Ottawa River with Jane and Connie's Group

Oct 25, 2012

We met at Jack Pine Trail, Sami, Connie, Jane, Peggy, Barb R, and me.  We made a rather quick round of the trails without seeing the hoped-for Fox Sparrow.

We proceeded to Ottawa Beach to car pool from there.  We headed directly to the boat launch off Vanier in Aylmer - we were looking for the Western Grebe and Tufted Duck, but saw neither.  We checked a couple of other spots along the bike path towards the bridge.  We saw lots of Lesser Scaup, a few Horned Grebes and Red-throated Grebes, a few Wood Ducks and some Ring-necked Ducks.  We then went back to Ottawa to Deschenes Lookout where we saw a raft of male Black Scoters,  Back at Andrew Haydon Park, we saw more Scoters.  Jane and I called it a day, but the rest went on to Shirley's Bay and Bill Mason Centre.

 

 

 

 

Bird List

1. Black-capped Chickadee
2. Blue Jay
3. White-breasted Nuthatch
4. Ring-billed Gull
5. Dark-eyed Junco
6. American Robin
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Mallard
9. Lesser Scaup
10. Horned Grebe
11. Wood Duck
12. American Black Duck
13. Double-crested Cormorant
14. Red-necked Grebe
15. Red-breasted Merganser
16. Ring-necked Duck
17. Common Raven
18. Cedar Waxwing
19. Canada Goose
20. Black Scoter
21. Feral Pigeon
22. White-winged Scoter
23. Great Blue Heron
24. American Crow

 

Shirley's Bay and the Ottawa River with Jane and Connie's Group

October 9, 7:15 am

Today there were Ed, Lyn, Sami, Jane, Connie & Bill.  We scanned from the parking area, then walked out on the dyke, where we spent most of the day.  Before wrapping up, we checked out Grandview Road.

Bird List

1. Canada Goose
2. Red-necked Grebe
3. Black-bellied Plover
4. American Robin
5. European Starling
6. Ring-billed Gull
7. American Crow
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Lesser Scaup
10. White-winged Scoter
11. Hairy Woodpecker
12. Gray Catbird (H)
13. Great Blue Heron
14. Black-capped Chickadee
15. Green-winged Teal
16. Mallard
17. Northern Pintail
18. American Black Duck
19. Greater Yellowlegs
20. Northern Harrier
21. Redhead
22. Great Egret
23. Northern Shoveller
24. Red-winged Blackbird
25. White-throated Sparrow
26. Hooded Merganser
27. Ring-necked Duck
28. Common Raven (H)
29. Horned Grebe
30. Yellow-rumped Warbler
31. Song Sparrow
32. Bald Eagle
33. Red-breasted Merganser
34. Wood Duck
35. Pied-billed Grebe
36. Blue-winged Teal
37. Common Goldeneye
38. Golden-crowned Kinglet
39. White-crowned Sparrow
40. White-breasted Nuthatch
41. Chipping Sparrow
42. Blue Jay
43. Northern Cardinal

Autumn Colours and Moulting Loons

Oct 7, 2012

It was Thanksgiving Weekend, and a time when we sometimes see unusual migrant like Horned Grebes or Scoters.  So we took a chilly tour on the lake and were thrilled to see the beautiful fall colours on the hill behind our cottage.

There was nothing unusual about, but it was interesting to see the Common Loons moulting for winter.  Some were finished and others were just starting.  They will be around until the end of November.

Just before dusk, I ventured out again to look for spawning lake trout.  There were none, and in fact, I have only seen them once in all these years.  But two Common Mergansers were cruising along the point, looking nervous.

Woodland Trails & Open Fields, Ottawa West with Tony Beck

Thursday Oct 4

Today there were Tony & Nina, Al, Bob, Peter, Judith, Pavel, Antonia, me, and two people I had not met, Ian and Sheila.   This was my first time out after a long absence.

Bird Seen

1. Pileated Woodpecker
2. Mourning Dove
3. Blue Jay
4. Black-capped Chickadee
5. Blue-headed Vireo
6. Hairy Woodpecker
7. Brown Creeper (H)
8. Golden-crowned Kinglet
9. Red-breasted Nuthatch
10. Downy Woodpecker
11. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
12. Swamp Sparrow
13. Yellow-rumped Warbler
14. Red-winged Blackbird
15. White-throated Sparrow
16. Mallard
17. Rusty Blackbird
18. Pine Siskin (H)
19. Lincoln's Sparrow
20. White-crowned Sparrow
21. American Robin
22. Ring-billed Gull
23. Herring Gull
24. Fox Sparrow
25. Song Sparrow
26. Hermit Thrush
27. Canada Goose
28. Purple Finch
29. Ruddy Duck
30. Ring-necked Duck
31. Common Raven
32. Greater Yellowlegs
33. Pied-billed Grebe
34. Double-crested Cormorant
35. Cackling Goose
36. Turkey Vulture
37. Great Blue Heron
38. Lesser Black-backed Gull
39. Great Black-backed Gull
40. American Black Duck
41. Greater Snow Goose
42. Lesser Snow Goose
43. Lesser Scaup

 

Other Nature

Spring Peeper (H)

 

Andrew Haydon Park

Oct 3, 2012

It was fairly quiet at the ponds today.  An American Black Duck and a Muskrat provided all the entertainment until a Great Blue Heron went fishing.

 

Migrant Visitor at our Feeder

October 1, 2012

I looked out the window today and saw a different sparrow fuelling up.  At first I did not recognize it, but it's the tan morph White-throated Sparrow.