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]
February 4, 2016 2 TRUMPETER SWANS were in Carleton Place on the Mississippi River on the 3rd, and were the only new bird for the week, likely induced to move by the mild weather. Among the existing birds, the first recent sighting of the SUMMER TANAGER in New Edinburgh was on the 31st, the TUFTED TITMOUSE was still present in Breckenridge on the 2nd, and the HARLEQUIN DUCK was still at Bate Island as of the 2nd. Weather this week was quite mild, and some major thaws decimated the snow pack and caused some expansion of the open water on the rivers. It is still too early for this weather to result in any significant movement of land birds, but some waterbirds that winter near Lake Ontario are “impatient” and sometimes move a bit north during mild spells, to return there when the rivers re-freeze. On the rivers, the female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, rare in February, was still near the train bridge over the Rideau River near Carleton University as of the 2nd. 3 BUFFLEHEAD in Remic Rapids on the 2nd. Raptors put in a decent performance this week. GOLDEN EAGLE was on chemin Eardley Masham on the 1st, while 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWK and an AMERICAN KESTREL were in Larose Forest on the 31st. A BELTED KINGFISHER was present on the 30th on Chemin de la Baie Sainte-Anne, west of Wakefield. The CAROLINA WREN in Gatineau (Limbour) was last seen on the 1st, and the one in Brantwood Park was singing on the 4th. Meanwhile, the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD has made infrequent appearances east of Britannia near the parkway and a BROWN THRASHER was in Gatineau on the 31st. A RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD in Richmond on the 2nd and 8 COMMON GRACKLE in Russell on the 4th were the only appearances of this bird family this week. For those looking for FINCHES, the supply in Larose Forest this weekend was quite poor, with only a single PINE SISKIN among the common species on the 31st, but a single EVENING GROSBEAK was there on the 2nd, and on the 4th, a single HOARY REDPOLL was there with small numbers of COMMON REDPOLL. 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
