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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gillian_M" data-source="post: 3637018" data-attributes="member: 45838">I don't like chasing other people's birds much, or visiting the most popular birding spots here in Ottawa, Canada because of the crowds, so I'm always super excited when I find my own good birds at the relatively under-birded trails within 15 minutes of my house.  Last fall I found an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at the storm water ponds 5 minutes from home.  This was not only the closest one I've ever seen, it was photographable!I also found a female Black-backed Woodpecker at a trail nearby last fall where a few had over-wintered the year before, but this was my one and only BBWO of the 2016-17 season (and in fact the only one seen in Ottawa to my knowledge).About three years ago I found a Golden-winged Warbler at a different trail in the same conservation area - these are scarce breeding birds in our area, with only one known breeding area, and this was nowhere close by.  I thought it was a weird looking Golden-crowned Kinglet and did a double take when I realized what it was!</blockquote>