Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 17 May 2011 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario,W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis hagen...@primus.ca, or sighti...@ofnc.ca
It was a great week for birding in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, with lots of activity to keep everyone entertained. A single BRANT appeared on the ponds at Andrew Haydon Park last week, CANADA GEESE now have goslings, and the eastern sewage lagoons were again the best places to find a good variety of DUCKS. Many observers reported up to 3 GREAT EGRETS in a wet area on Lester Rd. near the railroad tracks west of Albion Rd. on the 15th and 16th, and 4 were seen on the Ottawa River at Deschenes rapids in the first week of the month. The first local report of GREEN HERON was on the 15th. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS continue to be seen at Deschenes and Britannia, and at other locations away from the river. The resident pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS have finally decided to nest again on the Delta (formerly the Crowne Plaza) Hotel in downtown Ottawa. It's not yet known how many eggs are present; last year all of the eggs were infertile - time will tell what transpires this year. Among local shorebird reports, a WILLET at the Marais aux Grenouillettes on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River was a good find on the 14th, and more sightings of SPOTTED and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS as well as a few GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS came in last week. UPLAND SANDPIPERS were again noted near Constance Bay and a pair was also seen along Franktown Rd. on the 12th; it's nice to see that this locally declining species is evidently still trying to hold its own in so far undeveloped rural areas. A BLACK TERN was spotted at the large quarry pond along Moodie Dr. on the 12th and COMMON TERNS were here, as well as at Andrew Haydon Park and Mud Lake in Britannia on the weekend. Despite (or perhaps because of) the persistent northeast winds and rain showers over the past few days, there was lots of action on the passerine front. The first local report of WILLOW FLYCATCHER was on the 16th. At least 2 YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS were seen on the 13th and RED-EYED VIREOS are back as well. A rare-in-Ottawa BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER discovered along the western edge of the woods in the Britannia Conservation Area on the 13th was still present as of at least the 14th, and several SWAINSON'S THRUSHES and AMERICAN PIPITS also began to appear around our region last week. All 25 of our "expected"species of WARBLERS have now been reported, with GOLDEN-WINGED, TENNESSEE, ORANGE-CROWNED, MAGNOLIA, CAPE MAY, BAY-BREASTED, BLACKPOLL, MOURNING, WILSON'S and CANADA noted as of the 15th. SCARLET TANAGERS began appearing in numbers on the 10th. EASTERN TOWHEES, LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were still moving through on the weekend, INDIGO BUNTINGS have arrived, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS and BALTIMORE ORIOLES are now ubiquitous. Thank you - Good Birding! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
