Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 19 April 2011 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario,W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [email protected], or [email protected]
Despite below normal temperatures and many days with strong cold winds, migrants continue to arrive on time. The extensive wetlands along the Quebec side of the Ottawa River between Angers and Plaisance hosted a good variety of ducks last week, as did the Alfred lagoons, and numbers are sure to increase in the coming days. BLUE-WINGED TEAL was new on the 13th, and at least 15 REDHEAD and 10 RUDDY DUCKS were highlights among the 15 waterfowl species at Alfred. Two COMMON LOONS were on the now completely ice-free water at Shirley's Bay on the 12th, PIED-BILLED GREBES and AMERICAN BITTERNS are back in several breeding locations, and a GREAT EGRET was seen again in the Marais aux Grenouillettes as well as at Deschenes last week. Raptor reports included OSPREY, BALD EAGLE, NORTHERN HARRIER, and the dark morph RED-TAILED HAWK still at Gatineau airport on the 10th. Several ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were hunting in the fields east of Gatineau on the 15th, pairs of AMERICAN KESTRELS were observed mating last week, and a PEREGRINE FALCON was chasing ROCK PIGEONS near Blair Rd. and Hwy 174 on the 14th. The first local sightings of VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, AMERICAN COOT and GREATER YELLOWLEGS also came in since the 13th. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS are now common. Several COMMON RAVEN nests in urban areas already have well-developed young that could fledge soon. NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED and BANK SWALLOWS have begun to show up among the now numerous TREE and BARN SWALLOWS. The first report of WINTER WREN came from the Britannia woods on the 12th, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS continue to move through, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were also reported on the 16th and 17th. BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were still around last week, and an early PINE WARBLER was heard and seen in Bell's Corners on the 12th. CHIPPING, FOX and SWAMP SPARROWS were all new arrivals since the 13th, and good numbers of DARK-EYED JUNCOS are on the move. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS have been singing in the Clyde Ave. woods and at Shirley's Bay, PURPLE FINCHES were noted in in a couple of locations on the 17th, a report of 4 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS came from the Bruce Pit on Cedarview Rd. the same day, and small numbers of COMMON REDPOLLS continue to be in the local landscape. Thank you - Good Birding! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
