Ontario Ottawa/Gatineau 11 August 2008 Birds mentioned:
American Wigeon Ring-necked Duck Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe HORNED GREBE GREAT EGRET Black-crowned Night-Heron YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON Osprey Bald Eagle Merlin Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs RED-NECKED PHALAROPE Bonaparte's Gull BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE CASPIAN TERN Common Tern Olive-sided Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER Swainson's Thrush Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warber Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Rose-breasted Grosbeak Baltimore Oriole 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] At 8:00 AM, Monday August 11, 2008 this is Chris Lewis reporting. What a difference a week makes! The late July doldrums were replaced by early August excitement when a number of rare birds were discovered on both the Quebec and Ontario sides of the Ottawa Riiver. The unequivocal stars have been juvenile BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES. After 2 were first reported on August 5th at the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. south of Trail Rd., several more sightings have come in. At least 3 were confirmed at this pond on the 8th, another was reported from the Deschenes rapids on the 5th and yet another was seen at the St. Albert lagoons on the 9th. On the 10th one remained at the Moodie Dr. pond. This is phenomenal not only because it is the first August record for this species in our area, but also because the continuing presence of the Moodie Dr. birds for at least 6 consecutive days is highly unusual. >From Deschenes, Quebec - an adult YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was not re-found >after it was reported on the 5th, however a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER discovered >along a trail off the west end of Lamoureux St. on the 6th was seen again on >the 9th. Also noteworthy at this location since the 5th were at least 2 adult >and 1 juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron, an Osprey, 2 Merlins, as well as >several songbird species including an Olive-sided Flycatcher. The Moodie Dr. pond continues to be a magnet for a good variety of birds. Aside from the kittiwakes, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck and other common waterfowl have been noted, as well as many Pied-billed Grebes and a few shorebirds including Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Several Bonaparte's Gulls and Common Terns have been regular customers, both an immature Bald Eagle and a CASPIAN TERN were still present as of the 6th, and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was seen on the 4th but has not been reported since then. Once again recent reports from local sewage lagoons indicate that water levels are still very high overall, with little or no shorebird habitat. Speaking of lagoons and unusual lingering birds, the HORNED GREBE at the Embrun lagoons was still present as of the 10th. An un-banded GREAT EGRET discovered at the ponds along Eagleson Rd. north of Hope Side Rd. on July 29th was seen again on August 5th, and additional reports of immature Black-crowned Night-Herons came from the Britannia Conservation Area on the 5th and from the Moodie Dr. pond on the 10th. Passerine post-breeding dispersal and migration has begun. Sightings from Deschenes and Britannia over the past week included Blue-headed Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Baltimore Oriole as well as 14 species of warblers: Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Pine, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's and Canada. 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 instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
