Ottawa West with Tony Beck

Tuesday April 7, 7:30am.

For Tony’s first spring outing, there were Rick Collins, Ian Jeffrey, Connie Denyes and me. It was snowing fairly hard and -3C, not what we wanted for spring birding.
We headed first to Shirley’s Bay where several Buffleheads were floating off the boat launch. We hiked around to Hilda feeders, encountering quite a few Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Brown Creeper, and a Common Raven on the way.

There was nothing unusual at the feeders, so we decided to cruise the roads in the Dunrobin area. On leaving Rifle Road, we saw sizeable flock of Bohemian Waxwings.

We saw a Great Blue Heron, a pair of Hooded Mergansers, some Green-winged Teal and a couple of very cold Killdeer at the ponds along March Valley Road. The highlight of the day was a pair of Eastern Bluebirds at the north end of Riddel Road, by the DND gate.
A Pileated Woodpecker entertained us along 6th Line Road. We did a quick drive-past on Greenland Road for the Great Gray Owl, but he seems to have moved on. But we did spot a female Northern Harrier cruising the fields. Then we headed to the Heart & Soul Tea Room for coffee & toast.
Fortified, we checked Constance Creek and found Ring-necked Ducks, but no Osprey yet, then returned via March Valley Road for more Teal and a pair of Wood Ducks.
Finally, we went to Burnside Pit, where we saw a lot more Ring-necked Ducks, several pairs of Common Mergansers and a Ruddy Duck.