- RBA * Ontario * Ottawa/Gatineau * 24 October 2004 * ONOT0410.24
- Birds mentioned Red-throated Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Snow Goose Brant Canada Goose Redhead Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Long-tailed Duck Black Scoter Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Common Goldeneye Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Northern Bobwhite Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover HUDSONIAN GODWIT White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin RED PHALAROPE Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Northern Shrike Fox Sparrow Snow Bunting Pine Siskin - Transcript hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club date: 24 October 2004 number: 613-860-9000 for the status line : press 2 for rare bird alerts: press 1 to report a sighting: press # coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Can. Nat. Capital Reg.), E.Ont., W.Que. compiler : Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] transcriber: Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] internet : Gordon Pringle [EMAIL PROTECTED] OFNC BIRD STATUS LINE - OCT 24 2004 AT 6:00 PM This is Chris Lewis reporting. A couple of local rarities, increasing numbers and diversity of waterfowl, and an influx of shorebirds were the highlights this past week. An immature BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was at Constance Bay on the 19th and a RED PHALAROPE was at the Aylmer marina in Quebec on the 22nd. Unfortunately, neither of these birds were subsequently reported. The Ottawa River is the place to be these days. Reports from the east end of Andrew Haydon Park (aka "Ottawa Beach") through to Shirley's Bay included 5 Red-throated Loons on the 20th...3 were at Shirley's Bay on the 21st but there are no more recent reports. 5 Red-necked Grebes and 2 Horned Grebes were on the river on the 23rd. 24 species of waterfowl have been reported since the 18th, including approx. 100 (mostly Greater) Snow Geese that have been present all week in the large pond on the east side of Moodie Dr. south of the Trail Rd. Landfill among the multiple 1000 Canada Geese. Sightings on the Ottawa River, again from Ottawa Beach to Shirley's Bay, included 125 Black Scoters on the 20th and approx. 100 White-winged Scoters (90% males) on the 22nd. A few Surf and White-winged Scoters were off Ottawa Beach on the 23rd & 24th. At the Moodie Dr. pond on the 24th, there were several Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup, 5 White-winged Scoters, several 100 Hooded Mergansers, and approx. 20 Ruddy Ducks. Greater & Lesser Scaup and Common Goldeneye numbers are increasing, and Long-tailed Ducks and Bufflehead are beginning to arrive. In odds & ends, a Redhead was among the ducks at Constance Bay on the 19th, A single Brant is feeding on the lawn at Andrew Haydon Park since the 23rd, and a Sandhill Crane flew over Orleans on the 24th. Also since the 18th, 11 species of shorebirds were seen, including 1 very late Semipalmated Plover at the Aylmer marina on the 23rd, 30 Black-bellied Plovers and 1 American Golden Plover at Constance Bay on the 20th, a total of 74 Dunlin and 13 White-rumped Sandpipers on the 22nd from the east end to the west end of Andrew Haydon Park, and a HUDSONIAN GODWIT flying low over Andrew Haydon on the evening of the 21st. A few shorebirds were still present at Andrew Haydon on the 24th. In gull reports, a 1st-winter Thayer's Gull, a 1st-winter Glaucous Gull and 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were at Shirley's Bay on the 22nd, and a 1st-winter Iceland Gull was at Andrew Haydon on the 23rd. A juvenile Bald Eagle continues to haunt the river near Andrew Haydon Park and single adults were noted at Constance Bay on the 20th and at the Moodie Dr. pond on the 24th. Songbird migration is rapidly coming to a close, with northern birds starting to move in. A Northern Shrike was at Britannia on the 23rd, a few Fox Sparrows continue to be reported, single Snow Buntings were noted along the river, and 13 Pine Siskins flew over Andrew Haydon Park on the 24th. Finally, a female Northern Bobwhite, an unbanded but no doubt escaped bird, was in a backyard on Acadian Gardens in Orleans on the 23rd. Thank you - Good birding! - End transcript
