Monday, October 29, 2012

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

 

Friday, October 12, 2012

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

Thursday, October 11, 2012

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.

Friday, October 5, 2012

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)

 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

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.






 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

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.