Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 26 April 2012 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club (OFNC) 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: Bob Cermak robertcermak9@hotmail.com or sightings@ofnc.ca Cool temperatures, stong winds and precipitation including snow showers made for less than favourable conditions, but the birds continued to move on their own schedule. On the 16th, 10,700 SNOW GEESE and at least 1 ROSS'S GOOSE were still at the Winchester sewage lagoons, and approx. 1,000 SNOW GEESE were at Dunning and Colonial Rds. near Sarsfield on the 21st. A CACKLING GOOSE was a the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. on the 22nd, and a good variety of ducks were found in various locations in and around Ottawa-Gatineau all week, including WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, GREATER & LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, all 3 species of MERGANSER, and RUDDY DUCK. Two COMMON LOONS were on Shirley's Bay on the 25th, and the significant movement (for Ottawa) of GREBES noted along the Ottawa River on the 19th continued on the 20th, with up to 43 HORNED and 7 RED-NECKED GREBES observed below the Deschenes rapids. A few lingerers of both species were still present from the 21st to the 25th at Shirley's Bay. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS are back at nest sites on the Ottawa River and another report of BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON came from Britannia on the 23rd. OSPREYS are now well-established at numerous nests, as is the pair of BALD EAGLES on the DND property at Shirley's Bay. An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen along March Valley Rd. in Kanata on the 19th, and a couple of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS were spotted on the move on the 18th and 22nd. VIRGINIA RAILS are back in their typical breeding habitats. Feeding habitat at the Embrun, St. Albert and Richmond lagoons attracted migrant SHOREBIRDS from the 22nd to the 25th including over 40 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a few LESSER YELLOWLEGS. PECTORAL SANDPIPER and DUNLIN were also found at a couple of the aforementioned lagoons on the 21st and 22nd. The first local reports of UPLAND SANDPIPER came from High Rd. south of the international airport on the 20th and Campbell Rd. off Montague Boundary Rd. on the 25th. The first local sightings of BLUE-HEADED VIREO came in on the 22nd, and PURPLE MARTIN, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW and BANK SWALLOW have all been reported since then. A HOUSE WREN was singing in Cumberland on the 18th, numbers of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER were all up since last week. EASTERN TOWHEES were again seen and heard on territory along the Thomas Dolan Parkway on the 22nd, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS are still around, and there has been an increase in CHIPPING, FIELD, VESPER, SAVANNAH and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS in the past week. An extremely early ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was reported south of Ottawa on the 18th, and it's been a while since COMMON REDPOLLS were reported - at least 1 or 2 visited a feeder in the Bel-Air Heights neighbourhood on the 23rd. Thanks to all who contributed their observations - Good Birding!