Ontario Ottawa/Gatineau 21 July 2008 Birds mentioned:
Gray Partridge Wild Turkey Least Bittern Osprey Bald Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Virginia Rail Sora Solitary Sandpiper CASPIAN TERN YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO Black-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Red-headed Woodpecker Sedge Wren Northern Parula Palm Warbler Canada Warbler Red Crossbill WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL Pine Siskin Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Rare bird alerts are now included in the introductory message Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region), E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] At 6:00 pm on Monday July 21, 2008 this is Chris Lewis reporting. During the past two weeks, one of the most visited destinations has been the east side of Gatineau Park along Meech Creek. A pair of locally rare YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS discovered on June 29th near the bridge approx. 1 km past the gate at the end of Cowden Rd. was seen again on July 15th and possibly heard again on the 19th. Black-billed Cuckoos also breed in this area and both species are notorious for mimicing each other's calls. Other birds in this very interesting habitat included Solitary Sandpiper, Sedge Wren, Northern Parula, Canada Warbler, a Red-Crossbill and up to 50 White-winged Crossbills flew over on the 20th and approx. 15 Pine Siskins were seen here the same day. Pine Siskins, which have been been virtually unreported this season were also noted in Rothwell Heights on the 19th and in Constance Bay on the 20th along with 32 White-winged Crossbills and a Common Nighthawk. A Gray Partridge hen with 16 newly-hatched young were seen crossing Donald B. Munro Rd. near Carp on the 16th, and Wild Turkeys with young were noted along Moodie Dr. near the Trail Rd. landfill as well as in a suburban area near Pleasant Park Rd. and St. Laurent Blvd. A couple of Least Bitterns was heard in the marshes along the Ottawa River near Wendover on the 15th. The Ospreys at Constance Creek have young in the nest, and both offspring of our downtown Peregine Falcons are now apparently flying very well. A Peregrine was also circling over Constance Creek on the 20th and Merlins have been seen and heard several times in the Westboro neighbourhood and likely nested here again. An immature Bald Eagle was still lurking around at the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. on the 20th, as was a CASPIAN TERN that has now been here since the 31st of May. Bald Eagles were also spotted along the Ottawa River and over downtown on the 15th and 20th. Virginia and Sora Rails reproduced well in the marsh at the Bill Mason Centre in Dunrobin. One of the adult Red-headed Woodpeckers in the Constance Bay old burn site was noted on the 19th, and both adult and juvenile Palm Warblers were seen from the Mer Bleue boardwalk on the 8th and 10th. Thank you - Good Birding! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
