Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 20 July 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
Water levels on the Ottawa River have decreased significantly during the past couple of weeks, exposing more shoreline for migrant shorebirds whenever they do decide to stop by. So far this month, the most interesting species reported from the river have been GREAT EGRET (on the 17th up to 5 were seen at the east end of Andrew Haydon Park; 3 were seen near the mouth of Pinecrest Creek ) and CASPIAN TERN - 1 was seen near Bate Island on the 14th. Shorebird habitat is currently marginal at the Embrun, Casselman and St. Albert sewage lagoons - species reported from the 14th to the 18th included SOLITARY SANDPIPER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and LEAST SANDPIPER. The adult EARED GREBE remains faithful to the Embrun lagoons as of the 18th, but the WHITE-FACED IBIS has not been reported from the Carp River floodplain (or anywhere else) since the afternoon of the 13th. GREEN HERON, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, SORA and COMMON MOORHEN were found in several locations over the past week. The latest news on the downtown pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS is that the 2 eggs laid back in May did not hatch - this is the 2nd infertile season for this pair. However, the pair of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS in Constance Bay fledged another brood - this is their 10th consecutive year of success in this location. Signs of passerine post-breeding movement have begun - TENNESSEE WARBLER and NORTHERN PARULA were noted since the 9th, and on the 19th an immature DARK-EYED JUNCO was seen in the Britannia Conservation Area...a taste of things to come! 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/