NeilyWorld  Birding Ottawa - Southwest - Ottawa River West: Ontario


STILLWATER - DICK BELL PARK

Spring: *  Summer: *  Fall: ***  Winter: *

        Independent Directions to this Site: From Highway 417 (The Queensway) take exit 134 (Moodie Drive). If travelling west, the 0.4 km offramp dumps you right or north onto Moodie. If driving east, a 0.3 km offramp brings you to Moodie Drive, where you will turn left or north onto it and in 0.5 km join the westbound offramp traffic. Both groups will now follow Moodie Drive north 1.3 km from here to Carling Avenue. Turn right or southeast on Carling and go 1.2 km to the turnoff for the parking lot for Dick Bell Park and the Nepean Sailing Club. Turn left or northeast into the parking area.
        Ottawa River West: Ontario Route Directions: From the Andrew Haydon Park parking lot, turn right or northwest on Carling Avenue and go 1.0 km to the next turnoff. Turn right or northeast into the parking area for Stillwater - Dick Bell Park.
Map of Stillwater - Dick Bell Park
Map of Stillwater - Dick Bell Park
        Site Description and Birding Information: Stillwater is the predevelopment name of this area and is still used by many birders who can remember when it was a much better spot. Watch for rafts of diving ducks offshore in Lac Deschênes along with smaller numbers of loons and grebes. Closer to shore there are usually geese and diving ducks in season. A small marsh to the southeast sometimes shelters interesting birds. The breakwater provides good viewing of the river and a stopping point for Purple Sandpipers in early November. Early winter Snowy Owls are sometimes spotted on the marina docks.
         Rare birds seen here include: Red Phalarope (Oct. 3, 1987), Atlantic Puffin (flyby Oct. 15, 2002), Northern Gannet (flyby Nov. 11, 2002), Pomarine Jaeger (juvenile Sept. 30, 2006), Northern Wheatear (Oct. 19, 2006 - lighthouse jetty), Long-tailed Jaeger (Aug. 11-12, 2007). The lighthouse jetty is an excellent place to hunt for Purple Sandpiper around the first week of November. One of Ottawa rare pairs of Carolina Wrens lives on Stillwater Drive, just south of Carling Avenue from this site.
         Additional information on this and nearby sites is available at the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club website's Britannia page.
Snowy Owl at Marina in Mid-November
Snowy Owl at Marina in Mid-November
        Ottawa River West: Ontario Route Directions: From the Stillwater - Dick Bell Park parking lot, turn right or northwest on Carling Avenue and go 1.1 km to Moodie Drive. Turn left or south onto Moodie and proceed 0.4 km to the marsh, on the right just beyond the Nortel loop road on the left. You can either pull well off the road here, or turn right or southwest into the loop road and park along it, to visit the next site on this route, Nortel (Moodie Drive) Marsh & Trails.
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Copyright © 2000 - 2009     Larry E. Neily
Last update:  October 28, 2009