Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 4 April 2013 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club (OFNC) 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 Bob Cermak [email protected] or [email protected] The spring snow melt has resulted in flooded creeks, rivers and fields all over our area. There are thousands of CANADA GEESE and a few CACKLING GEESE on the flood water at locations such as Cobbs Lake Creek east of Bourget, Bear Brook Creek at the Frank Kenny bridge, the Carp river south of Carp and the fields on Milton Road. So far, other than a few NORTHERN PINTAIL, there are very few ducks at those locations. There are thousands of SNOW GEESE on the flooded fields north of Winchester near Morewood and Cayer Roads. On April 1st at that location there were 12,000 SNOW GEESE, mostly greater, about 5% blue morph with CANADA GOOSE (1000's) including CACKLING GOOSE (4). On the Ottawa River at Petrie Island (mostly along the Quebec shore) on March 31st there were HOODED and COMMON MERGANSER, BUFFLEHEAD, BLACK DUCK, MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL, RING-NECKED DUCK, PIED-BILLED GREBE (2), AMERICAN WIGEON (3), GREEN-WINGED TEAL, WOOD DUCK, COMMON GOLDENEYE and a GREAT BLUE HERON. A TUFTED TITMOUSE was seen near the foot bridge at the west end of Ch Vanier on the 31st but has not been subsequently found. SANDHILL CRANE (2) have been seen on the west side of Milton Rd (south west of Perrault Rd) since the 31st and a group of 8 were seen west of 4000 Milton Rd on the 31st. TURKEY VULTURE, ROUGH-LEGGED and RED-TAILED HAWK, NORTHERN HARRIER and a few MERLIN and AMERICAN KESTREL have been seen all over our area. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was seen near the Nortel buildings on Carling Ave and NORTHERN GOSHAWK (imm.) was seen near Dunrobin on the 28th and from Carling Ave and March Rd on the 30th. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (3) were seen from the Ottawa River Lemieux Island on the 31st. This is not the earliest sighting of this species but it seems they are arriving earlier every year since they first breed in our area in 2006. Correction; the FIELD SPARROW (2) reported on the 23rd should have been reported as TREE SPARROWS (2). Interesting sighting were; - HOARY and COMMON REDPOLL continue at the Hilda Rd feeders near Shirleys Bay - GREAT BLUE HERON, SONG SPARROW, AMERICAN ROBIN, COMMON GRACKLE, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD and KILLDEER are being seen all over our area - AMERICAN WOODCOCK have been seen or heard at a number of locations - a small number of LESSER and GREATER SCAUP were seen below the Deschenes Rapids on the 28th - An early SWAMP SPARROW was seen at the Bill Mason Conservation area on the 29th - GRAY PARTRIDGE (5+) were seen on O'Toole Rd between Regimbald Rd and French Hill Rd on the 29th - LESSER BLACK-BLACKED (3), ICELAND (1) and GLAUCOUS (2) GULLS were seen with many HERRING and RING-BILLED GULLS at the Trail Rd dump on the 31st -BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER continue to be seen in the Stony Swamp Conservation area and a pair was seen at the Rockcliffe Park "Pine Hill" on the 31st - BALD EAGLE continue to be seen all over our area - GOLDEN EAGLE were reported over Cobbs Lake (juv.) and from Eady Rd near Russell on the 31st - WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL (1m 1f) were seen at the feeders on Indian Creek Rd on the west edge of Larose Forest on the 1st - CAROLINA WREN continue to be seen (2) in the woods on the west side of the Britannia Conservation Area, on Manotick Island and in an Orleans back yard near the Ottawa River on the 1st - RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER (1) was seen in a Summit Ave back yard in Alta Vista today Thanks to everyone who contributed bird observations - 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/
