Tagged: peregrine falcons
The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Birds Committee
By Claire Elliott
The 2014-2015 OFNC Birds Committee.
Every month a dedicated group of OFNC bird enthusiasts meet at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden to discuss bird-related news in the Ottawa region and to plan bird-related events and conservation initiatives. If you have participated in a bird-related OFNC event, visited a bird feeder located in an Ottawa greenspace, or requested help with an ID from identifications@ofnc.ca, there is a good chance you have come in contact with the work of the OFNC Birds Committee.
Weekly Bird Report for Ottawa/Gatineau Region
Every week, notable sightings data is packaged into a report and disseminated on the Ontario Field Ornithologist’s OntBirds email list, the OFNC website, and the OFNC Facebook page. If you are thinking about going birding in the Ottawa region, these reports are a great resource for finding local birding hotspots at any time of year. Due to increasing and widespread concerns regarding disturbance of wildlife and property, the OFNC Birds Committee no longer reports owl sightings on the internet, though reporting of all bird occurrences to the committee is encouraged for the maintenance of local records. Please direct your sightings to sightings@ofnc.ca.
Christmas Bird Count
Since the inaugural Ottawa event in 1920, the OFNC has participated in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Each December, the Birds Committee in partnership with Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais organizes the Ottawa/Gatineau chapter of the count. New and seasoned volunteers are encouraged to participate each year. The 2014 report will be available shortly on the OFNC website. As well, a write-up on the 2014 event appeared on this blog in late December.
Clementine, one of three chicks from the 2014 Data Centre brood, tests the wind, June 29, 2014.
Peregrine FalconWatch
The Ottawa Peregrine FalconWatch began in 1997 as an initiative to protect local nesting falcons and promote the recovery of the species. Each summer, volunteers monitor Peregrine chicks and wait for the young to make their first attempt at flight. Once the young birds gain their wings, volunteers ensure the safety of chicks, rescuing them after any crashes, returning the chicks to the nest, or if necessary seeking medical attention for the chicks. A detailed account of the last FalconWatch season can be found on the FalconWatch website.
Bird Study Group
The Birds Committee occasionally offers workshops and talks on bird-related subjects, including bird identification and biology. The most recent Bird Study Group meeting took place in early December covering winter bird field identification skills in preparation for the 2014 Christmas Bird Count. If you would like to be put on the email list for future Bird Study Group meetings, send an email to birdstudy@ofnc.ca.
These thirteen migrating birds flew into a glass building in Kanata. Let’s support F.L.A.P. and see if we can prevent bird-building collisions.
FLAP
The Ottawa chapter of the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) was founded in 2014 by Anouk Hoedeman of the OFNC Birds Committee. This group aims to document bird-building collisions in Ottawa during spring and fall migration, while concurrently raising awareness of collision prevention and bird-friendly building design. For her work, Anouk was awarded the 2014 OFNC Conservation Award. New volunteers to FLAP are always needed. Please contact FLAP at Ottawa@flap.org if you are interested in getting involved this spring.
The Ontario Field Ornithologists’ Convention 2014
In October 2014, the Ontario Field Ornithologists held their annual convention in Ottawa. Many Birds Committee members actively participated in this event, leading field excursions and helping to contribute to the 152 species observed over the weekend. Recently, Birds Committee member Bob Cermak was awarded the OFNC President’s Prize for his contribution to the convention for organizing the OFNC-led field trips.
The backyard feeder with a Black-capped Chickadee visitor at Fletcher Wildlife Garden.
Bird Feeders
There are six winter bird feeders in the Ottawa/ Gatineau region that are maintained by the Birds Committee. Maps of the feeder locations can be found on the OFNC website. Stop by to enjoy some winter birds!
If you would like to learn more about the OFNC Birds Committee and their past and present activities, you are encouraged to visit OFNC birding and bird sightings webpages. Membership information on the committee can be found in the April-June issue of Trail and Landscape. Lastly, if you bump into any birds committee members at a meeting or on an outing, feel free to ask about the committee and its activities!
Snowy weather and Snowy Owls at the 93rd Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count
By Jonathan VanAmburg
“Perfect Christmas Bird Count weather in Ottawa: -32C and 20-25cm of snow. Fun times, fun times,” remarked Gillian Shields on Facebook, as she set out for a day in the cold. She and dozens of other area birders came out for the 93rd Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 15. The annual event was organized by the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club and the Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais.
Photo taken by Gillian Shields at the edge of the OFNC count area looking toward Shirley’s Bay/Innis Point
During the day, over 100 observers spotted 67 species and over 15,000 individual birds according to the preliminary tally. The species count was below the 10-year average of 71.8 because of the early onset of winter this year; the cold, snowy and windy day; and perhaps the poorest winter finch numbers in a couple of decades. A low American Crow count – 3,743 compared with the usual 10,000 – also affected the total. Official results will be released early in the new year.
Highlights included 2 Harlequin Ducks, a White-winged Scoter, and the first record of a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. The day also saw an all-time high of 9 Snowy Owls. One Snowy Owl was spotted downtown battling a Peregrine Falcon (see story below).
A big thank-you to the Club des ornithologues de l’Outaouais for hosting the after-CBC dinner and tally.
If Sunday’s stormy weather kept you away, here are some other Christmas Bird Counts that you can join: Bird Studies Canada’s location finder.
Bird Studies Canada is also looking for feedback on the Christmas Bird Count. If you want to participate visit the Bird Studies Canada website.
Snowy Owl, photographed by Mark Gawn at the Canadian War Museum
The Falcon and the Snowy
By Anouk Hoedeman
Late in the afternoon, Jon Ruddy, Jeremy Bryan and I had yet to find the resident peregrine falcons, despite checking the Coats Building at Tunney’s Pasture several times. We decided to try the Delta Hotel at Albert and Lyon, their other favourite hangout. As we drove up Slater St., Jon spotted an enormous, heavily barred Snowy Owl that we had seen earlier in the day behind the War Museum. Now she was in the air, flying toward the downtown core.
“Oh no,” I exclaimed, “it’s headed straight for the falcons!” “I wonder who would win that battle?” asked someone else. I didn’t have to think long before replying, “My money’s on the falcons.”
Sure enough, as we crossed Bronson, we saw Diana (our female peregrine) come flying around the corner toward the owl, which was now right in front of us.
It all happened very quickly (as things do with angry peregrines), so I can’t be entirely sure of the sequence of events. Diana easily caught up with the now-panicking owl over an empty lot on the south side of Slater. It took a hit, scrambled for a foothold on the side of an apartment building, tumbled down, and finally found a perch on the edge of a balcony. But the falcon continued to attack. The owl took off again and disappeared somewhere behind us, with the falcon still in pursuit.
It was an awesome sight. As Jeremy summed up the next day, “I don’t think I’m likely to ever again witness a Snowy Owl and Peregrine Falcon engaged in an aerial dogfight. It really was more reminiscent of a scene from an action thriller than a bird count as the combatants tumbled down the side of the building fighting. I’m glad that the Hollywood ending dictated that the owl got away in the end!”
And she did. Our heart rates back to a manageable speed, we continued on Slater, up Kent, and back along Albert to see if the male peregrine was at the Delta. No sign of him, but we didn’t really care at that point. As we continued west, we saw the owl again. She appeared uninjured and was flying south – hopefully not toward the other resident peregrines at Confederation Heights!
Field Notes 