Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 09 December 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 9:00 pm, Wednesday December 09, 2009 this is Chris Lewis reporting. The past week was literally the calm before the storm. Several species were on the late to very late side for our area. It will be interesting to see what's still around after strong east winds and blowing snow slammed Ottawa overnight last night and all day today. On the 5th, approx. 2,000 SNOW GEESE were in the ponds and fields at the Embrun sewage lagoons and CACKLING GOOSE reports continued to come in from the 4th to the 7th, mostly from the Ottawa River off Andrew Haydon Park; one was also on the quarry ponds along Giroux Rd. north of Navan. A late AMERICAN WIGEON was on Mud Lake in Britannia on the 4th, and also late were lingering GREEN-WINGED TEAL at Andrew Haydon on the 4th and both a SURF and WHITE-WINGED SCOTER on the river on the 6th. Numerous COMMON MERGANSERS were noted on Dow's Lake on the 7th, and a COMMON LOON was still at Shirley's Bay on the 6th. On the 4th a flock of 53 WILD TURKEYS added some variety to reports from the fields along Milton Rd. where 47 SANDHILL CRANES were also still present. A RUFFED GROUSE, possibly the same one seen in the Britannia Conservation Area several months ago, was found here on the 5th. A couple of lingering GREAT BLUE HERONS included individuals in Carleton Place on the frozen pond by the Pond Motel on the 5th, as well as at Bowesville and High Rds. south of the airport and at Petrie Island on the 7th. On the 6th an immature BALD EAGLE soared over Shirley's Bay and on the 7th an adult was seen at Petrie Island. A NORTHERN HARRIER was on the late side on Giroux Rd. on the 7th, two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS were reported from Milton Rd. on the 4th, an adult male MERLIN spent a good time basking in the sun while he checked out the feeders by Shirley's Bay on the 6th, and on the 5th two extremely late BONAPARTE'S GULLS were still at the Embrun sewage lagoons. An unprecedented local late date for BLUE-HEADED VIREO was December 8th - a single bird was seen feeding on Burning-Bush fruits in Rothwell Heights near the Rothwell / Delong Dr. intersection. A CAROLINA WREN on Lismer Cres. in Kanata on the 3rd is likely the same bird that was discovered in this area back in October. A few reports of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS have started to come in - at least 70 were seen along Donald B. Munro Dr. in Carp on the 6th, and 20 were in Cumberland in the vicinity of Lookout Dr. and Apple Lane on the 7th. Lingering sparrows included at least three SONG SPARROWS at Embrun on the 5th and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at the Shirley's Bay feeders the same day. A few SNOW BUNTINGS were in the Shirley's Bay area on the 6th along with a single RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 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/
