Birds, birds and more

It is a great time of year to be out. Birds are about at their peak of diversity. In Chatham-Kent, the general Rondeau area is the place to be (with all due respect to the many other natural areas in C-K).

Just a few days ago, the Keith McLean Conservation Area just outside of Rondeau hosted a couple of relatively rare water birds: American Avocet and Willet. The views were quite good in spite of the distance, with a 'scope. Not so good for photos, unless one wanted to go around the wetland and risk spooking the birds. Shorebirds are unpredictable. Sometimes they can be quite tolerant of humans and other times they spook easily. I chose to stay back to ensure they didn't spook and deprive others of getting a look at these birds.

American Avocet

American Avocet with Willet on the far left

Willets showing their wing pattern

 There are lots of other birds to see at this conservation area, and I'm sure that now some rarities have been found, birders will not hesitate to check it out more often. It was a great spot to see a diversity of waterfowl a few weeks ago. Over 140 species have been recorded on eBird to date.

Caspian Tern

The north end of the park has been quite good these last few days, as it is slightly warmer with more insect activity to attract birds. It is also the narrowest part of the park, which allows the birds to be more concentrated than at the more difficult to access and cooler south end.

Summer Tanagers, a southern rarity which occasionally shows up, is present in surprising numbers. There are probably up to 5 birds in the park and include both males and females. Perhaps this is the year that a pair bond will form, and maybe the first confirmed nesting record for Ontario.

 The Norway Maples which are in flower are a great spot to find insect eating birds, if you can see through the density of flowers and developing leaves. Cedar Waxwings have not been very abundant lately, but are starting to show up.

 One or more White-eyed Vireos, a more southern specialty, were cooperating, along with both its Red-eyed and Warbling relatives.

White-eyed Vireo

 Someone had spotted this Eastern Screech Owl fly in to this clump of leaves in an oak. It was hard to get an unobstructed view of the bird, made even more difficult with the harsh back lighting.

 A few Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are still around, but will be disappearing shortly for places farther north.

 Yellow Warblers are the most common warbler species. It is hard to believe that back in the 1970s this species was on the Audubon Blue List as a rare and declining species to watch out for.

 Sandhill Cranes have been seen regularly flying in or out of the park, heading to or from the marsh.

Elsewhere in the park was this Eastern Whip-poor-will resting in a cluster of small branches along the Tuliptree Trail. One is much more likely to hear them singing their distinctive song in the twilight hours than actually seeing them. This one was fairly high for the species. Normally they seldom roost more than a couple of metres off the ground, or sometimes right on the ground. This one was up at least 6-7 metres.

Other wildlife was visible, and gave photo ops.

A trip to the Erieau Rail Trail resulted in a few birds. There was an abundance of White-throated Sparrows, and I was fortunate to find a Lincoln's Sparrow that cooperated.

This Sora was quiet and behaved in typical rail fashion by skulking furtively in the cattails and Phragmites.

The Blenheim Sewage Lagoons are always worth checking out. Sometimes you get something rare, and sometimes you don't, but there is often a good diversity of water and land birds.

Dunlin in the sprinkler cell

Palm Warbler in the cedars

A trip to the Tilbury Sewage Lagoons is another local sewage lagoon option. The water levels are high so it doesn't currently have the same appeal for shorebirds. For some reason even the waterfowl are not as abundant here. But one can usually find something of interest. Black-crowned Night-Herons follow the creek system to this spot.

 A Beaver lodge is visible along the creek system.

A Great Egret wanders around the berm with trucks on Hwy 401 zooming by in the background.

A bit of a surprise was to see a flock of 36 dowitchers fly in and land on the shrubby/rocky bank. At first I wasn't sure whether they were Long-billed or Short-billed.

They are probably most difficult to separate at this time of year based on their plumage characteristics, and one has to rely on their call notes. The characteristics overlap, and some birds exhibit Long-billed characteristics and others exhibit Short-billed characteristics. It is possible that both species were present. I am not sure how often they travel in mixed flocks, but it happens. The vocalizations were not as clear as I would have liked, due to my hearing as well as the steady flow of traffic on the nearby highway. However I would lean towards most of these being Short-billed Dowitchers.

scaly back with bright white feather tips typical of LBDO

clear, unspotted throat and upper chest typical of SBDO

A swing by the Jeannette's Creek area and the Thames River brought some nice sights. Turtles are abundant and quite visible now that warmer, sunnier days are here. Most logs and other basking sites are crowded with either Painted or Map Turtles. The latter species is considered a Species At Risk in Ontario, although seeing them in the abundance here there is certainly no shortage of them in the lower reaches of the Thames River and its tributaries!

 While I was waiting for a train to pass at the south end of the Jeannette's Creek boat launch area, a Black-crowned Night-Heron flew in right along where I was parked, and proceeded to fish. I got lots of photos of it in action, which I may devote a future post to.

And there are still Snowy Owls around. One sees them posted on eBird almost daily, from various places in C-K and adjacent municipalities. This one was 'shot' on a post along Hwy 40 just south of Wallaceburg.