Some interesting winter birds

I will get back to my previous theme of Species At Risk on Pelee Island, the complications and an interesting solution to one of the more challenging issues but first, an interlude on some recent winter birding.

Winter birding can be fun, but requires a lot more effort since birds are relatively few and far between compared with the other seasons. Nonetheless, and especially if you are able to find much open water or a well-stocked feeder, the birds are there!

The Rondeau Visitor Centre has had a fair bit of activity, even in this recent mild spell. Hairy Woodpeckers are around.....

Hairy Woodpecker

 ....and Red-bellied Woodpeckers are quite regular.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

 Pine Siskins are quite erratic....they were no where to be found not that long ago, but in the last week or so, at least a few have been there regularly.

Pine Siskin

 Fox Sparrows are not seen very often in winter, but the feeder this year has kept at least one bird well fed.

Fox Sparrow

There are always a few things to be found here and there. A Great Blue Heron has been seen at a creek along Stefina Line from time to time.

Great Blue Heron

 Wild Turkeys are well established.

Wild Turkey

 If you find a berry bush, such as a cluster of Staghorn Sumac, you might find American Robins or sometimes a group of those non-native and noisy European Starlings busily scarfing down the fruit.

European Starling

And birds, beware of the feral cat! Unfortunately one sees a lot of these scattered across the landscape.

Where there is open water, there is often a greater diversity of birds to look through. In the Rondeau Bay area, Erieau and Shrewsbury are the places to be. And that is where I spent some time today. Redheads are not abundant, but scattered around.

Redheads

 There is still the occasional Ruddy Duck.

Ruddy Duck

 Tundra Swans are on the move, although  a few hundred that arrived late last fall, never really left.

 A bonus this year has been the presence of a couple of Trumpeter Swans at Shrewsbury. There is only a handful of records for the Rondeau area. I took this next shot on a very cold day a week or so ago. The pointed feathering at the top of the bill, the large more or less straight bill and the wider black patch just in front of the eye (it is less pinched than for a Tundra Swan), the lack of yellow on the bill, and overall their larger size are all helpful clues as to their identity.

Trumpeter Swans

 Today, the two birds were right close to the dock area, and the light was nice and even. I even heard them give their distinctive nasal honk a few times.

 After a little while, they drifted off to the southwest and then arrived at the edge of the ice 400 metres or so away, but they still stood out due to their size. I also had  a Paul D. Pratt sighting at Shrewsbury who, along with a couple of others, was also out looking for the Trumpeters

At Erieau, was a beautiful male Long-tailed Duck in the marina area. Although they are typically very abundant on Lake Ontario in the winter, they are more of a novelty along the western end of Lake Erie.

Long-tailed Duck

 In the marina by the fish tugs was a lingering Belted Kingfisher. I watched it catch a fish on a couple of occasions, and it seemed healthy and active.

Belted Kingfisher

 American Coot often try and survive at Erieau during most winters. Some birds are more successful than others, as I saw a few dead ones on the shore, but the couple of dozen or so that I saw in the water or pecking at something in the grass all seemed to be okay.

American Coot

 Gulls typically seem to vacate the north shore of Lake Erie in January. I think they spend that time on the south side of the lake, or perhaps much farther away, but this year, since there is open water, there are a few Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls and a smaller number of Great Black-backed Gulls still around.

Ring-billed Gull

The lighthouse at the entrance to Rondeau Bay is not operating these days, although there still is one fishing tug out catching fish. The lake looks bleak and cold, but there isn't much ice on it these days. I spent a bit of time talking to an MNR&F Port Observer at Erieau today, who is based out of Wheatley. He indicated that the brisk westerly winds of a few days ago blew a lot of the ice from the western basin well down the lake towards the east.

Bleak Lake Erie

The sentinel