Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club (OFNC) Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Derek Dunnett at sightings@ofnc.ca Lots of Red Crossbills North and West of Ottawa this week. A few slipped into Ottawa in small numbers. Keep an ear out for the kip-kip-kip calls. Ring-necked Duck (2) Pont Champlain, Gatineau. Also viewable from Bate Island. Lesser Scaup (5) Britannia CA (general location), Ottawa. Feb 10, Kennedy-Craig Forest, Ottawa. Barrow's Goldeneye - Rideau River between Strathcona park and the 417, Ottawa. Male & female. Britannia point, Ottawa. Turkey Vulture (2) Feb 12, Greenbelt Parking P19, Ottawa. Feb 11, Alpine Avenue, Ottawa. Golden Eagle - Feb 15, Fitzroy Provincial Park, Ottawa. Northern Harrier - Feb 11, CHEO, Ottawa. In contrast to most recent reports, an adult female. Red-bellied Woodpecker - Feb 10, Chemin Steele, Quyon, Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa. Gray Partridge - McFadden Road (and area), Ottawa. Lesser Black-backed Gull - Feb 13, Parc Moussette, Gatineau. Great Blue Heron - Feb 12, Last Mile Road Drainage Pond, Ottawa. Eastern Bluebird (2) Feb 10, Conc. 7A Ramsay, Carleton Place, Lanark. Feb 08, Berry side road and 5th Line area., Ottawa. Hermit Thrush - Britannia CA (general location), Ottawa. Parc du Lac-Leamy, Gatineau. Feb 11, Stanley Park, Ottawa. Chipping Sparrow - Rue Connaught, Gatineau. White-throated Sparrow - Feb 14, Pleasant Park-Kilborn Gardens Corridor, Ottawa. Feb 12, Arlington Woods, Ottawa. Eastern Towhee - Continuing, Stony Swamp (Sarsaparilla Trail), Ottawa. Red-winged Blackbird (3) Feb 15, McCarthy Woods, Ottawa (stakeout Western Tanager). Feb 15, Yucks Lane, Kinburn, Ottawa. Feb 12, Vances Side Road, Ottawa. Feb 11, Manotick, Ottawa. Western Tanager - Continuing, McCarthy Woods, Ottawa. If you have enjoyed seeing this unique visitor, please consider providing some seed or suet. Leave donations inside the metal container or directly fill the feeders. Bags left outside are quickly consumed by squirrels, not tanagers. Atlas note: Of late, Red Crossbills have been reported to the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas in significant numbers across the Ottawa Atlas Region: an area that covers approximately 7500 km2 across most of Ottawa and parts of several adjoining counties including Prescott-Russell, Lanark, and Renfrew. If you are encountering some “late-winter birding doldrums” and are looking for an interesting way to contribute to the Atlas before peak-breeding season starts in May, then searching for crossbills is for you. Look for sizeable woodlots with cone-bearing conifers – particularly white pines – and have a listen for their unmistakable “kip-kip-kip” calls. They can also be found on roadways enjoying grit. The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas welcomes your observations of Red Crossbills anywhere in Ontario, even if they are simply seen or even just heard. Be sure to take a few minutes to watch their behaviour: pairs have already been formed across our Region, and you may even be fortunate to come across nest building behaviour… a great way to enhance the breeding evidence. Your reports are valuable and will provide essential information for Canadian researchers, scientists, government officials and conservation professionals that will guide environmental policies and conservation strategies across Ontario for years to come. Participation in the Atlas is straight-forward and as easy as simply noting the presence of a bird. For more information, visit https://www.birdsontario.org/ or contact the Ottawa Region Atlas Coordinator at mailto:Ottawa@birdsontario.org