Birding in the Summer Heat and loving it!

Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis, Photo credit Tony Beck

Photography Excursion at Jack Pine Trail, Ottawa, ON.

Red Squirrel, Photo credit Jariya Rasaputra

Mallard ducklings, Photo credit Ben Ivany

Tuesday July 12

Today was the summer program’s first of three Photography days.

We spent the whole morning at Jack Pine Trail.

We had a most cooperative Mallard with 2 ducklings posing for us. Interestingly, we greeted the same Swamp Sparrow on the same perch as our previous excursion to the same location.

We photographed everything we saw and surprisingly we had several warblers such as Black & White, Pine and Black-throated Green Warblers.

Day list:

1. American Crow
2. American Goldfinch
3. American Robin
4. Baltimore Oriole
5. Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
6. Black & White Warbler
7. Black-capped Chickadee
8. Black-throated Green Warbler
9. Blue Jay
10. Canada Goose        
11. Cedar Waxwing
12. Chipping Sparrow
13. Common Grackle
14. Common Raven
15. Common Tern
16. Common Yellowthroat
17. Double-crested Cormorant
18. Eastern Kingbird
19. Eastern Towhee
20. Eastern Wood-Pewee
21. European Starling
22. Field Sparrow
23. Great Blue Heron
24. Great-crested Flycatcher
25. Hairy Woodpecker
26. House Sparrow
27. Mallard
28. Mourning Dove
29. Osprey
30. Ovenbird
31. Pileated Woodpecker
32. Pine Warbler
33. Red-breasted Nuthatch
34. Red-winged Blackbird
35. Ring-billed Gull
36. Rock Pigeon
37. Ruddy Duck
38. Solitary Sandpiper
39. Song Sparrow
40. Swamp Sparrow
41. Turkey Vulture
42. White-breasted Nuthatch
43. White-throated Sparrow
44. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Female Mallard, Photo credit Ben Ivany

Swamp Sparrow, Photo credit Jariya Rasaputra 

Tony Beck

Turkey Vulture, Photo credit Bob Watt

Thursday July 14

Our group of dedicated birders and photographers are enjoying the great outdoors, even through these dog days of summer.

A long hike into the Nortel Wetlands, yielded several species including the elusive Sora. For many of the participants, including me, it was a lifer.

At the end of this excellent day we had a list of 54 species.

Day list:

1. American Bittern
2. American Crow
3. American Goldfinch
4. American Redstart
5. American Robin
6. Baltimore Oriole
7. Barn Swallow
8. Belted Kingfisher
9. Black-capped Chickadee
10. Bobolink
11. Cedar Waxwing
12. Chipping Sparrow
13. Cliff Swallow
14. Common Grackle
15. Common Raven
16. Common Yellowthroat
17. Double-crested Cormorant
18. Downy Woodpecker
19. Eastern Kingbird
20. European Starling
21. Great Blue Heron
22. Great-crested Flycatcher
23. Green Heron
24. Grey Catbird
25. House Finch
26. House Sparrow
27. Indigo Bunting
28. Killdeer
29. Mallard
30. Mourning Dove
31. Northern Cardinal
32. Northern Flicker
33. Northern Harrier
34. Osprey
35. Red-eyed Vireo
36. Red-winged Blackbird
37. Ring-billed Gull
38. Rock Pigeon
39. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
40. Rough-winged Swallow
41. Song Sparrow
42. Sora
43. Spotted Sandpiper
44. Swamp Sparrow
45. Tree Swallow
46. Turkey Vulture
47. Veery
48. Virginia Rail
49. Warbling Vireo
50. White-breasted Nuthatch
51. Wild Turkey
52. Wilson's Snipe
53. Wood Duck
54. Yellow Warbler

Great-crested Flycatcher, Photo credit Bill Bowman

Great Egret, Photo credit Joshua McCullough

Virginia Rail, Photo credit Joshua McCullough

Saturday July 16:

A small group of Birders and Photographers met at Andrew Haydon Park where we had Bonaparte’s Gull and Common Tern at the beach.

The weather was extremely hot with no wind, but that did not stop the Virginia Rails from coming out onto the board walk at the Bill Mason Centre. They were literally everywhere, and so were Wilson’s Snipe.

A nice surprise was a great view of a Northern Waterthrush (intro picture by Tony Beck).

At the Carp Ridge we had one of our target birds - Eastern Towhee.

Day list:

1. Alder Flycatcher
2. American Crow
3. American Goldfinch
4. American Redstart
5. American Robin
6. American Kestrel
7. Baltimore Oriole
8. Barn Swallow
9. Black & White Warbler
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Blue Jay
12. Bonaparte's Gull
13. Cedar Waxwing
14. Chipping Sparrow
15. Common Grackle
16. Common Tern
17. Common Yellowthroat
18. Downy Woodpecker
19. Eastern Bluebird
20. Eastern Kingbird
21. Eastern Meadowlark
22. Eastern Towhee
23. Eastern Wood-Pewee
24. European Starling
25. Field Sparrow
26. Great Blue Heron
27. Great Eagret
28. Great-crested Flycatcher
29. Grey Catbird
30. Hairy Woodpecker
31. Hooded Merganser
32. House Sparrow
33. House Wren
34. Indigo Bunting
35. Killdeer
36. Mallard
37. Merlin
38. Mourning Dove
39. Northern Cardinal
40. Northern Flicker
41. Northern Waterthrush
42. Purple Finch
43. Purple Martin
44. Red-eyed Vireo
45. Red-winged Blackbird
46. Ring-billed Gull
47. Rock Pigeon
48. Savannah Sparrow
49. Scarlet Tanager
50. Song Sparrow
51. Sora
52. Spotted Sandpiper
53. Swamp Sparrow
54. Tree Swallow
55. Turkey Vulture
56. Veery
57. Virginia Rail
58. Warbling Vireo
59. White-breasted Nuthatch
60. White-throated Sparrow
61. Wilson's Snipe
62. Yellow Warbler
63. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Spotted Sandpiper, Photo credit Joshua McCullough

Lesser Yellowlegs, Photo credit Tony Beck

Spotted Sandpiper, Photo credit Joshua McCullough

Green Heron

Sunday July 17

It was a cloudy morning with a nice breeze, which made the birding quite pleasant.

We started at Petrie Island where we had all kinds of birds, including Sora, Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Osprey and Black Tern.

Although the various lagoons we visited didn’t produce the diversity we were hoping for, we managed to locate the Eared Grebe at Embrun, still hanging out with its Ruddy Duck buddies.

In addition we had 5 types of Swallows; Bank, Barn, Rough-winged, Tree and Cliff.

Other shorebirds we encountered this day were Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Least, Solitary & Spotted Sandpipers.

Day list:

1. American Bittern
2. American Black Duck
3. American Crow
4. American Goldfinch
5. American Robin
6. Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
7. Barn Swallow
8. Belted Kingfisher
9. Black Tern
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Bobolink
12. Canada Goose        
13. Cedar Waxwing
14. Chipping Sparrow
15. Cliff Swallow
16. Common Grackle
17. Common Moorhen
18. Common Tern
19. Common Yellowthroat
20. Double-crested Cormorant
21. Eared Grebe
22. Eastern Kingbird
23. Eastern Wood-Pewee
24. European Starling
25. Gadwall
26. Great Blue Heron
27. Green Heron
28. Green-winged Teal
29. Hooded Merganser
30. House Sparrow
31. Killdeer
32. Least Sandpiper
33. Lesser Scaup
34. Lesser Yellowlegs
35. Mallard
36. Mourning Dove
37. Northern Flicker
38. Osprey
39. Pied-billed Grebe
40. Red-tailed Hawk
41. Red-winged Blackbird
42. Ring-billed Gull
43. Rock Pigeon
44. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
45. Rough-winged Swallow
46. Ruddy Duck
47. Savannah Sparrow
48. Solitary Sandpiper
49. Song Sparrow
50. Sora
51. Spotted Sandpiper
52. Swamp Sparrow
53. Tree Swallow
54. Turkey Vulture
55. Warbling Vireo
56. Wild Turkey
57. Wilson's Snipe
58. Wood Duck
59. Yellow Warbler

Queen Anne's Lace

Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii

Constance Creek , Ottawa, ON

Thank you to all the members and participants of "Always An Adventure", for sharing their pictures and letting me use them in my Blog.

All excursions organized by ~ Tony Beck, Always An Adventure

Summer Birding with rarities...!

Juvenile Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica

Green Heron - Butorides virescens, Photo credit by Roger Cobbledick

Tuesday July 5

It was a most beautiful summer morning. We started the excursion at Petrie Island where there were many birds. One of the highlights was the continuous calls from a Sora Rail. I was really hoping to see it, because it would have been a lifer for me. But, unfortunately the bird would not come into view.

A little later we went looking for the famous rarity, the Eared Grebe, that is staying at the various Eastern lagoons in the Ottawa area these days. It had moved from Embrun over to Casselman.

Other lagoon highlights were Common Loon, Common Moorhen, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Duck, and Solitary & Spotted Sandpiper.

Day list:

1. American Bittern
2. American Crow
3. American Goldfinch
4. American Robin
5. American Wigeon
6. Baltimore Oriole
7. Barn Swallow
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. Blue-winged teal
10. Brown-headed Cowbird
11. Canada Goose        
12. Cedar Waxwing
13. Chipping Sparrow
14. Common Grackle
15. Common Loon
16. Common Moorhen
17. Common Yellowthroat
18. Coopers Hawk
19. Eared Grebe
20. Eastern Kingbird
21. Eastern Meadowlark
22. Eastern Wood-Pewee
23. European Starling
24. Great Blue Heron
25. Great-crested Flycatcher
26. Green Heron
27. Green-winged Teal
28. House Finch
29. House Sparrow
30. Killdeer
31. Least Flycatcher
32. Least Sandpiper
33. Lesser Scaup
34. Lesser Yellowlegs
35. Mallard
36. Mourning Dove
37. Northern Flicker
38. Northern Shoveler
39. Pied-billed Grebe
40. Red-winged Blackbird
41. Ring-billed Gull
42. Rock Pigeon
43. Ruddy Duck
44. Savannah Sparrow
45. Solitary Sandpiper
46. Song Sparrow
47. Sora Rail
48. Spotted Sandpiper
49. Tree Swallow
50. Turkey Vulture
51. Virginia Rail
52. Warbling Vireo
53. White-breasted Nuthatch
54. Wood Duck
55. Yellow Warbler

White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura

Thursday July 7

From our meeting spot at Andrew Haydon Park we immediately left for Carp where a rare White-faced Ibis had been spotted 2 days earlier. The bird was there in all it’s glory when we arrived. This is the first record of this species for Ottawa, and a lifer for many local birders, me included. After a while we went for more uncommon local species such as Red-headed Woodpecker, Sedge Wren and Eastern Towhee. We also had a great view of a tree full of Turkey Vultures with at least 10 individuals. We also counted 9 American Kestrels on our drive around the countryside.

Day list:

1. American Crow
2. American Goldfinch
3. American Redstart
4. American Robin
5. American Kestrel
6. Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
7. Barn Swallow
8. Black-capped Chickadee
9. Blue Jay
10. Bobolink
11. Canada Goose        
12. Cedar Waxwing
13. Chestnut-sided Warbler
14. Chimney Swift
15. Chipping Sparrow
16. Cliff Swallow
17. Common Grackle
18. Common Raven
19. Common Yellowthroat
20. Double-crested Cormorant
21. Downy Woodpecker
22. Eastern Bluebird
23. Eastern Kingbird
24. Eastern Meadowlark
25. Eastern Towhee
26. Eastern Wood-Pewee
27. European Starling
28. Field Sparrow
29. Great Blue Heron
30. Grey Catbird
31. House Sparrow
32. Indigo Bunting
33. Killdeer
34. Lesser Yellowlegs
35. Mallard
36. Mourning Dove
37. Northern Cardinal
38. Northern Flicker
39. Osprey
40. Purple Finch
41. Purple Martin
42. Red-eyed Vireo
43. Red-headed Woodpecker
44. Red-winged Blackbird
45. Ring-billed Gull
46. Rock Pigeon
47. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
48. Rough-winged Swallow
49. Savannah Sparrow
50. Sedge Wren
51. Song Sparrow
52. Spotted Sandpiper
53. Swamp Sparrow
54. Tree Swallow
55. Turkey Vulture
56. Veery
57. Warbling Vireo
58. White-breasted Nuthatch
59. White-faced Ibis
60. White-throated Sparrow
61. Wood Duck
62. Yellow Warbler
63. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura

Bull Thistle

Sedge Wren - Cistothorus platensis

Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina, Photo credit Danielle Labonte

Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus

Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes

Saturday July 9

Changes in weather gave us a sunny but cool morning with wind from the north.

We started at Petrie Island and were a little bit surprised over the lack of activity compared to just a few days ago. But still, we had several birds such as American Bittern, Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher and Common Moorhen.

We are beginning to experience clear changes in the dynamics of bird activity. Young are in the process of leaving the nest, so for many birds the breeding season is over. Nevertheless, we had many great birds such as Coopers Hawk being bombarded by Purple Martins, a Northern Harrier being mobbed by Red-winged Blackbirds, and Red-tailed Hawk chased by European Starlings.

We also visited the St-Isidore Lagoon where we had Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper and Virginia Rail. We also went to Alfred Bog, where we were greeted by an American Woodcock laying quietly on the ground only a few meters from the board walk. We were entertained by a curious Lincoln’s Sparrow while photographing the orchids.

Day list:

1. American Bittern
2. American Black Duck
3. American Coot
4. American Crow
5. American Goldfinch
6. American Robin
7. American Wigeon
8. American Woodcock
9. American Kestrel
10. Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
11. Barn Swallow
12. Belted Kingfisher
13. Black-capped Chickadee
14. Blue Jay
15. Blue-winged teal
16. Bobolink
17. Brown Thrasher
18. Brown-headed Cowbird
19. Canada Goose        
20. Cedar Waxwing
21. Chipping Sparrow
22. Common Grackle
23. Common Moorhen
24. Common Yellowthroat
25. Coopers Hawk
26. Downy Woodpecker
27. Eastern Kingbird
28. Eastern Meadowlark
29. Eastern Wood-Pewee
30. European Starling
31. Great Blue Heron
32. Green Heron
33. Green-winged Teal
34. Grey Catbird
35. Hairy Woodpecker
36. Horned Lark
37. House Finch
38. House Sparrow
39. Indigo Bunting
40. Killdeer
41. Least Sandpiper
42. Lesser Yellowlegs
43. Lincoln's Sparrow
44. Mallard
45. Mourning Dove
46. Northern Flicker
47. Northern Harrier
48. Osprey
49. Purple Finch
50. Purple Martin
51. Red Head
52. Red-breasted Nuthatch
53. Red-eyed Vireo
54. Red-tailed Hawk
55. Red-winged Blackbird
56. Ring-billed Gull
57. Rock Pigeon
58. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
59. Rough-winged Swallow
60. Ruddy Duck
61. Savannah Sparrow
62. Semipalmated Plover
63. Song Sparrow
64. Sora Rail
65. Spotted Sandpiper
66. Swamp Sparrow
67. Tree Swallow
68. Turkey Vulture
69. Vesper Sparrow
70. Virginia Rail
71. Warbling Vireo
72. Wild Turkey
73. Wilson's Snipe
74. Wood Duck
75. Yellow Warbler
76. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Echinacea

Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo

Sunday July 10

Yet another beautiful and very hot summer morning...

We headed for the Carp Ridge where we found Eastern Towhee, Eastern Phoebe, Baltimore Oriole with fledglings, White-throated Sparrow and Chestnut-sided Warbler. On our drive we had an unique encounter with a juvenile Wild Turkey. Tony spotted the bird in the ditch next to the road and we stopped to investigate. The bird did not budge! After a little while it came out from the tall grass and started posing for us – a great joy for the photographers among us.

Two other highlights were Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting and Eastern Meadowlark.

Day list:

1. American Crow
2. American Goldfinch
3. American Redstart
4. American Robin
5. American Kestrel
6. Baltimore Oriole
7. Barn Swallow
8. Belted Kingfisher
9. Black-capped Chickadee
10. Blue Jay
11. Brown Thrasher
12. Canada Goose        
13. Cedar Waxwing
14. Chestnut-sided Warbler
15. Chipping Sparrow
16. Common Grackle
17. Common Raven
18. Common Tern
19. Common Yellowthroat
20. Double-crested Cormorant
21. Downy Woodpecker
22. Eastern Bluebird
23. Eastern Kingbird
24. Eastern Meadowlark
25. Eastern Phoebe
26. Eastern Towhee
27. Eastern Wood-Pewee
28. European Starling
29. Field Sparrow
30. Great Blue Heron
31. Great-crested Flycatcher
32. Green Heron
33. Grey Catbird
34. Hairy Woodpecker
35. Hooded Merganser
36. House Finch
37. House Sparrow
38. House Wren
39. Indigo Bunting
40. Killdeer
41. Lesser Scaup
42. Mallard
43. Merlin
44. Mourning Dove
45. Northern Cardinal
46. Northern Flicker
47. Osprey
48. Ovenbird
49. Pine Warbler
50. Purple Finch
51. Purple Martin
52. Red-winged Blackbird
53. Ring-billed Gull
54. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
55. Ruffed Grouse
56. Savannah Sparrow
57. Song Sparrow
58. Spotted Sandpiper
59. Swamp Sparrow
60. Tree Swallow
61. Turkey Vulture
62. Veery
63. Warbling Vireo
64. White-breasted Nuthatch
65. White-throated Sparrow
66. Wild Turkey
67. Yellow Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, Photo credit Tony Beck

And, Summer continues... :o)

All excursions organized by Tony Beck ~ Always An Adventure

Summer has begun!

Killdeer nest at Embrun Lagoons

The owner of the eggs: Killdeer

Wilson's Snipe, Photo credit Bill Bowman

Tuesday June 28

The summer program started out with brisk winds, and mild drizzle. Nevertheless, we found several interesting birds.

Local nesting birds were fairly vocal throughout the morning. The Burnt Lands near Almonte were particularly active. One of the highlights was having a Grasshopper Sparrow pose for the photographers. Other birds present  were Upland Sandpipers, Indigo Bunting, Field Sparrow and House Wren. Nearby grassy fields also yielded several species including Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Wilson’s Snipe.

Daylist:

1. American Bittern
2. Alder Flycatcher
3. American Crow
4. American Goldfinch
5. American Redstart
6. American Robin
7. American Kestrel
8. Barn Swallow
9. Black & White Warbler
10. Black-capped Chickadee
11. Black-crowned Night Heron
12. Blue Jay
13. Bobolink
14. Canada Goose        
15. Cedar Waxwing
16. Chipping Sparrow
17. Clay-colored Sparrow
18. Common Grackle
19. Common Raven
20. Common Tern
21. Common Yellowthroat
22. Double-crested Cormorant
23. Downy Woodpecker
24. Eastern Kingbird
25. Eastern Meadowlark
26. Eastern Phoebe
27. European Starling
28. Field Sparrow
29. Grasshopper Sparrow
30. Great Blue Heron
31. Great-crested Flycatcher
32. Hairy Woodpecker
33. House Finch
34. House Sparrow
35. House Wren
36. Indigo Bunting
37. Killdeer
38. Mallard
39. Mourning Dove
40. Northern Cardinal
41. Northern Flicker
42. Northern Harrier
43. Osprey
44. Purple Finch
45. Purple Martin
46. Red-eyed Vireo
47. Red-winged Blackbird
48. Ring-billed Gull
49. Rock Pigeon
50. Savanna Sparrow
51. Song Sparrow
52. Spotted Sandpiper
53. Swamp Sparrow
54. Tree Swallow
55. Turkey Vulture
56. Upland Sandpiper
57. Veery
58. Warbling Vireo
59. Wilson's Snipe
60. Wood Duck
61. Yellow Warbler

Rose Pagonia, Photo credit Tony Beck

Grass Pink, Photo credit Tony Beck

Thursday June 30

At the end of June, we’re still experiencing dynamic bird activity.

At Petrie Island we had Virginia Rail, Green Heron, American Bittern and Black Tern.

A long drive to the Alfred Lagoons paid off with many good birds such as American Coot, Red Head, Northern Shoveler and Gadwall. The nearby Alfred Bog Board Walk was blooming with several magnificent Orchids, such as Grass Pink and Rose Pagonia. A quick stop at the Cassleman Lagoons produced our first fall migrates - Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper.

Daylist:

1. American Bittern
2. Alder Flycatcher
3. American Black Duck
4. American Coot
5. American Crow
6. American Goldfinch
7. American Robin
8. American Wigeon
9. American Kestrel
10. Baltimore Oriole
11. Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
12. Barn Swallow
13. Belted Kingfisher
14. Black Tern
15. Blue Jay
16. Blue-winged teal
17. Bobolink
18. Canada Goose        
19. Cedar Waxwing
20. Common Grackle
21. Common Moorhen
22. Common Raven
23. Common Yellowthroat
24. Double-crested Cormorant
25. Eastern Bluebird
26. Eastern Kingbird
27. Eastern Meadowlark
28. European Starling
29. Gadwall
30. Great Blue Heron
31. Green Heron
32. Green-winged Teal
33. House Sparrow
34. Killdeer
35. Least Sandpiper
36. Lesser Yellowlegs
37. Mallard
38. Merlin
39. Mourning Dove
40. Northern Cardinal
41. Northern Flicker
42. Northern Harrier
43. Northern Shoveler
44. Pied-billed Grebe
45. Pileated Woodpecker
46. Red Head
47. Red-winged Blackbird
48. Ring-billed Gull
49. Rock Pigeon
50. Rough-winged Swallow
51. Ruddy Duck
52. Savanna Sparrow
53. Song Sparrow
54. Spotted Sandpiper
55. Swamp Sparrow
56. Tree Swallow
57. Turkey Vulture
58. Virginia Rail
59. Warbling Vireo
60. White-throated Sparrow
61. Wild Turkey
62. Wilson's Snipe
63. Wood Duck

Milkweed flowers

Widow Skimmer

Indigo Bunting

Saturday July 2

This was a perfect summer day with lots of activity on all levels. We took our time through Larose Forest, where we got Evening Grosbeak, Broad-winged Hawk and another accommodating Indigo Bunting.

Our next stop was the Embrun Lagoons where we saw a most beautiful breeding plumage Eared Grebe - a very rare bird for the Ottawa District. This was a life bird for me.

Daylist:

1. American Bittern
2. American Coot
3. American Crow
4. American Goldfinch
5. American Robin
6. Baltimore Oriole
7. Belted Kingfisher
8. Black & White Warbler
9. Black-capped Chickadee
10. Blue Jay
11. Bobolink
12. Broad-winged Hawk
13. Cedar Waxwing
14. Chestnut-sided Warbler
15. Chipping Sparrow
16. Common Grackle
17. Common Moorhen
18. Common Raven
19. Common Yellowthroat
20. Downy Woodpecker
21. Eared Grebe
22. Eastern Kingbird
23. Eastern Meadowlark
24. European Starling
25. Evening Grosbeak
26. Great Blue Heron
27. Green Heron
28. Green-winged Teal
29. Grey Catbird
30. Horned Lark
31. House Finch
32. House Sparrow
33. Indigo Bunting
34. Killdeer
35. Lesser Scaup
36. Lesser Yellowlegs
37. Magnolia Warbler
38. Mallard
39. Mourning Dove
40. Northern Cardinal
41. Northern Flicker
42. Northern Harrier
43. Ovenbird
44. Pied-billed Grebe
45. Purple Finch
46. Purple Martin
47. Red-breasted Nuthatch
48. Red-tailed Hawk
49. Red-winged Blackbird
50. Ring-billed Gull
51. Rock Pigeon
52. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
53. Ruddy Duck
54. Savanna Sparrow
55. Song Sparrow
56. Spotted Sandpiper
57. Swamp Sparrow
58. Tree Swallow
59. Turkey Vulture
60. Veery
61. Virginia Rail
62. Warbling Vireo
63. White-throated Sparrow
64. Wilson's Snipe
65. Wood Duck
66. Yellow Warbler
67. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
68. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Widow Skimmer

Cedar Waxwing Courtship - Male feeding female with wild strawberries

Sunday July 3

The excitement started with a sighting of a Bonaparte’s Gull at our meeting spot - Ottawa beach.

In the Shirley’s Bay area, the excitement continued with sightings of Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. As the day progressed it became very hot.

A quick stop at Constance Creek produced another lifer for me – Least Bittern.

Our next stop was south-west of the city, near Munster. Here we found Black-billed Cuckoo.

What a great start on the summer program!

Daylist:

1. American Black Duck
2. American Crow
3. American Goldfinch
4. American Redstart
5. American Robin
6. Baltimore Oriole
7. Bank Swallow (Sand Martin)
8. Barn Swallow
9. Belted Kingfisher
10. Black & White Warbler
11. Black-billed Cuckoo
12. Black-capped Chickadee
13. Black-crowned Night Heron
14. Blue Jay
15. Bonaparte's Gull
16. Brown Thrasher
17. Brown-headed Cowbird
18. Canada Goose        
19. Cedar Waxwing
20. Chestnut-sided Warbler
21. Chipping Sparrow
22. Common Grackle
23. Common Raven
24. Common Tern
25. Common Yellowthroat
26. Double-crested Cormorant
27. Downy Woodpecker
28. Eastern Bluebird
29. Eastern Kingbird
30. Eastern Meadowlark
31. Eastern Phoebe
32. European Starling
33. Field Sparrow
34. Gadwall
35. Grasshopper Sparrow
36. Great Blue Heron
37. Green Heron
38. Gray Catbird
39. House Finch
40. House Sparrow
41. House Wren
42. Killdeer
43. Least Bittern
44. Lesser Scaup
45. Mallard
46. Mourning Dove
47. Northern Cardinal
48. Northern Flicker
49. Osprey
50. Red-eyed Vireo
51. Red-tailed Hawk
52. Red-winged Blackbird
53. Ring-billed Gull
54. Rock Pigeon
55. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
56. Ruddy Duck
57. Savanna Sparrow
58. Song Sparrow
59. Spotted Sandpiper
60. Swamp Sparrow
61. Tree Swallow
62. Turkey Vulture
63. Veery
64. Warbling Vireo
65. White-breasted Nuthatch
66. White-throated Sparrow
67. Wild Turkey
68. Wilson's Snipe
69. Wood Duck
70. Yellow Warbler
71. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Least Bittern

Eastern Cottontail

Tony Beck

All excursions organized by Tony Beck - Always An Adventure