- RBA * Ontario * Ottawa/Gatineau * 24 March 2003 * ONOT0303.24
- Birds mentioned Great Blue Heron Canada Goose Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk Golden Eagle Peregrine Falcon Killdeer Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Great Horned Owl Snowy Owl Common Raven Carolina Wren American Robin Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch White-winged Crossbill - Transcript hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club date: 24 March 2003 number: 613-860-9000 press 2 to report: 613-860-9000 press # coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Can. Nat. Capital Reg.), E.Ont., W.Que. compilers : Bev McBride : Colin Bowen [EMAIL PROTECTED] : Chris Lewis transcriber: Michelle Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] internet : Gordon Pringle [EMAIL PROTECTED] OFNC BIRD STATUS LINE MONDAY MARCH 24 AT 9 AM This is Chris Lewis reporting. Spring has sprung and many early migrants have arrived en masse. Since last week, American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles are singing everywhere. Song Sparrows were also singing in many locations last weekend and the first Brown-headed Cowbirds of the season were found at Hilda Rd feeder at Shirley's Bay on March 18. At least 5 Great Blue Herons were on nest at the Leitrim Wetland Heronry at High Rd and Albion Rd on the 23rd. Canada Geese are also starting to return. Several good sized flocks were in farm fields in the Carp area on the 23rd and a movement of Red-tailed Hawks occurred on the same day, with several observed in flight from Huntmar and Richardson Side Rds. Turkey Vultures were first reported on the 18th from Eardley escarpment in Québec. Another was seen on the 19th over the Rockcliffe Airport and on the 23rd, two were migrating together over the Carp Rd. A male Northern Harrier was present at Earl Armstrong Rd north of the international airport on the 23rd as well. Another sign of spring was the arrival of Killdeers two were in flooded fields along Donald B Munro in Carp on 23rd. An unusual species for the season was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the ice below the Deschenes Rapids with thousands of Ring- billed Gulls as well as Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls on the 23rd. Reports from earlier in the week include a Golden Eagle over the escarpment at the Eardley-Masham and Bradley Rds on the 19th, Great Horned Owls in both the Clyde Ave Woods and Britannia Woods on the 21st and 23rd respectively, two Snowy Owls interacting at the corner of Aiken's Rd and Eagleson Rd on the 19th and a pair of Common Ravens at their long time nest site in the quarry at the north end of Clyde since at least the 19th. The wintering Carolina Wren in Orleans continues to be seen sporadically and another Carolina Wren was discovered along the Ottawa River at Burland St east of Andrew Haydon Park east on the 23rd. A weekend in the Montpelier area north of Plaisance on the Québec side produced many White-winged Crossbills in the woods and there has been a notable increase in the number of Purple Finches throughout the Ottawa area over the past 2 weeks. And finally, Ottawa's breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons was observed mating near their downtown nest site at corner of Albert and Lyon on both the 19th and 20th. Welcome spring and good birding. - End transcript Gordon Pringle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>