V. Bernard Ladouceur and Bruce M. Di Labio 
Where would we be without the Ottawa River? The Ottawa- 
Hull region would not be here in the first place, but if it were 
and there was no Ottawa River, birding would be a lot less 
interesting. This is particularly true in the autumn. 
The Ottawa River is the centre of focus for birders from 
late July to early January. Why? Because the Ottawa River 
Valley is a route used by many birds travelling from as far away 
as Hudson's Bay to as far away as the Atlantic Ocean. Because 
Lac Deschenes is by far the most attractive area within a 100 km 
radius for loons, grebes, ducks and so forth, to stop, rest and 
feed. Because a narrow passage such as the Deschenes Rapids 
acts as a sort of funnel giving birders close views of birds 
moving up or down the river. Because when the river is low, it 
is an obvious place for shorebirds to touch down and feed. 
There are more reasons, but we won't bore you. 
Don't get us wrong. There are dismal days on the river, 
but there are exceptional, almost magical, days too. 
What follows is by no means a comprehensive discussion of 
the birds along the Ottawa River, but we hope it will demon¬ 
strate why we continually cover the same old ground (water?) 
between Constance Bay and Nepean Bay, and especially between 
Shirleys Bay and Britannia/Deschenes. 
Weather is the all-important factor. 
The Ottawa River 
The first week of September was quite good. The highlight 
was sightings of a Western Sandpiper on September 2nd at Shir¬ 
leys Bay and September 5th at Ottawa Beach. Both birds (or the 
same one?) were (was) photographed and otherwise well-document¬ 
ed. The same can not be said of most sightings of Western 
Sandpiper. These sightings fit into a pattern, with most pre¬ 
vious records being in late August and early September. 
A number of Hudsonian Godwits moved through on the evening 
of September 4th while weather conditions were unsettled. On 
September 6th, two Red Phalaropes appeared at Ottawa Beach and 
Shirleys Bay. The bird at Shirleys Bay stayed until September 
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