Surprise finds attract birders aplenty
King Eider, American White Pelican and Ross’s Gull stand out as fall highlights
Waterfowl continued to be the main highlight locally this past week. The remaining female King Eider continued to be reported at Andrew Haydon Park until at least Nov. 17 and was a “lifer” for many birders and photographers.
On Nov. 16, five Greater Whitefronted Geese were found along the Carp River flood plain in Carp. Once a very rare visitor to the Ottawa-Gatineau district, the Greater White-fronted Goose is now a rare but regular fall migrant. The first occurrence for the area was in 1970 and, since the 1990s, observations of this species have increased significantly as have sightings of other species of geese, including Ross’s, Snow and Cackling Geese. At least four Greater White-fronted Geese were still present on Nov. 17 along with one Ross’s Goose and two Cackling Geese in Carp. The Snow Geese numbers continue to increase south of the city, with reports of 1,000+ near Winchester on Nov. 15, 2,000 to 3,000+ near Casselman on Nov. 15 and 2,000+ near Chesterville on Nov. 17.
A surprise find in eastern Ontario was an American White Pelican on Nov. 18 along the Napanee River near Napanee. The pelican was in a flock of 40 to 50 Mute Swans along with a few Tundra Swans. The American White Pelican is a very rare visitor to eastern Ontario and most records are during late spring and the summer months. This is a very late record.
The Sandhill Cranes continue to be reported east of Ottawa in the Navan-Carlsbad Springs area. On Nov. 17 a flock of 25 cranes were observed feeding in the fields along Smith Road near Milton Road. If you haven’t had an opportunity to see these birds, I’d recommend having a look soon before they depart for the south. A single Sandhill Crane was observed Nov. 14 at the Experimental Farm near the corner of Carling and Holland avenues. It was feeding in a flock of Canada Geese in a recently plowed field. Sighting in the city are rare.
The Ottawa River continues to attract many species of diving ducks, including Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser and Common Goldeneye. Good locations to check for these birds include Mud Lake, Andrew Haydon Park, Shirley’s Bay and Remic Rapids.
There have been numerous reports of Snow Buntings from areas along the river, including Britannia Pier and Dick Bell Park. A flock of 20+ was also observed along the Gatineau Parkway on Nov. 12. Carefully check flocks for Horned Lark and Lapland Longspur. On Nov. 14, one Lapland Longspur was observed as it fed with three Snow Buntings at the Britannia Pier.
With the abundance of berries in eastern Ontario and the Outaouais region this fall, there have been a few scattered reports of Bohemian Waxwings. The largest flock so far was 30+ in Carleton Place on Nov. 13. A flock of six was observed at the Arboretum on Nov. 15 and 12 were found feeding on Buckthorn berries on Nov. 16 in Shirley’s Bay. This cousin of the Cedar Waxwing and an erratic winter visitor to our area is easy to recognize by its crest, greyish body, colourful wing markings and red under-tail coverts.
The feeder watcher report continues to be quiet except for the regular visitors that include Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, House Finches and American Goldfinches. One feeder watcher had a Brown Creeper drop in to feed on suet and another reported a Pileated Woodpecker enjoying suet too. Over the next few weeks, watch for an increase in feeder activity once there is snow on the ground.
The number of owl reports continues to increase with a Barred Owl observed locally on Nov. 15, both Northern Saw-whet Owl and Long-eared Owl on Nov. 15 and an Eastern Screech-Owl on Nov. 16 in the area. If you are keen on seeing your first owl, check out area woodlots. The first Snowy Owl of the season was reported on Nov. 14 from the Ottawa area as it sat in a tree briefly before flying off.
On Nov. 15, five Rough-legged Hawks were observed in the Constance Bay, Dunrobin and Shirley’s Bay area. Watch for these hawks as they hover high over the field before dropping on their target. This hawk is a winter visitor to our area and occurs in two colour morphs, dark and light. Most individuals reported so far this season have been light-coloured. Remember to always have your field guide handy when you’re out birding.
One of the rarest finds this fall was an adult Ross’s Gull near Montreal. This rare Arctic gull was found earlier in the month and was still present on Nov. 15 near Fort Chambly along the St. Lawrence River. Birders have been coming from many areas in Quebec, northeastern states and eastern Ontario to view this rarity.
I still remember seeing my “lifer” Ross’s Gull in March 1975 at Newburyport, Mass. At the time, this was one of the first sightings away from the Arctic and birders from all over the eastern U.S. and Eastern Canada made the trip to see it. Considered the “bird of the century,” it even made Time Magazine. Email bird observations and/or photographs to bruce.dilabio@sympatico. ca, subject line Ottawa Citizen Birds. Provide date, location and photographer’s name. The birding Code of Ethics and guidelines of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club can be found at ofnc.ca/birding/Code-of-Conduct.pdf. To reach the Wild Bird Care Centre for orphaned and injured birds, call 613828-2849. Report bird bands topwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/. Access to Shirley’s Bay is restricted. Obtain permission from the office, 613- 9915740, before entering. View more great photos online on our World of Birds mini site at ottawacitizen.com/birds
Amazing how times change!