Early Spring Arrivals - Ottawa East with Tony Beck

Tuesday Apr 12, 7:30am

We met at Petrie Island.  There was quite a large group today - Heather, Tony, Michael, Helena, Janet B, Bob, Nina, Russell and me.

We had several Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye  and Wood Ducks in the bay.  We saw our first Barn Swallows flying low over the water.  Two male Brown-headed Cowbirds were vying for the attention of a female.  Also perched nearby were a Tree Swallow and several Song Sparrows.  A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers flew across the road.

 

 

 

We went a short distance down the trail, seeing a huge bunch of Common Mergansers, mostly males.  A Ring-necked Duck flew away from us.  We watched a Song Sparrow down at the water's edge as a Pileated Woodpecker called.

We walked down to the Ottawa River to scan, and Tony spotted a Common Loon.  At the beach we saw a couple of American Black Ducks. We also saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers in bad light.  A Great Blue Heron flew past.  We had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a couple of Mourning Doves.  We heard the Pileated again, and Tony spotted it down low, partially obscured by long grass.  We tried stalking it, but it took off.  Tony spotted another Common Loon, this one in flight.

 

In the trees, we say  a White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch and Tree Swallows.

We stopped a Tim Horton's for a break, then headed out to Frank Kenny.  Right away, we saw a Red-tailed Hawk in the sky.  Then Tony spotted a female Northern Harrier down low behind the houses.

We proceeded to Giroux Ponds.  Russell spotted a Kildeer on the spit.  At the end of it, there was a single Northern Pintail.  There were Buffleheads, Common Mergansers and a Ring-necked Duck in the pond.  Three Turkey Vultures and a Common Raven flew past.

We went down Regimbald where we saw a very distant American Kestrel.  A large accipiter was flying over the road - a Northern Goshawk.

On McFadden Road, we saw another American Kestrel and an Eastern Phoebe.  We finished the day on Milton road, where we saw about a dozen distant Sandhill Cranes and a Cooper's Hawk.

Back home, we had a female Pileated Woodpecker at a suet feeder - a first for our yard.