October 23, 2012 Presqu'ile to Ottawa birding

An early morning visit to Owen Point and Gull Island was productive. Low water conditions have now connected the point to the island by an extremely wide gravel bar.  I haven’t  seen the water this low since the fall of 1998. There is a gravel bar almost all the way out to Sebastopol Point/Island and if the water continues to drop we’ll be able to walk over to High Bluff Island!  Highlights included 70+ Horned Grebe, 9 Common Loon, 12 Horned Lark, 8 Lapland Longspur, 18 Snow bunting, 60+ American Pipit,  17 White-winged Crossbill and a late Orange-crowned Warbler. Enroute to Ottawa we observed a road killed Barred Owl near mileage marker #607. During the fall and early winter many migrating and resident owls are killed along this stretch of the 401.
My last stop of the day was at Shirley's Bay and had good views of the Tufted "type" Duck. Fortunately a number of good photos were obtained and I think we can now identify this duck with certainly, hopefully! I'll be unloading the new photos later tonight.
While watching studying the duck, Christina Lewis, Bob Bracken and I heard Sandhill Cranes calling and observed a flock of 28 cranes over the Shirley's Bay area. This is the largest flock I've ever  encountered, outside of the fall staging area along Milton Road near Carlsbad Springs, in the west end of the 50 km radius.

Directions: Shirley's Bay: From Ottawa take Hwy. 417 west to the Moodie Drive exit and turn north (right) on Moodie Drive and continue to Carling Ave. Turn left at Carling Ave. and follow Carling to Rifle Road. Turn right (north) on Rifle Rd. Park at the lot at the end (boat launch). Walk back to the road, and continue through the gate on the Department of National Defense property. There is a trail on your right (clearly marked with vehicle "No Entry" signs) which heads into the woods, and, eventually to the causeway. There is lots of POISON IVY along the causeway.

**** PLEASE NOTE**** YOU MUST OBTAIN PERMISSION FROM THE RANGE CONTROL
OFFICE BEFORE ENTERING THE SHIRLEY'S BAY AREA-- Call (613) 991-5740 and request permission to visit the causeway area for birding.

October 22, 2012 Prince Edward County birding

Spent today birding Prince Edward Point, Point Traverse and various areas in Prince Edward. On the drive to PEPT there were 100's of Dark-eyed Juncos and a number of large flocks of Pine Siskin along the road.  The birds appeared to be picking both seeds and grit from the road side. At PEPT there was lots of activity overhead with a small movement of raptors. Eight species were observed, 40+ Red-tailed Hawk, 11 Red-shouldered Hawk, 7 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 3 Northern Harrier, 2 Cooper’s Hawk, 1 Merlin , 1 immature Bald Eagle and 17 Turkey Vulture.

Other note worthy observations included 20 Hermit Thrush, 150 Cedar Waxwing, 14 Eastern Phoebe, 400+ Dark-eyed Junco, and 6 Fox Sparrow.  Winter finches appeared to be on the move with 500+ Pine Siskin, 25 Purple Finch, 26 Evening Grosbeak, and 20+ White-winged Crossbill. A late Black-throated Green Warbler was also observed.

Later in the day at Gosport  near Brighton a Glossy Ibis was sighted. We managed to get to see this individual as it fed vigoursly during our hour stay. The Glossy Ibis is a very rare visitor to eastern Ontario and this is a late date.  There were numerous shorebirds present including 1 Hudsonian Godwit, 11 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 16 Pectoral Sandpiper,  and 100+ Dunlin.

An immature Cooper's Hawk hunting iat Point Traverse.



Many flocks of  Pine Siskin were observed in the area.



A Ruby-crowned Kinglet quietly waits to be removed from the banding net.  

 Over 40+ Red-tailed Hawk were observed during the raptor flight.  



 
An immature Sharp-shinned Hawk waits release at the Prince Edward Point Banding Station.



 Pine Siskins were attracted to the mist net by the vocalizations of other captured siskins.  This individual decided to sit on the net.  

A Kettle of hawks and vultures  over  Prince Edward Point.

 

A Glossy Ibis at Gosport was a rare find. The ibis was still present the following morning.

October 21, 2012 Ducks at a distance - Tufted Duck update.

Hi Everyone

 

 The Tufted Duck was still present at Shirley's Bay on October 21st. It was viewed by a number of birders and photographed. I haven't seen any of the new photos yet. Based on all the feed back it appears that it is a Tufted Duck and not a hybrid. If anyone has taken better photos than mine please send me copies. The Tufted Duck is a very rare visitor to Ontario.  Observations in eastern Ontario have been in the Kingston and Ottawa areas, and Presqu'ile Provincial Park. There is only one previous record for the Ottawa-Gatineau district, an immature male at Shirley's Bay from April 30-May 9, 2003. Any additional docuemation would be appreciated.

 

Good birding, Bruce

 

Directions: Shirley's Bay: From Ottawa take Hwy. 417 west to the Moodie Drive exit and turn north (right) on Moodie Drive and continue to Carling Ave. Turn left at Carling Ave. and follow Carling to Rifle Road. Turn right (north) on Rifle Rd. Park at the lot at the end (boat launch). Walk back to the road, and continue through the gate on the Department of National Defense property. There is a trail on your right (clearly marked with vehicle "No Entry" signs) which heads into the woods, and, eventually to the causeway. There is lots of POISON IVY along the causeway.

**** PLEASE NOTE**** YOU MUST OBTAIN PERMISSION FROM THE RANGE CONTROL
OFFICE BEFORE ENTERING THE SHIRLEY'S BAY AREA-- Call (613) 991-5740and request permission to visit the causeway area for birding

 

 

Another distanct view of the Tufted Duck from October 20,2012.

photo: Ben Di Labio

October 21, 2012 Birding Algonquin Park and Renfrew County

Hi Everyone
Spent the day birding Algonquin Park and various sites in Renfrew County. The highlight at Algonquin was a flock of 19 Sandhill Cranes flying over calling at Wolf Howl pond. Overall quiet but we did observed 7 White-winged Crossbill and 3 Evening Grosbeak along with 6 Gray Jay along the old railway bed near Wolf Howl Pond.
A Cattle Egret was at a hobby farm at 601 Silver Lake Road near Eganville. This individual was first observed on October 19th by property owner. You can view the area from the road.
good birding, Bruce

 

Directions: Algonquin Park is three hours north of Toronto, via Highways 400, 11 and 60. Follow the signs, which start in Toronto on Highway 400. From Ottawa, take Highway 17 to Renfrew, then follow Highway 60 to the park. Kilometre markers along Highway 60 in the Park go from the West Gate (km 0) to near the East Gate (km 56). Get your park permit and the park tabloid (with a map of birding locations mentioned here) at the gates.

The Visitor Centre at km 43 of Highway 60 is open daily until October 28, 2012, and then weekends and holidays for the winter (see the Events Calendar for more details). At the centre you can find recent bird sightings, information, and helpful Park Staff to assist your birding efforts.
Please send us any bird sightings you’ve had in the park, even of common birds, as we continue to monitor the autumn migration.
You can also get directions to the locations, as well as updates and info about other park events at *www.algonquinpark.on.ca*

Eganville: From the center of Eganville, cross to the south side of the river, and turn right onto Water street. Keep driving. This road will turn into Augsburg Road, and continue for another good 4 Km, before hitting a T-junction. Turn left here, onto Silver Lake Road. The egret was seen at 601 Silver Lake Rd. 

 

 

A surprise was a large flock of 19 migrating Sandhill Crane along the old railway bed at Wolf Howl Pond. These birds were circling overhead calling.

A Bull Moose feeds along the edge of a lake.

The Hooded Merganser is a regular migrant thoughout the park's lakes and ponds.

The Cattle Egret is a very rare migrant in eastern Ontario.

This egret has been present at a hobby farm since October 19th socializing with 3 cows and 2 llamas.

They are known to wander north during October and after last week's strong southern winds it's no surprise one showed up. 



One of the largest flocks of Cattle Egrets ever to be recorded in eastern Ontario was on October 30, 1982 near Deep River.  A flock of 17 birds was observed along the Ottawa River.

There were numerous Moose along Hwy. 60 in Algonquin Park.

October 20, 2012 Tufted type Duck at Shirley's Bay.

Hi Everyone

 

Below are two photos of the Tufted Duck found yesterday at Shirley's Bay. After reviewing the photos this bird maybe a hybrid. I've sent the images out for review and will have more information later today on the identifaction.

 

good birding, Bruce

 

 

 

 

 

 First thought to a Tufted Duck it maybe a hybrid with scaup.

 

Another view of the Tufted type Duck .

October 17-19, 2012 Western Grebe in Ottawa, Ontario

On October 16, 2012 a Western Grebe was found by Jean Dubois off the boat launch just below Deschenes Rapids. The grebe was observed by a small number of birders before dark. The following day, October 17th, the grebe was observed by many. I arrived home on the evening of the 17th from Saskatoon after a week long tour looking for Whooping Cranes. On the morning of October 18th, I took my birding class to Deschenes Lookout. Viewing and lighting conditions were great and we quickly found the  Western Grebe preening and bathing. All had great views! This is the same location that a Western Grebe was found last year on October 25th, also by Jean Dubois.  The general consensus is that it may be the same individual. This sighting represents one of the few records for the Ottawa-Gatineau district and the first photographic record. The bird was still present today, October 19th, feeding and resting along the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. It does occasionally wander to the middle of the river entering Ontario waters. If you are hoping to record it for your Ontario list you will requires lots of patience!

 A Western Grebe along the Ottawa River just east of Britannia Point off Deschenes Lookout in Quebec waters. 

Another distant view of the Western Grebe on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River.

October 10, 2012 Birding Saskatchewan

I arrived in Saskatoon this morning to overcast, cold, and snow flurries! Unlike my visit in 2010 and began my scouting for Whooping Cranes. There had been a group of 17 cranes observed during the past week near Muskiki Lake. This is the same area that in September 2010 there were up to 40 Whopping Cranes!   The rolling landscape made it difficult to see any distance and any large white bird could easily hide. After an hour of scanning and driving back roads I stopped to view a small flock of Sandhills feeding and spotted a couple of large white birds in a recently harvested field. As I watched them I noticed a few more and suddenly a total of 11 Whooping Cranes walked into sight, 10 adult and 1 juvenile. I watched them feed, rest and interact for almost 2 hours. Always an amazing sight! With my scope I noted two of the adult were banded, one having a yellow band on its right leg and some kind of transmitter? on its left leg. The second individual was colour banded also with a blue over yellow band on its left leg and a white and blue colour band on its right leg.  Hopefully I'll be able to tract down where these Whooping Crane were banded. 
There were thousands of geese scattered over area, mainly Canada and Snow Geese. Most of the lakes and ponds had many ducks including Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, and Ruddy Duck.

American Tree Sparrow



Western Meadowlark

A flock of Western Meadowlarks sitting along a fence line.

A flock of Whooping Cranes near Miskiki Lake, Sask.

Whooping and Sandhill Cranes in flight.

A total of 11 Whooping Crane (10 adult, 1 juvenile) were present feeding in the area.

Despite being a well known endangered species the Whooping Crane still needs protection.

A flock of Sandhill Cranes feeding and resting.