Ottawa Area Birding: Andrew Haydon to Almonte Lagoons with JC Birding

October 15, 2024

Birding Report by Jane Burgess

Barb C., Bill, Eleanor, Ann and I met at Ottawa Beach. Eleanor had got there earlier and had checked out the area -- Great Egret, Mallards and a Surf Scoter were seen by her. When Bill and I got to the beach we saw the Great Egret and the Mallards and when Barb C. and Anne got to the beach the Great Egret had made its exit.

On to Andrew Haydon Park, there was some concern that the park would be closed, as luck would have it, it was not. Lots of Mallards, a single Great Egret (I wonder if it was the same one we had seen at Ottawa Beach), a bunch of Green-winged Teal, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls. We were chatting when an American Coot was seen -- good one.

Eleanor, Barb C and I carpooled, so we left our vehicles at Andrew Haydon Park. Off we went to Shirley's Bay, while driving down Rifle Road, there was a Common Raven perched in a tree, we backed up so I could photograph it and yes it flew. Mark G and Mike T were at Shirleys' Bay. Those two guys are good, how they could tell American Black Ducks and Mallards in flight is way beyond me. It blew my mind that they could see differences between Greater and Lesser Scaup when in flight. I don't think I will ever be that good. I was standing beside Mark G when he called a Bald Eagle, it was interesting to watch it fly over the dike, various ducks would fly up, very aware of that big eagle. Barb C., Eleanor and Bill all saw a Horned Grebe and the Double-crested Cormorant, me I was busy talking to Mark G about where the best birding spot was in Africa.

My, my it was very cold birding. It was around 10 when Ann left because she was cold. Someday I may learn how to dress for the weather.

We drove to the Burnt Lands and it resulted in, at least for me, just getting colder. We walked to the gate where Bill and I turned around while Eleanor and Barb C walked to the old house. The result was exactly the same, nothing new, only Blue Jays seen. We drove down Appleton Sideroad and our big find was a Black-capped Chickadee.

We eventually got to the Almonte Lagoons, walking to the viewing stand, we had a couple of American Pipits fly up. At the viewing stand, Eleanor very meticulously scanned the Canada Geese looking for Cackling Geese, she found 2, swimming together. She asked each of us for our opinion and we all said definitely they were Cackling Geese. Barb C. was scanning the area and she found a blue morph Snow Goose, good one. We all spotted the Lesser Scaup. Barb C continued scanning and she asked me to look in her scope, she had found a Sora, a really good sighting. We all looked through her scope to see it and eventually we all saw it. Barb C was not finished scanning. While she was scanning I was just walking back and forth trying to keep warm. Barb found some Green-winged Teal. More Canadas were flying in and all of a sudden, Bill, very excitedly said Greater White-fronted Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose. He spotted it as it flew in and we all saw it once it was on the lagoon. A really, really, really good bird. There was a single Turkey Vulture flying around, later we saw a small kettle of them.

As we went back to the vehicles, we saw more American Pipits flying. Bill joined us in Barb C's vehicle while we had lunch. After lunch we drove to the bluebird cemetery -- that is our unofficial name of a place we go that we see bluebirds and house wrens. We saw none. Bill left us at this point.