Late this past winter I discovered a new place for birding in my own neighbourhood: Kristina Kiss Park. It really isn’t much of a park; there’s a soccer field at the northern end (Kristina Kiss is a famous Canadian soccer player from Ottawa), a playground at the southern end, and the two are connected by a footpath that runs next to what I consider its most interesting feature: a channel of water that eventually drains into the Eagleson storm water ponds. Last winter I was driving through the area one day when I noticed what looked like an ice-covered pond behind the soccer field. Sure enough, there is a pond in the northeastern corner of the park according to Google maps. When March came and the ice melted, I found my first Killdeer of the year here, and I thought it could be interesting for shorebirds later in migration. However, as the spring progressed, the pond dried up and revealed itself as a large square patch of gravel with no apparent purpose but to collect the run-off from rainwater and snow-melt. The water channel that runs between the footpath and the houses on the next street over turned out to be more interesting, though it was choked with cattails in most places – there were muskrat push-ups scattered throughout, and when the spring returned, I found many of the more common city birds nesting within the vicinity: House Finches, robins, grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, even a pair of Tree Swallows nesting in a nest box in one of the backyards!
At the northern end beyond the houses and the gravel pond, the footpath peters out and a steep bank marks the beginning of the pasture where cows roam (the other side of this pasture can be seen from Terry Fox Drive). There is even a warning sign not to enter the pasture as there are bulls loose! However, it was in this area that I have heard Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and even a Willow Flycatcher! I spotted the flycatcher once out of the three times that I heard it.
I wasn’t expecting much in the way of dragonflies, but to my surprise the park turned out to be a good spot for insects as well. In mid-July I happened upon a pair of Band-winged Meadowhawks in tandem in the cattails beside the footpath. I used to see this species all the time when I first started dragon-hunting – in a Tim Horton’s parking lot, in the tree in my front yard, along the Ottawa River, at Jack Pine Trail and at Bruce Pit – but they’ve become scarce in recent years, so that even while Bruce Pit is still the best place to look for them, they aren’t always found on every visit. It was good to know that at least one pair was reproducing in the area!
Today I noticed that the gravel pond was full of water again after some recent rain and thundershowers. I decided to stop in for a look, and noticed what looked like a dirt road running down into the pond between the parking lot for the soccer field and the hydro station to the north. I decided to follow the road to the water and have a look. There I found the last five feet of the road submerged beneath the water, with small banks on either side; just beyond that the pond opened up. I stopped at the edge of the water where I noticed a number of small damselflies flying along, together with several larger dragonflies. A couple of Twelve-spotted Skimmers repeatedly perched in the vegetation next to the pond, while a male Saffron-winged Meadowhawk perched on some emergent vegetation.
Best of all, there were gliders – Wandering Gliders! I’ve been noticing lots of these migrant dragonflies in the past few weeks, mostly around the Eagleson Ponds, but in other places too, like downtown at Confederation Park. However, I hit the jackpot here as there were at least half a dozen patrolling the water, with a few of them even flying a regular route up the road. I climbed up onto the bank to look out over the pond and confirmed they were actually breeding here – I noticed a pair flying in tandem out over the open pond and a female ovipositing close to the shore. Later I saw a pair locked in a mating wheel; I hoped they would land in the vegetation close by, but they – like most gliders that just never land – kept flying by.
I retrieved my net from the car and spent a good 15 minutes on the road (and in the water – I was wearing sandals) watching the gliders and hoping for one to come close. I was interested in a particularly reddish one with markings on its wings. I managed to snag it in my net once, though the wind blew it right back out. Only when it passed me again at about waist height did I see the bluish-gray eyes and dark markings on top of the thorax and confirmed that it was a Spot-winged Glider.
This place was so amazing that I sent a message to Chris T. as I was pretty sure he was still looking for the opportunity to photograph these two particular species. After he showed up we spent some time wading out in the pond – it was only ankle deep – watching the gliders fly around us just beyond the reach of our nets. Still, Chris got a documentary shot of the Spot-winged Glider, which was a lifer for him.
When it became clear that the odes flying out over the water weren’t cooperating, we went out into the field to see if the gliders there would be any more cooperative. Sadly they weren’t, though we found a Snowberry Clearwing Moth and a handsome Band-winged Meadowhawk perching in the vegetation as a consolation prize.
It was amazing to see so many unique and difficult-to-find species at this small, out-of-the-way park. It really pays to check the various parks and areas with small bodies of water nearby just to see what is around – you might be surprised!
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