Thursday, October 16, 2014

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.









Friday, October 10, 2014

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


Thursday, October 9, 2014

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


Monday, October 6, 2014

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