Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club
Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Greg Zbitnew at [email protected] or [email protected] Recent sightings to September 10, 2015 2 birds spiced up the week, both on the 8th. A CASSIN’S KINGBIRD (very rare, report to be sent to the OBRC) was seen on Golden Line Road in Lanark, but was not seen again. A BLUE-WINGED WARBLER, possibly not previously recorded in the fall, was seen at Britannia. It was seen again on the 10th in the same area. Summer-like weather continued the entire week, with little precipitation and mostly southerly winds. As a result, generally speaking, migration was steady but with no major fallouts. A brief period of winds from the northwest the morning of the 10th may have contributed to a higher variety of birds that day. On the 10th there were 8 RED-NECKED GREBE and a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at Shirley's bay, but otherwise waterbirds were not notable, which is no surprise for this time of year. SHOREBIRD variety and numbers picked up a bit this week. Shirley’s bay remains the best spot in the area. Notable there were 2 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS showed up after a rainstorm on the 6th, and 4 were there on the 10th. STILT SANDPIPER was here for most of the week, while a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER was only seen once. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, the first of the year, was first heard flying over Grenfell Glen on the 6th, and one was seen at Andrew Haydon Park on the 7th. A RUDDY TURNSTONE at Deschênes on the 8th was also noteworthy. 17 species of SHOREBIRDS were seen regionally this week. Here are some recent sightings: Shirley’s bay: 80 birds of 11 species on the 8th.Petrie Island: 33 birds of 6 species on the 7th. Moodie Drive ponds: 14 birds of 6 species on the 5th.Ottawa Beach: 13 birds of 5 species on the 7th.Almonte: 6 common species on the 4th. Embrun: 1 bird of 1 species on the 7th. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL continues to be reported from the Moodie Drive ponds as well as from Deschênes. There have been 3 sightings of BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, the latest on the 8th from Orleans, which is getting a bit late. FLYCATCHER numbers are dropping. The latest sighting of an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was at Britannia on the 5th, while there were a few sightings of YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, the latest on the 9th from the Merivale Gardens area. CAROLINA WREN is still regular in the Grenfell Glen area. THRUSHES are on the move. The evening of the 9th had 21 SWAINSON’S and 1 GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH fly over Constance Bay. We can expect more of the same in the next few weeks, with the right weather conditions. Despite the mostly unfavourable winds, songbird variety remained fairly good all week. The 10th was particularly good at Britannia, with all 5 regular vireos, including YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. 10-15 species of WARBLER can still be seen on a trip to the better areas, particular migrant traps. This week 24 of the 25 regular warblers were seen, including the first-of-the-fall ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (among 14 species) near Tunney’s Pasture. SPARROWS are also on the move. There have been a number of sightings of LINCOLN’S SPARROW, while a few late sightings may be the last of the season: CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW near the Ottawa Airport on the 5th and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW at Burnt Lands Provincial Park on the 8th. Finally, 3 EVENING GROSBEAK at Pakenham on the 8th may be a sign of fall. The OFNC's Birds Committee no longer reports owl sightings on the Internet. We will continue to encourage the reporting of owls to [email protected] for the purpose of maintaining local records. 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
