Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Gregory Zbitnew at [email protected]
September 28, 2017 It was the best birding week in Ottawa for some time. The highlight was a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, found in Britannia the morning of 24th, then refound that evening and again the next day, leaving dozens of birders well chuffed. Reminiscent of the situation in 2015, the adult PARASITIC JAEGER has been long-staying, and was still present as of the 28th, spending its time between Andrew Haydon Park and Britannia pier. A LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was quite cooperative in a storm outlet on Strandherd Road on the 23-24th. Extremely warm summer-like weather continued until the 27th, with the hottest day of the year on the 25th. While it may have been a factor in the appearance of the rarity noted above, generally it has only kept the next wave of birds from arriving from the north, and has maintained the supply of biting insects well beyond the norm. The winds finally shifted on the 28th, but there are too few sightings yet to determine how much change there has been. 16 species of DUCKS were seen this week, but no significant concentrations have been noted yet. A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was at the Moodie Drive ponds on the 23rd, and there have been a few sightings of CACKLING GEESE among the CANADA GEESE, now in numbers up to several thousand. SHOREBIRDS continue to be in poor supply. LESSER YELLOWLEGS is by far the most common one around now. Desperate for a place to land, they are showing up in obscure small habitats like on Strandherd Road. Other places like the Carp River and Embrun still have a few birds but only common stuff. The Ottawa River shore is not yet exposed enough to be useful. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER has had a few sightings, 2 being at the Moodie Drive Ponds and the Giroux Road ponds. 3 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS were on Steele Line on the 24th, and a movement of RAPTORS was noted on the 28th at Petrie Island, with 40 TURKEY VULTURES and 4 BALD EAGLES. A late RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was on the Trans Canada Trail near Abbot St. on the 22nd. 1 BARN SWALLOW was at Andrew Haydon Park on the 23rd, and 3 TREE SWALLOWS were at Dick Bell park on the 24th : these may well be the last of the season. EASTERN PHOEBES are still around in numbers, and EASTERN WOOD-PEWEES have had a few scattered reports, but it seems that the other FLYCATCHERS are gone. 22 species of WARBLER were sighted this week, and 3 of the summer regulars have probably left. Still, 5-10 WARBLERS per trip are being seen, with ORANGE-CROWNED being seen regularly but still infrequently. Sightings of the formerly common YELLOW WARBLER and OVENBIRD are now rare in their nesting grounds. Another sure sign of fall is the annual flocking, as some species leave their nesting grounds and start to form huge flocks. 1500 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were in Russell on the 25th, along with 2000 EUROPEAN STARLINGS. Quite a number of PASSERINES have their populations on the seasonal rise, some of the most noticeable being both species of KINGLETS, WHITE-THROATED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and AMERICAN PIPIT. An INDIGO BUNTING in Carp on the 27th is getting late, and there are still a few late sightings of BOBOLINK, which seem to be lingering a bit later this year. Of the 12 species of SPARROW seen this week, a few were scarce sightings: 1. A FOX SPARROW in Kanata on the 27th (early) 2. 3 EASTERN TOWHEE on the Ottawa Carleton trailway on the 24th (late) 3. CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW at Hornet’s Nest trail (late). 4. NELSON’S SPARROW: small numbers are being see regularly at the mouth of Constance Creek. Finally, 6 EVENING GROSBEAKS were in Gatineau on rue Caron on the 22nd, and there have been a couple of sightings of PINE SISKIN. 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. We encourage everyone to report their bird sightings on eBird for the benefit of the entire birding community. Good birding. *Reminder regarding access to the Shirley’s Bay Causeway:* DND has amended our access procedure. You must call Range Control (613-991-5740) for permission, state that you are an OFNC member and give your name. DND will be provided with the OFNC's membership list and they will check, so you need to keep your membership up to date. Finally, you must call again when you have left the area. DND would also like to be informed if you see anyone on the property who should not be there, such as boats in the bay or people fishing on the causeway. They are trespassing and DND will deal with the situation. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) - 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 Visit the OFO Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists
