Sunday, December 27: Today, we will search for owls in the Ottawa area! Each winter is different in terms of the distribution and number of owls in the Ottawa area, but we will strive to see as many species as we realistically can. Our goal species are: Boreal Owl, Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl. Just how many of those species we may see on the day depends on the winter and food conditions in the north (possibly driving northern owls south), winter roost sites in Ottawa, and food availability (meadow voles and mice) in Ottawa. Let’s get out there and explore!
Field Guiding Philosophy: With birds (winged…prone to movement; i.e. not “fixed” in location), there are never guarantees, but the good news is you’ll have a professional guide at the helm with many years of experience searching for and identifying birds. As always, I will endeavour to make the most of each tour, and the philosophy I encourage is to “take whatever the day brings.” Field-guiding is far less about rarity chasing/stakeouts/listing, and far more about the flow of a particular day, time and location. As a guide, I typically don’t place pressure on the tour (i.e. have a long list of hopes and expectations); I simply allow the day to unfold before me, and interpret moments and themes to the best of my ability, on the fly. Birding is fluid, in my experience, and placing pressure on the day can lead to disappointment. If and when birding action is red hot, I will be there, guiding with bells on; the gloves are off, so to speak, and it’s “go time!” When it’s quiet, I will pull from my reservoir of information and field experience, and share information about birds and various natural history topics throughout the day.
What to pack/What to know: Please dress for the season and be sure to check on the weather conditions ahead of the tour. Dressing in layers, and packing extra clothes (so you’ll have extra options) during fall tours is a good idea, especially on full day tours. It’s also a good idea to pack a toque, gloves, rubber boots, extra socks (in case your feet get damp/wet) and your full rain gear. Please pack your photographical and optical equipment of your choice; if you have a spotting scope, pack it, as well. Packing a cooler with a lunch, snacks and liquids is a good idea, whether you’re on a shorter or longer tour; it’s always better to have packed more, than to have packed less, during field tours. If we are on a full day tour, we will break for lunch; if it’s a half day tour, then there will be no lunch stop.
Passes & Permits Needed? N/A.
eBird Checklists: I will take care of all of the checklists for the day, and share them with you when the tour is complete. Your eBird statistics will automatically update when you accept the checklist. If you are not an eBird user, that is perfectly fine; I will email the checklists after the tour. You’ll be able to browse through the sightings list without having to be an eBird user.
Washrooms: I will schedule a washroom break every 90-120 min throughout the tour.
Activity rating: 1/5.
Meet-up time and location: TBD in the Ottawa area, based on scouting results and local reports of owls in the area. We will be meeting in the morning, likely between 8 and 9 am.
Duration: 7 hours, approximately.
Cost: $180 per person (HST-included). I accept payment via e-transfer to eontbird@gmail.com. I also accept mailed cheques sent to Eastern Ontario Birding, 751 Namur Street, Embrun Ontario, K0A 1W0.
Payment due date: Upon registration preferred. Please be sure to review my Cancellation Policy ahead of signing up for this tour. The cancellation policy comes into effect the moment the online registration form is inputted.
Register for this outing by using this sign-up form