Snow birds and big trees

Some 'snow' birds are showing up here in southwestern Ontario. A Snowy Owl was seen by Jim Burk a few weeks ago, but it seemed to disappear. Then a few days ago, Irene Woods reported one on a pumphouse near the corner of Bisnett Line and Lagoon Road. It apparently likes this vantage point....far enough away from any road to minimize disturbance, and in a slightly lower portion of the ag field where it is less breezy. I've seen it on this pump house on several occasions. This is a highly cropped image from a photo taken with lens giving the equivalent of a 22X binocular. Fortunately this is a species that even at a distance is easily identified under less than ideal conditions.

Snow Geese are not common in this area. In eastern Ontario, they can number for a few days in the tens of thousands in a single field. Here, we are lucky to see a few individuals each fall. In checking the database of the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count, which has been going for 75 years (and most often between Dec 15-21 so at the very tail end of fall), we've recorded them only about a third of the time, and even then, mostly in numbers less than 10. The blue phase of the Snow Goose is even rarer here. In those same 75 years, we have recorded them on only 7 occasions. So it was a nice treat to see this blue Snow Goose hanging out with several hundred Canada Geese along the east side of Rondeau, which is off limits to hunting and the birds are fairly tolerant.

A juvenile white phase Snow Goose is still in the area, but I didn't get photos of it. It has sometimes been seen along the east beach of Rondeau, but yesterday I saw it with several hundred Canada Geese along the lake shore off of Erieau.

Another mostly snowy white goose is the Ross's Goose which I saw, got decent photos of, and posted about recently. Those two seem to have left the area, as several birders have been diligently looking for them without success.

Right at the beach edge of Rondeau I noted this:

I don't think it will be in high demand for picnicking any time soon, but it might be useful for small kids to put their beach toys on next year. That is if it survives the winter ice, etc.

Sticking with the snowy white bird theme, these large majestic birds are frequently seen, unfortunately in increasing numbers, around Rondeau Bay.

Mute Swans are popular with the general public, but most of the public are not aware (or perhaps don't care) that these birds are some of the most vicious, nasty and damaging species of waterfowl we have to contend with. They really play havoc with almost all of our native species of waterfowl, taking over large areas of wetland and refusing the presence of other species.

Owls are also popular with almost anyone, whether it be a Snowy Owl as shown above, one of the largest of our owls, or the smallest of our owls, the Northern Saw-whet Owl. The Northern Saw-whet is the smallest owl species in Ontario, being only 20 cm (8") although when you see them they usually look even smaller. Just a few days ago one is thought to have flown into a window or something and was sitting in a rather vulnerable place, being threatened by a cat. The landowner brought it to the park. Nothing seemed to be broken, so it was put on a safe branch of a pine tree and left to recover.

A few days ago I purposed to explore part of the Keith McLean Conservation Lands (KMCL), just north of Rondeau, that I had never been to. I was encouraged to do so after having had a conversation with Ken Bell, who had earlier seen one or more very large trees near the far northeastern corner of the property. So I ventured out. En route I crossed a portion of the wetland/creek system that was still free of ice. Some Mallards, Gadwall and this Ruddy Duck were enjoying the respite from the waterfowl hunting going on around Rondeau Bay.

One of the plants that stand out at this time of year is Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). The dark purplish blue berries against the reddish purple stems are quite obvious. They aren't edible for humans, but birds love them!

 I eventually got back to where some big trees were. I came across a Shagbark Hickory that measured 87 cm dbh (dbh is the official height for measuring tree diameter. It is 1.3 metres above the ground which is about 4.5 '). That makes it one of the largest Shagbark Hickories I have ever seen. But larger trees were in store. Near a cluster of woods where some older farm buildings and a residence formerly occurred, I came across this tree that Ken had told me about. It is a Sugar Maple, and measured 125 cm (almost 50") dbh.

And as I gazed across the field towards the wide creek system at the eastern edge of the KMCL, I noted some oak trees that were impressive even from a distance. I had to see them. One of the first Red Oaks I encountered was almost exactly one metre (~40") dbh, but that one was small. One not far away was 155 cm (slightly more than 5') dbh.

Red Oak, 155 cm dbh

 The Red Oak that is almost a metre dbh is in the background of the photo above.

This one isn't in great shape, but that is typical of trees that have been around for a couple of centuries or more and qualify as old growth specimens. It is hard to tell how old this one is, but is likely at least 200 years old.

Old trees often have hollow sections, which are quite popular with wildlife. When I first saw this raccoon, I thought it was just basking in the sun, but in very short order, I realized it was dead. There has been an outbreak of distemper amongst raccoons this year, which often happens when populations are high, so this individual might have been a victim of that.

As I continued along the top of the creek system, I encountered a real behemoth: this Red Oak, although it was difficult to measure using the exact protocol of the Ontario Forestry Association for the Ontario Honour Roll (OHR) of Trees.

Those standards require measurement at 1.3 m in height from the highest point of land the tree is growing on, which in this case is at the left hand side of the photo. This specimen is on a slope, and measuring at the 1.3 m height means that the large branch on the creek side will interfere with the measurement. So I measured a bit below at about the narrowest diameter, and it came up at about 190 cm (which is almost 6.24 feet across!). It is likely even older than the previously shown one, and it is not impossible for this tree to be ~250-300 years old. It does seem to be in better shape than the 155 cm one, based on outward appearances. I noted afterwards that there were other very large specimens elsewhere along this creek system, perhaps even larger than the ones I've seen already.

This is not the largest Red Oak in Ontario, however. That bit of notoriety is claimed by a specimen growing on private property closer to Blenheim which I measured and proposed to the OHR in 1984 at 194 cm. I intend to get back to measure it again. No doubt it has grown even larger in the 30 years since!

Ross's Goose, not a hybrid

Today I was at Rondeau hoping to locate the Summer Tanager that had been seen the previous couple of days. Check out Blake Mann's blog if you haven't already seen it.

I couldn't make it to Rondeau yesterday, so today was the day, I was hoping....But in spite of several hours of searching both where it had been seen the last two days as well as just as likely spots elsewhere along the cottage community, I was not able to find it. It may still be there, or the relatively clear night last night and the colder temperatures may have been enough impetus for the lingering bird to decide enough was enough, and it was time to leave.

Giving up on the tanager, I stopped to check the lake front area at the traffic circle at the north end of the park to see what was in the relatively sheltered waterfront. I immediately noticed two small white geese mixed in with several hundred Canada Geese that have been occupying this part of the park which is off limits to hunters. I first thought 'Snow Goose' but then quickly realized that the combination of the short stubby bill, the bluish-purple base of the bill, the lack of a grin patch and the fairly straight, not sloping, feathers from the top of the bill to the bottom, all signalled Ross's Goose!

Note first the size comparison with one of the typical Canada Geese.

Next note the other features of the base of the bill as described above.

It looks pretty convincing to me. But Ross's Geese are known to hybridize with Snow Geese, and if they do, the characteristics aren't so clear. Note these next two images of the small mostly white goose which was associating with Tundra Swans. I took these photos last year near St. Clair National Wildlife Area, fairly late in the day, so the images aren't quite as sharp as the ones I took today.

The bird in question is small, no doubt about that. But the beak is not as short and stubby as the ones I saw today. It does lack the grin patch, and it has a fairly straight slope to the base of the bill. The bluish-purple area at the base of the bill isn't very obvious. So some goose biologists familiar with northern geese advised me that this bird probably has some Snow Goose genes in its makeup, and would more likely be considered a hybrid. Interestingly another goose biologist suggested that it was a good example of a Ross's Goose, and yet another excellent birder indicated it was more likely a good example of a Snow Goose! So even the experts gave different opinions. Admittedly to be completely fair, it is hard to be definitive when only seeing a single photo, not watching the bird from different angles and picking up subtle nuances of the way it appears in real life. And when a bird shows some characteristics of a species or a hybrid, but not all, it adds to the challenge.

So I learned from the experience of last year, and I consider myself a bit more careful in calling out 'Ross's Goose' when I see something that appears to be one. And in that vein, I am fairly confident that the birds of today are good examples of pure Ross's Goose.

Just before winter arrives some Cave Swallows appear

There were some quite nice days lately, albeit windy ones. But that all changed on the weekend when many of us experienced our first taste of winter for this time of year.

Some of the weather earlier in the week was conducive for the arrival of rarities such as Cave Swallows. And they did not disappoint. A handful were reported in scattered places along Lake Erie. By Friday, they had arrived in the Rondeau/Erieau area in even larger numbers. Jim Burk had 5 in the vicinity of a farm field just northwest of Erieau. Steve Charbonneau and Brian Morin had one or more at Erieau. Adam Timpf and Brett Fried reported 5 along the east beach of Rondeau, right across from the Visitor Centre. Since the east beach was relatively sheltered from the brisk SW winds, it seemed like the place to check out.

I had already been in the park for several hours in other areas and hadn't been aware of the influx of Cave Swallows posted by various observers earlier in the day. I hadn't even seen another birder during that time. Yes, I know, I'm a bit old school as I don't have the latest gadget that keeps me connected to Ontbird postings when I am in the field. I'm not against the latest technology, but I don't want to be tied to it or interrupted by it. I can enjoy being out in the field seeing what I see when I see it in a sort of serendipitous way. I know I will miss things that others report, but I realized long ago that chasing things that in some instances were only there for the moment was too frustrating.....so I'd rather enjoy what was where I happened to be.

At any rate, I decided to check along the beach at the traffic circle, thinking that it was even more sheltered from the wind and there may be some interesting waterbirds visible or maybe even one of those rare flycatchers that we hope for this time of year. As I approached the open beach, I noticed a swallow zip along the beach heading north! I didn't have time to get my binoculars on it as it crossed the narrow gap, but I noted the square tail and rusty rump even from a distance. Cave Swallow! I continued out and looked in the direction the bird had flown. A moment later I had two more go right overhead. I looked southwards along the beach to see if any more were on the way, when I noticed another birder several hundred metres away. It was Mike Bouman, who had seen some Cave Swallows himself.

As we got together to combine our efforts, Brian Morin and Steve Charbonneau appeared on the scene a short time later. With four sets of eyes the birds didn't have a chance. We watched 5 more Cave Swallows zip by, and I do mean zip. It was still breezy and with a tail wind and the erratic flight pattern of the swallows, they were impossible to get good photos of. In a couple of cases the birds flew almost within reach, and certainly much too close for the camera to focus on. They were either coming right at us or flying directly away from us. This is the best shot I got.....as the Cave Swallow zoomed away. Now if we had been able to convince them to fly a little farther out so we could get a side view as they passed by, the results may have been more to our liking........

A few years ago, in late October 2010 to be more precise, there was an influx of Cave Swallows in the area. I had seen several one evening at Erieau at the fish tug harbour, but the light was very poor. I went before daybreak the next day, since they had been seen to roost the night before, and in the much better light, I got the following photos. They had roosted underneath the piers between the fish tugs.

Earlier this day, I had spent time along the South Point Trail (east) which has lately been a good spot for birds. But it seems that most of the lingering warblers and such were nowhere to be found. I guess the trail area was too exposed to the wind. The lake was quite riled up.

 Birds were very few and far between. Maybe those late warblers were back in a more sheltered area, or maybe they had finally left. Hopefully they hadn't perished. The most interesting birds I saw were two Red-shouldered Hawks.

My next stop was the Dog Beach, but it was way too breezy for anything of note. Even the waterfowl out in the lake were sparse. There were some nice shadows and patterns in the sand, however.

The next area to check out was the campground. Much of it was relatively sheltered from the wind, and the birds were more plentiful. Some of the usual species as well as late migrants were around. There were at least 8 Eastern Bluebirds feeding on Red Cedar berries.

Eastern Bluebird

 As many as 9 Fox Sparrows were in a shrubby tangle, and almost always backlit.

 Red-bellied Woodpeckers were quite vocal.

And a butterfly! Mourning Cloaks are known for late season flight on sunny days before they go into hibernation, so it wasn't totally surprising.

 There were several Inky Caps (Coprinus sp) visible in the grassy areas.

From there, I headed to the beach at the traffic circle, which I started off this post with. Steve, Mike and Brian had decided to continue along the east beach to look for more Cave Swallows, and wait for Josh Bouman to arrive. I heard later that there were more, not surprisingly. I decided to go to Erieau, which was my intention all along. I hadn't planned on spending the better part of an hour along the east beach, but that is the serendipitous nature of it.

It was definitely breezier at Erieau. I stopped to check out Duck Bay, and was rewarded with lots of waterbirds, probably at least 8000 birds, including a Eurasian Wigeon. It is presumably one of the birds that has been seen for the last month or so. The wigeon, with its brick red head, shows up just to the left of centre in this next photo, a greatly cropped one.

 There were several thousand American Coot. We had more than 8000 coot one year on a Christmas Bird Count, so these numbers on this day were not all that surprising. This next photo shows a very small part of the spread out mass of coot.

 Along the bay shoreline are mats of vegetation, and there were approximately 70 Dunlin seen feeding, and at least one White-rumped Sandpiper among them.

Mostly Dunlin

I continued on towards the main channel of Erieau and met up with Garry Sadler. At the channel I noted an adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree along the south beach of Rondeau. Yes there is an eagle there, but it is a loooong way away!

I watched an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the far breakwall, likely the same bird that has been there for at least a week. When I glanced away for a moment I glimpsed a Cave Swallow flying a little above eye level right up the channel, heading for Rondeau Bay. But by the time I got my camera out the car window, it was too far gone. I had followed the ABCs of bird photography...Always Bring Camera. However I am going to coin another rule: AHCAR Always Have Camera At the Ready :-).

I then went over to where the fish tugs are moored, hoping for some more Cave Swallow action. Gary and I watched for at least half an hour before the daylight was dimming and the temperature dropping. We saw either one bird on two occasions, or two birds. Were they the same birds that Steve and Brian had in the morning, or were they different birds? With the number of Cave Swallows reported throughout the Rondeau checklist circle that day, who knows, but Steve and I estimated that at least 18 birds were around, and likely more. Whether they survived the rather abrupt change in the weather with below freezing temperatures, brisk NW wind and snow in the next 24-48 hours, is unknown but I expect their prospects were rather dim.

A Fine Franklin's Foray and other Rondeau notes

Franklin's Gulls are currently in southwestern Ontario in impressive numbers. The recent weather systems, including strong westerly winds, have clearly influenced the migration route of this mid-western gull. On Friday, they were noted throughout the day in the agricultural fields a short distance north of McGeachy Pond at Erieau, with a maximum of 35 Franklin's Gulls observed late in the day. On Saturday, this trend continued. At least 2000 gulls, mostly Ring-billed, were seen foraging across several fields in a triangular area which I have called the Bisnett/Erieau Road/Erie Shore Drive Block. I met up with Josh Bouman, and a bit later with Mike Bouman, to try and get an estimate of the number of Franklin's Gulls. Given that they were frequently on the move and seldom settled down in one concentrated area for any length of time, it wasn't easy! However Josh, in looking through binoculars in one direction and I, looking through a 'scope in a different direction, counted 31 and 42 birds respectively. Since they were on the move, undoubtedly there was some overlap. However others had already left for the lake, so we likely missed some. We concluded that there were at least 50-55 birds present during our time there, and quite possibly many more had been in the area. This first image shows the scattered nature of a very small part of the gull flock.

There are about 5 Franklin's Gulls in this next image, although several are out of focus due to the shallow depth of field of the telephoto lens.

 On occasion, I could get more than one FRGU in a frame giving a closer view.

The next day, I met up with Steve Charbonneau and Blake Mann at Rondeau. They typically start at daybreak, or slightly earlier, at the Dog Beach to scan the waterbird movement moving by. I didn't arrive until about 8. They had seen numerous waterfowl, and a steady stream of Bonaparte's Gulls already. While I was there, another mixed flock of gulls appeared, and headed over the forest en route westward towards Rondeau Bay. Included with this group were 5 FRGU which were easily seen through the scope.

We next headed for the South Point Trail, expecting that the sun was high enough to warm up the forest edge. There, the dogwood berries were still plentiful enough to keep such berry-eating birds satisfied. Surprisingly it was quieter than we expected on our way towards the south end. We did catch up to a Gray Catbird a bit north of the wash out area. I had one along the northern part of this trail a few days ago. A few often stick around late in the season, and sometimes are found on the Christmas Bird Count.

On our way back we encountered a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets and warblers, including several Yellow-rumped which are often around in small numbers this time of year.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

More surprisingly, we came across a Northern Parula, which is a new late record for the park checklist area. It was flitting around in the tangle and I didn't get any shots worth keeping. Blake did get a recognizable shot on his return visit to the trail, however, which he has posted on his blog here.

We went up to the campground, which has lots of Red Cedars and some shrubbery with berries, and is always an enticement to birds at this time of year. Cedar Waxwings were plentiful.

Several Fox Sparrows were around, feeding on seeds or something else on the ground.

Other sparrows were not very abundant, however. We came across a Chipping Sparrow, a species which is usually found in very small numbers at this time of year. It is unusual to have seen more Chipping Sparrows (1), than White-throated Sparrows (0) given the habitat we were in!

I returned for another hike along the South Point Trail, hoping to spot some other birds. However with the increased tempo of the wind and the generally warmer conditions farther back in the forest, the birds were even less abundant than they had been earlier. I did see some other flying critters. Autumn Meadowhawks were around in small numbers.

 I saw a single Eastern Comma.

Climbing Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) is quite evident along forest edges, as the bright orange and red berries are certainly a bright spot at this time of year.

Every time I see these berries, I am reminded of an incident that happened in my youth. In elementary school I was chastised severely by my teacher (it was her first year teaching) in front of the class for selecting red and orange construction paper for an art project (even though they were the only two choices left at the time). She told me emphatically that those colours should never be used together. Interestingly she lived in an area where Climbing Bittersweet was fairly abundant, but I guess she never noticed that it was okay in nature......

A bit later I went to the north end of the park, stopping at the beach at the traffic circle to see what was there in the quieter water. Not much, as it turned out, other than several hundred Canada Geese which are often found here as it is not an area that is hunted.

I'm not sure what the future is for this bench. It might serve as a perch for birds, but that is about all.

 With the warm temperatures this fall, some plants are still in flower!

I took a short walk along the north end of Harrison Trail, since berry-laden vines (Virginia Creeper, Carrion-flower, Poison Ivy and Wild Grape) are here in abundance. However most berries have been picked clean, so there were very few birds. I was amused to see the following. I'm not sure what it says about some people's ability to read or understand.......