[Ontbirds] Ottawa - Townsend's Solitaire, Ring-necked Duck, Hoary Redpoll, Lesser Black-backed Gull, etc. etc. etc.

[Tony Beck]

Hello Ontbirders and Ottawa Winter Listers

We had a spectacular day with several excellent birds, especially for  
Ottawa winter listers.

Birds continue to move into the area while others are developing  
routines.

This is how the day unfolded:

1) early this morning, a female exilipes Hoary Redpoll was at the  
Hilda Road feeder.
2) hundreds of Bohemian Waxwings continue to line the scrub along  
Rifle Road.

Directions courtesy Neily World: http://ca.geocities.com/ 
larry.neily at rogers.com/orwo20.htm
_______________________________

3) the Red-shouldered Hawk was observed between Gourlay Lane and Old  
Carp Road.
4) about 25 Evening Grosbeaks were in the vicinity of the corner of  
Huntmar and Old Carp Road

Directions in part courtesy of Bruce Dilabio: From Ottawa travel  
westbound on Hwy. 417 to the March Rd./Eagleson Road and exit right  
onto March Rd. Follow March Road past Dunrobin Road and continue west  
to Huntmar Road. Turn left and follow south to Old Carp Road. Turn  
right to Gourlay Lane. The hawk was active and calling in the general  
area behind the old ruins off Gourlay Lane.
_______________________________

5) a Barred Owl was along March Valley Road, just north of Klondike.  
It was on the firing range side of the fence, near the creek where  
the woods are on both sides of the road.

Directions courtesy Neily World: http://ca.geocities.com/ 
larry.neily at rogers.com/orwo24.htm
_______________________________

6) 8 Horned Larks were picking grit along Rushmore Road, about half  
way between Eagleson and Richmond.

Directions courtesy Neily World: http://ca.geocities.com/ 
larry.neily at rogers.com/stony5.htm
_______________________________

7) a male American Kestrel (a scarce bird this winter) was mobbing a  
Red-tailed Hawk near the corner of Fallowfield and Prince of Wales.

Directions: From Fletcher Wildlife Gardens, travel south on Prince of  
Wales Drive (Hwy 16 - Prescott Hwy) to Fallowfield Road. The birds  
were on the hydro pylon on the south side of Fallowfield.
_______________________________

8) we found the Townsend's Solitaire at Millbrooke Cr. around 2:00pm  
- it appears to favour perching in a tall willow in front of #9,  
coming down to feed on juniper berries at the corner of #7. After  
vanishing on one occasion, it returned from an area across the street  
where there were several crab apple trees.

Directions courtesy Paul Matthews: Millbrook is off Deer Park Rd  
which in turn is off Meadowlands (north side), just west of the  
Fisher intersection.
_______________________________

9) from Bate Island, we observed an adult male Barrow's Goldeneye, an  
adult male Bufflehead, an immature male Ring-necked Duck
10) also from Bate Island - about 700 gulls in an assortment of  
plumages, including Iceland, Glaucous and one adult Lesser Black- 
backed Gull.

Directions courtesy Neily World: http://ca.geocities.com/ 
larry.neily at rogers.com/orwo7.htm

Happy Holidays

Tony Beck
http://www.tonybeck.ca
Always An Adventure