The End of Spring Birding..

Upland Sandpiper

 
Baby Red-winged Blackbird

Birding group

 

Upland Sandpiper, Photo courtesy Tony Beck

 

Upland Sandpiper, Photo courtesy Pavel Dvorak

Scenery

Pine Warbler

Tuesday June 26:

We started the morning at dawn in Gatineau Park with the plan of exploring all along the beautiful Gatineau Escarpment.

Our first great excitement was a cooperative Upland Sandpiper perched on a fence post near Breckenridge. The fields seem fairly active with Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks. We found a family of highly vocal American Kestrels near Quyon.

At Elmside, near Norway Bay, we were surprised to find a female Pine Warbler out in the open, completely outside of her normal habitat. We were enjoying a pair of Eastern Bluebirds when the Pine Warbler was spotted dancing around a fence post beside the road.

We continued on to Calumet Island, where we observed an adult Red-tailed Hawk guarding its nest containing two chicks.

At Lawless Lake, up in the hills past Campbell’s Bay, we observed two adult Common Loons with their single chick.

Despite the strong wind and intense sunshine, we had a day-list of 70 birds.

Canada Goose	Branta canadensis
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo
Common Loon	Gavia immer
Double-crested Cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Broad-winged Hawk	Buteo platypterus
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius
Virginia Rail	Rallus limicola
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius
Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda
Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens
Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides villosus
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens
Least Flycatcher	Empidonax minimus
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus
Warbling Vireo	Vireo gilvus
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven	Corvus corax
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis
Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis
Veery	Catharus fuscescens
American Robin	Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum
Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia
Nashville Warbler	Oreothlypis ruficapilla
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas
American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Setophaga pensylvanica
Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus
Black-thr. Green Warbler	Setophaga virens
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina
Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana
White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis
Bobolink	Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark	Sturnella magna
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula
Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula
Purple Finch	Carpodacus purpureus
House Finch	Carpodacus mexicanus
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus

 

Photographing Great Egret at Andrew Haydon Park

 

Andrew Haydon Park

 

Female Hooded Merganser with chick

Birding group

Thursday June 28:
It was a hot day with warm breeze.
We started at Andrew Haydon Park where we watched the now-famous Hooded Merganser and her four chicks.

We ventured out west of Ottawa stopping at Constance Creek where we got American Bittern and Virginia Rail. We made a sudden stop along the Thomas Dolan Parkway when a Scarlet Tanager flew over the road. Several more birds came into view here, including a female Blackburnian Warbler.

We ended our morning at the Burntlands where we saw Clay-colored, Field, Savannah and Grasshopper Sparrows.

Our day-list reached 60 species.

Canada Goose	Branta canadensis
Wood Duck	Aix sponsa
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus
American Bittern	Botaurus lentiginosus
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias
Great Egret	Ardea alba
Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Virginia Rail	Rallus limicola
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius
Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis
Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens
Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides villosus
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens
Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus
Warbling Vireo	Vireo gilvus
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus
Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven	Corvus corax
N - Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Purple Martin	Progne subis
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus
White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis
Veery	Catharus fuscescens
American Robin	Turdus migratorius
Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum
Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas
Blackburnian Warbler	Setophaga fusca
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia
Chestnut-sided Warbler	Setophaga pensylvanica
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina
Clay-colored Sparrow	Spizella pallida
Field Sparrow	Spizella pusilla
Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis
Grasshopper Sparrow	Ammodramus savannarum
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana
White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis
Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis

Savannah Sparrow

Black & White Warbler

Saturday June 30:
It was a glorious warm but windy morning.

We started the day at Petrie Island, only spending a brief time checking out the causeway for birdies.

We then went to Giroux Pond, followed by Embrum and Casselman Lagoons. At Embrum we found a few Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers. At Casselman we had a female Greater Scaup. These are the first fall migrants - right on schedule!

We ended the excursion at Carlsbad Lane where we had Meadowlark and Upland Sandpiper participating in a singing contest.

Our day-list again came to 60 species of birds.

Canada Goose	Branta canadensis
Wood Duck	Aix sponsa
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Blue-winged Teal	Anas discors
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata
Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca
Greater Scaup	Aythya marila
Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis
American Bittern	Botaurus lentiginosus
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias
Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis
Virginia Rail	Rallus limicola
Common Gallinule/Moorhen	Gallinula galeata
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius
Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes
Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda
Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla
Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Least Flycatcher	Empidonax minimus
Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus
Warbling Vireo	Vireo gilvus
Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven	Corvus corax
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus
White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis
Marsh Wren	Cistothorus palustris
Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis
American Robin	Turdus migratorius
Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas
Yellow Warbler	Setophaga petechia
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina
Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana
Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis
Bobolink	Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Eastern Meadowlark	Sturnella magna
Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula
Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater
House Finch	Carpodacus mexicanus
American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus

All excursions was organized by

Always An Adventure