Birding Che Hoods 
The land bird migration was very disappointing. There 
really wasn't a good day for warblers. Late September and early 
October were good for Gray-cheeked Thrush and other migrants. 
On October 5th, there were at least three Orange-crowned Warb¬ 
lers at Britannia and one at Clyde Woods. The next day, eight 
were seen in Clyde Woods. Orange-crowned Warblers move through 
during the first or second week of October in these numbers 
every year. 
Feeder Birds 
On November 10th, a Yellow-throated Warbler landed on a 
balcony of an apartment building on Bathgate Drive near Montreal 
Road. It was relocated a few days later and could often be seen 
bouncing from balcony to balcony in a frenzied search for food. 
It was last seen on December 1st. No doubt the extremely cold 
temperatures at the time killed it along with many other small 
birds that attempted to overwinter. Numbers for White-throated 
Sparrow, Song Sparrow and so forth were much lower than average 
on the Christmas Bird Counts. 
A Red-bellied Woodpecker appeared at a Buckingham feeder in 
early December and is still present as we write. A Carolina 
Wren was at Deschenes (back to the river) on October 11th, and 
perhaps it is the same bird that is wintering at a feeder in 
Aylmer. There is yet another Carolina Wren wintering in Ottawa. 
Birds of Prey 
It has been a pretty good fall and early winter for rap¬ 
tors. Rough-legged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks and Short-eared Owls 
could be found from November to January in the extreme southeast 
and southwest of the Ottawa District. 
A Long-eared Owl was located at Clyde Woods on October 
26th. Perhaps this was one of the birds seen again on December 
1 1. One of the owls could be seen hunting well after sunrise. 
One party watched it make about 30 strikes before finally catch¬ 
ing a Meadow Vole. On December 17, another party watched the 
owl as it again attempted to secure food. At one point the bird 
hit the snow in what was its last attempt. It was picked up 
dead with virtually no flesh on it. There were at least two 
birds, because another Long-eared Owl was seen later the same 
day. It was not seen again. 
Northern Saw-whet Owls turned up at various places around 
the city from October on, especially late in December. There 
was a small movement of Barred Owls in mid- to late December 
with some birds being spotted right down town. 
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