Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club (OFNC) Ottawa/Gatineau (50km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Al Caughey at sightings@ofnc.ca Update for 2026.04.16 (season 1; episode 11) There was a significant exodus of geese before the rain started at the end of last week but several species have arrived to replace them. The total number of species in the 50km circle jumped from 132 to 145 but the number of `notable` species was actually slightly lower! The most exciting arrival (IMHO) was the Mountain Bluebird (a great find by Amber and Rob Pinilla). Others new notables included: White-winged Scoter, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Northern House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Baltimore Oriole, and Palm Warbler. Many of the additions to the area list have returned within their expected time-frames and therefore do not trip the `notable` flag in eBird - those included: Long-tailed Duck, Ruddy Duck, Greater Yellowlegs, American Bittern, Virginia Rail, plus several species of Sparrows and more. The heavy rains over the past week have replenished the vernal ponds (aka flooded farm fields) and hopefully this means that we'll have lots of good habitat to entice returning ducks and shorebirds. Warm temps this weekend will probably bring even more birds back to the area before mid week when temps fall below normal for several days. Saturday, in particular, could be an excellent day to visit a local hawk-watching site. NB - there could be mid to severe flooding along rivers & streams this weekend. Please be sensitive and avoid areas where homeowners may be busy sand-bagging their properties. From personal experience, they won't be sympathetic to having birdwatchers in their neighbourhoods while they're racing to keep water out of their basements. *Current Notable Birds:* Greater White-fronted Goose: a single report of 1 at Frank Kenny Rd (bridge) [Ottawa] on Apr 11 and another on Magladry Road [Ottawa] on Apr 12 Trumpeter Swan: a single report of 1 at Eardley, terrain du 344 Bradley [Les Collines-de-l] on Apr 11; plus several more reports in other counties where they are no longer flagged as rarities Tundra Swan: 2 reports at 2 locations - 8 at Cobbs Lake Creek at Lalonde Rd [Prescott and Russell] (on Apr 16); 5 at Cobb Lake Creek flood plain [Prescott and Russell] (on Apr 11) Redhead: 2 reports of 1 at Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] on Apr 10 White-winged Scoter🆕: 7 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] (6 times on Apr 10); 1 at Ottawa—Grandview lookout [Ottawa] (on Apr 10) Barrow's Goldeneye: 8 reports at 4 locations - 1 at Shirley's Bay [Ottawa] (on Apr 12); 1 at Rideau River Eastern Pathway north of Hurdman Bridge [Ottawa] (3 times between Apr 10-12); 1 at Kingsview Park [Ottawa] (twice between Apr 10-11); as many as 2 at Stanley Park [Ottawa] (twice on Apr 11) Spotted Sandpiper🆕: 2 reports of 1 at Piste cyc. Sentier des Voyageurs--Parc Brébeuf<->Pont Champlain [Gatineau] on Apr 15 Solitary Sandpiper🆕: a single report of 1 at Frank Kenny Rd (bridge) [Ottawa] on Apr 11 Glaucous Gull: 3 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Shirley's Bay (boat launch) [Ottawa] (on Apr 13); 1 at Twin Elm Rd Wetlands [Ottawa] (on Apr 13) Iceland Gull: 4 reports of 1 at Moodie Drive Quarry [Ottawa] between Apr 10-12 Golden Eagle: a single report of 1 at Carp Rd [Ottawa] on Apr 11 and another on Chemin Fauquier [Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais] on Apr 12 Broad-winged Hawk🆕: a single report of 1 at Ottawa International Airport [Ottawa] on Apr 12 and another on Development Rd [Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry] on Apr 16 Red-bellied Woodpecker: a single report of 1 at Domaine de la ferme Moore [Gatineau] on Apr 14; plus several more reports in other counties where they are no longer flagged as rarities Black-backed Woodpecker: a single report of 1 at Old Quarry Trail [Ottawa] on Apr 12 Northern Shrike: a single report of 1 at Richmond CA (formerly Richmond Sewage Lagoons) [Ottawa] on Apr 15; plus several other locations and dates before the 15th (apparently when eBird started flagging them as notable) Northern Rough-winged Swallow🆕: 3 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Brewer Park [Ottawa] (twice on Apr 12); 1 at Findlay Creek stormwater finishing ponds [Ottawa] (on Apr 11) Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 18 reports at 13 locations - as many as 2 at Mud Lake/Britannia CA (general location) [Ottawa] (5 times on Apr 11); 1 at Baxter CA [Ottawa] (on Apr 11); 1 at E4 entrance [Ottawa] (on Apr 11); 1 at Stanley Park [Ottawa] (on Apr 11); 5 at Pine Grove Forestry Trail [Ottawa] (on Apr 11); 1 at Beckwith Trail [Lanark] (on Apr 11); 1 at Greenbank Pond [Ottawa] (on Apr 11); as many as 2 at Beechwood Cemetary [Ottawa] (twice on Apr 11); 1 at Riverside South stormwater ponds [Ottawa] (on Apr 10); 1 at Twin Elm Rd Wetlands [Ottawa] (on Apr 10); 1 at Eccolands Park [Ottawa] (on Apr 10); 1 at Galetta floodplains [Ottawa] (on Apr 10); 1 at Almonte Lagoons [Lanark] (on Apr 10); plus several other locations and dates after Apr 11th (apparently when eBird stopped flagging them as notable) Northern House Wren🆕: a single report of 1 at Richmond - Richland Dr [Ottawa] on Apr 15 Brown Thrasher🆕: 3 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Fernbank Rd [Ottawa] (twice on Apr 13); 1 at Copeland Rd, Richmond [Ottawa] (on Apr 12); plus several other locations and dates after Apr 13th (apparently when eBird stopped flagging them as notable) Mountain Bluebird🆕: 40 reports at 2 locations - 1 at Cumberland Ridge/Quigley Hill Rd [Ottawa] (8 times between Apr 15-16); 1 at Cumberland Ridge Power Cut/Cumberland Ridge Drive Dog Walk Loop [Ottawa] (32 times between Apr 15-16) NB - the hydro power line is private property; please do not trespass to see this rarity! Snow Bunting: 2 reports at 1 location - as many as 24 at Akins Rd [Ottawa] (on Apr 15); plus several other locations and dates before the 15th (apparently when eBird started flagging them as notable) White-crowned Sparrow: 11 reports at 5 locations - 1 at Fernbank Rd [Ottawa] (6 times between Apr 10-15); 1 at Ross Ave [Ottawa] (on Apr 14); 1 at Fletcher Wildlife Garden [Ottawa] (twice on Apr 13); 2 at Raina Way, North Grenville ON [Leeds and Grenville] (on Apr 13); 1 at Central Experimental Farm [Ottawa] (on Apr 11); Eastern Towhee: 2 reports of 1 at Domaine de la ferme Moore [Gatineau] between Apr 10-11; plus several other locations and dates after Apr 11th (apparently when eBird stopped flagging them as notable) Yellow-headed Blackbird: 2 reports of 1 at McIntosh Park, Almonte/McIntosh Park Area [Lanark] on Apr 10 Baltimore Oriole🆕: a single report of 1 at Deschênes Rapids [Gatineau] on Apr 16 Palm Warbler🆕: a single report of 1 at Marais des Laîches [Gatineau] on Apr 11 Pine Warbler: a single report of 1 at Yard list, Ch Younger, Lac McGregor [Les Collines-de-l] on Apr 11; plus several other locations and dates after Apr 11th (apparently when eBird stopped flagging them as notable) *Still being seen but no longer on the notable list*: - Blue-winged Teal, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-necked Grebe, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Yellow-rumped Warbler *Not reported since the last update*: - Bonaparte's Gull, Great Cormorant, American Goshawk, Rose-breasted Grosbeak As always, send questions, comments or photos to sightings@ofnc.ca. Your feedback is appreciated. Good birding, Al