Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 10 October 2013 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 NELSON'S SPARROW (11, "1 in partial song, minimum count") were present in the wetland near the mouth of Constance Creek at the Ottawa River in Constance Bay east of the east end of Allbirch Rd on the 10th. Three were reported at that location on the 5th. LONG-TAILED DUCK (1 m) was seen above and below the Deschenes Rapids on the 6th. A local birder who keeps a close watch on the Ottawa river in appropriate weather reported "Today, October 4th, I spent 3 hours birding from Shirley's Bay to Britannia Pier along the Ottawa River at Lake Deschenes. There appeared to have been a small fallout of waterfowl with a number of flocks resting on the river. I counted a total of 146 Brant (4 flocks) , 138 White-winged Scoter (3 flocks) 5 Surf Scoter and 1 male Black Scoter. Other species noted included 27 Red-breasted Merganser, 62 Greater Scaup, 38 Lesser Scaup, 4 Common Goldeneye, 18 American Black Duck, 12 Mallard, 14 Northern Pintail and 7 Green-winged Teal. Also counted 3 Red-necked Grebe, 2 Horned Grebe and 2 Common Loon." Other sightings along the Ottawa River were WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (16) from Dick Bell Park on the 3rd, BRANT (100) and BLACK (12), WHITE-WINGED (85) and SURF (6) SCOTER from the Deschenes Rapids lookout on the 5th, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (35+) from Lakeside Gardens on the 6th and Brant (100) from the Deschenes Rapids lookout on the 7th. Birds of interest at the Britannia Conservation Area (BCA) this past week were ORANGE-CROWNED, BLACKPOLL, BLACK-THROATED BLUE, AMERICAN REDSTART, PALM, TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, BLACK-THROATED GREEN and many YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, RED-EYED and BLUE-HEADED VIREO, RUBY-CROWNED (many) and GOLDEN-CROWNED (few) KINGLET, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, SONG, SWAMP, WHITE-THROATED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, WINTER WREN, HERMIT and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, PEREGRINE FALCON (juv) NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (1, flyover), GREEN HERON (juv) and SCARLET TANAGER. Interesting sightings: - WINTER WREN (4) at Shirley's bay on the 3rd - EASTERN WOOD PEWEE in a Richmond backyard on the 3rd - SORA (1) calling from the marsh near the Innis Point Bird Observatory on the 2nd - BLACK-AND-WHITE (3) and WILSON'S (2) WARBLER at Petrie Island on the 5th - SNOW (8) and CACKLING (1) GOOSE from the north end of Twin Elm Rd on the 5th - EVENING GROSBEAK (1 f) in a Barrhaven backyard on the 6th - DUNLIN (2), LESSER YELLOWLEGS (1) and RUSTY BLACKBIRD (1) at the Bruce Pit on the 7th - BAY-BREASTED WARBLER (1) at the north end of Scrivens St on the 7th - MAGNOLIA WARBLER (1) at the base of the Shirley's Bay dyke on the 8th Thank you to everyone who contributed bird observations!