Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club Ottawa/Gatineau (National Capital Region) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Greg Zbitnew at k_zbitn...@bell.net or sighti...@ofnc.ca Recent sightings to June 25, 2015 The persistence of rare birds keep preventing the summer doldrums from arriving in Ottawa. The LITTLE EGRET re-appeared at the mouth of the Stillwater creek at the west end of Andrew Haydon Park on the morning of the 24th. It moved to the mouth of Pinecrest creek east of Britannia Point in the afternoon before flying off, and returned to the same spot on the afternoon of the 25th. This wandering rarity continues to enthrall those who are able to see it, and frustrate those who are not able to keep up with its erratic movement. The good news is that it is flying and feeding and probably will still be in the area for a while. The bad news is that it is not following any predictable pattern of behaviour, and the amount of suitable habitat for it is enormous. An AMERICAN AVOCET appeared at the mouth of Pinecrest Creek on the 21st and surprisingly was still present on the 25th. This is only the 3rd regional sighting of this bird. The bird was quite visible from Britannia Point. Unfortunately there have been a number of reports of people wading into the marsh at the end of Pinecrest creek, sometimes flushing the bird. All birders are reminded of the ABA birding code of ethics, and should minimize disturbance of birds and their habitat. These sightings certainly prove that birders can never let their guard down; rarities can arrive no matter the season or the weather. However, aside from these rarities, there has been little else of note. Mostly the birding focus has been on chasing down the less common breeding species. The COMMON GOLDENEYE were last seen at Remic Rapids on the 18thand on the 21st off Britannia Point A RING-NECKED DUCK at Constance Creek and a REDHEAD AT McLaurin Bay were the only other waterfowl of note. McLaurin Bay also had LEAST BITTERN, which were also observed in the Stoney Swamp area. CASPIAN TERNS have been seen from Quyon in the west to Britannia in the east, but could be seen anywhere along the Ottawa River. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD appeared in a backyard in Pakenham on the 20th, and PINE SISKIN were at a feeder in Russell on the 18th and at Lac Leamy on the 25th. The OFNC's Birds Committee no longer reports owl sightings on the Internet. We will continue to encourage the reporting of owls to sighti...@ofnc.ca for the purpose of maintaining local records. Thanks to everyone who contributed bird observations. 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 including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
