Gatineau Trip Report
April 6th, 2011
So there was no Golden-Eagle-y excitement (not for lack of trying!), but there was nonetheless excitement. Saw my first Rough-Legged Hawk today. Lifer #244!
The "roughie" is a northern hawk, breeding in tundra and taiga around the globe. Its name is a reference to the fact that its legs are feathered down to the toes, an adaptation to its frigid habitat. It winters in Ottawa in small numbers, generally found in open country. Early April was probably about my last opportunity to see one for awhile. He was very far away, viewable only through scope, and was a puzzler to us at first. But in the end we were sure.
I think it was a Dark-Morph roughie. Perched, the bird was overall very dark except for a white patch on its nape and a second at the base of the tail.
Two new arrivals for my migration list: had a beautiful view of an Eastern Meadowlark singing in a field, and found an American Kestrel perched on a power line.
We went to an area with Wood Duck nest boxes looking for a Screech Owl. Someone had heard that a Screech Owl was habitually roosting in a particular box. So we stood at some distance from it and a woman with an IPod played a recording of the call, trying to draw it out if it was there. What happened next was fascinating and rather funny: 5-6 chickadees immediately flew over to that box--the precise one we'd been told was the right one--to investigate.
This demonstrates two things: one, it was indeed the right box, and two, chickadees ain't dumb! It wasn't just a Pavlovian response of "Screech Owl?! What, where?" It was a reasoned response of, "that's a Screech Owl. We've seen a Screech Owl recently in a particular location. Lets go there and check it out."
I had great fun and look forward to more trips with this group in the future.
April 6th, 2011
So there was no Golden-Eagle-y excitement (not for lack of trying!), but there was nonetheless excitement. Saw my first Rough-Legged Hawk today. Lifer #244!
The "roughie" is a northern hawk, breeding in tundra and taiga around the globe. Its name is a reference to the fact that its legs are feathered down to the toes, an adaptation to its frigid habitat. It winters in Ottawa in small numbers, generally found in open country. Early April was probably about my last opportunity to see one for awhile. He was very far away, viewable only through scope, and was a puzzler to us at first. But in the end we were sure.
I think it was a Dark-Morph roughie. Perched, the bird was overall very dark except for a white patch on its nape and a second at the base of the tail.
Two new arrivals for my migration list: had a beautiful view of an Eastern Meadowlark singing in a field, and found an American Kestrel perched on a power line.
We went to an area with Wood Duck nest boxes looking for a Screech Owl. Someone had heard that a Screech Owl was habitually roosting in a particular box. So we stood at some distance from it and a woman with an IPod played a recording of the call, trying to draw it out if it was there. What happened next was fascinating and rather funny: 5-6 chickadees immediately flew over to that box--the precise one we'd been told was the right one--to investigate.
This demonstrates two things: one, it was indeed the right box, and two, chickadees ain't dumb! It wasn't just a Pavlovian response of "Screech Owl?! What, where?" It was a reasoned response of, "that's a Screech Owl. We've seen a Screech Owl recently in a particular location. Lets go there and check it out."
I had great fun and look forward to more trips with this group in the future.
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