Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 14 July 2009 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 hagen...@primus.ca
At 11:30 am, Tuesday July 14, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting. Over the past 2 weeks there were several highlights including the beginnings of some southbound shorebird migration. Several LESSER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPERS and a few SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS were observed at the Embrun and St. Albert sewage lagoons from the 8th to the 12th. More unusual for this time of year in our region was a moulting adult SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER found at St. Albert on the 9th and still present on the 12th. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER was seen in the marshes along the Jack Pine Trail on the 8th, and a couple of GREATER YELLOWLEGS were on the early side at a pond on March Valley Rd. on the 4th and at the Embrun lagoons on the 12th, as was a PECTORAL SANDPIPER at the Alfred lagoons on the 14th. On the 12th the Almonte lagoons hosted numerous KILLDEER and a single LESSER YELLOWLEGS and LEAST SANDPIPER. On the evening of the 9th, at least 3 UPLAND SANDPIPERS were seen along the Galetta Rd. near Fitzroy Harbour. In other reports, out-of-season waterfowl included a single SNOW GOOSE at the Alfred lagoons on the 14th and a BRANT feeding on the lawn at Andrew Haydon Park as of at least the 13th. A COMMON LOON was in a quarry pond on Giroux Rd. east of Frank Kenny Rd. on the 8th, a LEAST BITTERN was a fortunate find in the Constance Creek marsh near the bridge along the Thomas Dolan Parkway on the 6th and again on the 12th, and several reports of GREEN HERONS, VIRGINIA RAILS and COMMON MOORHENS with young came in from a wide variety of locations. Two SANDHILL CRANES flew over the Mer Blue bog boardwalk on the 11th, and six adults were seen in different locations east of Ottawa 2 weeks ago. OSPREYS at several local nests have young. RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, AMERICAN KESTRELS and MERLINS (all of which breed in the Ottawa-Gatineau area) were also widely reported. Two CASPIAN TERNS were catching some good-sized fish in the Ottawa River between the Fitzroy and Quyon ferry docks on the morning of the 9th, and two COMMON TERNS were also fishing in the ponds at Andrew Haydon Park on the 13th. No news in the songbird department, but many local breeding species were noted during various ventures into our local landscapes. 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 information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
