Ottawa/Gatineau: recent sightings to 2026.10.08Sightings within a 50km radius of Parliament Hill - including eastern Ontario and western Quebec *Compiled by Al Caughey at sightings@ofnc.ca <sightings@ofnc.ca>* Update for the week ending on 2026.10.08 (season 1; episode 36) As I feared, it appears that the Little Blue Heron has left the area (it was last reported on Oct 5th - the day before we returned from Germany... dang it). In the meantime, there is still a stream of late warblers and sandpipers at a variety of locations, and an increasing number and variety of ducks and geese. Over the past week, there were 175 species reported within the 50km Circle of which, 28 were notable - including both a Little Gull and a Sabine's Gull seen by Mark Gawn off the Boat launch at Shirley's Bay on Oct 7th, Unfortunately, they were seemingly being pushed down the river by a storm and have not been re-found. We're now entering peak mid-fall migration - the remaining songbird activity should shift heavily to late kinglets and hardy sparrows (Lincoln's, Nelson's, Fox & White-crowned); while waterfowl pushes, raptor thermals & gull gatherings along the river should build toward seasonal highs. In terms of the weather forecast for the coming week: Oct 9 – 10: Crisp west winds, clear skies & overnight lows near 1°C should create ideal conditions for clear-night pushes of sparrows, kinglets, and waterfowl Oct 11 – 12: Winds shifting to the south/southwest, warmer temperatures & increasing cloudiness should slow the movement of songbirds Oct 13: Rain with southwest winds will likely ground migrating dabblers, shorebirds & sparrows onto shorelines, storm ponds, and mudflats Oct 14 – 15: Clearing skies and a return to northerly winds should re-open a strong flight window for northern migrants and mid-day raptors soaring along river corridors. Meaning that there should be excellent opportunities for both fallout viewing early in the week and then a push of fresh migrants later on. Don't forget that this Saturday (Oct 10th) is October Big Day - get out and bird if you can. If you are looking for somewhere to go, these were the 5 most active hotspots within the circle over the past week: 1. Hwy 7 Storm Pond [Lanark] - 74 2. Baie Noire (est et ouest) [Papineau] - 64 3. Parc des Rapides Deschênes [Gatineau] - 45 4. Andrew Haydon Park east (formerly Ottawa Beach) [Ottawa] - 27 5. Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] - 25 *Current Notable Birds:* *Ross's Goose*: 2 reports of 3 at Parc des Rapides Deschênes [Gatineau] on Oct 3 *Greater White-fronted Goose*: 5 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Richmond Sewage Lagoons [Ottawa] (on Oct 8); as many as 4 at Hwy 7 Storm Pond [Lanark] (4 times on Oct 6) *Snow x Canada Goose (hybrid)*: 5 reports at 3 locations - 1 at Quarry Lake [Prescott and Russell] (on Oct 6); 1 at Sewage Lagoons [Prescott and Russell] (on Oct 6); 1 at Central Park Boulevard, Russell ON [Prescott and Russell] (3 times between Oct 2-3) *Trumpeter Swan*: 6 reports at 3 locations - 2 at Aylmer (Cabane brune boul. Lucerne) [Gatineau] (on Oct 8); 2 at Parc des Rapides Deschênes [Gatineau] (on Oct 8); as many as 2 at Lac Carman [Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais] (4 times on Oct 4); plus at least 7 non-notable reports at locations in Ottawa [3] and Lanark [4] *Little Gull* 🆕 : a single report of 1 at Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] on Oct 7 *Sabine's Gull* 🆕 : a single report of 1 at Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] on Oct 7 *Common Tern*: 3 reports at 2 locations - as many as 4 at Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] (Oct 2-7) *Black-crowned Night Heron*: a single report of 1 at Almonte Lagoons [Lanark] on Oct 8; plus at least 5 non-notable reports at locations in Ottawa [3], Prescott and Russell [1] & Gatineau [1] *Little Blue Heron*: 25 reports of 1 at Carp River Watershed Reclamation Area/Ottawa—Winterset storm ponds/Didsbury Rd Scrape - Carp Watershed Restoration Area [Ottawa] between Oct 1-5 *Green Heron*: 3 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Andrew Haydon Park [Ottawa] (twice on Oct 8); 1 at Nepean Creek Trail [Ottawa] (on Oct 8); plus at least 13 non-notable reports at locations in Ottawa [12] & Lanark [1] *Great Egret*: 29 reports of 6 at Hwy 7 Storm Pond [Lanark] between Oct 1-8; plus at least 37 non-notable reports at locations in Ottawa [33], Gatineau [3] & Papineau [1] *Eastern Warbling Vireo*: 2 reports of 2 at Rockcliffe Airport Woods [Ottawa] on Oct 3 *Northern House Wren*: 12 reports at 4 locations - 1 at Rideau Canal Western Pathway/Fletcher Wildlife Garden [Ottawa] (7 times between Oct 3-8); 1 at Britannia CA [Ottawa] (twice between Oct 3-7); 1 at Rockcliffe Airport Woods [Ottawa] (twice between Oct 3-5); 1 at Black Rapids Creek Greenbelt Pathway [Ottawa] (on Oct 3); plus at least 5 non-notable reports at locations in Papineau [1], Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais [1], Gatineau [2] & Ottawa [1] *Wood Thrush*: a single report of 1 at Britannia CA [Ottawa] on Oct 2 *Nelson's Sparrow*: 10 reports at 2 locations - as many as 2 at Hwy 7 Storm Pond [Lanark] (5 times between Oct 1-7); as many as 4 at Constance Creek Mouth [Ottawa] (4 times between Oct 3-7) *Eastern Towhee (Red-eyed)*: a single report of 1 at Pioneer Plains Park [Ottawa] on Oct 3 *Ovenbird*: a single report of 1 at Fletcher Wildlife Garden [Ottawa] on Oct 7; plus a single non-notable report in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais *Black-and-white Warbler*🆕: a single report of 1 at Mud Lake [Ottawa] on Oct 8 *Tennessee Warbler*: 5 reports at 4 locations - 1 at Forest Hill Ave [Ottawa] (on Oct 8); 1 at Pinecrest Storm Pond[Ottawa] (on Oct 8); as many as 2 at Central Experimental Farm Arboretum/Fletcher Wildlife Garden [Ottawa] (twice on Oct 8); 1 at Mud Lake [Ottawa] (on Oct 8); plus at least 16 non-notable reports at locations in Papineau [1], Ottawa [12], Gatineau [2] & Lanark [1] *American Redstart*: 2 reports of 1 at Rockcliffe Airport Woods [Ottawa] on Oct 8; plus 3 non-notable reports in Ottawa *Cape May Warbler*: a single report of 1 at Domaine de la ferme Moore [Gatineau] on Oct 1; plus a single non-notable report in Ottawa *Northern Parula*: a single report of 1 at Almonte River Walk [Lanark] on Oct 6; plus at least 7 non-notable reports at locations in Gatineau [3] & Ottawa [4] *Bay-breasted Warbler*: 2 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Hidden Lake Trail [Ottawa] (on Oct 2); 1 at Aylmer rural - secteur sud-ouest [Gatineau] (on Oct 1) *Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)*: a single report of 2 at Bassin de rétention du Plateau, Gatineau [Gatineau] on Oct 2 *Prairie Warbler*: a single report of 1 at Marais des Laîches [Gatineau] on Oct 4 *Wilson's Warbler*: 2 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Carp River storm water pond [Ottawa] (on Oct 8); 1 at Britannia Ridge [Ottawa] (on Oct 3) *Rose-breasted Grosbeak*: a single report of 1 at South Island Park Dr [Ottawa] on Oct 7; plus a single non-notable report in Ottawa As always, send questions, comments or photos to sightings@ofnc.ca. Your feedback is appreciated. Good birding and happy Thanksgiving to one and all! Al