, and unusually large number of Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail were still in evidence, especially at the Embrun and St. Albert sewage lagoons. Noteworthy raptors included a sub-adult Bald Eagle at Shirley's Bay and an adult being chased by an Osprey near Constance Creek near Dunrobin on the 29th, and a small number of Broad-winged Hawks in migration from the 26th through the 29th. A Wild Turkey continues to haunt the Britannia Conservation area as well as some adjacent backyards, and in new rail sightings, a handful of Common Moorhens was seen at the Marais aux Grenouillettes west of Masson on the 30th. Seven species of shorebirds were reported over the week, with the following at the Embrun lagoons on the 30th (where the habitat is excellent!!) - 7 Greater and 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, and the 1st reports of 1 Spotted Sandpiper and 3 Wilson's Phalaropes. The 1st reports of Upland Sandpiper came from Rte. 200 in Russell on the 26th. Interesting gulls included 5 Bonaparte's, 3 adult Lesser Black-backed, an adult Iceland and 4 immature Glaucous Gulls at the Moodie Dr. pond on the 24th, and a late Snowy Owl was still present on Cameron Side Rd. near Hwy 7 west of Perth on the 27th. New passerines were a Blue-headed Vireo in the Britannia woods on the 29th, all 6 species of swallows since the 24th, a very early Gray Catbird at the Mer Bleue boardwalk back on the 22nd, 2 American Pipits at the Moodie Dr. pond on the 29th, and single Palm Warblers on March Valley Rd. and Britannia from the 21st and 26th respectively. Another BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was observed, this time at the Innis Point Bird Observatory on the 28th, and yet another Northern Mockingbird was seen at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden on the 24th. A small "wave" of Eastern Towhees was noted over the past week with individuals seen at both the Hilda Rd. feeder by Shirley's Bay and the Fletcher Wildlife Garden feeder, and Purple Finches have finally started moving through in numbers as well. Thank you - Good Birding! - End transcript
