Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club (OFNC) Ottawa/Gatineau (50 Km radius from Parliament Hill) E. Ontario, W. Quebec Compiler: Derek Dunnett at sightings@ofnc.ca Recent rain means little to no shorebird habitat along the river, but lots of temporary puddles are attracting shorebirds to fields. Horned Grebe - Aug 10, Parc Brébeuf, Gatineau. Breeding plumage. American Coot - Aug 09, Moodie Drive Quarry, Ottawa. Immature. Ruddy Turnstone (3) Aug 08, Rapides Deschênes, Gatineau. Breeding plumage. Red-necked Phalarope - Aug 11, Andrew Haydon Park, Ottawa. Juvenile at the mouth of the creek at the west end of AHP (the creek that flows into Graham Bay). Aug 07, Lac St Germain in Val des Monts, Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais. Lesser Black-backed Gull (5) Britannia CA, all immature, seen from the west end of the base of the ridge, Ottawa. Moodie Drive Quarry, Ottawa. Bate Island, Ottawa. Least Bittern - Aug 10, Carp River Watershed Reclamation Area, Ottawa, Red-headed Woodpecker - (4) Torbolton Forest (Goodin St. Len Purcell, etc.), Ottawa. Peregrine Falcon - Rare for Lanark, continues at the Carleton Place/Hwy 7 Storm Pond, Lanark. Philadelphia Vireo - Aug 09, Britannia CA (ridge), Ottawa. Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Aug 07, Britannia CA (general location), Ottawa. Carolina Wren - Continuing Frank Ryn & Elmhurst Parks, Ottawa. Aug 09, Britannia CA(Britannia Ridge), Ottawa. Sedge Wren - Continues on Stitsville Trans Canada Trail, observation deck next to the marshy area, Ottawa. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Aug 10, Stanley Park, Ottawa, "in the small tree lot between the soccer field and the wildflower meadow" Pine Siskin - Aug 10, Pinecrest Park, Ottawa. Aug 06, Stanley Park, Ottawa. eBird tip direct from the eBird reviewers: At this time of year Mallards are in heavy moult, some individuals becoming so dark as to make confusion with American Black Duck (or hybrids) possible. A good feature to look for is tail colour, with mallards showing variable amounts of white in the tail; Blacks will have uniformly dark tails. American Black Duck is now a scarce breeder in our region, so the vast majority at this time of year will be Mallards, not Black.” Across our region we’re encountering birds carrying food or young birds being fed by parents. These observations are welcome in the Third Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, a five-year effort to provide data that will guide environmental policies and conservation strategies across Ontario for years to come. For more information on how you can easily contribute to this pan-Ontario community based science effort, please visit https://www.birdsontario.org/ or contact the Ottawa Regional Coordinator at Ottawa@birdsontario.org