Thanksgiving at the Cottage

Oct 11/12, 2014

A busy weekend, entertaining plus closing up. 

Barbara got some early morning mist shots, and we saw a new bird for our cottage list, a Hermit Thrush.  Other than that, it was the usual gang at the feeder, minus the Purple Finches.

OFO Field Trip with Bernie Ladouceur and John Ruddy

September 28, 2014

We met at the corner of Robertson and Moodie and decided to go to Andrew Haydon Park to try for the Ross's Goose - no luck.

So we went to Burnside briefly, but the light was poor.  So we headed instead for the Richmond Lagoons.  Finally, we returned to Burnside to finish up the day.  Other OFO groups were also there, including Tony & Nina's, where Colin & Hilda had spent the morning.

Bird List

1.      Merlin

2.      American Pipit

3.      Mallard

4.      Canada Goose

5.      Greater Scaup

6.      Double-crested Cormorant

7.      Belted Kingfisher

8.      Blue-winged Teal

9.      Wood Duck

10.  Vesper Sparrow

11.  White-crowned Sparrow

12.  Purple Finch

13.  Song Sparrow

14.  Herring Gull

15.  Yellow-rumped Warbler

16.  American Wigeon

17.  American Black Duck

18.  Northern Pintail

19.  Ring-necked Duck

20.  Gadwall

21.  Northern Shoveller

22.  Green-winged Teal

23.  Eastern Phoebe

24.  Northern Flicker

25.  Hairy Woodpecker

26.  Black-capped Chickadee

27.  Common Raven

28.  Rusty Blackbird

29.  Turkey Vulture

30.  White-breasted Nuthatch

31.  Red-winged Blackbird

32.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet

33.  Swamp Sparrow

34.  Blue Jay

35.  Lesser Scaup

36.  Greater White-fronted Goose

37.  Snow Goose

38.  Ruddy Duck

39.  American Coot

40.  Pied-billed Grebe

41.  Cackling Goose

42.  Cooper's Hawk

Canada Darner dragonfly

OFO Field Trip with Brue Di Labio, Chris Traynor and Todd Pepper

September 27, 2014

Bob Cermak announced at the lasagne night that a Ross's Goose had been seen at Andrew Haydon Park and would likely be there in the morning.  Since we were meeting Bruce at Britannia Beach (close by Andrew Haydon), we decided to go 30 minutes early to try for the goose.  Colin and Hilda were game.

Well we weren't the only ones.  On the way over from the lot, we met returning birders with the news that the goose had been there, but had flown.  Disappointed, we carried on anyway; then were delighted when the goose returned, ever so briefly.  Be the time we went to the rendezvous with Bruce, it had departed for the day.

So we went off to Milton Road to look for Sandhill Cranes, over 20 cars!  No luck there, but we did spot some flying on Perrault.  WE then went to Larose Forest, where we heard but could not get a Pine Warbler to show.

Our next stop was Giroux Ponds.  Then we went to High Falls in Casselman to have lunch.  Next we birded the Casselman Lagoons and finally the Embrun Lagoons.

Home we went then off to the banquet at the Sportsplex.

Bird List

1. Ross's Goose
2. Canada Goose
3. American Pipit
4. European Starling
5. Savannah Sparrow
6. Song Sparrow
7. Palm Warbler
8. American Goldfinch
9. Blue Jay
10. Sandhill Crane
11. Mourning Dove
12. Rock Pigeon
13. Common Raven
14. Lesser Yellowlegs
15. American Black Duck
16. Greater Yellowlegs
17. Green-winged Teal
18. Bald Eagle
19. Hooded Merganser
20. Lesser Scaup
21. Common Goldeneye
22. Northern Pintail
23. Double-crested Cormorant
24. Semi-palmated Sandpiper
25. American Kestrel
26. Turkey Vulture
27. White-breasted Nuthatch
28. Red-breasted Nuthatch
29. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
30. Osprey
31. Downy Woodpecker
32. Pine Warbler
33. Mallard
34. Wood Duck
35. Blue-winged Teal
36. Green-winged Teal
37. Northern Harrier
38. Eastern Phoebe
39. Northern Shoveller
40. Swamp Saprrow
41. Snow Goose
42. Common Gallinule
43. Cackling Goose
44. Red-winged Blackbird

OFO Field Trip with Manson Fleugel and Mark Patry

September 26, 2014

Colin and Hilda joined us in Ottawa for the 3-day OFO conference. This first trip was to Westmeath for Nelson's Sparrow.  Unfortunately, high water on the Ottawa left no habitat for this species.  Nevertheless, we had a great day exploring the Upper Ottawa Valley.  We met at Cobden at the boat launch on Muskrat Lake.  We then drove to Westmeath and divided into two groups, those with rubber boots and those without.  We went with the former while Colin and Hilda went on the dry trail.  Of note on the wet trail were many hundreds of Northern Leopard Frogs and at least one Pickerel Frog.  On the return trip, we saw three Garter Snakes and a Giant Water Beetle which had caught a frog.

Later, we went into town to the boat launch, where we had lunch and checked the river.  Later, we went to the lookout outside of town, then returned by Snake River line back into Renfrew.  We got home just in time to freshen up and head out to the Sportslex for the beer and lasagne evening featuring Bruce Di Labio and Sarah Rupert with birding Jeopardy.

Bird List

1. Wild Turkey
2. Blue Jay
3. Ring-billed Gull
4. American Crow
5. Common Loon
6. Herring Gull
7. Mallard
8. Great Blue Heron
9. Double-crested Cormorant
10. Song Sparrow
11. Common Yellowthroat
12. Yellow-rumped Warbler
13. White-crowned Sparrow
14. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
15. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
16. Hairy Woodpecker
17. White-breasted Nuthatch
18. Wood Duck
19. White-throated Sparrow
20. Rusty Blackbird
21. Bald Eagle
22. Red-necked Grebe
23. Red-tailed Hawk
24. Common Raven
25. Turkey Vulture
26. Northern Harrier
27. American Goldfinch
28. Mourning Dove
29. European Starling
30. Sandhill Crane

Petrie Island and St. Lawrence Lowland Habitats – Ottawa East with Always an Adventure

Thursday Sep 25

Today there are Tony & Nina, Lena, Rick, Judith and me.  I had to make it a short day to get home and get ready for house guests.  We spent quite a bit of time at Petrie Island, then went in search of the Northern Wheatear and Sandhill Cranes on Milton Road.  Unfortunately, neither of these were around.  However, at Petrie Island, I got a lifer Gray-cheeked Thrush (no photo though, but Rick got one).

Bird List

1. Green-winged Teal
2. Wilson's Snipe
3. American Wigeon
4. American Black Duck
5. Belted Kingfisher
6. Lesser Yellowlegs
7. Solitary Sandpiper
8. Yellow-rumped Warbler
9. Nashville Warbler
10. Great Blue Heron
11. Northern Shoveller
12. Blue-winged Teal
13. White-breasted Nuthatch
14. Black-capped Chickadee
15. Cooper's Hawk
16. White-throated Sparrow
17. Brown Creeper
18. Golden-crowned Kinglet
19. Downy Woodpecker
20. Black and White Warbler
21. Orange-crowned Warbler
22. Red-eyed Vireo
23. Gray-cheeked Thrush
24. Canada Goose
25. Mallard
26. Magnolia Warbler
27. Ring-billed Gull
28. European Starling
29. House Sparrow
30. Pileated Woodpecker
31. Blue Jay