Autumn migration continues

 The weather ups and downs continue, as does the bird migration. The snow of a few days ago is just a memory. Not sure how long that will last.

I've been out here and there, although one of my regular 'go to' spots, the St. Clair NWA, continues to be off limits due to trail maintenance. I have meandered around the former Dover Twp a bit, and have managed to get a few photos of seasonal things, including the following.

At one spot that I regularly check out at this time of year, I encountered at least 14 Sandhill Cranes back against the edge of the field. This first photo is of a few at the south end of Walpole Island.... 

...and this next flight shot is of 4 of the 14 a bit farther north....

 ...that flew from the far edge of this field.

Tundra Swans are arriving in ever increasing numbers. Soon many will be seen in flight almost anywhere in the southwest, or out on the recently harvested fields of corn. That is until the corn stubble is plowed up.

Heading south, a stop at the Keith McLean Conservation Lands did not turn up much in the way of shorebirds, but I did manage photos of a few Red-breasted Mergansers swimming by...

...and three Killdeer showed up about the time I was ready to leave. A low, searching flyby of a Northern Harrier did short work of the Killdeer stay, however.

Camping is over at Rondeau, and now it is all available to fellow birders, a few dog walkers, and some birds. This Blue Jay was maybe hoping for a return of some campers, to provide some handouts on the picnic table.

Cedar Waxwings are fairly plentiful and widespread these last few days.

Dark-eyed Juncos are quite abundant.

It is always a highlight to see Fox Sparrows, and this is their time. They can be found at the edge of the roadways...

...or partially hidden as they dig out something in the leaf litter.

Northern Cardinals are here year-round, but not always cooperative for a photo, as this female was, sort of.

White-breasted Nuthatches are fun to watch going up or down a tree either searching for something they have hidden in the cracks in the bark, or putting something away for a future meal.

White-throated Sparrows are increasingly abundant, and at least some will stay over the winter.

Blackbirds are passing through in good numbers, including the Rusty Blackbird. Note to potential Rondeau hikers, the park will be closed for a couple of days at a time in order that the November/December deer hunt can take place. In preparation for this hunt, some cracked corn has been put out at feeding stations, and I sometimes check them to see what critters are taking advantage of the food. I found 6 Rusty Blackbirds at one spot, as shown next.

The raptor migration is winding down, and although technically not a raptor, Turkey Vultures are always counted at the various hawkwatches. Turkey Vultures have gone through in their normal many thousands, and seeing one now is more of a rarity.

 In other news, not related to Rondeau, I had a friend from the K-W area send me a photo of a bird that had been coming to his suet. He is not an avid birder, but enjoys what comes to his back yard feeders. At first he thought it might be a female Evening Grosbeak, and indeed a few of them are making their way south. However it turned out to be a female Summer Tanager! Summer Tanagers are not common or predictable in Ontario at anytime of year, but more likely to be encountered in the summer. That said, they can show up at really unexpected times. In checking the rare bird report for this past week, there had been one seen in Toronto a few days ago. This next photo is of one I photographed at Rondeau back in December of 2015! It was feeding on the berries of a vine that had been growing up the chimney of this cottage.

With birds, expect the unexpected!

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Mid-autumn things, and a taste of winter

 Autumn, and especially October, is my favourite time of year. The weather is usually quite appealing, not hot and humid, and there are still lots of things to enjoy out in the natural world. And of course October is the month that I got to marry Marie, almost 50 years ago, and that was a significant reason to be thankful.

I enjoy watching the change in colours, as the autumn season winds down. Here is a progression over the last few weeks, from one of my preferred vantage points.

October 8

The next one is a bit brighter, sunnier day.

October 28

And finally, on a partly cloudy but mostly clear sky day.

October 31

I was out a couple of days ago, but it was quite windy and many of the leaves were off. I don't know what it would look like today, Nov 9, but this is what it looked like out my kitchen window!

It probably wasn't quite so white at Rondeau, as the lake effect would have kept the weather slightly warmer, and any snow that fell would not have lasted long.

A bit earlier, there were some sunny and moderately warm days, which can be interesting. Some butterflies were still flitting about. Nothing rare, but nice to see as the season winds down. I had 6 of the first one...

Eastern Comma

...but only a single of this next one.

Mourning Cloak

Some fungi were still developing. This first one, Destructive Pholiota, had fruiting bodies earlier, but they dropped off, or got knocked off, so they tried again.

Oct 28

Nov 4

Pear-shaped Puffball

Other things I took the opportunity to photograph, include:

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar

Marbled Orb Weaver

Next is the leaf of a rare orchid known as Puttyroot. It is in the later part of the autumn that the leaf appears, and will stay like this all winter, until the flowering stem appears in late May/early June. At that point, the leaves dry up and aren't normally visible when the plant is flowering.

Next is Silky Parchment, another type of fungus.

Wooly Bear Caterpillars are seen quite regularly.

There is still a good variety of birds to be seen at times, flitting about the shrubbery or whatever, seeking sustenance from the berries. White-throated Sparrows, shown first, were quite abundant in dogwood thickets where the berries of Gray Dogwood, or sometimes a non-native rose can be found.

American Robins are migrating in good numbers, and can be found feeding on the berries of Red Cedar.

There was a fairly good crop of acorns this year, so these next three species are all taking advantage of them.

Blue Jay

This Red-bellied Woodpecker is trying to stash an acorn in a tree limb, planning on feeding on it later in the winter.

Wild Turkeys are scattered about, and feed on acorns as well.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are undoubtedly the most common warbler persisting in the area these days. A small number may stick around all winter.
 

Enjoy any remaining autumn colours....they won't be around much longer!

A rush of rarities

This last week or so has been great for birders looking for unusual species. As you may note, the bird on the header is new, as I decided to give that Great Egret a rest. Now the header features a new species for Chatham-Kent, and indeed quite a rarity anywhere in Canada. It is a Gray Kingbird, found near the entrance to St. Clair NWA. It is relatively common in the southeastern states, and sometimes along the east coast, but records for Ontario are few. These first two photos were taken on Friday, October 24.

Since the bird was quite accessible for viewing, there were many dozens of birders from many parts of Ontario, and even from Michigan, who made a special trip to see it. At times the viewing area was quite crowded, making parking a challenge for birders, and also a challenge for traffic. I didn't go back on the weekend, as it was even more crowded.

The bird continued to at least yesterday, Oct 29, when I took these next two photos, although the angle of light wasn't as good as I would have liked.

With the weather of late, it seemed to be finding enough to eat, but who knows how long that will last. At any rate, it is species #352 that I have seen in Chatham-Kent.

Another rarity, but not quite of the same scale as the previous one, is a juvenile Little Blue Heron. A juvenile is white, whereas an adult is mostly gray-blue. It was found by birders returning from looking at the kingbird, and was seen along the north shore of the Thames River, a bit upstream from Prairie Siding.

According to a local source, this bird may have been in the area for a few weeks.

Another rarity, although not on the same scale as the first two, was a Western Cattle Egret, found in a pasture a bit north of Erieau. Almost all the time this species is found, there are cattle quite close by.

 

  

 Still with the heron/egret group, there are a few of the fairly common, at least locally, Great Egrets remaining. They nest in limited places near wetlands associated with Lake St. Clair, and will persist well into the autumn season. I took this first photo from the Mitchell's Bay North Trail, and looking across the water to the south end of Walpole Island, I could see some egrets in a tree. I think it was a hunting day, so they may have decided to wait the hunters out and then return to their favourite feeding area when it was quieter.

The second photo was of a bird much closer, right along the trail.

This next photo shows the view towards Walpole Island, from the trail. The birds were visible when I took this, but clearly the first photo of the egrets was taken with a powerful telephoto lens to even capture the first shot above, and the photo was greatly cropped.

 The dead trees fairly close to this trail are popular with a late season bird species: Tree Swallow. Most swallows have been gone for a few weeks, but Tree Swallows seem to be a lot hardier. A day or two ago I estimated at least 250 of them swooping over the marsh, looking for insects, or taking a rest in the trees.

 Last, but not least are two Bald Eagles I captured on their migration flight.

 Bald Eagles used to be a legally endangered species in Ontario. According to those who were keeping track, in the late 1960s there was only one active pair along the north shore of Lake Erie between Long Point and the Detroit River. That pair was at Rondeau, and even it was only irregularly successful in raising a single young. With the great reduction in certain chemicals, especially DDT, the eagles are no longer endangered. There are about 30 active nesting pairs in Chatham-Kent alone. And they are more common elsewhere in Ontario, as the local hawkwatch at Holiday Beach has already recorded 460 eagles migrating past over the past few weeks. Clearly a significant success story!

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