I thought I would mention a few other birds that have been left
out of recent posts (as far as I've noticed". The Ottawa drive was
really fun for me this year (last year was a bit slow but it was around
1:00 then), this year we made the drive at just before noon. We enjoyed
seeing the Yellow-headed Blackbirds as well but also had nice views of
a BLACK TERN, flying by that area as well as a couple of COMMON
MOORHEN. Also here and further along the road, my group and I heard
several MARSH WRENS, plus SORA, VIRGINIA RAIL, and a couple of folks
alerted us to an AMERICAN BITTERN on the right side of the road (north)
in a closer stand of reeds and cattail. We got out of the car and it
jumped up and flew a short distance and landed, I watched carefully for
where it landed and luckily it was  kindof close and in not too dense
of cover. Still it took a minute to refind the bird in my scope when
I'd look again after giving others a turn looking through. Some of the
people who looked still couldnt see the bird, even tho it was in the
center of my scope and hadn't moved, quite the vanishing act these
birds can pull off. Pretty neat to watch that amazing camoflage and
behavior in action again.

    A special moment at Metzger marsh was also getting to observe
FORSTER'S TERNS, CASPIAN TERNS, COMMON TERNS, and a lone BLACK TERN all
standing on a muddy spit of land in one scope-field view. Also fun were
the good sized group (10?) of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, and the 20+
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS that were there. Friday I spent a lot of time
at Metzger and saw 2 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and a male WILSON'S
PHALAROPE (couldn't refind saturday), plus the numerous other
shorebirds mentioned in other posts (the most Dunlin I've ever seen).

      Oak Openings was later in the day, around 5-6 pm. Birded mostly
along Girdham Road and we found about 3 LARK SPARROWS even though they
weren't singing. In the woods behind the dune area on the same road we
heard the whispering songs of SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, which was pretty
special and added to the northern feel of this special patch of
habitat. In the nearby fields close to the Bikepath there, we had great
views of an extended squabble between 4 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERs, which
was fun to watch. Then we heard the pitti-tuck-tuck of a SUMMER TANAGER
 from the edge of this field north of the bike path where it crosses
Girdham. He wasn't far off so we tracked it down and were treated to
stunning views of this extensively red bird in the evening sunlight,
really cool. Also here were BLUE-WINGED WARBLER and from the forest a
singing YELLOW-THROATED VIREO. No Blue Grossbeaks were heard or seen.
         Good Birding and happy Mother's Day,

                 - Ben Warner
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