This morning, my friend Jim Nealon located a snowy owl in a field viewed from Earl Armstrong Road, just west of its intersection with Bowesville Road, in south Ottawa. He found the bird around 9:15 a.m. He picked me up and we both saw it again around 9:30. It sat in the field and for a few minutes was tailed by two walking crows. It was there when we left.
We had been searching for the northern hawk-owl seen previously on Bowesville Road. We returned there. Perhaps just before 10 a.m. (?), we relocated it on the east side of Bowesville Road, perhaps 700 yards south of this road's intersection with Leitrim Road. A number of other birders soon saw it as well. The hawk-owl chased a pileated woodpecker briefly, made short flights to different perches, and was mobbed by several crows. It was still there when we left, about a half hour later. Also on Bowesville Road earlier in the a.m.: Around 7:15 a.m., we saw a northern shrike hunting American tree sparrows about 200 yards south of Bowesville Road's intersection with Leitrim Road. A flock of around 20 common redpolls flew over this site as well. Snow buntings seen overhead later as well. Directions: Take River Road south until it turns into Limebank Rd. Left on Leitrim Road along the southern boundary of Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier Int'l Airport, then right onto Bowesville Road. The northern hawk-owl was seen on Bowesville Road perhaps 700 yards south of the Leitrim Road intersection. It was on the left (east) side of the road. For the snowy owl, continue south on Bowesville Road to Earl Armstrong Road. Right onto Earl Armstrong Road. The snowy owl was seen on the left (south) side of this road, perhaps 200 yards west from the intersection with Bowesville Road. It was in a green short-grass field, just after a dirt field. It was on the left side, directly across from a pull-off site on the right side of Earl Armstrong. -- Howard Youth Ottawa _______________________________________________ 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/
