Arboretum

December 29, 2019

We went in search of a long-staying Green-winged Teal, but it must have just left.

It sure was icy, so we were glad of our grippers.  Best birds were a flock of American Goldfinches that were drinking from the open water of the creek.

We also saw a few other common winter residents.

Cottage Visit

December 28, 2019

We detoured onto Chemin Marks and were rewarded with a large flock of noisy Pine Siskins, which seemed o be rare this winter.

We also saw a flock of not-so-rare European Starlings.

Just outside of Blue Sea Lake, we saw a small flock of Purple Finches, but they were buried in bushes so the photos were blurry.  On Chemin du Lac à L'Arche we saw a Ruffed Grouse searching for  gravel on the side of the road.

Finally, at Ruedi's cottage, we saw some Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Cousin Bruce's House

December 22, 2019

We forgot the key, so Craig and Bill went back for it while Barbara birded the neighbourhood.

Vanier Road in Aylmer

December 21, 2019

Val and Grant left behind a gift bag after the Bowman family brunch.  So we decided to deliver it and check the river in Aylmer on the way.  There was a Hairy Woodpecker where we parked and perhaps 15 Common Goldeneyes on the open water above the rapids.  Before leaving we noticed a couple of Northern Cardinasl on the ground under the new COO feeder.

Rural Roads around Richmond

December 19, 2019

A few people have started seeing Snowy Owls, so it was time to check for ourselves.  We spotted one on a very distant pole from Rushmore and another on a mound off Brownlee Rd.

On Akins, we encountered a small flock of Horned Larks.

Further along Akins, we saw a large flock of Snow Buntings, but they flushed before we could get any photos.

Billings Bridge and Fletcher

December 18, 2019

Bill had a medical appointment at Billings Bridge and we took extra time to check out the ducks.

After the appointment, we stopped at Fletcher Wildlife Garden to check out the feeder.

Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count

December 15, 2019

We were working the Britannia sector with Bruce Di Labio.

We met at Tim's on Merivale Rd. at 6:30 am and were assigned to work with Leia and Shuya at Clyde Woods and Hampton Park.

We counted 350 American Crows, about 12 Northern Cardinals and a few Black-capped Chickadees at Clyde Woods.  But  Leia and Shuya had a great sighting of a Red Fox.

We walked the roads and discovered a feeder with 15 House Sparrows at it.

Then it was off to Hampton Park where we had pretty good luck last year.  But this year was quieter until Shuya spotted a Downy Woodpecker.  Near the ball diamond, we spotted a tree with a dozen American Goldfinches in it.

Leia spotted not one but two Brown Creepers.

It was time to reconvene with the group for lunch at Harveys and compile our morning results.

Leia and Shuya were finished, as were some others.  But we wanted to do some other areas.  Rather than walking the streets, we presented Bruce with a list of possibilities.  We settled on Frank Ryan Park and Black Rapids.  The former produced zippo, so we headed out to Black Rapids.

Here at least, there were some common waterfowl and a few Black-capped Chickadees.

It was still light, but we decided to head for the final compilation at Parc Des Hautes Plaines in Gatineau host by the Club des Ornithologues de l'Outaouais.

Nobody from OFNC was there, so we texted our results to Bruce when we heard that nobody from Britannia Sector would be coming.  We met some friends from other sectors as we were leaving, but we decided to head for home.