Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 07 June 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
Breeding bird season is now in full swing, however a few stragglers were still around on the weekend including 32 BRANT and a very late BUFFLEHEAD on the Ottawa River at Constance Bay on the 5th. Numbers of shorebirds at the Embrun and Russell sewage lagoons have, as expected, dropped dramatically as the birds head up to their breeding grounds - 9 species were reported on the1st including 1 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, approx. 30 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 2 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 5 DUNLIN and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. It's been a good season for UPLAND SANDPIPER reports - sightings on the 4th came from Dunrobin Rd. and Fifth Line Rd. near Dunrobin. A LEAST BITTERN was found near the bridge over Constance Creek along Thomas Dolan Parkway near Dunrobin on the 4th, and 2 GREAT EGRETS were seen flying over the Deschenes rapids by the RING-BILLED GULL colony on the Ottawa River on the 2nd. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen in several locations. An immature BALD EAGLE continues to haunt the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. south of Trail Rd. as of the 5th, and about a dozen COMMON TERNS and 1 BLACK TERN were here the same day. Five COMMON TERNS also flew up the river at Constance Bay on the 5th. Many reports of BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS came in on the 5th and 6th, the first local reports of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS came in last week, and CHIMNEY SWIFTS are being seen regularly in many locations. Breeding flycatchers were very accomodating in recent days including OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE, ALDER and WILLOW FLYCATCHER, EASTERN PHOEBE, GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and EASTERN KINGBIRD. MARSH WRENS were quite active in the marsh north of the Nepean Equestrian Park on the 5th, and it's hard to go anywhere now without encountering CEDAR WAXWINGS. Aside from the common breeding species of WARBLERS (that are much less vocal now), two recently reported rarities were evidently one-time-wonders: A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER in Aylmer, Quebec, on the 29th and a male PRAIRIE WARBLER along the bike path near the Deschenes gull colony (also in Quebec) on the 2nd were not relocated since the intial observations. The fields south of the international airport continue to be good for finding SPARROWS despite the ongoing road-work in this area - CLAY-COLOURED, FIELD, SAVANNAH, GRASSHOPPER, and WHITE-THROATED were all in good voice last week. LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were vocal on territory in the vicinity of the Mer Bleue boardwalk on the 31st. Forest species such as SCARLET TANAGER and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, edge species such as INDIGO BUNTINGS, and field species such as BOBOLINK and EASTERN MEADOWLARK were all found in their respective breeding habitats. 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/
