Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 02 November 2010 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario,W.Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis hagenius@primus.ca, or sightings@ofnc.ca Lots of great bird reports and the first local snowfall of the season made for an interesting week! On the 29th approx. 10,000 SNOW GEESE congregated in the fields along Hwy 417 near exit #51, reports of BRANT included a single bird in Cumberland on the 26th and groups ranging in size from 3 to 100 in various areas. Several puddle duck species were widely reported, at least 1 REDHEAD was with the LESSER SCAUP at Shirley's Bay on the 1st, all 3 species of SCOTERS continue to hang out on the Ottawa River, and numbers of LONG-TAILED DUCKS, BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON GOLDENEYE continue to increase on the river as well. Up to 4 COMMON LOONS have been seen off Andrew Haydon Park and on Shirley's Bay, along with several each of PIED-BILLED, HORNED and RED-NECKED GREBES. The Ottawa-Gatineau area enjoyed its share of the recent widespread CATTLE EGRET invasion: 14 along Richmond Rd. south of Fallowfield Rd. on the 26th was the largest number ever for Ottawa, 3 were seen in Alfred, ON on the 28th, and a singleton was on the Quebec side on Grande Presqu'ile in Parc National du Plaisance on the 30th - all were in fields with (no surprise) cattle. Somewhat late were single TURKEY VULTURES on the 27th and 28th, a very late OSPREY was seen perched along the Rideau River near Manotick on the 26th, an adult BALD EAGLE cruised over Andrew Haydon Park on the 1st, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS are apparently on the increase, and MERLINS continue to pop up just about everywhere. Three AMERICAN COOTS have been lingering in the mouth of Stillwater Creek at Andrew Haydon as of at least the 29th. Several visits to the fields along Smith Rd. west of Milton Rd. have revealed that the SANDHILL CRANE count is now well over 80 birds. The only shorebirds reported this week were a few GREATER YELLOWLEGS at the Moodie Dr. quarry pond and an unidentified sandpiper on the rocks in the Deschenes rapids on the 29th. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL or two continue to show up occasionally at Andrew Haydon as well as the Moodie Dr. pond. >From the 31st until at least the 1st, a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER has been coming to a feeder on Chemin Fer-a-Cheval in Masson-Angers, Quebec, and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was also found in Quebec on the 29th along the Eardley-Masham Rd. at Ramsay Lake. Reports of single NORTHERN SHRIKES came from Cumberland and Shirley's Bay, a few HERMIT THRUSHES are still around, and a nice find on the 28th was a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD with a large number of AMERICAN ROBINS in McCarthy Park north of the Hunt Club area of Ottawa. Lots of HORNED LARKS and AMERICAN PIPITS were noted in rural areas, a few flocks of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS appear to be moving around. AMERICAN TREE SPARROW numbers have increased, a few FOX SPARROWS continued to visit local feeders with up to 5 birds in one yard in the west end since at least Oct. 7th. A late LINCOLN'S SPARROW was at the Jack Pine Trail in Bells Corners on the 31st and flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS were again widely reported. A rather late EASTERN MEADOWLARK was in an unexpected location on the 27th - the lawn by the Britannia filtration plant. The same day, a single RUSTY BLACKBIRD was with several RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS at a feeder by Shirley's Bay. On the 31st 16 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS stopped in briefly at a feeder in Bells Corners, a few PURPLE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS have also been noted at feeders, and on the 30th 10 EVENING GROSBEAKS appeared at the Shirley's Bay feeder. Thank you - Good Birding!