Ontario
Ottawa/Gatineau
15 October 2008
Birds mentioned:
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
GREAT EGRET
Bald Eagle
Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
American Coot
SANDHILL CRANE
American Golden Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Sanderling
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Northern Shrike
Blue-headed Vireo
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
Eastern Bluebird
Gray-cheeked Thrush
American Pipit
Bohemian Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Field Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Snow Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird
Pine Siskin
Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club
Phone number: 613-860-9000
For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star)
To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one)
Rare bird alerts are now included in the introductory message
Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W.
Quebec
Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED]
At 9:00 am on Wednesday October 15, 2008 this is Chris Lewis reporting.
The recent spell of summer-like weather did not hide some sure signs that
it's now mid-October. Several hundred Lesser Scaup and a few Greater Scaup
arrived on the Ottawa River at Shirley's Bay last week, with small numbers
of Surf, White-winged and Black Scoters in the mix, as well as a few
Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye and both Common and Red-breasted Mergansers. A
male Long-tailed Duck was in the large quarry pond along Moodie Dr. on the
13th along with several Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Ruddy
Ducks. A few Horned and Red-necked Grebes have begun to appear on the river
over the past week, and hardly a day goes by without a Bald Eagle being
reported from somewhere in the Ottawa area. Rough-legged Hawks have been
noted in agricultural areas since the 11th, and a Northern Goshawk was seen
at the Jack Pine Trail on the 11th.
A GREAT EGRET was surprisingly still lurking around south of the
international airport on the 13th - this is the 3rd October record of this
species in Ottawa since 1996. Two American Coots were still on Mud Lake in
Britannia on the 13th, and the annual autumn gathering of SANDHILL CRANES is
well underway - up to 51 have been counted in the fields near Milton Rd. and
Trim Rd. near Navan since the 12th. Shorebird numbers and diversity remain
low, however 5 American Golden Plovers in a pond along Giroux Rd. north of
Navan on the 12th and a Long-billed Dowitcher at the Moodie Dr. pond on the
13th were noteworthy. A few Semipalmated Plovers, Greater and Lesser
Yellowlegs, Sanderlings, Pectoral Sandpipers, Dunlin and Wilson's Snipe were
also seen in various locations. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull continues
to be seen regularly in the vicinity of the Trail Rd. landfill.
The first seasonal reports of Northern Shrike, Bohemian Waxwing and Snow
Bunting came in from the 9th to the 13th. Blue-headed Vireos and Eastern
Bluebirds are still around, a very late PHILADELPHIA VIREO was spotted at
Britannia on the 11th, and a Gray-cheeked Thrush was at the western edge of
the Britannia woods on the 13th. American Pipits are now in their prime
migration time. Warblers found last week among the Yellow-rumpeds included
Orange-crowned, Nashville, Black-throated Blue and Palm, and among good
numbers of White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos,
single Field and Lincoln's Sparrows were noted from the 8th to the 10th.
Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds were congregating and even
singing on the weekend, a few Eastern Meadowlarks were noted in fields east
of Ottawa, and Pine Siskins that were so scarce earlier in the year now
appear to be everywhere.
Thank you - Good Birding!
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