Ottawa Area Birding

November 10, 2026

Birding Report by Jane Burgess

We had such a good day given the weather forecast of cold with rain. We had a bit of drizzle and we even got some sun. Yes, it was cold, but for the most part we all dressed for it. We saw some good birds and we got to catch up with Anne from white lake and we welcomed Eleanor back from her Brazil trip.

The day started at Eagleson park and ride and then Antrim truck stop. I mean where can you get better scones. A little sugar doesn’t hurt anyone. Ken especially, he drove the second car and he was on the ball all day with just 2 hours sleep but he did get scones, he said he liked savory.

We stopped at the pond just before Cobden. — 2 Mallards and one Red-winged Blackbird. At the Muskrat lake boat launch we saw I believe 6 or 7 Common Loons that always makes Barb C very happy. There was a mixed flock of Ring- billed Gulls and Herring Gulls on the dock. To the right side we saw one lesser Scaup and a few more Mallards.

As we turned onto Snake River Line we saw a bid standing in the field -- mmm -- a raptor - Northern Harrier, it was acting a bit weird, what is his problem. He lifted his leg and there he had caught a little mouse, we watched him eat the little animal and then he flew, but not far. Guess he did not like the audience.

Bill, Barbara and I were the first vehicle and checked out Turcotte. Nothing, we did note that the farmer had made some headway at cutting down his three fields of corn, still not done though.

We turned around and got back onto Snake River Line, where we saw another Northern Harrier. Where is Ken, Eleanor and Barb C? I called them, they reported they had seen a small flock of Sandhill Cranes and decided to chase them but to no avail. But I see Ken got photos. Lucky them, too bad we did not see them. Oh well that's the breaks.

As we were driving to Lake Dore, Bill told me that the source of the Snake River was Lake Dore and ended at Muskrat Lake (28 K). Once almost at Lake Dore Bill showed me the headwaters of the Snake River, "right under that bridge". He has a wealth of knowledge in his head, guess it comes from all the lifelong canoeing he has done. I have mentioned before I think he and Barbara paddled all the lakes and rivers south of North Bay.

Once at Lake Dore, Bill said he wanted drive the road counter clockwise. Fine with me. At the first stop, we saw Trumpeter Swans, way off in the distance along with Horned Grebes, Common Mergansers and Mallards. Searching the flocks, Bill indicated he saw a Horned Grebe, a bit later I found a Red-necked Grebe. I think it was Barb C who saw the Pied Grebe. Eleanor spotted an American Coot and a Wood Duck. Bill was checking out some waterfowl when he said he had a couple of Bonaparte Gulls. Good one. Ken told us he was going to take a drive to see if he could get any closer, when he came back the answer was no. It was a good spot, there is no doubt, the only problem was no washrooms.

We stopped at another park, for better looks of the waterfowl. At one stop we had great views of the Trumpeter Swans. In the photos you will notice a darker one, that is the cygnet. Just for interest's sake males are called cobs and female swans are called pens. Cygnets typically stay with their parents 5 to 10 months, usually remaining through their first winter, until late fall or following spring. Parents just swim away from the young birds, sometimes aggressively, so they can prepare for a new brood. A typical size of a clutch is 4 to 6 eggs, the surviving brood is about 2 due to natural predation(foxes, mink, dogs and turtles) and environmental factors (pollution and habitat loss). Most wild swans' life span averages about 10 years, but some survive up to 40 years. A fun fact, they are the heaviest living bird native to North America.

While getting into our vehicle from a spot where we saw the swans and Common Mergansers, a Bald Eagle flew over and the Common Mergansers took flight. Bill was annoyed that he had just put his camera away and missed a wonderful shot. Here is hoping Ken got the shot.

We regrouped and made a decision as to whether we should go to the dump, the consensus was yes. At the dump we saw about 3 Bald Eagles in a tree,2 mature Bald Eagle and a dark one -- mmm wonder is it a Golden? Nope an immature Bald Eagle, the beak was black, Golden's beaks are much lighter, no matter the age.

We then took the milk route to Pembroke marina, nothing there. Bill, Barbara and I left before the others, but I think they were close behind. There was a detour off highway #17 because of an accident. Home by 4:30.