Hello Ontbirds people, Today (Sept. 5) a juvenile SABINE'S GULL was seen briefly between 12:25 - 12:35 PM, at the large pond on the east side of Moodie Dr. south of the Bells Corners area in Ottawa, south of the Trail Rd. Landfill. This is likely the 1st record in Ottawa in over 2 decades. The bird was very well observed, at close range, by Bernie Ladouceur, Bob Bracken & Chris Lewis on the pond as well as in flight for approx. 10 minutes. It subequently flew, gaining altitude gradually until it was lost from view, heading south. This species is of rare occurrence inland away from the Great Lakes in the interior of North America.
The NNE winds early this morning may have been a contributing factor in this bird's occurrence here today. We would normally give directions to the site, but the gull was likely long gone within minutes after we saw it depart. We did initiate a local Rare Bird Alert after our sighting. This pond is on private property, and viewing may be done from the road. Good birding & apologies for the late posting & lack of specific directions - the three of us were out for 14.5 hours on the annual Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club "Seedathon" today, to raise funds for the club's bird feeders...after a full day out, we drove 325 KM, found 116 species, raised about $1000.00 for the cause, and found some not too bad birds! Chris Lewis, Bob Bracken & Bernie Ladouceur Ottawa [EMAIL PROTECTED]
