Ottawa Area Birding

The Gatineau Escarpment & The Steele Line with Tony Beck

2012-02-22T11:18:00.004-05:00

Thursday Feb 16, 8:00am

A small group today - Tony & Nina, Helena, Brenda and me.

We met at the Gamelin Road entrance to Gatineau Park. While in the parking lot, we saw ten Bohemian Waxwings fly across and land in a tree, followed by another 30. Tony quickly got the scope on them.

We made one stop along Pink Road - we saw European Starlings, American Robins and American Crows. A stop along Hwy 148 added only House Sparrows. We stopped again to view a Red-tailed Hawk being harassed by a couple of American Crows, and we also saw a group of about 20 Wild Turkeys in a field with a White-tailed Deer.

We drove down Ch. Thérien where we saw more turkeys and deer and some Rock Pigeons - no sign of any eagles. Then we spotted an adult Bald Eagle and a Red-tailed Hawk which was at first mistaken for a Golden Eagle. Before we left, we saw a Common Raven and another Red-tailed Hawk.

Back on Hwy 148, we had two more Red-tailed Hawks, including a nicely-patterned one; and a female Pileated Woodpecker on top of a utility pole.

We turned onto Eardley-Masham Road and stopped at the base of the escarpment to scope. We had more crows and ravens, and yet another Red-tailed Hawk. Another group of birders consisting of Jane, Connie, Peter, Janet, Peggy and Barb R. stopped briefly to compare notes. Brenda was scanning with her scope and spotted a perched Golden Eagle. We watched it unperturbed, while a Bald Eagle and a Blue Jay flew right across in front of it.

We drove up into the hills and stopped to look for finches. We saw both nuthatches, a Downy Woodpecker, a Blue Jay, some Golden-crowned Kinglets, and had a brief flyover of a couple of Red Crossbills. The latter continued to call in the forest, but we could not see them.

Four Pines Siskins flew across and landed in the trees by the road. Then we saw another small group of them right on the road, as well as a male Purple Finch. We also kept seeing multiple Red-breasted Nuthatches. We saw another adult Bald Eagle soaring over the hills.

We turned onto Ch. Sincennes, stopped and played the machine. We attracted many chickadees, nuthatches and Pine Siskins, but nothing else. Back at the corner of Ch. Eardley-Masham, we saw a pair of Red Crossbills on the road getting grit, which gave us a great photo op.

We returned to get a snack at the Dépanneur and check out Ch. Steele Line. We saw an immature Bald Eagle, another Red-tailed Hawk, and still another adult Bald Eagle being chased by crows.

It was quite a day for raptors!

The Eardley-Masham Road and Environs

2012-02-07T11:50:00.003-05:00

February 5, 2012

It was another beautiful winter day, so we decided to combine snowshoeing with birding.

We saw Common Goldeneye at the Champlain Bridge and American Crows and Rock Pigeons along Hwy 148. We made the loop along Chemin de la Rivière and stopped to scope a Common Raven with perhaps 40 Snow Buntings in the same tree.

We drove to the end of Thérien where we saw a Red-tailed Hawk perched, but no sign of the eagles reported on the Outaouais site. We chatted with one of the COO birders about the eagles when another birder showed up to report a juvenile Bald Eagle on the Eardley-Masham Road.

So we went directly there, pausing only to check out the Dark-eyed Juncos and Blue Jays at the feeder along the way.

We discovered a veritable traffic jam on Eardley-Masham. Bernie, Chris, Bob, Martha and several others were looking for crossbills and especially the odd one reported by Mark. Bernie reported flocks of both crossbills and Pine Siskins, but we cruised the road back and forth without seeing any or the eagle.

We decided it was time to go snowshoeing, so we went across Bradley Rd, noticing only Black-capped Chickadees and a Downy Woodpecker at the feeders where Evening Grosbeaks have been seen in the past.

We went along Steele Line to the trail head for Lac Lapeche, where we had lunch and put on our snowshoes. Surprisingly, there were several vehicles here. They all were on an escorted outing with the Ottawa Ramblers Club. They broke trail for us!

We went in to Lac Lapeche and then returned the same way, rather than attempting the longer loop. Coming back below the escarpment, Barbara heard then saw groups of small birds in the treetops. They were hard to identify in the flat light, but when they came close, we saw they were Pine Siskins. I also spotted a Hairy Woodpecker briefly.

We cruised back and forth on Steele Line without seeing any eagles. We did see a large flock of Wild Turkeys all in a row and a pair of Bison at a farm. A large bunch of European Starlings were in tree beside the road making quite a racket.

We met Martha who reported seeing both crossbills on Eardley-Masham, so we decided to give it one more try. Part way up the hill, I spotted an adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree surrounded by dozens of American Crows. The eagle was oblivious to the several cars and trucks that sped by, so we drove close to get shots out the window. When it flew across the road, we saw many American Crows in the ditch. I got out and checked, and sure enough, there was a deer carcass which was attracting all of the attention.

We never did see any crossbills, but the Bald Eagle was a great highlight of the day.

Grandson Samuel goes Birding

2012-02-07T11:14:00.000-05:00

Feb 4, 2012

Today we were babysitting Samuel and decided to take him to Jack Pine Trail. The deer did not show up, but the Black-capped Chickadees never disappoint.

Northern Pintail

2012-01-26T16:08:00.003-05:00

January 26, 2012 2:00 pm

In the morning, I took cousin Anne to the Montfort for a test. Instead of waiting around, I went to the Rideau Tennis Club to look for the Barrow's Goldeneye.

The ice was closing in forcing the ducks to be closer than I have ever seen them before. There were relatively few Common Goldeneye, and no Barrow's.

At noon I checked with Connie, Peter, Bob & Rick to see if anyone wanted to move their Manotick trip ahead, since poor weather was in the forecast for Friday. But nobody could manage that, so I went on my own since I was too busy on Friday to attend.

At first I could not see it, so called Dave Sangster, the homeowner on Westriver Drive who had reported it and posted a photo on Facebook.. He had it until 11 am when it left in the direction of the bridge.

On his suggestion, I went back across the bridge and approached from behind the strip mall. I spotted it heading towards the bridge! So I immediately returned to the West River Drive side and there it was, coming towards me. I went towards it along the bank and we met halfway. I also did see a male Common Merganser, a few American Black Ducks and the white-fronted Mallard. I even had a muskrat on the edge of the ice.

Glad I went today!

Wild Turkeys on Bradley Road

2012-01-25T08:41:00.000-05:00

January 22, 2012

Barbara, Grant and I took advantage of the great conditions to go skiing in the extreme west of Gatineau Park. We skied in Trail 56 and over to Richard Yurt and out the snowmobile trail to the road, then retraced our way.

On Bradley Road, we noticed a huge flock of Wild Turkeys. Since they were close to the road, we drove over for a photo op. We did not see any other birds of note along the Erdley-Masham Road.

OFO outing for Varied Thrush, Snowy Owls & Gulls

2012-01-22T12:08:00.005-05:00

January 21, 2012

(Text by Dave Britton)

This morning about 20 participants enjoyed some excellent birding east of Ottawa.  The weather was better than expected:  although things began with overcast skies and a raw north wind that created wind chills in the -20's, the skies soon cleared and the wind dropped for very pleasant birding conditions
The day's birding began under overcast skies scanning gulls flocking in the snow-covered fields near the Lafleche Dump, southeast of Casselman.  Amongst the numerous Herring and Great Black-backed gulls, 20+ GLAUCOUS and 3 ICELAND Gulls were found.  
We continued north through the fields in the Ste-Rose area.  On Concessions 20 and 21 we found 4 SNOWY OWLS and 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.  On Concession 20 east of Ste-Rose Road, we had small numbers of SNOW BUNTINGS and HORNED LARKS on a manure spread and a group of 40 LAPLAND LONGSPURS (a very good count for eastern Ontario) feeding on grain screenings in front of some silos.
We continued west and visited #998 Calypso Road, southeast of Limoges.  Within 15 minutes everyone had great looks at the VARIED THRUSH.  Along with the usual common feeder birds, there were also at least two EVENING GROSBEAKS present here.
We finished the trip on the Rideau River behind the Tennis Club, where we were able to easily view the male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE amongst the more common wintering ducks.
Thanks to everyone who participated for making this a very enjoyable morning.

The hunt for the Varied Thrush and Snowy Owls

2012-01-20T15:35:00.003-05:00

January 19, 2012

Having missed it on January 16, we organized a full out assault. I picked up Nina and went straight to 988 Calypso Road by 9:45. Connie met Peter and they arrived shortly after us. Bob came on his own, because he could not spare the whole day, and finally, Rick arrived last with the two British (or Australian?) birders in tow.

We had the best chance, since we had 10 to 15 minutes alone at the feeders, but there was no visit by the thrush. There were lots of other birds - Blue Jays, Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinches, Mourning Doves and a flock of a dozen or so Rock Pigeons.

After while a couple of White-breasted Nuthatches showed up, which gave us something to photograph.

We were there a good hour with no luck. Rick and the couple moved on first. We were all getting cold feet and needed a bathroom break, so I suggested a stop at Tim Horton's in Casselman, which everyone readily agreed to.

Just before we left, a birder by the name of Tony Bigg arrived, having come from St. Isidore. He told us the whereabouts of some Gray Partridges and Snowy Owls. In his OntBirds posting, we learned that the thrush came in only 15 minutes after we left!

After a hot chocolate and a snack, we were ready for Snowy Owls. We took the 417 to the next exit, and went left to Concession 20. There we saw Rick stopped and we pulled up behind to find out that we had driven by not one, but two Snowy Owls, including one on a pole at the corner! Chagrined we walked back to photograph it. It flushed but went down, then came back to an even better perch on a nearby utility pole. We had driven past, but saw the others stop, so circled back. This time the owl did not flush and we got some great shots.

We continued down to St. Rose, turned right and soon saw 6 Lapland Longspurs on the road. We halted quickly and they were right beside the car. Nina got some shots through the open window, while I had to be content with shooting through he windshield.

We turned left on Concession 21, and before long Nina spotted a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk. She scoped it, but it flew off giving us good binocular views.

We turned left on Renaud, which was too icy for Connie, so she went back to take a safer road. Thus, she missed the Red-tailed Hawk that we saw fly across the road. We turned left on Concession 19, and met up with Connie again. Further along, I spotted yet another Snowy Owl on utility pole. More great photos including some flight shots.

A little way along, we saw a couple of Snow Buntings, and then a single one on a fence post.

We took Route 3 to Route 8, then Route 500 back to Casselman, passing a dozen or so Wild Turkeys along the way.

This is where Bob had to pack it in, but the rest of us retraced our route to 988 Calypso. We parked and headed in with Nina and me in the lead. I spotted the Varied Thrush underneath the feeder with it's head barely showing. It quickly retreated, but Nina saw it briefly in behind in the trees, and again under the table beside the feeder. Unfortunately, Connie and Peter could not pick it up before it vanished.

We waited a while, but it did not return. Hans van der Zweep arrived and we chatted until a Northern Shrike came in and all the birds disappeared.

It was getting really late, so we all packed it in. A good day of winter birding!

Search for the Varied Thrush by Bill & Rick

2012-01-17T12:59:00.001-05:00

January 16, 9:30 am

Rick and I went for the thrush today, but did not get it. It was a very cold day. We went twice and just missed seeing it the second time by a few minutes (two others had seen it)

In between, we went to see the gulls - lots of Glaucous and some Iceland and maybe a Thayers (not too sure about the latter).

We also went to Conc 20 & 19 and saw one Snowy - no partridges for us.

At 988 Calypso, we had many Blue Jays and Juncos, some Tree Sparrows and Mourning Doves, both Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and very cold hands and feet.

Sarsaparilla Trail & Other Trails - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2012-01-15T09:57:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Jan 10, 8:00am

Today there were Tony, Nina, Helena, Bob, Rick, Brenda, Roger and me. While waiting at the Coliseum, Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls flew overhead.

Our first stop was at Grandview Road to look for a reported Northern Mockingbird. We saw Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, American Crows, Common Ravens, European Starlings, American Goldfinches, three House Finches, a Northern Cardinal, and an American Robin. Finally the Northern Mocking Bird made a brief appearance as it flew across the road and disappeared.

We decided to go into the Greenbelt field behind to chase it down. No luck, but we did get a Hairy Woodpecker and a Mourning Dove. We heard the call of a White-breasted Nuthtach that could easily be mistaken for a Northern Flicker call.

We moved on to Hilda feeders where we picked up an American tree Sparrow, and three Red-winged Blackbirds.

After a break, we went to the Sarsaparilla Trail, where we had a pleasant hike. Brenda fed the chickadees and Tony got her to put some seeds on her head.

We went out Moodie to Rushworth, then on to Eagleson and Aikens. We saw no Snowy Owls, but had a good sized flock of Snow Buntings on Aikens. On Brownlee, we had good views of a Coyote. Back on Eagleson, we stopped to scope a really dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, which left it's perch and flew across the road.

We tuned onto Barnsdale road, and Tony spotted a Gray Partridge beside a brush pile. It scooted in where it was impossible to see, even with binoculars. However, with the scope, we could just make out, not one, but three Gray Partridges huddled under the brush pile. Then, incredibly, a Northern Shrike flew in and landed briefly on top of the same brush pile.

Then, on the way home, we saw a Red-tailed Hawk for Nina, perched in an evergreen along Moodie Drive.

Winter Water Birds - Ottawa Centre & West with Tony Beck

2012-01-12T18:29:00.001-05:00

Thursday Jan 5, 8:00am

Today there was Tony, Nina, Barbara, Brenda, Helena, Rick and me. We started at Graham Creek in behind Bayshore. There were plenty of Mallards, but we were hoping for more.

We drove out to Manotick to check the Rideau. There were tons of Mallards and a few American Black Ducks and a few hybrids. The hybrid with the white throat that was there a few years ago, was still there. While watching the ducks, and adult Herring Gull came in.

We moved on to Billing Bridge. Coming in along River Road, we saw a perched Red-tailed Hawk and a soaring adult Bald Eagle.

At the bridge, there were many more Mallards, an American Coot, a female Common Merganser, several Common Goldeneyes, a Great Black-backed Gull and a Herring Gull, which we at first thought might be a Glaucous Gull.

We moved on to the Rideau Tennis Club, where we searched in vain for the Barrow's Goldeneye. But there were plenty of Common Goldeneyes which put on a good show for us.

Barbara was delighted to see and photograph some male House Finches, while Helena found a tree full of American Goldfinches across the road. A very surprising find by Nina was a Song Sparrow in the reeds.

Kerwin Road & Spruce Forest Birds - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2012-01-09T11:01:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Jan 3, 8:00am

There was a fairly large group out on this frigid winter day: Tony, Nina, a new person, Barbara from Moscow, and standbys Rick, Roger, Bob, Helena, Brenda and me.

We went along March Valley Road where we saw a couple of dark Mallards, or possibly hybrids, in a ditch. We stopped to scope a Red-tailed Hawk. As we drove away, Bob saw the hawk and asked us to stop, not realizing that the rest of us had all seen it. He had thought that Tony was just demoing the scope for Barbara.

We stopped at the Ottawa Duck Club feeders where we got a Common Raven, a White-breasted Nuthatch, some Chickadees, and a pair of Downy Woodpeckers.

We went from there to Kerwin Trail. We all tromped quickly along to generate some heat, but we did not see anything worthwhile. So after a while, we simply turned around and returned to the cars. Then off we went to Timmy's for a short break.

Our next stop was Hilda, but, at the corner of Rifle Road, Rick spotted a Red-tailed Hawk rather low down. We circled back to take some photos through the car windows, but when we tried to get out it flushed. They always do!

At Hilda, there were mostly just Black-capped Chickadees. But we did get another Downy Woodpecker and a few Blue Jays. American Robins and American Tree Sparrows were heard. Barbara saw a Hairy Woodpecker too.

We saw an adult Northern Shrike on a wire along Carling Avenue as we were heading to Moodie Dr.

We went out to rural Richmond and prowled the roads for Snowy Owls with no luck, The best we could manage was a group of about 25 Snow Buntings on Aikens Road.

When I got home, there was a female Northern Cardinal at the feeder.

Amherst Island

2011-12-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

Dec 27, 2011

Barbara, Ross & I went to Amherst Island on Tuesday. We left a few minutes after 6 am and caught the 8:30 am ferry.

The car behind us in line was that of Paul O'Toole, who was taking some visiting photographers from Pennsylvania to the KFN preserve to photograph Snowy Owls. Ross chatted him up and soon got an invitation for us to come along.

We went directly to the KFN property, passing one Snowy Owl along the way. We hiked all around the property and saw another seven Snowy Owls including two males that were nearly all white.

There was little else to see except for small flocks of Long-tailed Ducks and Common Goldeneye off shore.

We went to Owl Woods, had lunch and hiked in on the very muddy trail. In spite of intensive searching, we did not see a single owl! The highlight was a Red-bellied Woodpecker high in a tree at the feeder.

We cruised the back roads, but raptors seen were few. We saw three each of Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harriers. We saw two Red-tailed Hawks and a single American Kestrel.

We went down Front Road at 3:15 pm ,and stopped when we saw the Pennsylvanian photographers. They had located the Short-eared Owls, and we were delighted to see about a dozen drifting about the fields in the fading light and drizzle.

The rain came on heavily, so we departed for home. There was no snow, only rain until we got well onto the 416, so the driving was not that bad.

Britannia & Deschenes Rapids with Tony Beck

2011-12-29T10:49:00.002-05:00

Thursday Dec 22, 8:00am

As I arrived at Cassels Street ,Tony was calling the Northern Flicker which flew across the road for good views. As we went closer, it flew off, but was replaced by a Northern Cardinal.

Today there were Tony, Nina, Peter, Helena, Brenda, Rick, Bob, and me.

As Bob and Rick were a tad late, they missed the Northern Flicker. So Tony played the tape just once, and it responded by flying across again giving us good looks.

We wanted to go for the Carolina Wren, but we had to proceed very cautiously on the icy trail. Along the way we saw a White-breasted Nuthatch and the first of several Brown Creepers. Then we saw two more of them in the same spot.

There were a dozen or so American Crows milling about and cawing, but they were not mobbing anything. We heard their rattle call a couple of times - a first for me.

We came to the Carolina Wren spot and it did respond for some low quality photo ops.

Returning to the cars, Brenda saw the Northern Flicker again and some American Robins.

On the ground were a couple of Northern Cardinals and several European Starlings.

We had a Hairy Woodpecker, and a Downy came to Helena's had again for a peanut.

It was too slippery to go up on the ridge, so we went down by the water below. There were a number of House Finches in a tree and several American Goldfinches in another.

Peter thought he saw a Hooded Merganser, but may have mistaken it for a Common Goldeneye, as there were several flying out on the main river. There were a couple of Mallards in close too.

We moved to Dick Bell park to do some scoping. The first thing we saw were Canada Geese for the day list. Tony saw a white blob on the Aylmer waterfront, which became a Snowy Owl when we saw it move it's head. Then, incredibly, Tony saw a second one even further away. He himself had doubts, but once again, we saw it move it's head.

We hiked out to the tip, at the lighthouse, and saw a couple of White-winged Scoters. As we could not see the white wings patches, Tony had to rely on more subtle clues to be sure they weren't Surf Scoters.

We decided to stop at Timmy's then go to Shirley's Bay. On the way, we saw the photographers on a Red-tailed Hawk at the former Nortel campus. Helena stopped for a good shot, but we carried on and saw our own along Rifle Road.

At Shirley's Bay, we had a very distant Rough-legged Hawk. There was a white blob at the point which we hoped was Bald Eagle, but it could not be confirmed. Nina spotted a Common Loon in full winter plumage. As well, there were groups of Common Goldeneyes.

We went to Hilda Road where we chased off several Mourning Doves and Blue Jays. The only other thing of note, besides chickadees, a Hairy and a Downy, was an American Tree Sparrow.

We were about to call it a day, when a Bald Eagle flew overhead at Hilda, followed shortly thereafter by three Iceland Gulls.

Britannia Woods

2011-12-28T18:15:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, Dec 20 2011

Craig showed me his new IPhone with IBird App and also Sibley. It was impressive, and I suggested we head over to Mud Lake in the afternoon to try and relocate the Carolina Wren using IBird.

It was a glorious sunny and mild afternoon. We headed down the trail soon meeting Dave from Victoria, whom we had met in Ottawa before and at the Meadowlark Festival in Penticton. He had been down the trail on Rick’s recommendation, but had not seen the wren.

We carried on and saw a Downy Woodpecker in full sun. We went on down the trail to where the wren was seen the day before. Craig played the song two or three times with no response, so I told him to stop while I photographed chickadees.

Then suddenly we heard the buzz response, and the Carolina Wren came into view. It flew across into the cedar hedge, completely back lit. I took photos anyway. Then it flew across, but was buried in the thick branches. It was a success!

Twitcher's Delight - Ottawa Centre & West with Tony Beck

2011-12-20T16:29:00.001-05:00

Monday Dec 19, 8:00am

There were seven of us today - Tony, Nina, Rick, Helena, Roger, Brenda and me.

Thirty-three species today - not bad for winter birding.

We first went to Britannia Pier to look for the Snowy Owl. The wind was freezing there, and we did not see much besides Black-capped Chickadees.

So we went to Mud Lake. Tony spotted a Northern Flicker which flew away from us in a hurry. We hoped to relocated it, but never did. Helena spotted a Downy Woodpecker and put some seed and peanuts in her hand. Amazingly, the little woodpecker flew in to grab a peanut.

We hiked the perimeter trail around the forest. The highlight was a Carolina Wren, which came to the song.

We also saw a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos. We checked a few spots for a Screech Owl, but had no luck. We saw many American Robins eating berries and several Mourning Doves and a Hairy Woodpecker. We tried to entice the White-breasted Nuthatches to hand, but only the Chickadees would come. As we were coming back towards the filtration plant, we saw two or three Brown Creepers. A very red House Finch had us fooled for a while into thinking it was a Purple Finch. A buch of American Goldfinches were hanging out with the House Finches.

We went up on the ridge and looked over the rapids. We saw Mallards, Common Goldeneye and a couple of Long-tailed Ducks in the distance. Several Great Black-backed Gulls flew past, and we could see Common Mergansers and Herring Gulls in the distance.

We then went to the end below the rapids. In the corner, we saw A couple of female Hooded Mergansers accompanied by a female Red-breasted Merganser. There were also a few Lesser Scaup, some Canada Geese, and a couple of American Black Ducks.

With some time, we drove to Hilda feeders, where we picked up two Red-winged Blackbirds, an American Tree Sparrow and lots of Blue Jays. American Crows and Common Ravens could also be heard.

We checked out Shirley's Bay and found a Common Loon loafing about and a Pileated Woodpecker in the forest.

On the road out, we stopped to see a tree full of Cedar Waxwings. And on Carling, we saw a couple of distant Rough-legged Hawks.

Complete List

Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon
Rough-legged Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Dark-eyed Junco
American Tree Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Petrie Island and the Eastern Fields with Jane and Connie

2011-12-12T15:19:00.002-05:00

Wednesday Dec 7, 9:30am

There were just the three of us, so we all went together in Jane's car.

I was the first to arrive, so had time to look around. There was very little in the way of waterfowl at Petrie Island, despite the fact that the skim of ice from last week had melted. Eventually I spotted some Common Mergansers, Mallards and a single Common Goldeneye (young bird). When Jane and Connie arrived, they got on them too.

The ladies were anxious to get out to the eastern fields, but first we checked the North Service Road (both directions), but were unable to relocate the Canvasbacks that had been reported there.

By this time, the Park & Ride was full, so, after a brief stop at Tim Horton's, we left my van at the shopping centre just south of Innes Road. We began cruising the back roads, Frank Kenny, French Line & Regimbald. On this last one, we struck pay dirt with a Northern Harrier.

At Giroux Ponds, we had several more Common Mergansers, a few Canada Geese and a first-year Herring Gull. The ladies saw a Pileated Woodpecker fly by with it's distinctive undulating flight pattern.

Back on Frank Kenny, we had some open water where there were lots of Canada Geese and a few Mallards. We made our way over to Navan to look for the Sandhill Cranes, but did not see any on either Smith or Milton Roads. We figured that they might have migrated, although they had been reported a few days earlier.

We decided to head out past Casselman to look for Snow Geese and Snowy Owls. On the 417, we saw at least two Red-tailed Hawks perched near the road. We exited at Hwy 138, where there was another large Red-tailed Hawk perched.

We went first to Allaire Road where we saw a huge flock of Greater Snow Geese swirling around preparing to land in the fields. We at first thought there were around 8,000, but we kept revising our figure upwards as more and more came in overhead. There were some Herring and Black-backed Gulls in the foreground, but our attention was repeated drawn to the spectacular mass of Snow Geese. The geese all went down, and by now we were estimating 15,000. A flock of Snow Buntings was also seen. A French birder was also scoping - he had a sign like Tony's on his car that said "Miroise". Jane asked him about owls but he had not seen any. I figured that he might not have been a local guy.

We crossed to the other side of Hwy 417, and before we reached Concession 20, we screeched to a halt as there was a Snowy Owl on the left on a stump. Jane and Connie were pleased to finally see one of these this year.

We cruised all the concessions and side roads without seeing another Snowy, but there was a male Northern Harrier on Renaud, as well as another Red-tailed Hawk and more Snow Buntings. We continued to see skeins of Snow Geese going overhead, and we upped our estimate to 25,000. We even drove back to Allaire to see if the mass was still on the ground, and they were! A later independent report had the number at 40,000. Whatever the count, it was an amazing spectacle.

We decided to call it a day, but saw another Red-tailed Hawk on Frank Kenny on the way back. There was a group of Wild Turkeys on Milton Road and another unidentified hawk. We all found it odd that we had not had a confirmed sighting of a Rough-legged Hawk, but had seen many Red-tails.

The Gatineau Escarpment & The Steele Line with Tony Beck

2011-12-12T12:38:00.002-05:00

Thursday Dec 1, 7:30am

There was a very large group today, perhaps because it was the last of the mid-week sessions for the fall season. There were Brenda, Helena, Bob, Paul, both Ricks, Peter, Gary Sue, Al, myself, Tony and Nina.

We assembled at the Gamelin entrance to Gatineau Park where we all saw a Northern Shrike. Luckily it flew to a nearby perch and we were able to get some photos.

We also saw 4 Cedar Waxwings that spiralled around and landed in an apple tree right beside where we were standing. They flew across the road to another tree and were joined by 3 Bohemian Waxwings.

We headed out Pink Rd, and made a stop in the rural part past Perry. We saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Red-tailed Hawk, some Mourning Doves, a flock of European Starlings, and a Hairy Woodpecker there. We saw 4 White-tailed Deer as well.

We went down Terry Fox to Hwy 148, then out to Ch. de la Rivière. At the corner, Rick had spotted a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk, which flew to a pole on Ch. Smith-Léonard opposite.

We did the tour of the back roads without seeing much, but as we returned to Hwy 148 at the junction of Ch. Tremblay, we saw an American Kestrel.

We decided to check out Ch Thérien, and were rewarded with a soaring full-adult Bald Eagle. (scope view). We also saw some Blue Jays, Common Ravens and American Crows.

We stopped at the restaurant, but it was closed. Tony could see people inside and they opened for us. They were new owners and were completely renovating the place.

We went up Ch. Eardley-Masham, stopping once to scan the cliffs. In the park, we made a couple of stops, but saw very little. At the stop by Trail 56, there were some Hooded Mergansers in the small lake opposite (Lac Ramsay). We retraced our path, then took Ch Bradley and 6e Concession. We looked for Evening Grosbeaks, but there were none.

We went down Ch. Wilson, and stopped just before Steele Line. Here we saw a second Rough-legged Hawk and another Bald Eagle. We stopped on Ch. Steele Line where we saw a group of American Goldfinches and yet another Bald Eagle soaring in the distance. This one was a first-year bird.

At the end of Ch. Steele Line, we turned around and started back the way we had come. At the Hydro line cut, we pick up another Red-tailed Hawk sitting on the tower. Back on Hwy 148, we saw 6 Wild Turkeys in a field., then an adult Golden Eagle soaring over the cliffs. Tony was ecstatic.

Back at the Gamelin parking area, we had a Pileated Woodpecker fly-past to round out the day.

OFNC Gull Workshop with Mark Gawn and Bernie Ladouceur

2011-11-28T14:09:00.001-05:00

November 27, 8:00 am

There was a large crowd out today in spite of the poor weather and rain in the forecast. Obviously, gull identification is a topic of interest to members of the Bird Studies Group.

We met at Lincoln Heights Shopping Centre. Mark already had a Merlin on a nearby apartment building in the scope. We began by studying the Ring-billed Gulls in the parking lot, noting the different ages. Mark explained that these gulls only take two years to reach adulthood, while the larger gulls take four.

We carpooled to Ottawa Beach, but there were very few gulls. Mark said that they will return late in the afternoon. So, we moved on to Andrew Haydon Park where we had no gulls, but good views of Buffleheads, Red-breasted Mergansers, White-winged Scoters, Lesser Scaups, a couple of Common Loons and a late Great Blue Heron. Brenda also saw a Black Scoter, but the hoped-for Purple Sandpiper was not there.

Near the heron, there were some Mallards and a couple of American Black Ducks, as well as a preening female Lesser Scaup. But we needed gulls, so we took off for Corkstown Road to check the fields. No gulls, but a couple of Red-tailed Hawks and a Northern Shrike.

We moved on to Burnside Ponds. Here we had a line of gulls on a ridge between us and the dump, so we were able to study them in our scopes. There were mostly Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls. At one point, four of the latter were together allowing us to compare all four year-plumages. We also noticed a first-winter Glaucous Gull, one of the white-winged gulls.

Something put all the gulls up, so we turned our attention to the many Snow Geese that were landing and taking off at the pond. Mark noted a Ross's Goose among them, and we all got on it before they vanished behind the point.

Also on the pond were tons of Common Mergansers and a few dozen Hooded Mergansers. Flocks of 50-60 Greater Snow Geese continued to mill about overhead, and we could easily see some blue-morph ones with them. Mark said there is also a rare blue-morph Ross's Goose, but of course we did not see one.

We moved over to Trail Road to look for more gulls, but there were surprisingly few. As the rain started to spit, I packed it in, although some were heading over to Shirleys' Bay. Later, Mark reported a Thayer's Gull and one Lesser Black-backed Gull back at Ottawa Beach.

Chickadees, Nuthatches, Sparrows & Others - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-11-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

Thursday November 24, 7:30am

Today I was the first to arrive and thought I had come to the wrong meeting place. However, soon the others arrived - Tony, Nina, and both Ricks.

As advertised, we soon saw lots of Black-capped Chickadees and a few White-breasted Nuthatches. The sparrows were slower, but we did see them.

There were several Mourning Doves and Blue Jays along the trails and a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers. A Song Sparrow was observed from the boardwalk.

We quickly moved to Burnside pond where there were a lot of Canada Geese. It did not take long to spot good numbers of Hooded and Common Mergansers. We also saw a few Ring-necked Ducks and one Ruddy Duck. Just at the edge of the back pond, we could see an odd hybrid Canada Goose with a white head. Nina noticed a Great Blue Heron on the far shore. There were a few Mallards and some Blacks had been observed as we crossed the Jock River.

A flock of about 100 Snow Geese, which had been hidden from view, took off. Tony was trying to make out if there was a Ross's Goose among them, but it was not confirmed. Four Greater Snow Geese, which had stayed, swam out into view on the main pond. Tony showed us a very distant Red-tailed Hawk and a few Cackling Geese on the pond.

We drove around to the dump to observe the gulls. There were a lot of Herring Gulls of all ages, and a few Ring-billed Gulls. A couple of Great Black-backed Gulls really stood out from the crowd. Tony also scoped up to three Lesser Black-backed Gulls. No white-winged gulls were observed.

We drove over to Rushmore (Rick S. was really confused). Tony stopped to scope a light-morph adult Rough-legged Hawk. While scoping, we could see a large flock of Snow Buntings in the distance, and incredibly, a very distant Snowy Owl. We drove down Eagleson to get a better look at the Snowy.

On Brownlee, we saw four American Crows harassing a flying Red-tailed Hawk and on Akins we had another Red-tailed Hawk, this one perched.

We headed to Tim Horton's on March Road, and just before turning in, Tony spotted a Peregrine Falcon on a hydro pylon.

After our break, we went to Shirley's Bay. There were Mallards, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye, Lesser Scaup, a few Common Loons and a female Hooded Merganser.

We went last to Hilda feeders, where there were four tame White-tailed Deer.

There were several Red-winged Blackbirds and American Goldfinches. There was a Downy Woodpecker and an American Tree Sparrow. As we were driving away, we saw two Northern Shrikes on Shirley Blvd.

Petrie Island, Open Country & Eastern Lagoons - Ottawa East with Tony Beck

2011-11-22T21:01:00.002-05:00

Tuesday November 22, 7:30am

Today there were only Al, Rick S., me, Tony & Nina. The inner lagoons at Petrie were frozen, so devoid of waterfowl. We quickly drove down to the main river for a quick look, but things were pretty quiet. There were three Red-breasted Mergansers by the shore that high-tailed it out of there. A small group of Canada Geese were huddled by the shore looking very cold. Tony spotted a few Common Mergansers and Hooded Mergansers in the distance. Rick noticed some Mallards as we crossed the causeway. Tony scoped an adult Coopers Hawk a we were leaving the island.

We went to the park and ride and car-pooled from there. We went out to Milton and then Smith Road where we saw 25 somewhat distant Sandhill Cranes. We searched but could not locate the rest of the flock. We saw three Red-tailed Hawks and maybe 200 Snow Buntings along Smith/Milton.

We drove out to Casselman in search of Snow Geese, but did not see any concentrations. We turned south on Hwy 138, then west on Allaire Road towards the dump. There were lots of gulls on the ground, mostly Herring Gulls with a few Ringed-bills thrown in.

A Great Black-back stood out from the crowd and we spotted a young Iceland Gull with a speckled back and no contrast on the wings. A flock of about 100 Snow Geese flew over high above us.

We checked out some of the nearby roads - Sandringham, Norman and Valley - but could not find a concentration of Snow Geese, just small flocks high above. We saw another Red-tailed Hawk.

We backtracked to the other side of the 417, and on St. Rose, Nina spotted a Bald Eagle and Tony a Rough-legged Hawk. And at the same spot, we spotted a Northern Harrier. At the corner of Concession 21 and Road 9, there was a very close Red-tailed Hawk on a wire.

On 20th Concession, we saw the first Snowy Owl of the season on a mound of earth. Another fairly large flock of Snow Geese flew overhead.

We started back, making a stop at Giroux Ponds. On the south pond we had a Great Blue Heron, a couple of Hooded Mergansers and many Common Mergansers. On the north side, there were thousands of Canada Geese. Tony was able to pick out a couple of Cackling Geese among them. Tony saw a Green-winged Teal, and there were many Common Mergansers.

We turned north on Fran Kenny and soon saw another light-morph Rough-legged Hawk. While scanning at that point, Tony saw a second Snowy Owl. We decided to finish the day with a quick drive on Wall Road, but nothing new was found.

2011-11-22T19:40:00.003-05:00

Cottage Weekend

Nov 19-20

With the continuing mild weather, we decided to spend the weekend at Lac des Cèdres. We filled the feeders and attracted Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, a Hairy Woodpecker and both Nuthatches. There were no finches and no waterfowl.

On the way home, we passed by Lac Dénommé, and found several Hooded Mergansers right by the shore. There were also many Common Mergansers on the far shore.

Coniferous, Woodland & Trails - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-11-21T15:40:00.003-05:00

Thursday November 17, 7:30am

Today there were myself, both Ricks, Paul, Nina, Tony and Al. We met at the the coliseum parking lot and headed west, stopping briefly at the corner of Rifle Road to scope a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk.

We went to Kerwin Road via Berry and Fifth Line, at the corner of which, we stopped to see a couple of Eastern Bluebirds and a Hairy Woodpecker.

We went a fair piece down Kerwin trail, but it was decidedly quiet. We all got excited when Nina spotted a Red-breasted Nuthatch. A couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets were also spotted. Back at the cars, we saw a Northern Shrike take off like a gunshot, but it just kept going.

We went to Tim Horton's to get re-energized, then went south to Eagleson & Akin's Rds. There we saw another Rough-legged Hawk, rather distant. We cruised Akin's and Brownlee, but saw nothing else. So we headed to the Richmond Lagoons.

The first cell was down, with lots of shorebird habitat, but no shorebirds. The second cell was loaded with Canada Geese. A lot of scope work revealed a Cackling Goose among them and two Brant at the back on the shore. Tony speculated that these were the same two from Andrew Haydon Park. We also saw a Green-winged Teal and some American Black Ducks.

We moved on to Burnside Pond, where we saw quite a number of Greater Snow Geese, which soon moved on. There were lots of Hooded Mergansers, a Great Black-backed Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. We also saw a Ring-necked Duck and many Common Mergansers at the back.

We drove around to the dump, where we looked at many Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls and a single Iceland Gull - a first-year bird.

Still no Red-tails, so we went back by Cedarview Road, where Tony got one for us.

PHOTO DAY - Fletcher Wildlife Garden with Tony Beck

2011-11-16T17:29:00.001-05:00

Tuesday November 15, 7:30am

Today there were Joshua, Paul, Rick S, Bob, Roger, Tony Nina and me.

We began by photographing the apples dripping with dew, interrupted by birds flying overhead - Canada Geese with a Cackling Goose among them, about 20 Common Redpolls, and American Robins. Tony also spotted a tree full of House Finches.

We walked around to the bird feeder, where a nice male Northern Cardinal perched for us. Suddenly, Joshua saw a Peregrine Falcon blast overhead and land on the Carleton Tower.

We walked down the hill towards the Rideau Canal and Dows Lake. We could see lots of Common Mergansers and Hooded Mergansers and a few Double-crested Cormorants which were sticking around because of the mild weather. There were lots of American Black Ducks, including some hybrids, Mallards, Common Goldeneye and a few Lesser Scaup.

We hiked towards the pavilion, but before we got there, Joshua spotted a small bird skulking in the reeds, which turned out to be a Song Sparrow.

We backtracked and went up the hill to the Arboretum. There was a large flock of European Starlings on the road, which flew into a large Buckthorn to feed on the berries. We spent quite a while trying to photograph them along with the American Robins. Nina saw a rather large Downy Woodpecker.

Across the road, we saw a few Cedar Waxwings in an evergreen and a House Finch was eating the fruit at the top of an apple tree. Tony saw a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos taking off.

We went back to the Interpretive Centre to check the feeder out back. There were some more Dark-eyed Juncos, a Downy Woodpecker and a couple of American Goldfinches.

With a bit of time left, we returned to the other feeder. It was quiet there except for a cooperative House Finch and a skulking Hairy Woodpecker.

Rideau Tennis Club

2011-11-15T16:40:00.002-05:00

November 13, 2011 12:00 pm

Determined to get better photos of the Barrow's Goldeneye, we returned to the river, this time on the east side.

We were disappointed to find no goldeneyes below the rapids, and also by the tall grass which obscured our view. I did spot the two male Hooded Mergansers, so we headed downstream to find an unobscured view. We were fortunate that the two mergansers were just coming along as we broke into the open. A single female Lesser Scaup drifted in close at the same spot.

With no goldeneyes to be found, I had a hunch they were up by the Queensway, so off we went. On the way, Barbara heard and then spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch. Sure enough, the small group of goldeneyes were right by the bridge, and flushed downstream before we could scope them. However, they settled way out on the river and we saw that the Barrow's Goldeneye was not among them. An immature male Common Merganser was mistaken for a hybrid.

Strathcona Park

2011-11-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

November 12, 2011 4:30 pm

We planned some east end shopping followed by a quick visit to the Rideau River. However, we left it too late, and it was almost dark when we arrived. Nevertheless, Barbara located a group of goldeneye below the rapids, and we were able to quickly spot the male Barrow’s Goldeneye. We also saw two male Hooded Mergansers.

Andrew Haydon Park

2011-11-13T09:18:00.001-05:00

November 11, 2011, 9:30 am

Barbara wanted a short bird outing, so we went to (where else?) Andrew Haydon Park. Actually, we parked at Dick Bell Park, but seeing nothing there, we walked across. Later, Barbara brought the car around while I continued to bird.

There were no new surprises. On the river, we scoped the White-winged Scoters and a Red-necked Grebe. On the ponds, we had Green-winged Teals, Lesser Scaup, and a Red-breasted Merganser. The two young Brant were still present too.

Andrew Haydon Park, Ottawa Beach & Shirley's Bay with Tony Beck

2011-11-12T11:55:00.001-05:00

Thursday November 10, 7:30am

Today there were only Paul, Rick S, Tony, Nina and me. We started scoping the Ottawa River at Ottawa Beach, where hundreds of Canada Geese were taking of into the rising sun. Tony pointed out a couple of Cackling Geese flying with the Canadas.

There was a single American Black Duck on the spit. A flock of scoters flew past as we were watching some rafts of Common Goldeneye. Other than that, there were the usual Mallards, Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls.

We walked over to the west section of Andrew Haydon Park and scanned the river. We were able to see 3 White-winged Scoters among the raft of Greater Scaup. We also saw a few Red-breasted Mergansers and a Mallard eating a large frog.

Tony also spotted singles of Black Scoter and Common Loon. The two Brant were still present at the second pond, as were a few Green-winged Teals and several Lesser Scaup.

We shifted location to Shirley’s Bay. There were 3 Snow Bunting on the rocks by the boat launch. We were not seeing anything new, so decided to go part way out on the dike. We were rewarded with sightings of Wood Ducks and lots of Northern Shovellers and Common Goldeneye, and a Double-crested Cormorant. We saw a nice buck White-tailed Deer make it’s way along the spit covered in long grass. It eventually walked right out into the water, and we saw another buck hiding in the grass in behind.

Returning along the trail, Tony and Nina spotted a Ruffed Grouse, which we all saw briefly before it flushed. We drove over to the Hilda feeders, where we flushed a bunch of Blue Jays. There was an American Tree Sparrow on the ground, and an American Goldfinch and several Red-winged Blackbirds in the trees.

With some time left, we headed over to Mud Lake. We had good scope views of Wood Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and finally, a pair of American Wigeon.

Nepean Sailing Club

2011-11-09T12:38:00.001-05:00

November 8, 2011 9:30 am

I was not able to go on the all-day outing with Tony, but decided to try some digiscoping at the Nepean Sailing Club. I used the adapter for my scope coupled with my D90.

It's rather cumbersome to use, and one has to use all manual settings, focus included. The image seems rather dim, so that makes focussing a bit difficult.

I saw a Horned Grebe fairly close to shore, but had a terrible time getting it in the viewfinder (lack of practice). I walked out to the tip, but saw nothing else aside from a very distant flock of Common Goldeneye.

Andrew Haydon Park

2011-11-07T17:15:00.000-05:00

November 7, 2 pm

Just a quick visit to clear the cobwebs and see some waterfowl.

There were two young Brant that loved to have their photos taken. Also present were some Green-winged Teals in with the Mallards, and about 20 Lesser Scaup.

Open Fields & Lagoons - Ottawa East with Tony Beck

2011-11-05T12:35:00.001-04:00

Thursday November 3, 7:30am

The meeting place was Petrie Island. I arrived at 7:15 to find Rick #2 staring at the water in the near darkness. We chatted for a few minutes before being joined by Tony, Nina, the other Rick, Peter, Paul and Alex.

As the light improved, we could see Mallards, a few Wood Ducks and some Green-winged Teal. A Gret Blue Heron flew over. We also saw a couple of female Hooded Mergansers, and Amertican Black Duck and a female Northern Shoveller.

We headed down over the causeway bridge, and saw a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets and American Robins, We walked down to the beach and saw a small flock of Snow Buntings.

Heading back to the cars, we had a couple of Brown Creepers and a White-breasted Nuthatch.
We went to Tim Hortons, and Tony made arrangements to leave some of our cars there. We then went to Giroux, where Tony spotted a Red-tailed Hawk. It went down to ground, but then came back up so that we could scope it. I also saw a Downy Woodpecker through the scope.

Rick spotted a Northern Shrike and Tony got it in the scope. We moved on to the ponds, which were loaded with Common Mergansers. There were also many Double-crested Cormorants, a Great Blue Heron and some male and female Hooded Mergansers. Another Red-tailed Hawk was also seen.

We drove over to Trim Road where Tony spotted a distant flock of Sandhill Cranes in the cornfield. They were almost invisible; I don’t know how he saw them! We could not see any from Milton Road, but saw a group of 14 fairly close from Smith Road.

We made another pass by Giroux, where we saw bunches of Mourning Doves, Rock Pigeons and House Sparrows.

We finished the day with a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk and a Northern Harrier.

Gatineau Escarpments, Eagles & Finches - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-11-04T21:16:00.004-04:00

Tuesday November 1, 7:30am

This was my first outing with Tony in a long time, apart from the OFO one. There was quite a large group today – Rick, Bob, Al, Lena, Peter, Roger, Nina and Tony. Also two people I had not met, Rick #2 and Heather #2.

We met at Gamelin Blvd, abd first toured the Pioneer Trail. It was extremely quiet, and Tony tried the machine to excite the birds. Only Black-capped Chickadees, a pair of Northern Cardinals and a few American Goldfinches responded. An American Crow flew over.

We headed out the Aylmer Road to Luskville. The gate to the falls parking was locked for the winter, so we hiked in. We noticed a couple of deer, one of which had an ugly growth hanging between its legs.

Outside of a Common Raven and Blue Jay, the quiet forest persisted, so Tony decided to go back after proceeding down the horse trail only as far as the creek. On the way out, we saw a flock of about ten Wild Turkeys.

We headed further west on Hwy 148 where Tony spotted a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk. It flew off while he was setting up his scope.

Just before the restaurant, we turned down Chemin Therien. I saw a Hairy Woodpecker from the car. Tony spotted a perched Red-tailed hawk, which he got in the scope. There were mixed flocks of American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds going back and forth in the tree tops, with a Cooper’s Hawk in hot pursuit. A Blue Jay flew in and perched in a tree top.

We headed for the restaurant, but it was closed. The sign said open at 11, so we decided to bird the Eardly-Masham Road for a while and return. It was pretty quiet up there too, with only a Red-breasted Nuthatch responding to the magic machine.

When we returned, the restaurant was still closed, so we made do with the depanneur across the road. We decided to take Bradley over to Steele Line. We stopped at the house with the vertical fence and fund a friendly dog and a White-breasted Nuthatch and a Brown Creeper. Tony and Nina got a brief view of a Northern Shrike and got it in the scope.

We stopped to scan on Steele, and Bob saved Tony’s skin by spotting a distant circling adult Bald Eagle. We all had good views. Returning on Bradley, Tony spotted another distant eagle, but this time a Golden Eagle. The eagle landed in a conifer, so we jumped back into the cars to drive closer. However, we could not relocate it, but got good views of another Red-tailed Hawk.

OFO Field Trip - Dusk Birding Along the Ottawa River with Tony Beck

2011-10-31T10:58:00.001-04:00

October 28 - 1:00 pm

Tony and Nina were assisted today by Bob Cermak and Mark Gawn. Other birders were Rick, Russell, Brenda, Judith, Sally, Martha and several more. Herewith Tony's account:

On Friday afternoon, twenty enthusiastic birders gathered at Andrew Haydon Park for OFO’s “Dusk Birding along the Ottawa River”. After a spectacular week of stellar birding, mainly east of the Deschenes Rapids, expectations were high that the river would continue to reveal mega-rarities. We stayed mainly along the shores of the western side of Lac Deschenes. However, a cold west wind and high water levels made viewing conditions bitter and challenging resulting in low diversity. Regardless, everyone had an excellent time, often getting close-up views of uncommon species. Those that stayed to the end were treated to an enchanting show of large flocks arriving for their evening roost, their aerobatic flights draped against a clear vermillion sky. Other highlights included a juvenile Brant, a female Northern Shoveler, 2 juvenile Greater Snow Geese, 11 Red-necked Grebes, all three species of scoter, and several individuals & small flocks of Long-tailed Ducks. For photographers, one very accommodating Long-tailed Duck, and a cooperative Wilson’s Snipe, provided some pleasant diversion.

Mud Lake

2011-09-21T15:51:00.003-04:00

Sept 19, 8:30 am

I took my car in for servicing at Metro, then hopped on my bike and went over to nearby Mud Lake. Although I did not see anything unusual, it was a glorious sunny day, and the waterfowl, herons and grebes made great photo subjects.

Search for the Parasitic Jaeger

2011-09-21T14:53:00.002-04:00

Thursday, Sept 15, 7:30 am

Tony, Nina, Peter and I braved the extremely chilly wind at Ottawa Beach for 2 hours looking for the Jaeger that had been reported hanging around for a week. We were joined by a couple of others including one woman in shorts and sandals, who admitted she was freezing. But she did not want to miss the Jaeger, so stuck it out for as long as she could; she finally left disappointed.

A large flock of Double-crested Cormorants flew past, along with small flocks of both teal. A Northern Flicker was in the dead aspen behind. A Common Raven croaked and American Crows cawed, but the Jaeger did not show.

A young Cooper's Hawk flew past and two Northern Harriers circled around the bay. We saw a number of Great Blue Herons, both flying and perched.

We gave up temporarily on the Jaeger, and hiked over to the other part of Andrew Haydon Park. We were rewarded with views of a Baird's Sandpiper and a Black-bellied Plover. Out on the water we could see an American Black Duck and a Greater Scaup. Some male Mallards were beginning to emerge from their eclipse plumage.

Suddenly Nina spotted what we assumed to be the Parasitic Jaeger back circling the beach where we had come from. Naturally, we turned around and headed back there as fast as we could go. However, before we had gone far, Tony saw it streaking up the river towards Shirley's Bay.

In the parking lot we met Chris Lewis and Bob Bracken who had been on the beach. They were just putting out a rare bird alert for a Pomarine Jaeger. Having seen the former several times that week, and having had excellent looks at this bird, they were absolutely certain it was a Pomarine - what a coincidence.

We drove straight to Shirley's Bay, but there was nothing there but a flock of migrating Blue Jays. So, we decided to check Burnside Pit. As we passed the Jack Pine Trail, we observed a Red-tailed Hawk perched back in the swamp.

At the pit, there were lots of Ring-necked Ducks and Ruddy Ducks. We watched some flocks of geese coming in, and one of these had a blue-phase Snow Goose with them. Another flock had a Cackling Goose. All of these flocks landed and immediately swam out of sight around the point.

We returned to Andrew Haydon Park, but both Jaegers had vanished for good. Tony spotted two American Pipits on the rocks by the shore. The Baird's Sandpiper and Black-bellied Plover had returned and an Osprey flew across over the road.

On leaving the pond, we noticed two juvenile Hooded Mergansers swimming in close.

Kemptville Creek Canoeing

2011-08-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

Augsut 10, 1:00 pm

As part of the checkout for the Crazy Canuck Adventure Challenge, we paddled a section of Kemptville Creek. I paddled with Stew, and a second was used by Rob, Bendan and Jessica. Rob workd for the county and the other two are his summer students.

During the car shuttle, we twice saw some Wild Turkeys with young. I also saw some on the drive down.

While paddling, we saw numerous Belted Kingfishers, most likely a family. We also saw a Green Heron and a few Great Blue Herons. Stew also showed me a small sandbank beside the road at Limerick bridge, where Belted Kingfishers had made a nest.

Cottage Surprises

2011-08-12T10:29:00.002-04:00

August 6/7, 2011

As we would not be visiting the cottage for quite some time, an August loon count was needed.

This time, there were no more pairs, but at least there were seven teenagers, as we call them, loafing and fishing in the middle of the lake.

We found the first pair at the end on the Reserve. The male put on quite a distracting show, dashing back and forth, and even doing the penguin display.

But we could not find the female or the baby! Eventually we spotted them on the other side of the bay - mother and baby doing well. We went into Deep Bay to have our lunch, and Barbara spotted a hawk that we flushed. We could hear it calling, but did not see it again.

Next we visited Seagull Rock, and to our amazement, saw the adult slip off the nest. It had been weeks, so we thought perhaps the egg was not viable. But on close look at the photos, I believe that one can see the baby poking it's way out of the nest right at the moment of our visit!

We quickly went on to discover the last pair with twins doing well at Pike Bay.

We were thinking about that hatchling, so decided that a return visit on Sunday was called for. Sure enough, the broken egg was all that remained at Seagull Rock.

But where was the family? We spotted a pair quite far off in the middle of the lake. This is surprising behaviour for a pair with a newborn. We looked and looked with our binoculars, but could not be sure if those bumps on the back of the adults were chicks or not. When we got close, there was no sign of young. But loon parents are very adept at hiding their babies. Another Common Loon showed up, the one in juvenal plumage that we had seen weeks earlier - another surprise.

After a while, we realized that there would be no newborn sightings, so we decided to go into Deep Bay to check on the hawk. I was sceptical, but it was there! This time it reappeared circling overhead and was even joined by a second one. After looking at the photos and listening to the calls, we concluded that it was a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Fletcher Wildlife Garden

2011-08-11T17:04:00.000-04:00

August 4, 2011 4:00 pm

I was meeting Barbara after work, so stopped in to check Fletcher on the way. It was remarkably quiet. Nothing happening at the locks either. But on the way back, I saw a Warbling Vireo.

Limerick Forest Scouting Trip

2011-08-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

August 3, 2011 11:00 am onwards

Kevin Eastman produced maps with the proposed hiking and biking routes for the Crazy Canuck Adventure Challenge on Oct1. To see what things were like, and to mark waypoint, I made a visit to the area on Aug 3 bringing Boots and Bagel with me.

The dogs enjoyed the day, but precluded the opportunity to see many marsh birds when they were afield. However, I did see a Pied-billed Grebe at the Limerick Road bridge, and a whole family of American Kestrels on the wires near Bishop's Mills. There were also numerous Barn Swallows on the wires. I was pretty sure I saw an Eastern Meadowlark or two, but as soon as I pulled the car over, they took off - the downside of birding alone.

The Wetlands Behind the Former Nortel

2011-08-09T12:21:00.000-04:00

August 2, 1 pm

This was Craig and Pamela's last day before returning to Saskatoon. We went out for lunch, then went for a stroll along the paths west of Moodie.

It was warm along the bike path, but a familiar young male American Redstart came out to check us out. We saw the female too. We also got good looks at a Cedar Waxwing.

I tried playing recordings at the pond for Sora or Least Bittern, but we saw neither. We did flush a Green Heron from close by, but got no photo. We saw a Beaver over by the roadway.

Cross Loop Birding

2011-08-05T16:36:00.000-04:00

July 27, 12 noon

We dropped off a couple of plants at The Barn for the wedding, and pulled into Cross Loop to have our sandwiches and check for birds. We did not see any of the hoped-for Bobolinks or Eastern Meadowlarks, but there were several Eastern Kingbirds, Song Sparrows and Barn Swallows under the covered bridge. Barbara saw a possible female Bobolink, but it flew off before we could get a positive ID.

Cottage Birding

2011-08-04T13:13:00.001-04:00

July 23-24, 2011

With Kirk & Karine's wedding fast approaching, we decided to drive in to Maniwaki to check out the flowers. We stopped at our usual two spots on the way, then went via Farley and the KZ reserve, as the road is more birdy than the highway.

After not seeing them for some time, the Eastern Bluebirds were back at the nest box at Arsenault's farm.

At the creek into Blue Sea, we saw a White-throated Sparrow, an Eastern Phoebe, a Cedar Waxwing, and a family of Mallards. Using the tape to attract a Sora or Least Bittern had no effect.

In Farley, we saw several Eastern Kingbirds together on the wire.

In Maniwaki, across the highway from BMR, we saw several Barn Swallows and perhaps others. There were more Kingbirds and Cedar Waxwings too, and Barbara pished out a juvenile American Redstart.

We returned by KZ again, stopping at the bridge over the creek from Little Cedar Lake. I spotted a Belted Kingfisher, but missed the photo. An Anishnabe man came by and regaled us with tales of a giant snake-eating owl and a Turkey Vulture nest.

We returned to the lake and did our second July loon count. The number of adults seen was way down, from 17 to 10, but we got a surprise new chick and found the Seagull Rock loon still on the nest.

Rare Bird Alert - Western Meadowlark

2011-07-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

July 21, 8:30 am

Ray Holland spotted this rarity on July 20, and Bruce Dilabio reported it to OntBirds. Jeff Skevington checked before work, and it was still there in the early morning at the corner of Panmure and Upper Dwyer Hill Roads. I also got an email from Tony Beck that his group was going for it, so I jumped in the car and headed straight there.

When I arrived, Tony had it in the scope. It was a little distant for photos and it soon went down from the wire to the meadow. But it came back to a fence post, and after having good looks, we decided to stalk close for photos. It did not disappoint.

Ben and Tony also heard an Upland Sandpiper, then Tony spotted one flying over. Tony also got an Eastern Meadowlark in the scope for us for distant views.

The group was off to Constance Creek, but I headed home via Upper Dwyer Hill Road, looking for Upland Sandpipers. I saw none, but did get another Eastern Meadowlark (which flushed as I got out of the car), and an American Kestrel. Not bad for a short outing!

Revisit to the Nortel Wetlands

2011-07-18T19:39:00.001-04:00

July 18, 2:00 pm

I parked at Moodie Drive and took the Watts Creek bicycle path. A lot fewer bikes at this time of day. Right at the beginning I heard birds and pished in an American Redstart male. I played Tony's tape call, and got him to pose for a few photos. A Blue Jay also showed some interest.

As I hiked along, some American Goldfinches crossed the path.

A little further along, by an apple tree, there was more activity. I got glimpses of a female American Redstart, so I played the tape. A male Yellow Warbler popped in for a look, and after I shut off, a Black and White Warbler showed up.

Just at the opening in the fence, I was able to call in the female American Redstart.

I went directly to the pond where Tony had the action before, and played the Sora call. Once again, Virginia Rails responded, at least two of them. After a bit, I played the Virginia Rail call. They came in really close, but refused to show. Suddenly, a bird flew across in my peripheral vision - probably a Sora.

I went back the same way I had come, exploring the side trail for a bit, but turning back. Another Yellow Warbler, a female, was at the trail junction. Back on the bike path, there was much less activity, although I did see a Cedar Waxwing.

Cottage Surprise

2011-07-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

July 16, 2011

The big boys were back - Evening Grosbeaks, that is. We did not really expect to see them again until winter, but there were half a dozen, along with the usual Purple Finches, American Goldfinches, Black-capped Chickadees and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

When I saw, through the window, the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak feeding the female, I immediately thought courtship behaviour. But now that I see the photos, I think he is feeding a juvenile.

Later we went for a boat ride to see how the Common Loon chicks are doing - very well, thank you. We also saw another loon on the nest, a Great Blue Heron and a bunch of Common Mergansers.

Scrublands and Riparian Habitats - Shirley's Bay Trails - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-07-14T16:36:00.002-04:00

Thursday July 14, 7:30am

After missing lots of outings, I was able to join today. It was Nina, Tony, Rick, Peter, myself and a young guy named Ben, who just finished grade 8. He was a good birder - very sharp.

We started at the bike path off Moodie, behind the old Nortel. We got a male and female American Redstart right away, while nearly getting run down by speeding bicycle comuters. One guy in particular must have been going 60, and he barely grazed us as he flew by with no warning bell. That said, most of them were considerate.

We also got many Song Sparrows and a few Yellow Warblers and Eastern Kingbirds. We saw swallows too, mostly Tree Swallows. Peter got a Warbling Vireo. We saw a nice male American Goldfinch and some Cedar Waxwings. Nina noted how pretty the European Starlings were with all their speckles. An American Robin posed in the brilliant light.

Tony played the machine and an American Redstart came in along with two Great-crested Flycatchers. A male and female House Finches came by and Nina heard a Gray Catbird.

We left the bike trail, but still had a few bikes coming through. We came to a wetland with lots of cat tails. There were lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, of course, and a Swamp Sparrow. Our target was Sora Rail, so Tony played the tape. We got a response and also heard a Virginia Rail. Suddenly a Sora flew across the path, seen by Tony and me. Another one responded and came in real close, but only gave us a glimpse. We concluded that the vegetation was too thick for us to see much, so we carried on.

Tony pointed out a Common Yellowthroat ahead on the path. Then another Sora flew across real close.

Tony pointed out a Double-crested Cormorant flying high overhead, then a juvenile Baltimore Oriole flew into a distant tree and perched for us. Tony was expecting more wetland, so we decided to turn around and take a trail to the east, towards Nortel. Rick saw a distant perched Green Heron, which looked to be a young bird. We soon came to another wetland which was more open, so we stopped while Tony played the Sora and Least Bittern songs. We saw a young Sora briefly, then a Virginia Rail came in close but not quite into the open.

We carried on to the Nortel trail which paralleled the road. We saw a Downy Woodpecker and an adult Green Heron fly overhead. We returned to the cars, quite tired. Tony pointed out a distant Osprey.

We headed over to Moodie to Tim Horton's for a short break, then drove out to Thomas Dolan Parkway and Constance Creek. There were three Kingfishers here, obviously a family, as well as two Ospreys. Tony tried to call in a Least Bittern to no avail. He did briefly see an American Bittern, however. We studied the turtles, including a Blanding's. We saw a couple of Great Blue Herons in the distance.

We decided to try the creek for Least Bittern over at Vances. But Tony forgot his magic machine and had to drive back for it. There was a Willow / Alder Flycatcher, but it flew off before Tony's return, so we could not ID as it did not sing. No bitterns came in, so we had to be content with an Eastern Kingbird.

With time running short, Tony wanted to go to Carp to look for the White-faced Ibis. Had we been able to check the email, we might have saved a trip, as it had not been seen this morning. Anyway, we did see Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Barn Swallow, several Killdeers, and a few Spotted Sandpipers. Nina saw a Northern Harrier, perhaps a young male, and Peter saw a Wilson's Snipe, then another one.

We decided to call it a day just as Roger and his wife drove up to look for the ibis.

Eastern Lagoons with Jane, Nadine & Janet

2011-07-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

July 12, 2011

The ladies went ahead and I joined them at Alfred about 9 am. They had already scoped out everything, and all I had to do was look in their scopes! From there we went to Casselman, then St Albert and finally Embrun. Highlight was the Eared Grebe at Embun.

Here is Jane's list:

On the way to Alfred
1. American Goldfinch
2. American Crow
3. European Starling
4. Ring Bill Gull
5. Great Blue Heron
6. Kingbird
7. Red Wing Black Bird

Peat Moss Road
8. Savannah Sparrow

9. Song Sparrow
10. Killdeer
11. Yellowthroat

Alfred Lagoons

12. American Coot
13. Common Moorhen
14. Ruddy Duck
15. Shoveller
16. Canada Goose
17. Blue Wing Teal
18. Lesser Yellowlegs
19. Spotted Sandpiper
20. Wood Duck
21. Mallard Duck
22. Redhead
23. American Widgeon
24. Green Wing Teal
25. Turkey Vulture
26. Black Duck
27. Bobolink
28. Barn Swallow

Peat Moss Road

29. Turkey
30. American Robin

On the way to Casselman

31. Rock Dove
32. Cedar Waxwing
33. Black Capped Chickadee

Casselman Lagoons

34. Least Sandpiper
35. Northern Harrier
36. Tree Swallow
37. Semipalmated Plover

High Falls

38. Yellow warbler
39. Least Flycatcher
40. Merlin
41. House Finch
42. Warbling Vireo (h)
43. Philadelphia Vireo

St Albert

44. Pied Billed Grebe

Embrun

45. Great Yellowlegs
46. Common Grackle
47. Eared Grebe
48. Lesser Scaup

Loon Chicks and Cottage Birding

2011-07-11T15:36:00.001-04:00

July 9/10

We decided to bird in the opposite direction to our usual jaunts. We headed up towards Forêt de l'Aigle, stopping at the turn to Lac Cayamant. There was a lot of bird song, so we got out and played the tape briefly. There were many Common Yellowthroats that responded along with a single Chestnut-sided Warbler and an Eastern Chipmunk. An adult Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came in, and I also noticed a juvenile sitting high up on a branch.

Our friend Terry had told us about an interesting gated road, just past the creek, so we decided to investigate. As he reported, it led down to a clearing with a couple of trailers at a point where the creek tumbles into a lovely pool. This is where I saw an Ebony Jewelwing damselfly.

Then we checked out the other side of the road, hiking down old trails on each side of the pond, which was made by beavers. It looked like one could launch a canoe in there. Here I saw a River Jewelwing damselfly and Barbara got on a young Song Sparrow.

Back at the lake, it was time for our July Loon Count. This time we saw 17 adult Common Loons including one on the nest at Seagull Rocks and a pair with two very young downy chicks. We also saw a whole bunch of Common Mergansers lines up on a rock. They were almost fully grown, so it was hard to tell which one was the mother.

White-faced Ibis

2011-07-11T15:15:00.000-04:00

July 7, 2:00 pm

I had not been birding for some time, but ONTBIRDS reports of this first-ever sighting in Ottawa got me out. It was located on the Carp River floodplain, right in the village of Carp.

At first I could see nothing, but after 15 minutes, it suddenly flew up and circled the flood plain. A couple of young birders from Cornwall were hiding close to the river; they came back to the road and we talked about it. Then Chris Plowright drove up with his friend. The Ibis performed again with a short fly past.

After everyone else left, I carefully crept down closer to get a few photographs. The Ibis seemed totally unconcerned.

First Loon Count of the season - Cedar Lake Québec

2011-06-16T12:17:00.001-04:00

June 12, 8:30 am

Two weeks earlier, I had seen a Common Loon on a nest at Seagull Rocks. But, this nesting attempt was abandoned, and we saw no more nests.

However, we did see 20 adult Common Loons, including about 6 that were paired up. Time will tell if these nest or not. An unusual sighting was an adult Common Loon in complete non-breeding plumage - a rare sight for mid June!

Another rare sight was a double-crested Cormorant. We are hoping that they don't establish a colony on our lake.

Marbled Godwit on Greenbank Road field

2011-06-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

June 10, 10:00 am

This large and uncommon shorebird was reported on ONTBIRDS. Being only 5 minutes from my house, I had to follow up.

There was a fairly large pond (puddle) which was easy to scope. It seemed to be full of Mallards, then I saw the lone Brant. It took another birder to alert me that there was a much smaller pond in front, almost totally obscured by long grass. Sure enough, the Marbled Godwit was there along with two Black-bellied Plovers in breeding plumage, a Dunlin and some Semi-palmated Sandpipers.

I needed to get up higher, so returned home to come back with a step ladder. This worked to give better views, but I was not able to use the scope effectively.

Wildlife Photography - Jack Pine Trail with Tony Beck

2011-06-16T11:42:00.001-04:00

Thursday June 9, 7:30 am

There was a large group today for the last session of the current cycle - Tony, Nina, Michael, Lorraine, Paula, Bob, Heather, Ron, Roger and me. Lorraine and Paula were new to me, but were obviously experienced, having birded in the tropics, Florida, etc.

Starting down the trail, we heard Blue Jays and a Pine Warbler calling. Tony called the latter in for a brief view. We photographed the squirrels and chipmunks in the relatively low light using high ISO - the results were not spectacular. We also tried to photograph some silhouetted leaves with a sunny background on a tree trunk ; it's a lot tougher than it looks.

We heard some Common Ravens and Ovenbirds, but did not see them. We saw a perched corvid, which turned out to be an American Crow. A Killdeer flew over calling it's name. Nina also heard a Swamp Sparrow and spotted it perched nicely for us on a dead snag. We also saw a male Common Yellowthroat.

We heard a Virginia Rail from the boardwalk, so Tony played the call. Two or three of them responded and came in close.

Heather was delighted by the dragonflies and damselflies. We photographed a beautiful Ebony Jewelwing. We had some Mourning Doves, then a Killdeer at the next stretch of boardwalk. A sharp-shinned Hawk flew over very high up.

We carried on to the back of the trail. I heard a Field Sparrow right away, but we only got distant sightings. A White-throated Sparrow was more cooperative.

A Great Blue Heron flew past, and in the distance, we saw a Broad-winged Hawk and a Common Raven. We spent quite a bit of time photographing the wild flowers including an Ox-eye Daisy with spider on it. At the back of the trail, we saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched in a dead tree and several Northern Leopard Frogs.

Mer Bleue - Rare Nesters of Eastern Ontario with Tony Beck

2011-06-15T08:40:00.001-04:00

Tuesday June 7, 7:30 am

We met at Doman Ridge Road parking area because our main area of interest at the Mer Bleue boardwalk was gated until 8:00 am. Today there was Peter, Tony, Nina, Heather, Russell, Al, Rick, Margaret, Josh and me. The latter two were new to me, but had been out on weekends.

So we went for a stroll past the gate. We got Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and a cooperative Great-crested Flycatcher. We could hear, but not see well, Common Yellowthroats. A Chestnut-sided Warbler joined the Great-crested Flycatcher on the wire.

A Pileated Woodpecker flew up the road right over us. We saw one of the Common Yellowthroats, then an Indigo Bunting. We heard a Black and White Warbler.

Two different vehicles came and unlocked the gate and drove past. Tony spoke to the driver of the second one, a young lady post doc from McGill who explained that they had a research project at the end of the road. Though not a birder, she was interested and invited us to visit their site (on foot, about 3km away). Tony was interested for another time, because of the chance to see rare breeders - Palm Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow and Sandhill Cranes. She thought that the latter were nesting close to their site. This news caused Tony to get really excited.

But today, we were planning to visit the Mer Bleue boardwalk on Ridge Road and spend the day there looking for these very species. It's a short drive, so we all took our own vehicles.

We were greeted at the parking lot by an Eastern Kingbird. The outhouse, which was closed, had a nest with young under the eaves- probably Eastern Phoebes. A tick-infested Snowshoe Hare was nearby. We heard a Veery and a Northern Flicker.

We started down the trail and got Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch and Black and White Warbler in the first few feet. We heard the Veery again and a Gray Catbird. We admired the pink Lady Slippers and the Pitcher Plants ad other bog specialties, like Labrador Tea.

At the back end of the boardwalk, we heard a Palm Warbler. We did get glimpses, but not great views. White-throated Sparrows did not disappoint. We also got quick views of a Lincoln's Sparrow, and Tony saw a Hermit Thrush, which some of us got on before it melted away.

A Swamp Sparrow sang for us. We saw an Alder Flycatcher, but were pleasantly distracted when a pair of Sandhill Cranes flew over the bog. An Eastern Kingbird perched on the railing for Josh. An American Bittern also did a fly past for us.

Heather photographed several types of dragon flies. A Virginia Rail called, so Tony played the tape to draw it out. It responded and came close, but only offered us a glimpse.

We moved to the pine forest at the end of the boardwalk. We got another Chestnut-sided Warbler, a Black and White Warbler and a Yellow Warbler. A few people saw a Nashville Warbler that came out briefly. Another Veery skulked in the back. We saw an Eastern Wood Pewee to cp of another great day.

Cerulean Warblers and other Carolinian Species at Chaffeys' Locks with Tony Beck

2011-06-13T21:15:00.003-04:00

Thursday, May 26, 2011 6:00 am

We had an early start. Showers were in the forecast, but we still had a good turnout, including several we had never met before. Barbara came with us today.

We took Hwy 417 to Hwy 15, then through Smith's Falls to Portland and the turn-off for Chaffey's. On the way, I noticed an American Bittern flying over top of a swamp. We stopped briefly at Portland, and got a Warbling Vireo and heard a Common Yellowthroat. Tony was hoping for some large white birds (Trumpeter Swans), but they did not materialize.

We saw huge Osprey nests on the hydro pylons, one of them occupied. We parked at Indian Lake Road where the Cataraqui Trail crosses, and hike west down the trail a piece to a large swamp. We saw an Eastern Kingbird and an Indigo Bunting right away. As we moved along, we kept hearing Red-eyed Vireos, White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-throated Green and Black and White Warblers. We soon saw the latter as we heard a Common loon yodelling in the distance on Opinicon Lake.

Tony played the tape and we got a Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch and Black and white Warbler to come in. We got fleeting views of Black-throated Green Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler, and good looks at a Great Crested Flycatcher. Nina saw a Turkey Vulture, and Tony heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak that refused to show.

Tony heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, so played the song. It showed itself several times, as it flew back and forth across the trail. But it never did sit still for a photo. We had to stop, as we were obviously perturbing it. But it was a lifer for us and many others.

We carried on hearing but not seeing many Ovenbirds. Tony got a glimpse of a Swainson's Thrush. We heard a Ruffed Grouse.

When we reached the swamp, we saw a male Hooded Merganser barrelling across the water at high speed. A Cooper Hawk flew overhead, and Tony heard an Eastern Towhee. We saw a Swamp Sparrow perched on one of the dead trees. Incredibly, one of the ladies spotted a scarlet blob about 1 km away. Tony scoped it, and it turned out to be a male Scarlet Tanager. Even more amazing, it flew across and perched quite close to us.

On the return walk, we saw a Yellow-throated Vireo.

We retreated to Chaffey's Locks to use the facilities, then went down past the Queen's University Biological Station to where the road touched the lake. Here we saw Map Turtles and an Eastern Wood Pewee. We hiked down one of the trails away from the lake to a Queen's Tree Swallow test area, hoping for a Golden-winged Warbler - no luck, but we did see an American Redstart.

Returning to the cars, we saw a Broad-winged Hawk, apparently at a nest! Heather saw another Indigo Bunting, and also a female. Tony played the Cerulean Warbler tape, and one did show up briefly in the tree tops.

We tried another trail, but it was very muddy. We tiptoed through the mud with Al lending a helping hand. He came prepared with rubber boots! We saw many Red-eyed Vireos and a few American Redstarts for our trouble. We did see a large morel mushroom.

Back on the road, we saw a Yellow Warbler and a cooperative Wilson's Snipe. Then we saw an Eastern Bluebird, and finally, a Golden-winged Warbler (spotted by Barbara).

Driving back along Opinicon Road, Tony pointed out a Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched on a wire.

OFNC Sparrow Trip behind Ottawa Airport with Gord Belyea

2011-06-13T15:06:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, May 25 7:30 am

I was a couple of minutes late due to the heavy traffic on Hunt Club. I could see the group just taking off, so I joined the back of a rather large group. Familiar faces were Rick, Marc and Peggy, among others.

Our first sparrow was a Savannah Sparrow on the fence, first misidentified as a Song Sparrow. Two Brown Thrashers flew across as Gray Tree Frogs called continuously as we hiked along the trail parallel to Bowesville.

We could hear Common Yellowthroats, but no see them. We did see a couple of Baltimore Orioles and Bobolinks and an Eastern Kingbird. We had a fleeting view of a young male American |Redstart. There were boxes, occupied by Tree Swallows, but one by Eastern Bluebirds. We also saw a Yellow Warbler and some Turkey Vultures.

We finally did see a Song Sparrow, then a distant Eastern Meadowlark at the top of a tree. We came to a traditional Least Flycatcher spot, and Anne played her machine. We go a quick response and also saw American Goldfinches and a House Wren.

We heard a Field Sparrow, but could not get it to come in. After spotting another Eastern Bluebird, we go decent views of a Grasshopper Sparrow in a low shrub.

A Great Blue Heron flew overhead, and some got briefly on a Black-billed Cuckoo.

We could hear an Ovenbird calling "Teacher Teacher Teacher" and saw another Brown Thrasher on top of a dead tree. We made our way to the radar ball enclosure, where a Mourning Warbler was reputed to hang out. But several tries with the recording failed to get a response. Rick heard it, then saw a female Yellow Warbler come in and at first thought we had it, but no.

I spotted a raptor, which even Gord had trouble with. He called for Marc to come forward with his scope, but even without it we soon identified it as a Red-tailed Hawk, even though there was no obvious red tail. A Great Crested Flycatcher put on a good show for us.

We heard another Black-billed Cuckoo. We saw another House Wren at a nest box, then got excellent views of a Clay-colored Sparrow.

We had a quick view of a Gray Catbird, then heard a Pine Warbler. We spend some time playing the recording, but it would not come out. We did get great views of an Indigo Bunting.

Returning down the trail, some saw an American Kestrel and everyone saw another Brown Thrasher.

Afterwards, I drove out to High Road to check for Eastern Bluebirds, but all of the boxes seemed to be occupied by Tree Swallows. I could see the radar dome and was surprised at how far we had walked.

Late Spring Birds - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-06-02T14:01:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, May 24, 7:30am

We met at Andrew Haydon Park East. Today there were Rick, Peter, Bob, Heather, me, Nina and Tony. From the parking lot we had a Hairy Woodpecker and a Warbling Vireo, and heard a Great Crested Flycatcher.

We decided to forgo Shirley's Bay, and went straight to March Valley Road. We saw an Osprey flying in the distance and a Spotted Sandpiper across the road at the edge of the pond. Bob saw a Northern Harrier and a Turkey Vulture on the other side.

We moved to Berry Side Road where we saw an Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warbler, a drake Blue-winged Teal, another Warbling Vireo, Cedar Waxwings and Green Frogs. Nina saw a Great Blue Heron in flight. Ospreys were on the nest.

We had a Hooded Merganser fly past and heard American Goldfinches and Purple Finches. Bob and Peter saw a male Wild Turkey displaying. We saw an empid flycatcher which called to tell us that he was an Alder. We got a Red-eyed Vireo and a Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Brown Thrasher (spotted by Peter), Swamp Sparrow, and heard an Ovenbird. A Common Loon could be heard doing it's flight call.

On 5th Line Road, we heard Bobolinks and an Eastern Meadowlark, then saw a couple of Bobolinks. Rick spotted a female Kestrel in the distance. We checked out the Tree Swallows and an Eastern Bluebird.

We checked out Constance Creek. Tony tried for Least Bittern and Common Moorhen, but we got neither. An American Bittern did fly quickly past. We went to the Heart and Soul for coffee, then proceeded to Torbolton Ridge Road. We saw more Bobolinks, then stopped at a Sedge Marsh to try to call in Sedge Wrens. Tony played the call several time with no effect, then Rick thought he saw one show briefly. Suddenly one appeared right under our feet and we all got photographs.

While waiting for a work crew, a Ruffed Grouse crossed the road. On Kilmaurs Road, we saw an Osprey fly over. We watched a number of Tree Swallows, picking out a few Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows among them. We called for Upland Sandpiper, but did not get it.

Long Weekend at the Cottage

2011-05-31T17:51:00.004-04:00

May 20-23, 2011

We arrived in late afternoon to see perhaps a dozen Evening Grosbeaks at the feeder - what a treat! There was also a similar number of Purple Finches.

We decided to bird our usual spot on Ch. St. Jacques by Blue Sea Lake on Saturday Morning. We were disappointed not to see any warblers except Yellow and Common Yellowthroat (heard only), but two Virginia Rails came out in response to the tape - a new bird for the cottage list!

We moved on to our other spot on Ch. Galipeau and immediately got a Northern Flicker which was calling vigorously. I also got a Swamp Sparrow on the other side of the road. We could hear Ovenbirds and Common Yellowthroats (lots) but did not see them. Barbara spotted a European Starling go into a hole in a tree, that was perfect for a woodpecker.

No Bluebirds today, but we saw a Turkey Vulture in the same spot as last time.

In the evening, we visited the Tims and saw a beautiful Common Merganser pair cruise by the end of the dock in great light - it proves, once again, that one should always take one's camera!

Other birds noted in and around our feeders were American Goldfinches, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Peak Spring Migration - Ottawa East with Tony Beck

2011-05-18T13:12:00.004-04:00

Wednesday May 11, 7:30am

I arrived at Petrie Island to find Russell with the scope on a Common Moorhen. We were the only ones to see it, as it vanished just as the others arrived. They were Tony, Nina, Bob, Michael, Rick, Heather, Betty and another new guy whose name I think was Al.

Several very large Carp were jumping right clear of the water just in front of us - it's that time of year! We saw a lot of Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds. A few Double-crested Cormorants were flying in the distance. We saw a young Herring Gull fly near, and an Eastern Kingbird perched on the wire. I spotted a Great Blue Heron on the far shore, and, incredibly, Tony scoped a Virginia Rail barely visible in the distance.

A pair of Blue-winged Teals flew in and a Wilson's Snipe flew up and was seen briefly. The teals took off and you could see their blue wing patches - gorgeous. We notices some Barn Swallows and Bank Swallows among the many Tree Swallows. A Red-tailed Hawk flew over while we watched the swallows.

We moved across the causeway bridge where we heard a Song Sparrow and a Yellow Warbler singing. A Least Flycatcher came in for good views and photographs. We also saw two Great-crested Flycatchers. In the same location, we saw a Downy Woodpecker, Baltimore Oriole, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warbler and some American Goldfinches. A pair of Common Mergansers with an extra female were noted on the other side of the causeway. A young Double-crested Cormorant was sitting on a stump in the water and another one flew right over us.

We moved along to where there was a large puddle with two Solitary Sandpipers feeding. Heather got an American Redstart and a Gray Catbird put on quite a show. Another Yellow Warbler, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Northern Parula, a House Wren and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet came in too. Tony could hear Rusty Blackbirds in the distance, but they did not come in. But a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Warbling Vireo did show.

We moved along the road and Heather briefly saw a Cape May Warbler and a young male Blackburnian Warbler , but most of us didn't. A White-throated Sparrow and a Blue-headed Vireo came in.

We moved to the turtle pond where we saw many Map Turtles. Some of the larger ones seemed to be moulting. One had a Painted Turtle on it's back.

We went across to the river and saw more common warblers and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Returning to the cars, we got good views of another Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Baltimore Oriole.

We went to the Park & Ride where we heard an Eastern Meadowlark and a Clay-coloured Sparrow, but could not find them. Then it was on toTim Horton's, even though it was almost noon. We just had time to cruise Wall Road for Upland Sandpiper. Well we did not get one, but had some very obliging Bobolinks and a Savannah Sparrow.

Bob spotted a male Northern Harrier, and a Brown Thrasher flew across the road into a thick bush. Tony pointed out a Broad-winged Hawk flying over. Back at the Park & Ride, we heard then saw a Killdeer.

Britannia Ridge

2011-05-18T08:36:00.001-04:00

May 10, 2011 8:30 am

This morning I drove Barbara to work, as she was recovering from a bout with a virus. On the way home, I passed very close to Britannia, so decided to stop in for a brief visit. There were plenty of vehicles parked, but activity was quiet nonetheless.

I went right up onto the ridge at the BYC end and immediately heard a Yellow Warbler singing. I stuck around for a few minutes to find him and get some photos, nearly bumping into Nina on the trail.

It was pretty quiet along the rest of the ridge, so I went down to the end, noting that the river was flooded where we usually go down to the edge. There were Yellow-rumped Warblers in the bushes across from the Scout trees we planted many years ago. Another birder pointed out a Northern Parula that was flitting in the same area.

I quickly returned to my car, pausing to chat with Bruce DiLabio on the way.

Migrants and Nesting Birds - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-05-17T17:53:00.003-04:00

Monday, May 9, 7:30am

Today there were two new ladies, Pat and Margaret, as well as regulars Heather, Michael, Rick, Russell, Nina and Tony

A Baltimore Oriole greeted us at the parking lot at Andrew Haydon Park. We also had Warbling Vireos, Black-capped Chickadees and Wood Ducks.

This time in the flooded area between sections of the park, we only got Common Grackles, European Starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds. A Song Sparrow was singing from a low branch.

Once again, the pond had lots of Lesser Scaup. A Yellow-rumped Warbler was singing overhead. And a single Brant was swimming with the Canada Geese. A male Merlin blasted past overhead. Nina went o look at the cute goslings which were very young.

On the river, we saw a Double-crested Cormorant by the far shore and four Great Blue Herons migrating together. Tony spotted a drake Red-breasted Merganser moving quickly away, but Russell and I took off and got some good shots when it turned back briefly.

We moved to the hiking/ski trail off Carling near Grandview. We got a Killdeer flying away, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Goldfinch and Black-capped Chickadees along the trail in the same tree. A White-breasted Nuthatch flew in too.

We heard a Field Sparrow (ping pong ball). Tony played the tape, and it flew back and forth checking us out, but did not really come into range. We saw a Purple Martin and Tony heard a Brown Thrasher, which we soon spotted at the top of a tree. We managed to annoy a Blue Jay.

We moved to Shirley's Bay, and right away, spotted two Red-necked Grebes. On the far shore there were Buffleheads, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks and Common Goldeneye. We also saw a Common Loon.

We hiked around the roads playing the tape at various places. We got another White-breasted Nuthatch to come in along with a House Wren and Downy Woodpecker. As we got to Hilda, Rick spotted an American Redstart, which did not stick.

Under the Hilda feeders we got good numbers of White-throated Sparrows and a few White-crowned Sparrows, as well as Brown-headed Cowbirds. The famous melanistic Eastern Chipmunk also put in an appearance. We saw a Turkey Vulture and Cooper's Hawk in the distance, then a Pileated Woodpecker did a quick fly-past.

Just as we were thinking of wrapping it up, we saw a Black-and White Warbler and a Nashville Warbler across the road. A Great Blue Heron flew across high in the sky. Returning to our vehicles, we saw a Killdeer by the boat launch and an Osprey back of the parking lot.

Birding near our cottage on Grand Lac des Cèdres

2011-05-17T12:10:00.002-04:00

May 8, 2011

We had a brief visit from a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at our main feeder.

We went to the creek at Ch St. Jacques and BlueSea Lake, which has been productive in the past. I immediately realized that I should have packed the speakers for my bird calls, to be more effective. Nevertheless, we saw several Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song Sparrows and Blue Jays, and heard an American Bittern call several times. We also heard a White-throated Sparrow.

We walked up and down the road searching for the American Bittern, while listening to Spring Peepers calling. We finally gave up, and moved on to the next area on Ch. Gallipeau. Near the corner of Ch de la Montagne and Ch Gallipeau, we saw a Turkey Vulture on the ground by the side of the road with some carrion. Using the car as a shield, we were able to get quite close.

We turned down Ch. Gallipeau and drove slowly along. Suddenly I spotted another American Bittern standing in the marsh about 50 feet away. We shot some photos out of the open window, then I got out slowly and got some more before it ducked down out of sight. We never saw it again, even though it did no fly out.

The only other birds to be seen were Tree Swallows. As we drove back towards the cottage, I joked that we should check for Bluebirds at Arsenault's. But it was no joke, the pair was there! We could hear an Eastern phoebe calling, and Barbara spotted a Northern Flicker on the lawn across the street.

Back at the cottage, we saw another Eastern Phoebe and both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. I went for a spin in the boat and saw three Common Loons, two small ducks flying past low, which looked like female Buffleheads, and an unusually high number of Ring-billed Gulls. While I was out, Barbara got both male and female Purple Finches at the feeder.

Barbara suggested we try the tail around the perimeter of the cottage, starting in the low swamp area. Soon we got onto several more Yellow-rumped Warblers and heard Northern Parulas singing. Barbara returned to get my binoculars and we did see several Northern Parulas and more Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Scrubland & Wetland Birds - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-05-12T10:34:00.000-04:00

Thursday May 5, 7:30am

We met at Andrew Haydon Park - Heather, Nina, Tony, Janet, Peter, Bob, Betty and me.

Walking between the two sections of the park, we passed a flooded section of woods where I spotted a male Northern Shoveller through the trees. A female was there too. Unfortunately, the trees made it impossible to get a decent photograph. However, we did see some Rusty Blackbirds fairly close.

Both ponds of Andrew Haydon Park had Lesser Scaup in them, and there were many more out on the Ottawa River. Tony was fairly sure that there were some Greater Scaup too - the difference is subtle. Heather saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler in the trees around the pond. From the bridge, we could barely see a Spotted Sandpiper.

In the woods between the sections of the park, we also saw an Eastern Phoebe, a Downy Woodpecker and a Northern Flicker.

We moved to March Valley Road. Stopping by the pond, we saw a pair of Blue-winged Teals and also three Gadwalls in flight. In the wet field we saw a Killdeer and several American Goldfinches were flying around. Then Heather spotted a yellow Palm Warbler. Bob and I went after the Palm, and in the meantime, the Gadwalls landed on the pond. Further along March Valley Road, we saw a Brown Thrasher fly across.

We went on to Riddell Road and stopped alongside a major pond. We heard an Ovenbird, but could not chase it down. We saw a Mourning Dove, a Common Grackle and two pairs of Ring-necked Ducks on the pond. Everyone took off, but I noticed a Ruffed Grouse in the ditch. I stopped, but was unable to get a photo. We stopped at the Osprey platform, and both were at the nest. We had Yellow-rumped Warblers and an Ovenbird across the road. An American Kestrel flew overhead.

We move to Berry Side Road where we saw two Red-tailed Hawks and a distant Brown Thrasher. Also a distant Eastern Bluebird was noted. We photographed an American Goldfinch and a Northern Leopard Frog that Bob discovered.

Tony showed us some Purple Martins and a Turkey Vulture and a couple of Wood Ducks in flight. The Osprey platform was occupied for the first time in several years.

Then Nina found our first Yellow Warbler of the season. She described it without knowing it's identity. Soon we all got on it.

We made a stop along 5th Line Road, where we saw two Eastern Bluebirds. Peter heard an Eastern Meadowlark , and Tony spotted it on the ground in the distance. Bob saw a distant Peregrine Flacon, probably a migrant. Tony heard a Brown Thrasher, which he spotted just before it flew across the road into some bushes. I was the only one who persisted to get photographs.

We next visited Constance Creek to view the Osprey platform, and we also got a Northern Harrier patrolling in the distance. I had to leave to baby sit Samuel, but the others went on to Carp Ridge where they had great success with Easter Towhees.

Sparrows, Kinglets and Early Warblers - Ottawa West with Tony Beck

2011-05-10T21:45:00.002-04:00

Tuesday May 3, 7:30am

We met at Jack pine Trail - Tony, Nina, Bob, Heather, Peter, Janet, Michael, Helena, myself and a visiting birder from England, John Turner.

While gathering in the parking lot, Tony heard an Ovenbird. We moved over towards the sound and I spied a rather large Bullfrog sitting there in the swamp. While debating whether it might be a large Green Frog, it jumped off leaving the question unanswered.

We started down the trail and saw some Dark-eyed Juncos. Tony called in the Ovenbird, and we all got good looks.

We heard a White-throated Sparrow and a Blue Jay flew across. Tony heard Swamp Sparrows calling back in the swamp, and I heard a Northern Flicker call too. Ahead on the trail,we could see more Juncos and White-throated Sparrows.

About six Yellow-rumped Warblers came in, all males. We went out onto the boardwalk and heard both Swamp Sparrows and Song Sparrows calling, then saw both. Two Virginia Rails came in, but did not show for photos. A female Red-winged Blackbird did accommodate the photographers.

We moved on into the woods and saw a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and a Downy Woodpecker. A Snowshoe Hare played hide and seek.

On the next section of boardwalk we got more Juncos, Whitethroats and another Swamp Sparrow.

We turned left and soon Tony heard a Pine Warbler. He called it in really close and we all had great looks.

We heard then spotted a Great-crested Flycatcher, but it could not be enticed to come closer. Bob spotted a Black and White Warbler and the Pine Warbler came in again along with a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and a White-breasted Nuthatch. Heather got us a Blue-headed Vireo.

We moved into the open area at the back and heard a Field Sparrow calling. Anoher birder was there, so we decided to move on.

Along the back, we saw a Common Raven chased by an American Crow. Swamp Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows were calling. And we heard American Goldfinches too. The swamp was full of Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds.

We could hear rather distant Virginia Rails, then a Sora, but neither came in. Tony could hear a Purple Finch singing and we saw a Belted Kingfisher and Chipping Sparrow. Back at the feeder area, we saw what appeared to be a female Purple Finch, but it was singing. A Hairy Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker also both showed up.

We moved to Burnside pit. We could see Common Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead and four kinds of Swallows - Tree, Barn, Northern Rough-wing and Bank. Then a couple of really close Purple Martins came by.

We moved to the dead end on Twin Elm, and saw the resident Osprey, lots of Rusty Blackbirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Warbling Vireos and a White-breasted Nuthatch.

At the edge of the flooded field we had Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and a Dunlin. John and I returned via Steeple Hill to check the other Osprey platform, but they were not home.

Camp Opemikon Work Weekend

2011-05-09T21:03:00.004-04:00

Perth Ontario. April 30-May1

It was work weekend at Camp Opemikon. Our job was to get the Scout camp on Christie Lake ready for summer. But during free moments, Barbara and I did as much birding as possible. We arrived at camp at 7:30 pm on Friday, set up our tents, and had time for a quick look by the swamp across the road. We heard an unusual call, which turned out to be a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; normally one only hears them drum. We also heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming in the dark.

In our tent on Saturday morning at 6 am, we could hear an American Bittern calling frequently across the road. We got up and headed down to the road. We saw two Chipping Sparrows and a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers. A Pileated Woodpecker called in the distance.

We saw one of the resident Ospreys gathering nest material. It was really neat to see it fly up to a dead tree, and snap off branches on the wing. We saw a Beaver swimming. There were tons of male and female Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. Suddenly, I heard the familiar call of a Common Yellowthroat. It showed briefly, then flew across the road and away. We also had brief views of a Northern Flicker. Two Great Blue Herons flew overhead, as did a Common Loon.

In the morning, while doing our work, we saw an Eastern Phoebe and a pair of Hooded Mergansers cruised silently by on the far side of the bay. Later we saw a couple of Loons on the bay. Barbara discovered a pair of Black-capped Chickadees going in and out of a hole in a rotten stump. We at first thought they were nesting inside, but each time they re-emerged, they were carrying bits of rotten wood, presumably to use for nesting material elsewhere.

On Sunday morning, we heard the American Bittern again. He was frustratingly close, but we never did see him. An Eastern Kingbird perched fairly close and did some fly catching. The Osprey was breaking off more sticks, and a pair of Wood Ducks landed in dead branches in the swamp. We spotted some turtles basking in the sun. Two Belted Kingfishers put on an amazing aerial display. We heard a couple of Wilson's Snipe and then saw them flying up. We also heard another Ruffed Grouse drumming across the pond. A good end to a beautiful spring weekend at camp.

Larose Forest & Open Fields - Ottawa East with Tony Beck

2011-05-08T22:42:00.001-04:00

Thursday Apr 28, 7:30am

A small group today – Tony, Heather, Peter and me, with Michael coming later.

Back at Petrie Island again. We have many Wood Ducks and Green-winged Teal. We saw a Great Blue Heron. There were large flocks of mostly Rusty Blackbirds passing through on migration. Once again there were three kinds of swallows. A pair of Lesser Scaup and some Common Mergansers showed up as Yellow-rumped Warblers flew overhead. Tony played the magic machine and some Black-capped Chickadees and American Goldfinch came in. first, followed by a White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Creeper and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Once again, we saw a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds. We heard a Northern Flicker and a Killdeer as three Brown Creepers were chasing each other. A Black and White Warbler came in too.

We could hear a Song Sparrow, a Northern Flicker, Blue Jay and both Kinglets. Heather saw a Palm Warbler. At first we thought it was a yellow Palm, but no, it was a regular one.

We carpooled to Larose Forest via Frank Kenny, where we saw 6000 Greater Snow Geese still there. After lots of photos, we turned onto Russell, where we saw a couple of Turkey Vultures, including one on the ground.

We saw an American Kestrel sitting on a wire, then four or five Broad-winged Hawks in migration.

At Clarence-Cambridge Road, we had another Broad-winged Hawk, another Turkey Vulture, and another American Kestrel. Tony could hear Evening Grosbeaks, but we were unable to track them down. We wandered up and down the road looking for the grosbeaks. There were lots of Blue Jays that were riled up by a Merlin.

We made a few stops along Clarence-Cambridge Road. We got a nice male Pine Warbler to respond to Tony’s tape and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet came in too. A female Pine Warbler stayed in the background.

Finally we saw some Evening Grosbeaks do a rapid fly past. We also got a male and female Yellow-rumped Warbler. We stopped at the feeder at the same place as lat time, and saw a Northern Flicker on the lawn and a White-throated Sparrow under the feeder.