Northern Pintail
On the first weekend of November I spent half an hour at Dick Bell Park before venturing over to Andrew Haydon. This was a great choice as I found a juvenile Red-necked Grebe right off the point near the lighthouse and a female Common Goldeneye right near the shore. These ducks are usually found much further out, so I was happy to have the opportunity to photograph one up close.
Common Goldeneye
A single Snow Bunting was foraging along the rocks as well. I flushed it as I walked by, but was able to relocate it among the rocks. This is another bird that is difficult to get close to, whether along the shoreline during migration or on farm roads outside the city in the winter, where they are mostly commonly found in flocks wheeling above the cornfields like flakes of salt and pepper.
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
After leaving the lighthouse I walked over to the lawn separating the parking lot from Andrew Haydon Park to check out the geese – I found a Brant there once mixed in with the group of Canada Geese feeding there long ago, but had no luck on this visit. As it turns out, there was a Brant feeding on the grass at AHP – it wouldn’t be fall in Ottawa without a visit from a lone Brant on the lawns of this park.
Brant
The Brant is smaller than the Canada Goose, and tends to stand out in large groups of geese due to its black head and neck. It also tends to feed a short distance away from the rest of the geese, so always pay attention to any geese that appear on the fringes of the flock – Cackling Geese tend to separate themselves from the much-larger Canada Geese, too.
Brant
I walked down to the river, noticing a single Lesser Scaup on the pond. There were about two dozen other scaup on the river itself, but I couldn’t tell whether they were Greater or Lesser Scaup. The scaup on the ponds are much closer than the ones on the river, and it’s much easier to determine the head shape at a shorter distance. However here in Ontario, most scaup seen on small ponds tend to be Lesser Scaup, while both scaup are found in large rafts on the river.
Among the 1,000 or so Canada Geese on the river I also saw six Bufflehead, four Hooded Mergansers, and five Common Goldeneye. One of the goldeneye ducks was diving quite close to the shore, and popped up almost right beside me. I got a few photos before it quickly swam off in the opposite direction.
Common Goldeneye
The only notable songbird of interest at Andrew Haydon Park that day was a small flock of Common Redpolls flying over – I heard their distinctive call notes and watched as they flew across Carling Avenue.
The following weekend I spent some time in Stony Swamp before returning to Andrew Haydon Park, but didn’t find much of interest. Pine Grosbeaks have returned, and I heard one fly over at Old Quarry Trail though I didn’t see if it landed anywhere. Fortunately the waterfowl on the river made up for those quiet outings, with a total of eight species present on the river and on the ponds. Both the lone Brant and lone Lesser Scaup were present, but I was more interested in the pair of American Wigeon hanging out in the western pond near the shore!
American Wigeon
Like all dabbling ducks found in Ottawa, the males and females look quite different. I was happy to get a photo of the two of them together to compare their differences – the males are much showier than the females, with their pinkish-brown body, gray head, iridescent green stripe through the eye, and white forehead which has led to the colloquial name of “baldpate”. Females, on the other hand, have warm orangey-brown bodies and plain gray heads. Neither sex is likely to be mistaken for any other species in our area, as their closest relative, the Eurasian Wigeon, is still very rare here.
American Wigeon
I never realized that the green eye-stripe was iridescent until I saw purple hues gleaming in the sunlight. Normally the green stripe appears bright, shiny emerald in the sun, like the wing patch of a Green-winged Teal.
American Wigeon
After I had taken my fill of photos of the two wigeon I walked over to the eastern pond, and was surprised by a beautiful male Northern Pintail in full breeding plumage! This is another duck where the male is much flashier than the female. Female pintails resemble female mallards, although they can be differentiated by the same long, elegant neck as the males, with a plain brown head (no eye-stripe), a gray bill, and more intricate patterning on the body feathers. The chocolate-brown head of the male, gray body, and white neck and head stripe stand out clearly among any mallards or other species that are present.
Northern Pintail
Northern Pintails are interesting in that they nest farther from water than other ducks, chiefly on the ground in croplands, grasslands, wet meadows, seasonal wetlands, shortgrass prairies, and even in tilled croplands. This leaves them vulnerable to agricultural practices that destroy nests, and is one of the reasons for their population decline since the mid 1960s. Loss of wetland habitat, drought, and the cultivation of grasslands are the other main reasons for their decline. Fortunately, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan is working towards reversing these declines by restoring wetlands and working with farmers to reduce nest loss and improve the bird’s habitat.
Northern Pintail
The Northern Pintail is slightly smaller than the mallard – which is in fact our largest dabbling duck. The male is such a beautiful bird I had a hard time dragging myself away to see what else was around!
Northern Pintail
There weren’t many species on the river itself, but I did find three Hooded Mergansers and six Bufflehead. One of the females was swimming close to shore; I have yet to see a male Bufflehead this close!
Bufflehead
There weren’t as many songbirds present on this visit, so it was a quick walk around the park. When I walked by the ponds again the pintail and the two wigeon were still in their respective ponds.
American Wigeon
Ottawa is blessed to have two major rivers flow through its boundaries, plus a canal and innumerable smaller ponds, streams, swamps and wetlands to attract migrating waterbirds. Our location in eastern Ontario makes it a good spot for birds migrating between Hudson Bay and the St. Lawrence seaway to stop over for a short break, particularly in the fall when birds are in less of a hurry to get to their destination. Every year a large numberof waterfowl species can be found within the Ottawa region, with the greatest variety on the Ottawa River. Is it any wonder that most birders spend most of the shortening days of November with their binoculars focused on the gentle waves of the Ottawa River?
The Pathless Wood 