October 10 2026 (Saturday) Ottawa Fall Fieldtrip
Leader: Jeff Skevington, Michelle Martin.
Michelle Martin and Jeff Skevington co-lead a group of 20 OFO members on this Thanksgiving Day outing. The date corresponded with the Global Big Day. We spent the most time at Mud Lake where we recorded 50 species of birds. Warbler diversity and overall numbers were quite low but we were pleased to see a few nice birds along the river near the Filtration Plant - 2 separate White-winged Scoters flew upriver, 5 Red-necked Grebes were in a tight flock and drifted slowly downriver, and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was perched on the rocks. Our second stop at Andrew Hayden Park was almost passerine-free. Three Semipalmated Plovers were nice to see. We then stopped at Shirley's Bay and had some distant raptors migrating along with a few waterbirds. Constance Bay was our last stop with a look at the Constance Creek mouth for Nelson's Sparrows turning up one bird that flushed but did not provide good views. We finished at Jeff Skevington's house and the feeders were quiet. The weather for the day was spectacular with light NNE winds and beautiful fall colours. A lot of birds appeared to have left the region overnight resulting in low overall numbers and diversity. Jeff Skevington
September 26 2026 (Saturday) Downsview
Leader: Jack Alvo.
On a perfect September afternoon, ten people with varying degrees of mobility and birding experience met with the outing leaders. Our slow, casual walk yielded some 13 species of birds. At the pond a Great Blue Heron and Double-crested Cormorant were nice to see. In the forest, there were several migrating immature Yellow-rumped Warblers, and we ended off with a small flock of White-breasted Sparrows. Heard but not seen were Hairy Woodpecker and American Robin. The group also enjoyed a few minutes for socializing both before and after the walk.
This was the 3rd annual fall outing at Downsview, co-led by volunteers from Downsview Park, Toronto Ornithological Club (TOC) and OFO. We are contemplating a spring-time outing next time, likely in April, when there is more birdsong (and less foliage!).
September 6 2026 (Sunday) Hamilton
Leader: Barry Coombs, Rob Porter.
Fourteen keen birders joined co-leaders Barry Coombs and Rob Porter at Hutch's on a sunny and breezy morning. A Merlin perched overhead and kept an eye on us as we outlined our plan for the day. After our chat, we walked east from Hutch's and took the path to the footbridge and Globe Park. Following that, we returned to the beach strip and explored a bit of Confederation Park West. A lunch break was enjoyed at Hutch's.
Our next stop was Woodland Cemetery in Aldershot. A few of our participants had to leave us at that point but the rest of us birded the area carefully. It was very quiet, however, and few migrants were encountered. A stroll down to the Valley Inn was productive and we found our fourth heron/egret species of the day; Green Heron.
Overall, we recorded 55 species, which included 8 species of warbler. Thanks go to all participants for contributing to a pleasant outing!
