Hello Ontbirders
With friends Heather Pickard, Susan Goods and Rick Collins, I just
completed this year's Innes Point Ballie Birdathon. Hampered by
winds, cool temperatures and intermittent rain, we still managed 145
species including some entertaining highlights.
We started at 5:00 pm on Sunday afternoon going until dusk in
Ottawa's west end. The highlight was a distant immature Glaucous Gull
(first/second cycle) at the Moodie Drive Quarry Pond.
We then had a rest, returning to the field for 3:30 am Monday morning
as hundreds of Swainson's Thrushes were heard calling over Ottawa's
night sky. In the Munster area, we picked up several nocturnal
species including Saw-whet Owl and Whip-poor-will.
Dawn in Larose Forest was unexpectedly quiet. A few nice surprises
were Evening Grosbeak and a flock of 25 silent Red Crossbills feeding
in the top of a spruce. Their bills appeared relatively slender.
Although songbirds were eerily silent, we managed to pick up 18
species of warbler including: 3 Cape May, 3 Blackpoll and one
Tennessee. One Red-shouldered Hawk was heard calling just west of the
forest.
We arrived at the Alfred Lagoons after a heavy downpour. This turned
out to be our most productive spot with good numbers of waterfowl,
and hundreds of shorebirds, most advanced into near-full breeding
plumage. The highlights were a juvenile Mute Swan (still rare away
from St. Lawrence River), and an American Golden Plover (rare in
spring) accompanying 11 Black-bellies in the plowed field beside the
lagoons. Other shorebirds included Short-billed Dowitcher, Dunlin,
Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope.
We worked hard for the remainder of the day fitting in things like
Lincoln's Sparrow at Alfred Bog, Yellow Palm Warbler at Mer Bleue and
Grasshopper Sparrow behind the International Airport.
We ended 5:00 pm Monday at Britannia just as the sun was coming out.
Directions to specific locations mentioned above can be found at
Neily World: http://ca.geocities.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/birding.htm
Thanks to all who pledged in support of Innes Point.
Cheerio
Tony Beck
http://www.tonybeck.ca
Always An Adventure
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