- RBA * Ontario * Ottawa/Gatineau * 06 April 2008 * ONOT0804.06
- Birds mentioned Snow Goose Canada Goose Northern Pintail Ring-necked Duck BARROW'S GOLDENEYE GRAY PARTRIDGE Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk American Kestrel Merlin SANDHILL CRANE Killdeer American Woodcock Iceland Gull Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Eastern Phoebe Horned Lark Tree Swallow Tufted Titmouse Carolina Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE Hermit Thrush American Robin Bohemian Waxwing Song Sparrow LAPLAND LONGSPUR Snow Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Pine Grosbeak Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll Pine Siskin Evening Grosbeak - Transcript hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club date: 06 April 2008 Number: 613-860-9000 For the status line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings, PRESS 1 (one) Rare bird alerts are now included in the introductory message coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Can. Nat. Capital Reg.), E.Ont., W.Que. compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] internet: Gordon Pringle [EMAIL PROTECTED] THE OFNC BIRD STATUS LINE @ 7:00 pm, MONDAY APRIL 7, 2008. This is Chris Lewis reporting. Despite below normal temperatures during most of the past week, the birds want to come back and are arriving pretty much on time. Several recent excursions to the agricultural fields near Navan and Bourget east of Ottawa revealed that there is still a lot of snow, no flooding, and very few waterfowl other than Canada Geese and a few Northern Pintails, but with the warmer forecast, things could happen very quickly. Greater Snow Geese are building up along the St. Lawrence River in the Long Sault and Cornwall areas with approx. 4,000 seen here on April 6th and they may soon head our way. Reports from all over the Ottawa-Gatineau area since the 29th included all the common expected migrants, some in large numbers on the 6th, as if a gate had suddenly been opened to finally allow them in! Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Killdeer, Eastern Phoebes, Horned Larks, Tree Swallows, American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlarks, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds are all back in force. The first Ring-necked Ducks and Golden-crowned Kinglets of the season were spotted along the Rideau River this week. Three Red-shouldered Hawks were noted in both rural and urban locations, Merlins have been noted performing courtship displays in at least 3 urban areas over the past week, and a SANDHILL CRANE flew over downtown Ottawa heading southeast on the 4th. American Woodcocks were seen and heard south of Munster Hamlet on the 2nd and 5th along with a Northern Saw-whet Owl, and a Short-eared Owl was seen near Carlsbad Springs on the 6th. A good-sized flock of Horned Larks and Snow Buntings along Rushmore Rd. on the 6th contained 3 LAPLAND LONGSPURS - the first reported this year. A pair of very wary GRAY PARTRIDGE was also seen nearby. A Carolina Wren was discovered near the Britannia filtration plant on the 5th, and another was in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood on the 4th along with a small number of Pine Siskins. Bohemian Waxwings continued to move through during the week in flocks of up to 150 birds and small numbers of Pine and Evening Grosbeaks are still around here & there. Winter "leftovers" included the male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE on the Rideau River near the Hurdman bridge on the 2nd, a 1st-winter Iceland Gull at the Trail Rd. landfill on the 6th, the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE in Parkwood Hills on the 3rd, the Tufted Titmouse in Forest Park (Embrun) on the 5th, and one of our successfully over-wintering Hermit Thrushes was still at the Hurdman feeders on the 3rd along with a Hoary Redpoll among approx. 30 Common Redpolls. The ONLY redpoll at the feeders by Shirley's Bay back on March 30th was a Hoary as well. Thank you - Good Birding! - End transcript _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
