Enjoying the Birds of the Ottawa Valley
A Checklist of Locations

Every naturalist soon finds a few favourite spots, spots which pay dividends on repeated visits. The most popular spots for Ottawa birders have been close to where they lived, along the Ottawa River where there is a good variety of habitat: Britannia and Shirley's Bay. Next comes the nearest rural area: south of the Ottawa Airport. But, there are many spots prized by those living elsewhere, all over the Valley.

Here, arranged from west to east on the maps where they are found, are the insiders' spots to see birds. Only the typical or special birds that associate with them are mentioned, of course. Singular form is used when the species is rarely seen.

Commonly used names are given for locations whenever possible. However, to locate them precisely, using the coordinates, you must consult 1:50,000 topographic maps (now available free on-line). Some public libraries have such maps in their reference section.

The identification code (e.g. 31F/7) and official name of each map precedes the locations that can be found on it. Along the sides of each map, there are two rows of numbers, black ones for latitude and longitude, light blue for 'UTMG' coordinates. In this book, to allow the listing of many locations, simplified grid (UTMG) coordinates are used, instead of lengthy driving instructions. The east-west location is given first, then the north-south location.

For example, Parliament Hill is 45-30 on the Ottawa-Hull map. To find it, follow the blue numbers on the bottom until 45 is found, then the blue numbers on the side until 30 is found. The intersection of the lines from these numbers marks the lower-left corner of the square where the Peace Tower is located.

• 31F/1 Carleton Place
  • 04-07 Almonte Sewage Lagoon. Wilson's phalarope, shorebirds, ducks.
  • 15-10 Cody Creek. Herons, egrets, godwits.
  • 16-09 Manion Corners. Wet cedar, fen, sand pit. Insect eaters, bank swallows, hermit thrushes, Nashville warblers, yellow-bellied flycatcher. The old Almonte Road west to Dwyer Hill Road is also good birding.
• 31F/6 Brudenell
  • 19-40 Silver Creek. Large marsh wren colony.
• 31F/8 Arnprior
  • 91-34 Lumber mill and dump. In fall, small migrants along river, gulls on log rafts and dump.
  • 93-29 Arnprior Airport. In winter, snowy and short-eared owls, accipiters, northern shrike. Head Pond has the occasional cormorant.
  • 94-27 Madawaska Headpond. In spring, flooded fields, waterfowl. Bridge over Waba creek for red-headed woodpecker. In fall, plovers, Lapland longspurs.
  • 94-32 Mouth of Madawaska River. In spring, gulls, terns, best chance of jaeger. Accipiters and falcons. In fall, gulls and puddle ducks.
  • 95-32 Nopiming Game Preserve (bounded by the Madawaska, Ottawa and Mississippi rivers, and the CN tracks). Mixed woods, many nesting species, red-shouldered hawks. Winter ski trails and feeder, three-toed woodpecker.
  • 99-20 Pakenham Bridge. Open water late in winter. Ducks.
  • 99-32 Mouth of Mississippi River. Private road access only. The Pembroke Club can get in touch with the owner. Waterfowl.
  • 99-35 Morris Island. Cormorants near rail bridge, water open all year. Good possibility of olive-sided flycatcher and northern warblers.
  • 15-38 Sand Hills. Conifer reforestation. Woodcocks, whip-poor-wills, rufous-sided towhees, field sparrows. Finches in winter.
  • 16-96 Goodwood Marsh. Boreal habitat. Excellent for rails on Jock River outlet. Also good owling.
  • 17-27 Carp Ridge. Rufous-sided towhees, golden-winged warblers.
  • 18-17 Huntley Conc. 5. Shrubby stream, open all winter, overwintering sparrows.
  • 19-18 Carp Airport. Snow buntings, Lapland longspurs, snowy owls in winter.
  • 19-33 Constance Creek. Wooded stream, sedge and scrub, cattail marsh, wet willow, good whole length. Least bitterns, gallinules, marsh wrens, herons, harriers. Whip-poor-will colony east end of Constance Lake. Dump good for ravens.
  • 21-32 Torbolton Conc. 5. Hawk ridge. Migrating raptors.
• 31F/9 Quyon
  • 00-49 North Onslow. Woods all around for owls.
  • 06-47 Steel Line Road. Most likely for golden eagle. Canada geese in spring.
  • 09-41 Mohr Island. Probable black-crowned night-heron breeding.
  • 14-44 Eardley. Sand pit. Turkey vulture roost, bank swallow colony, grasshopper sparrows.
  • 14-49 Ramsay Lake. Whip-poor-wills. Crossbills in winter. The entire Eardley-Masham road is a great drive.
  • 14-50 Hopkin's Hole. Black spruce bog. Yellow-bellied and olive-sided flycatchers, in summer golden-crowned kinglets.
  • 18-42 Luskville. Agricultural land. Hawks in winter.
• 31F/10 Cobden
  • 46-56 Snake River marsh. Marsh wrens. Little open water, so few ducks.
  • 47-61 Snake River. Black tern colony.
  • 54-53 Cobden Marsh. Moorhen, rails, pied-billed grebes, sometimes marsh wrens, black terns.
  • 69-45 Sumac field. Grasshopper sparrows.
  • 67-44 Coldingham Lake. Grasshopper sparrows, clay-coloured among small pines.
  • 74-65 Western kingbird October 1985. The kind of spot an expert checks for such things.
  • 76-63 Campbell's Bay. Fields around for all raptors, also bluebirds.
  • 78-41 Mouth of Bonnechère River. Diving and puddle ducks, cormorants, possible great egret and tundra swan. Common terns nest on islands in river. Marshes to north (79-43) have least bitterns.
  • 80-50 Shawville. Fields for snowy owl, hawks in winter.
• 31F/11 Golden Lake
  • 25-54 Sedge wren colony 50 meters south of road. Grey jays all year within 3 km radius. Lac Doré-Golden Lake area has good habitat variety, a favourite big-day area. Spring and fall, Lac Doré is best local shorebird locale, also good for fall gulls and diving ducks.
  • 30-47 Wilber Lake. Thaws early for ducks, raptors including bald eagle.
  • 35-54 Lac Doré. Staging area for waterfowl, especially in autumn.
  • 38-67 French Settlement. Most likely for loggerhead shrike.
  • 39-55 Shaw Woods. Original Valley hardwood forest.
  • 41-63 Mud Creek. Entire length for rails.
  • 42-66 Mud Lake. Canoe trip from highway 17 for breeding black terns, rough-winged swallows.
• 31F/14 Pembroke
  • 14-95 Entrance to Petawawa National Forestry Institute. White pine, aspen, red oak. Mergansers, woodpeckers, hawks. 141 species logged.
  • 15-93 Tucker's Creek. Kirtland's warblers from 1939 to 1978. Field sparrows, bluebirds.
  • 19-74 End of path near Colby Lake. Golden-winged warblers.
  • 25-80 Pembroke Airfield. Snow buntings, longspurs, water pipits, horned larks.
  • 26-84 Petawawa Fish Hatchery. Nature trail, ponds for waterfowl, resident Canada geese, wood ducks, wigeon.
  • 35-77 Pembroke Marina. The Swallow Roost, peaking at 150,000+ of all 6 species second week of August. Merlin catching a swallow most evenings. Only Pembroke shorebird habitat. 143 species logged to date.
  • 40-72 Most likely spot for great grey and hawk owls.
  • 41-75 Rapids north of Morrison Island. Fall waterfowl, many goldeneyes. Feeders in winter. (Island is private.)
• 31F/15 Fort-Coulonge
  • 45-75 Cranson Lake. Fall ducks especially ring-necked, scaups, white-winged scoter.
  • 51-71 Westmeath Provincial Park (Bellow's Bay). Sand dunes, red pine. Good mix of waterfowl, peregrine, osprey, pine warblers.
  • 52-79 O'Brien Bay. Open all winter. Goldeneyes.
  • 57-73 Fields for snowy owl, rough-legged hawks.
  • 79-68 Sand pit. Breeding turkey vultures, rails, snipes.
  • 79-80 Lac Leslie. Nesting great blue herons and hooded mergansers, warblers, thrushes. Ravens and turkey vultures too.
• 31G/3 Winchester
  • 62-95 Headwaters of Silver Creek. Wet poplars. A promising but under-birded spot.
  • 71-87 The 'Corn Belt'. An anti-location! 50% of all pesticides used in Canada go solely on corn fields, like the ones around here. The birding is not the best.
  • 72-94 Winchester sewage lagoons. Two sites a kilometer apart. Ducks, shorebirds. Barn owl pair until 1980 when nest destroyed.
  • 74-94 Winchester dump. Ploughed field. Gulls, plovers.
  • 82-94 Chesterville sewage lagoon.
• 31G/4 Kemptville
  • 26-00 Munster sewage lagoons. Shorebirds.
  • 29-02 San del Lee Road. Owls, migrating warblers, least bitterns, wrens, rails. A great spot to sit all day.
  • 33-99 Richmond Fen. Sedge fen, cattail marsh, wet willow, wet deciduous woods. Yellow rails, gallinules, flycatchers, sedge wrens. Access is along the railway line (from either end).
  • 35-05 Richmond sewage lagoons. Shorebirds, breeding Wilson's phalaropes.
  • 36-94 Malakoff. Many quiet trails off the Klondike Road. Monty Brigham often records here. Henslow's sparrow once. Drive south to Dwyer Hill Road for great horned owls, pileated woodpeckers.
  • 39-09 Nepean (Trail Road) dump. Gulls and more gulls. Scan carefully for oddballs in fall. Ask at entrance gate for permission to enter. Smile and say thank you. You'd feel like a sourpuss too if all you saw for ten hours a day was roaring trucks and heaps of garbage! Park out of the way of trucks. Wet cedar woods to north.
  • 40-09 Cedarview Road. Owls.
  • 45-08 Manotick Back Channel. Shallow river. Puddle ducks, mergansers. Open water all year.
  • 48-89 Mouth of Kemptville Creek. Most likely in Valley for tundra swans. Also owls, warblers, finches in woods up to Kemptville. River south for least bitterns.
  • 51-10 Manotick Station. South along railway for cape may warblers, waterthrush, whip-poor-wills.
  • 53-91 Manderley Sod Farms. Buff-breasted sandpiper, plovers.
• 31G/5 Ottawa
  • 23-37 Breckenridge Marsh. Rails, screech owl, sedge wrens, red-headed woodpeckers.
  • 23-38 Heyworth Creek. Red-headed woodpecker near rail bridge.
  • 24-14 Carp Dump. Gulls, ravens.
  • 24-18 Huntley Town Line and Carp River. Breeding blue-grey gnatcatchers for several years now. Reliable for willow flycatchers and rough-winged swallows. Many great grey owls in invasion years.
  • 24-21 Old Carp Road. Mixed wood. Pileated woodpeckers.
  • 25-27 River Road. Black spruce bog.
  • 26-20 Goulbourne Forced Road. Mature beech-maple.
  • 26-27 Mud Pond. Fen.
  • 30-23 Shirley's Bay. Extensive damp woods, marsh, mud flat, shallow and deep river. See the 'Shirley's Bay' section for access restrictions and description.
  • 31-21 Watt's Creek sewage lagoons.
  • 31-25 Lac des Chênes. Loons, diving ducks, often bald eagles on ice in early winter.
  • 31-36 Baillie Rd. Henslow's sparrows in 1960's.
  • 32-27 The Cedars. River down to Aylmer for migrating warblers.
  • 32-31 Moore Feeder. All winter feeder birds including the odd grey jay.
  • 32-35 Kingsway golf course. Hawk hill. Close looks at migrating raptors.
  • 33-25 Wychwood. Mud flats around now-inactive sewage outlets to Ottawa River for fall shorebirds. Now not exceptional.
  • 33-33 Cook Road dump. Fall gulls.
  • 33-36 Kingsmere. Solid beech-maple woods. Trail south from parking lot for waterthrush, hermit thrushes.
  • 34-17 Sarsaparilla and Macoun ponds. Cattail marsh. Mergansers, herons, gallinules, rails, kinglets.
  • 35-16 Jack Pine Trail. Wet cedar, deciduous, tree farm, pasture, pond, cattail marsh, winter feeder. Grouse, woodpeckers, thrushes, some vireos and warblers.
  • 35-22 Andrew Haydon Park. Deep river, small pines, mud flats. Diving ducks, fall shorebirds, gulls. Stillwater Park is marina to west, Ottawa Beach is to the east.
  • 36-35 Pink's Lake. Dense oak-maple woods. Black-and-white warblers, hermit thrushes, scarlet tanagers.
  • 37-19 Bruce's Quarry. Quarry, mud flat. Grebes, ducks, shorebirds, geese, sparrows, sometimes mockingbird.
  • 37-23 Britannia Pier. Deep river, mud flats, white pine. Diving ducks on river, fall shorebirds on beach, spring pine warblers in woods.
  • 37-24 Britannia filtration plant. River rapids, deep and shallow river, mud flat, pond, deciduous woods, white pines. Cormorants, loons, all ducks, shorebirds if water low, gulls, arctic tern early June on river. All migrating flycatchers, thrushes, kinglets, vireos, warblers in woods. Swallows, grebes, green-backed herons, teals and migrating ducks on pond. 211 species logged by Dan Brunton.
  • 37-25 Town of Des Chênes. Scrub woods near rapids often has interesting overwintering birds.
  • 38-20 Pinecrest Cemetery. Rare overwinterers such as mockingbird.
  • 38-33 Hickory Trail. Rufous-sided towhees, indigo buntings, field sparrows.
  • 40-27 Kitchissippi Lookout. Diving ducks.
  • 40-28 Champlain Bridge. River rapids. Barrow's goldeneye, loons, ducks, gulls. Open water all year. Woods to west are a roost for starlings in fall. Good for finches, owls, woodpeckers, boreal chickadees when they are in town. Bate Island in the middle has good views of winter ducks, most likely jaeger spot.
  • 40-32 St. Raymond marsh. Rails, gallinules, green-backed herons. Nearby, behind Asticou, warblers, winter feeder in conifers.
  • 41-16 Animal Research Institute. Ploughed fields. Plovers, gulls in fall. Cedarview Road side (38-16) is good for geese in spring. Crows roost in winter opposite
  • Slack Road (41-18). The pigeons displaced from the Carlington quarry moved here, so it's now the most likely place for a gyrfalcon.
  • 41-24 Clyde Woods. Cedar and deciduous wood, marsh. The quintessential city park. Roof of reservoir is highest spot in city for viewing hawks. Woods have catbirds and thrashers, migrating warblers and small owls. Fields to south host migrating sparrows, small finches in winter. The marsh farther south has rails, alder and willow flycatchers. 196 species logged by Jim Harris.
  • 41-28 Remic Rapids lookout. All spring water birds, fall white-winged gulls. Spotted sandpipers breed on beach to west.
  • 41-29 Parc Brébeuf. View of rocks in rapids. Barrow's goldeneye, harlequin duck twice.
  • 41-31 Lac des Fées. Roosting feeder birds in winter, great horned owl.
  • 42-28 Coates Building. Sometimes winter roost of gyrfalcon or peregrine, once both at the same time. Park on the south side of Scott St.
  • 42-29 Lemieux Island. 3000 purple martins late August. The odd ring-billed gull too.
  • 43-33 Leamy Lake. Woods, shallow water. Great horned owl, ducks. Feeder in winter.
  • 44-25 Experimental Farm. Cultivated fields. Plovers in fall. The manure pile on Ash Lane has grey partridges and finches in winter. In late summer, check the Entomology station for a possible buff-breasted sandpiper.
  • 44-26 Arboretum. Waxwings, small owls, overwintering thrushes.
  • 44-32 Mouth of Brewery Creek. 160 species in 1945, fewer now.
  • 45-19 Ottawa Airport. Gravel pit, poplar scrub. Best view of high-tailed gashawks.
  • 45-24 Hogs Back. City park, river rapids. Migrating warblers, follow path along the Rideau through Vincent Massey Park to the rail bridge for all swallows. Park north side Hogs Back Road or north-east of Heron Road bridge.
  • 46-26 Above Billing's Bridge. Shallow river. Mergansers and puddle ducks until Christmas.
  • 47-14 Limebank Road. Stream valley. Red-headed woodpeckers, screech owl. More red-heads 1 km north.
  • 47-16 Ottawa Airport. Short grass, wet willows. Raptors. The top of the rise is long grass, open coniferous woods, for grasshopper and clay-coloured sparrows.
  • 47-33 The Rockeries. Migrating warblers. Unbelievable for hummingbirds when they are early and narcissi are late. Adjacent McKay Lake for thrushes and feeder birds.
  • 48-15 Armstrong Road. Short grass. Buteos, short-eared owls, vesper sparrows.
  • 48-32 Beechwood Cemetery. Mature woods. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, thrushes, migrating warblers.
  • 49-16 Bowesville Road. Birch-poplar woods.
  • 51-31 NRC, east of Bathgate Drive. Damp maple-birch woods. Thrushes, vireos, warblers.
  • 51-37 Lac Beauchamps. Wet deciduous woods. Walking trails, for warblers, vireos. Feeder in winter.
  • 54-32 Green's Creek. Woodpeckers, kingfishers. Mouth is good for diving ducks. Park south side of Montreal Road east of creek.
  • 54-34 Green's Creek sewage plant. Sludge-drying beds here used to be renowned for accidental shorebirds. They are now mostly unused.
  • 55-33 Hart Road. Cedar, long grass. Winter sparrows, grouse.
  • 56-26 Mer Bleue. Cattail marsh east of Anderson Rd. Pied-billed grebes, bitterns, sedge wrens. Has had Henslow's sparrows.
  • 57-25 Ramsayville marsh. The best cattail and wet willow marsh in the Valley. Grebes, herons, puddle ducks, rails, gallinules, courting snipes, harriers, swallows, marsh wrens, swamp sparrows, warblers. Fall roost for 20,000 starlings and blackbirds. When cows grazed the edges, there used to be shorebirds too.
  • 57-27 Dolman Ridge. Maple-birch woods. See the section 'Mer Bleue' for a detailed description.
  • 59-26 Mer Bleue, end of Ridge Road. Cattail marsh, fields, black spruce bog, deciduous wood. Herons, harriers, woodpeckers, thrushes, swallows, flycatchers, sparrows, possible clay-coloured. Henslow's possibly bred here for some years. Fields to north for marsh and sedge wrens. Park south side near Anderson Road to take the trail overlooking the Ramsayville marsh.
• 31G/6 Russell
  • 63-34 Innes Road. Shrubby field. Buteos, short-eared owl.
  • 67-25 Bear Brook. Flooded in spring. 4000 Canada geese, pintails, snow geese, escaped waterfowl.
  • 67-36 Cumberland. Beech-maple woods.
  • 68-31 Old dump. Long and short grass, mature cedar and deciduous. Breeding pine siskin, indigo buntings, saw-whet owls.
  • 68-32 Giroux Road. Gravel pit.
  • 72-11 Russell sewage lagoons, and adjacent Castor River. Shorebirds.
  • 74-31 Sarsfield. Oak-maple woods. Red-headed woodpeckers.
  • 75-31 Caanan. Cedar, wet meadow. Don't stop on the hill!
  • 83-24 Larose Forest. Conifer reforestation. Owls.
  • 91-32 Cobbs Lake Creek. Flooded field in spring. Up to 100,000 Canada geese, 10,000 pintails, 1000 snow geese. Numbers vary greatly from day to day though - check the OFNC Bird Status Line at (613) 596-4888 daily.
  • 93-18 Casselman sewage lagoon. Cattails. Puddle ducks.
• 31G/7 Alexandria
  • 04-25 St. Isidore de Prescott sewage lagoons. Breeding Wilson's phalaropes, ruddy ducks.
  • 14-33 St. Bernardin. Horned larks all year around. Longspurs, snow buntings, snowy owl in winter.
  • 17-37 Alfred Bog. Birders' favourite entrance.
• 31G/10 Hawkesbury
  • 01-42 Plantagenet sewage lagoon.
  • 11-43 Alfred sewage lagoon. Still lots of cattails, therefore coots and ruddy ducks.
  • 13-40 Alfred Bog. Botanists' favourite entrance.
  • 14-51 Pointe Filion. Turkey vulture feeding ground.
  • 22-39 Wooded stream. Scarlet tanagers, many rose-breasted grosbeaks, wood ducks, warblers, 5 species of woodpeckers.
  • 22-43 Swampy woods. Owls, goshawk, warblers.
  • 26-51 Hawkesbury Airfield. Hawks over fields.
  • 27-39 Vankleek Hill sewage lagoon. Breeding ruddy ducks for many years, all swallows, many cedar waxwings. Area west (highway 34) for breeding whip-poor-wills, winter woodpeckers.
• 31G/11 Thurso
  • 64-39 East of Meadowlane Road. Wet birch, willow scrub, ash. Redstarts, many white-throated sparrows, large flycatchers.
  • 64-60 Glen Almond. Cliffs for raptors.
  • 66-40 Small park with view of Lièvre River mouth. Loons, diving ducks.
  • 66-55 Road east from highway 309. Yellow-billed cuckoo several years.
  • 76-45 Lochaber Bay. Rails, marsh wrens, early waterfowl, red-headed woodpeckers, osprey.
  • 76-61 Lac-la-Blanche Interpretation Center. Vireos, flycatchers, thrushes. 80 breeding species. Many walking trails.
  • 78-44 Rockland sewage lagoon. Puddle ducks.
  • 81-48 Thurso Marsh. Cattail marsh, shallow river. Rails, herons, least bitterns, puddle ducks. End of gravel road east from ferry landing.
  • 84-48 Baie Noire. Shallow river. Puddle ducks, 20,000+ waterfowl in spring. (There are many 'Black Bay's, including one across from Constance Bay; this is the one Ottawa birders mean.)
  • 90-46 Wendover. Accidental waterfowl in fall on river.
  • 92-49 Plaisance. Waterfowl in spring.
• 31G/12 Wakefield
  • 20-51 Lac Phillippe. Trail opposite Breton Beach for golden-winged, mourning and black-and-white warblers, olive-sided flycatcher, cuckoos. Puddle ducks on ponds.
  • 23-38 Red-headed woodpecker ravine.
  • 28-39 Champlain Lookout. Trails north for olive-sided flycatcher, Swainson's thrush, Philadelphia vireos, ravens.
  • 30-46 Chemin des Pins. Trail west then south to Meach Lake. Wet mixed woods. Swainson's thrush, red-breasted nuthatches, pileated woodpecker, warblers.
  • 32-40 Lac Fortune. 'Northern' swamp. Olive-sided flycatcher, sapsuckers, purple finches, swamp sparrows.
  • 41-44 Cantley. Barred owl, bluebirds.
  • 42-62 St. Pierre de Wakefield. Owls and warblers.
• 31G/13 Low
  • 28-72 Low-Poltimore Road. Deciduous, coniferous woods. Winter finches.
  • 41-70 Poltimore Dump. Ravens.
• 31K/3 Chalk River
  • 07-08 Deep River. 252 species logged by Bill Walker within 3 km radius.
  • 11-04 Great blue heron colony, great horned owls.
  • 17-02 Chalk River research facility. Clearing down to river. Swallows, indigo buntings.
• 31K/4 Rolphton
  • 93-19 Rapides-des-Joachims (called 'Swisha' locally). Regular bald eagle. 17 cattle egrets once.
  • 96-02 Great blue heron colony, great horned owls.
  • 01-05 Great blue heron colony.
  • 01-11 Great blue heron colony.

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