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