After putting on a good show last weekend east of Bourget at Cobbs Lake Creek, the birds were virtually absent yesterday and today. With almost no water on the Riceville floodplain that meant the next likely location was north on the Ottawa River. A large flock was seen on the river from Wendover, largely on the Quebec side. Wendover is east of Rockland off Hwy 17 via Cty Rd 55. The river is open but with shore ice.
Another 1,000+ were in fields east of Hwy 138 at Hwy 417. One of the reasons birds are not hanging around other areas is ponds and lagoons are still iced over. Once they melt, the birds can use these as resting areas when not feeding. Conditions there could look better at mid-month. Also, once the sod on the sod farm on Lafleche Rd east of Casselman starts greening up in a couple of weeks, that may be a feeding attraction for some. Brian Morin -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
