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]
Chris Lewis "pinch-hitting" for Bob Cermak: A week of warm dry weather provided very pleasant birding conditions. Sewage lagoons and quarry ponds continued to be interesting for waterfowl diversity. A ROSS'S GOOSE was among several 1,000 SNOW GEESE at the Alfred lagoons on the 4th and 5th, and 2 ROSS'S were at the Winchester lagoons on the 5th along with a putative LESSER SNOW x ROSS'S HYBRID and a CACKLING GOOSE. Another CACKLING GOOSE was spotted on the Ottawa River below Deschenes rapids on the 7th. The EURASIAN WIGEON first reported back on April 30th was still present south of Hwy 148 at the Riviere Blanche bridge in Lochaber, Quebec on the 7th. A few HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBEs were again noted on the Ottawa River at Shirley's Bay. The only regular heron / bittern species yet to be reported is LEAST BITTERN. Scanning the Ring-billed Gull colony in Deschenes rapids should yield one or more GREAT EGRETS,though viewing is becoming more challenging now with trees leafing out rapidly. The first local report of SOLITARY SANDPIPER was on the 6th. Both species of YELLOWLEGS were at the Winchester lagoons on the 5th along with at least 30 LEAST SANDPIPERs and a WILSON'S PHALAROPE. COMMON TERNs have been seen daily at Mud Lake in Britannia. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was new on the 8th, LEAST FLYCATCHERs were found on the 6th, a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO moved through the Britannia Conservation Area on the 4th, BLUE-HEADED and WARBLING VIREO were reported in several locations. Another CAROLINA WREN report came from Old Ottawa South on the 2nd, and HOUSE WRENs are back in numbers. There were two separate observations of BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER on the 7th - one at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden and another in Pakenham. The Fletcher also hosted a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on the 4th and another was at Britannia the previous day. GRAY CATBIRD was among our expected arrivals on the 5th. As of the 7th, 16 species of WARBLERs have been found locally. The most unusual was a BLUE-WINGED WARBLER in the Jack Pine Trail parking lot on Moodie Dr. on the 5th. An early BLACKPOLL WARBLER was singing at Andrew Haydon Park the same day. OVENBIRD, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN PARULA, BLACKBURNIAN, CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACK-THROATED BLUE and BLACK-THROATED GREEN are all back right on schedule. An EASTERN TOWHEE was foraging at Shirley's Bay on the 6th, and a remarkable number of FIELD SPARROWs were noted by many observers. BALTIMORE ORIOLEs have returned, an inestimable number of RUSTY BLACKBIRDs were still very vocal at Watt's Creek along Shirley Blvd. on the 5th. PURPLE FINCH reports continue to come in, PINE SISKINs were first reported in the region on the 5th, and quite a few EVENING GROSBEAKs were still Pakenham on the 6th. Thank you to everyone who contributed bird observations! _______________________________________________ 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/
