Don't these shorebirds know that it is winter, or at least almost winter like? Certainly the autumn period did not last long, given that we had mid-summer like temperatures into early October, and after a couple of weeks of normal autumn temperatures, the winter conditions arrived.
The shallow wetland area of the Keith McLean Conservation Lands, just north of Rondeau Provincial Park, has been a real boon to birders this year. The high water levels of Lake Erie and Rondeau Bay are partly responsible, since portions of the KMCL adjacent to the two creek systems are so close to the water levels of the lake that flooding occurs and therefore have remained wet for the entire season. Rarer water birds such as Am Avocets, Willet, Red Knot and Snowy Egret as well as dozens of more typical species have all made use of it. From a bird perspective, one hopes these conditions persist. These conditions are not typical, however. I used to live right across the road from Keith McLean and knew him fairly well. He told me that on more than one occasion in the past, the larger wetland along the causeway just before entering the park was so low that he farmed it!
Although the general temperatures have been close to freezing, or even below, on numerous occasions, being close to the lake has provided the 'lake effect' resulting in slightly warmer temperatures and therefore less ice along the shoreline or mudflats. Shorebirds that are lingering for whatever reason have definitely taken note of it. A few days ago I decided to spend several hours at KMCL to see what I could find in proximity to the wetlands as well as some of the woodland component elsewhere on the property. It was a good decision.
Sandhill Cranes are occasionally seen either feeding or in flight.
When I first approached the wetland, it was plain to see that ducks were taking refuge here from the hunting action on nearby Rondeau Bay. Hooded Mergansers were fairly plentiful, as were a few dozen 'puddle ducks', a.k.a. Mallards, Am Wigeon, Gadwall, etc.
Nonetheless they were nervous and took flight to another part of the wetland.
I checked for sparrows along the way, hoping that a Nelson's Sparrow or two might still be around. They might be, but all I saw were Am Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows.
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| Swamp Sparrow |
Along the far shore of the wetland were mudflats, and there were several shorebirds busily searching for food. After manoeuvring myself to a position with better lighting and letting them get used to my cautious approach, I got some good close-up photos. This first photo shows a couple of Dunlin along with a smaller, Semipalmated Sandpiper, the latter species with its leg up.
A Lesser Yellowlegs came scooting by.....
...as did a Pectoral Sandpiper.
I also saw a White-rumped Sandpiper, obvious by its size and white rump in flight, but I did not get any photos of it. Dunlin are to be expected this late in the season, but all of the other species are not.
All of them were constantly on the move, until at one point all of them froze. I was a little surprised and immediately thought that there must be a raptor within view.
Sure enough, I looked behind me and although it was at least a couple of hundred metres off, a Cooper's Hawk was perched in a tree.
Whether it was looking for food or not, I couldn't tell, and I presume the shorebirds were not taking any chances at being an opportunistic meal for this particular predator. The shorebirds remained motionless, hardly even closing an eyelid. Their rigid posture and unwillingness to move and give themselves away gave me opportunity to get a bit closer for some better photos. I guess they figured I was less dangerous than a raptor, and they were right.
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| Dunlin |
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| Semipalmated Sandpiper |
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| Semiplamated Sandpiper |
The hawk flew off, and for a few seconds the shorebirds became a bit more active, then froze again. The hawk had moved, but not that far off, landing in a tree a bit farther away. Once the hawk left the area altogether, the shorebirds carried on with their frenzied feeding. Just to add to the shorebird theme, I noted a Greater Yellowlegs feeding on the washed up vegetation mats along the shoreline of Rondeau Bay.
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| Greater Yellowlegs |
I also spent some time checking out some of the grassland and woodland edges of the KMCA, and saw birds such as:
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| Black-capped Chickadee |
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| Carolina Wren |
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| Tufted Titmouse |
I ended up with about 56 species of birds for my time there, not bad for the time of year and considering the majority of the KMCL is still in agricultural use. It just goes to show what even smaller natural areas can support on occasion.
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