Hi Ontbirders
Yesterday, August 1, 2004 I birded a number of sewage lagoons east
of Ottawa. Overall most lagoons were rather quiet and all the ponds were
generally high with little shorebird habitat. Highlights at Alfred
included 3 broods of Ruddy Duck, both Virginia and Sora Rail with young
and 20 Upland Sandpiper along Peat Moss Road. Shorebird numbers were the
highest of any lagoon, with 1 Semipalmated Plover, 57 Lesser Yellowlegs,
3 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Sanderling, 53 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 4 Least
Sandpiper, 3 Short-billed Dowitcher, 17 Common Snipe and 3 juvenile
Wilson's Phalarope. Most shorebirds were adults molting and no juveniles
were noted except for local breeders.
On my drive over to St. Isidore I counted over 350+ Bobolinks in
various fields and another 15 Upland Sandpiper. At Casselman Sewage
Lagoon there were 55 Ruddy Ducks including two broods, one with 5 downy
young and a second with 3 half grown young. At High Falls Conservation
Area only a few shorebirds were noted and most of the good habitat was
under water due to the high water level along the South Nation.
On my way home did a quick check at the Trail Road Landfill Site and
nearby ponds on Moodie Drive. The landfill site had 100's of Ring-billed
Gulls feeding, some Herring, a few Great Black-backed and one adult
Lesser Black-backed Gull. On the nearby ponds there were 41 Ruddy
Ducks, 22 Sanderling and 4 Short-billed Dowitcher. Along Barnsdale Road
a Yellow-billed Cuckoo was observed. On July 31, 2004, I birded the
Ottawa River between Andrew Hayden Park
and Shirley's Bay. Due to the high water levels there was no shorebird
habitat.
good birding
Bruce
Bruce Di Labio
400 Donald B. Munro Drive
P.O.Box 538
Carp,Ontario,K0A 1L0
(613)839-4395 Home (613)715-2571 Cell
Di Labio Birding Website
http://www3.sympatico.ca/bruce.dilabio/
Directions: Lagoons: If you require directions, please email me
privately.
Trail Road Area: From Ottawa take Hwy. 417 west to Moodie Dr. and follow
Moodie south approx 10 km. to Trail Road. Turn left on Trail Road. The
landfill site is on your left. The landfill site is closed to birders,
but birds can easily be viewed from Trail Road . Find the highest
vantage point and set up your scope. The ponds are along Moodie Drive
just south of Trail Road. These ponds are on private property but can be
viewed from the road.
