Splish splash splish little April showers!

14-15-April 2007

Saturday 15th of April was cold in the morning, wet in the afternoon and the first Pine Warbler of the year sang in the garden.

Sunday was wetter but, four Tundra Swans were reported from Parc Plaisance on the Ottawa River so off we splashed. Despite the rain there seemed to be plenty of hawk activity with groups of Turkey Vultures and several each of Rough-legged Hawks and Northern Harrier.

On reaching the park it was clear that the birds were likely to be on the river side and not in the inland’ bays. There were plenty of ducks though, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers etc. When we got to the river view the wind was brisk and wet, nothing showed. We set off exploring the other bits of the park hoping to find the birds as far as possibly the smelliest town on Quebec, Thurso. It smells because of the huge paper plant, it really really smells.

We had little luck with our explorations and the rain had started to hammer a bit but we decided to return to the park for one last go and voila, there they were, sitting on the Quebec side of the river (very sensibly) and doing swan like things. A quick scan then revealed three grebes bobbing about in the swell but firmly tucked up asleep. Eventually they stuck their heads up and their Ids were resolved as Red-necked Grebes, all in winter plumage. Despite having seen hundreds of both species in all plumages, these three bouncing blobs with nothing for perspective except each other were quite a challenge and it was only when they became active in a slack area of water that I could see them well enough to clinch the ID.

Please to have added a couple of good Quebec species to a Pied-billed Grebe and a Swamp Sparrow for the year list we set off home. Our last stop would be near the town of Hudson where some Bohemian Waxwings had been seen the day before. Our luck stayed and at least three birds were with around 50 Cedar Waxwings feeding on berries by a car park. Bohemians have been very scarce this winter, I had nearly given up hope of one.

Because of the rain and the range of some of the birds seen the photos on this post are rubbish but, this is a year list blog and they were year ticks.
The year list is at 125 (I think) and the list for the month so far is 101.















American Kestrel in rain and distant.

















Three of four Tundra Swan, even more distant but with the same amout of rain.




































Not as wet or as distant photo of one of the Bohemian Waxwings with a few Cedar Waxwings, the Bohemian is on the right.