October a great time for record-setting sightings in our area
The month of October is a great time for birding, with many new species of water birds arriving, northern gulls, and the last of the land bird migrants.
Over the years, a number of exciting discoveries have been found during this month, including the first record of Gray Kingbird for Ottawa-Gatineau district. On Oct.31, 1982, an unusual looking kingbird was found at Britannia Conservation Area late morning. The rare bird alert went out by phone, and anyone who happened to be at home made their way to Britannia. No cellphones in those days. By early afternoon, it was photographed by a few of us and identified as a Gray Kingbird, a southern flycatcher that breeds in Florida. A small group of birders managed to see it before it disappeared late afternoon. At the time, it was one of the few records for Canada. So remember to keep your camera handy when you’re out birding — anything is possible.
Locally, waterfowl numbers continues to rise, with more northern diving ducks arriving and four species of geese being found over the past weekend. On Sept. 24, two Redheads, 26 Lesser Scaups, and nine Ring-necked Ducks were observed at Shirley’s Bay. Other divers found along the Ottawa River included Ruddy Duck, Greater Scaup, Whitewinged Scoter and Common Goldeneye.
Over the next month, watch for these ducks and other species along the Ottawa River, Rideau River and any of the larger lakes. The variety of puddle or surface-feeding ducks continues to increase along the various waterways. There were reports of Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, and both Bluewinged and Green-winged Teal over the weekend. Look for these ducks on small ponds, wet fields, creeks and beaver ponds.
Canada Geese numbers continue to rise as more southbound migrants arrive in our area. The variety of geese in eastern Ontario reached four species over the past week, with the arrival of the White-fronted Goose on Sept. 25 at Andrew Haydon Park. During the 1970s, birders were hard-pressed to find two species of geese in the Ottawa- Gatineau district. During the past four decades, there has been a general increase in all geese species, and last fall the first record of Pinkfooted Goose for Ontario was discovered east of Casselman by Jacques Bouvier on Oct. 31, 2015.
Numerous species of sparrows have been reported during the past week, including up to four late-lingering Clay-coloured Sparrows in Kanata South. A local breeder in the Ottawa area, this species is known to linger in its breeding locations during the fall.
Another sparrow that is making the birding news in eastern Ontario is the Nelson’s Sparrow. Formerly called the Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, this secretive sparrow, a migrant from the Hudson Bay Lowlands, was once considered a very rare fall migrant in eastern Ontario and the Ottawa-Gatineau district. Since the late 1980s, Westmeath Provincial Park, along the Ottawa River in Renfrew County has always been a reliable fall location for the Nelson’s Sparrow.
In the Ottawa-Gatineau district, its status has increased significantly (since 2011) due to birdwatchers making a concerted effort to search for this sparrow in their preferred habitat. The Nelson’s Sparrow likes areas with sedges, grasses, bulrush and beg-garticks in large marshes, along rivers and lakes. The shoreline along the Ottawa River, including areas around Andrew Haydon Park, Britannia Pier, Shirleys Bay and Constance Bay have proven to be good locations. Look for this species in suitable habitat from mid-September to mid-October, with the peak migration period from Sept. 25 to Oct. 15. Carefully check through the Swamp Sparrow and Song Sparrow as they pop up along with the Nelson’s Sparrows.
Southbound migrants to be on the watch for in our region over the next few weeks include Hermit Thrushes, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-crowned Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows and Orange-crowned Warblers. In October, watch for Northern Shrikes, Rough-legged Hawks, Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings.
The Ontario Winter Finch Forecast for 2016-17 is now available at jeaniron.ca/2016/finchforecast16.htm. Based on the report, this may be a somewhat quiet winter for finches. Last year, Common Redpolls were found in small numbers, and other species were scarce. So far this fall, it appears that Red-breasted Nuthatches are on the move south in small numbers, with reports from various locations in eastern Ontario and the Outaouais showing up at bird-feeders. Depending on the amount of natural food available farther north, there can sometimes be a variety of finches in search of food. Every winter is different.