Ottawa Area Birding: Sandhill Cranes at Westmeath with JC Birding

October 3, 2023

Birding Report by Jane Burgess

We met at Bill & Barbara's place and met up with Anne in Renfrew. We checked out the pond just before Cobden, there we got two mud birds, we laughed because they certainly looked like birds but when scoped, just mud. Next stop was the boat launch at Cobden. Before getting out of the car I said to Barb C, it is your job to find the Common Loon and mine is to find the Ring-billed Gulls. Finding Ring-billed Gulls, well one does not have to get out of the car to find them. Barb did find 2 Common Loons. As well on the lake were a couple of Bonaparte's Gulls, Wood Ducks and Mallards. There were a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers (we saw them often during the day, obviously they are going through), a single Tree Sparrow and Anne reported hearing a Pileated Woodpecker.

Off to find Sandhill Cranes. We drove down Foresters Falls Road to Zion and then to Lapasse Road and then we struck pay dirt. We found our first flock of Sandhill Cranes on Lapasse, but they were far away, there must have been at least 100 birds. A bit further down the road we found another flock at the corner of Hawthrone and Lapasse, this time 200+, then another flock 100 or so. It was good to see them, love their song as they fly, only problem with the flocks was that the birds were far from the roads and were skittish, so when we stopped they would often take off. But it satisfied my need to see large flocks of Sandhill Cranes, but for the photographers in the group, they would have preferred them closer. While we were driving from flock one to two, we saw a Kestrel on the line and about 15 or 20 feet away from it an Eastern Meadowlark. We heard American Pipits as we looked at the Sandhill Cranes.

I just knew what Bill wanted to do next, Westmeath to see the Nelson's Sparrow, fine all right, but we won't see it Doubting Thomas that is me. We drove down Sand Point and drove down Greatview (love the name) behind all the cottages to find a covered building, but no chairs or tables, so we sat on the rocks and enjoyed our lunch. Off to find the Nelson's, right!! We saw many Swamp Sparrows, but no Nelson's. Before turning back Barbara and Bill picked some low bush cranberries. We all walked slowly back in groups. I saw a lone Ruby-crowned Kinglet, those little birds are high energy and impossible for me to take a photo. Bill, Barbara and I saw three immature Cedar Waxwings. We joined Anne and Barb while they were watching what seemed to be a small flock of Swamp Sparrows. Bill and I saw this bird and we got really good views of the face, it had a pale center of auriculars framed by dark, totally the wrong habitat for Vespers Sparrow, but it is the only sparrow that fits the description. When Bill went to take a photo, it flew. Darn.

We then decided we should visit Ross Road, While watching the Sandhill Cranes, a local bird who belonged to the Pembroke Field Naturalist came along and spoke with us. We asked about Ross Road and she said there were lots of birds there since it is a migration time. On the way to Ross Road we saw a small flock of Wild Turkeys. We arrived at Ross Road Swamp and a big nothing. No, we would not believe that, Bill got out and played Virginia Rail, no response. We walked toward the swamp and a mixed flock flew in, Red-winged Blackbirds and what we thought were Rusty Blackbirds. Guy took several photos while I set up my scope. By the time I had it set up, they flew. Guy went back to the vehicle to check his photos, yes to Rusty Blackbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds both male and female. Good good. Barb walked on ahead of us and announced she had a bird on the water, and it turned out it was a Common Gallinule. That was it for birds. Timing is everything, there could have been duckies around in the morning, but we were there mid afternoon.

Off we went to the Osceola dump. We stopped on the way, Barbara got out and said she saw a grouse or partridge. Good bird, so out we got and walked toward where she saw it walking along the road. We all saw the Ruffed Grouse. It decided to cross the road. Oh no, there is a car coming, we don't want to see the bird hit, thank goodness, the car stopped and then the bird flew. No photos but we did have a bit of drama there for a minute. I guess the Osceola dump is a place we will cross off our list, it is an active dump and it is almost full. But the road around it might be good.

We decided to go back to the Cobden boat launch. My car was a bit slow at leaving and we lost Bill and Barbara. We texted him to let him know what we were doing. When we arrived at the boat launch, they were there, no new birds. We said goodbye to Bill and Barb and we drove Anne back to her vehicle in Renfrew.

Driving home, I asked if Barb and Guy were up for more birding. I was thinking about the Eastern Bluebird and it would be good to see one. Yes, was their response. First we checked out if the gate to Bill Mason was open, it was not, then we checked out Constance lake, nothing. We stopped at Constance Creek and we saw lots of Ring-necked Ducks, a good number of Green-winged Teal and Blue-winged Teal and 4 Wigeon. We drove down 5th line to Berry Side road, nothing, well no not nothing, we did see more Rusty Blackbirds. Obviously they are on the move southward. But driving towards the Sixth line we stopped and what should we see?

An Eastern Bluebird and then a Blue-headed Vireo. The home owner drove out to ask if everything was okay, yes, we are looking at the Bluebird. Then I noticed a little puppy beside him. I asked about it, he said he found the puppy abandoned at the side of the road in the Tweed area, with a bag of dog food and papers showing it had all its needles (veterinarian name and owner's name ripped off). A sad story turned good. Why do people do such things????

On the way home we received a phone call from the Bowmans, wondering about us, yes we are still birding, and we are headed to our last stop Andrew Haydon Park to see the owls. We got there around 6:50 and there were photographers, it seems Guy you are in luck. But they were there because the owls fly out of the tree around 7:10. Guy did not want to wait 20 minutes and he was anxious to get home.

Good day of birding with 46 species seen. The weather was glorious, maybe even a bit too hot at 31, but we were not complaining. The fall colours were simply beautiful. All and all just simply a wonderful day to be outside in nature.